II Peter 2:1, 17
There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction… for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
The apostle Peter rails against false teachers throughout this chapter. Their end is swift destruction, everlasting darkness.
And yet the apostle writes these false teachers even deny the Lord “who bought them”. Who bought them! Ransomed them! Surely our Lord died for all men, without exception.
I think I’m Lutheran, in part at least. This from Mathew Block, at FirstThings:
“Lutherans look to God as revealed in Christ; they do not speculate about unrevealed aspects of God’s will. Consequently, Lutherans affirm only that which they see affirmed in Scripture. Scripture tells us that Christ died for the whole world (John 3:16-17). So we believe it. Scripture also tells us that God desires all people to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). So we believe it. It further tells us that God has predestined those who will be saved (Ephesians 1:3-6). We believe this too. And yet, Scripture tells us that not all people will be saved (Matthew 25:41). This we also believe. We are willing to accept the seeming paradox, that an almighty God who predestines believers to be saved and who earnestly desires the salvation of all nevertheless will see some not saved.”
