A great deal of our understanding of the Godhead comes not from direct doctrinal statements in the Bible but from piecing together small details and passing comments in many diverse scriptures. For instance, the word “trinity” is nowhere found in the Bible but we know, as one example, that God the Father was involved in creation, the Holy Spirit brooded over it, and Jesus was the creative Agent but “there is one God.”
Two scriptures forced themselves upon me recently. In Mark chapter six, Jesus returns to His hometown, teaches in the synagogue, and heals a few sick people. As He leaves Nazareth, the end result is “he was amazed at their lack of faith.”
Another time (Luke 7:9 NIV) a centurion sent to Jesus, asking for healing for his servant. The soldier didn’t want to impose on Jesus so he just asked the Lord to heal from a distance— and Jesus did. “He was amazed at him” and said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
Apparently Jesus can be amazed. Two things amazed Him: (1) His fellow Nazarenes knew Him and still rejected Him, and (2) a foreigner, who wouldn’t be expected to know Him, had absolute faith in Him.
Logic seems to lead to one conclusion— God had not predestined some Nazarenes or foreign soldiers to either believe or not believe. They had an absolutely free choice. This is why the Lord could say in John 3:17, that God sent His Son into the world, “that the world through him might be saved.” The gospel is available to everyone, but only valuable to those who believe.
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