Salvation

5. I have visited your web site and I found out that you believe the doctrine of the purpose of God according to election! Glory to the name of the Lord! We also believe it! I would like to know how you have come to this conclusion. For I know by experience that among Pentecostals this doctrine is not accepted easily (I am a former pastor of the Italian Assemblies of God)

I believe the purpose of God according to election, which does not depend on man’s works but on the will of Him who calls, because I believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and thus I can’t help but believe it. In my writings you can read many references to predestination (for I refute all those who don’t believe it, such as the Mormons, the Adventists, etc.), because I am fully convinced that it is biblical and so it must be defended and spread; that it is biblical is confirmed by the fact that it exalts the grace of God and God’s sovereignty, and it deprives man of any glory.

Shortly before I was born again by the will of God, I was on the point of dying for I was nearly drowned – I was lost, and if I had died I would have gone to hell – but God, who separated me from my mother’s womb for the Gospel, delivered me from death so that He might accomplish His purpose on me. Several months later, not long after I turned to the Lord (or rather I was converted by God) I came to know that when I was a little boy (about ten years old) God called me to preach the Word through a heavenly vision given to an elderly sister of the Church we attended at that time (the place of worship of that Church was in Lugano, Switzerland, for at that time I lived in the province of Varese, Italy; I have been living in Lazio since 1990). That sister saw a white dove descending and lighting on my head. Immediately after she had the vision, she made known to the assembly that I would serve the Lord, and when the service was over she said to my mother (placing her hand on my head because I was standing by my mother): “Sister, God will use this son of yours, and you will see it!’

When I was converted (August, 1983) I knew knowing about all this, that is, I knew nothing about the purpose of God toward me, but some time later someone told me that incident and my mother confirmed it. Therefore, by examining my life and the Scripture as well, I came to the conclusion that God appointed me not only to obtain salvation in Jesus Christ, but also to preach His Word. To God be the glory now and forevermore. Amen.

It is a sad thing, a very sad thing, that in Pentecostal circles, where predestination should achieve a more widespread consent, believers feel a strong dislike for predestination; it seems incredible, yet it is true. For according to them, by the teaching on predestination God is not glorified, whereas I am convinced that God can be glorified by believers in the right way only when they believe the purpose of God according to election.

I know, brother, I know that among the Churches of the Assembly of God in Italy and among most of the Churches which don’t belong to the Assembly of God (unfortunately I need to use these expressions to make myself understood better) predestination is ignored and taught wrongly. Several months ago, I read an article on predestination written by Francesco Toppi which is absurd; indeed he shows that he doesn’t know the Scriptures; and those who believe him and don’t search the Scriptures to find out whether what he says is true show that they also don’t know the Scriptures. This annoys me, but as far as I am concerned, I will do my best with the help of God to reach as many pastors and sheep as possible – no matter which Church they belong to – in order to teach them the purpose of God according to election.

I want to exalt the grace of God that brings salvation, I want to exalt His sovereignty, His power, and help believers understand that we have nothing that we have not received from God, and had it not been for God we would not have come to Jesus, rather we would have gone to hell.

I want believers to stop saying, ‘I brought that man to Jesus,’ instead I want believers to say that it was God who brought that man to Christ, as it is written that no one can come to Jesus unless it has been granted to him by the Father (John 6:65). There is much ignorance among Churches, indeed much ignorance! However, ministers are appointed for the perfecting of the saints so that they should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, so I will be diligent to teach believers this part of the counsel of God, on which salvation is based, on which the plan of salvation is based. If you take away predestination from the Bible, you will not be able to understand the grace of God and the plan of God’s salvation, which includes among other things the election of Israel and the fact that God hardened most of the Jews. This is another thing many pastors never speak about: the fact that God hardens whom He wills. But on the other hand, since it is man who creates his destiny – according to these people – how can we hear them speak about this hardening caused by God?

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