1 Peter 2:8 (KJV)
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
I saw an article the other day in which James White, a noted Reformed/Calvinist teacher, disagreed with John MacArthur, another well known Calvinist Bible teacher on the state of infants who die. According to the article, MacArthur held the position that infants are innocent and that therefore all those who die in infancy go to heaven. (I would agree with that.) White takes exception and argues that the Calvinist doctrine of election requires that some of those infants be among the elect—chosen and saved—while others would be appointed to death and hell. White’s position, I think, is the logical conclusion of the (I believe unbiblical) Calvinist doctrine of election. If God is truly selecting some souls for heaven (for His glory) and some souls for hell (also for His glory), it stands to reason that such election would extend to all souls and not merely those who survive to adulthood.
But that is not the biblical doctrine of election.
And that is not what this verse is teaching. God has not appointed men to stumble at His Word by being disobedient. Rather, the passage teaches that God has appointed Christ as the stumbling stone. God has appointed that those who believe on Christ shall not be confounded, and that those who stumble in disobedience will be offended.
There you have it.
- All you who are avowed atheists and haters of Christ.
- All you who have chosen a religion without Christ.
- All you who have embraced Islam, or any religion that teaches an unbiblical view of Christ.
The marker of faith Almighty God has appointed is Jesus Christ. You may, by your own will, accept Him, reject Him, or attempt to step around Him. But in the end, it will be God who judges. And He has declared that His judgment will be determined by your relationship to Christ.
#StoneOfStumbling #ChristTheCornerstone #OffendedAtTheWord #JesusIsTheStandard #FaithOrStumble
You Cannot Step Around Jesus: The Meaning of “A Stone of Stumbling”
Do you believe 1 Peter 2:8 teaches that God appoints men to unbelief—or that Christ Himself is the appointed dividing line?
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