does god intervene in non believers lives???

[Smalcald]

Believers suffer just as much if not more than non-believers in this world do.

Look at the most successful material people in the world, people like Bill Gates, they are not Christians nor do they have any faith in God at all. Look at what Paul says about who is called, it is the bottom not the top of society. Christ says that many that are first will be last, and many that are last will be first.

I do believe God intervenes in all people's lives though to work out His eternal plan, Paul when talking about this said look for this very reason Pharos was raised up, to show the righteous judgement of God.

[yomotalking]

does god intervene in non believers lives???

does he watch non believers suffer and not give them the comfort and peace that they need...

does god only help those who follow him???

just another thing thats playing on my mind...

God can and does save many non believers.

[Marnie]

G-d intervenes providentially in the lives of all, believers and unbelievers, to the extent that the world is moving along a predetermined course according to His will. But He does not hear the prayers of unbelievers (with the exception of the prayer of repentance and salvation, of course), so to say that G-d intervenes in their lives the same way He does in the lives of believers is not substantiated in Scripture.

[redeemed098]

Hi.

God is always faithful to his Word. He is not a respecter of persons.. What he offers to those in the slums of India he also offers to those in the mansions of Beverly Hills. Salvation is for ALL men who will come to Christ. There is not one person that Jesus didnt die for. God distinguishes himself as A "Living" God as compared to Lifeless Idols. You will find that the extent of Gods presence in a persons life is not determined by anything less than a very real hunger and desire to be fed. "Open wide your mouth'O' Israel and I will fill it." When you are a believer, you are hungry for more of God so he fills you according to what he has promised in his Word. The UNbeliever is never aware of when God is drawing him or protecting him in the midst of turmoil and circumstance. The Unbeliever will even go so far as to say things like, "Somebody up there must like me." or "somebody was watching over me that night." Then he just gets backs on the horse and begins to ride again, never aware of the grace that God had just shown. I'm certain all believers out there would agree that when they first come to Christ, they can look back and see where God had his hand on their lives even before they were saved.

There is a Godly principle at work in Gods dealings with UNbelievers and believers alike. What seperates or distinguishes God from men is the mercy and forgiveness he offers to the sinner. Jesus pointed out rather clearly that it is easy for you to love those who would love you back and its easy to do good to those who would do good in return. He goes so far to say....."So what..?? Even the pagans do that." God repays evil with GOOD. No man does that, no man can do that.

It is the Godly principle to repay evil with Good. How else can a hell bound sinner be saved when he didnt even know he was a sinner to begin with.."Christ died for us WHILE we were sinners." There will never be a man who can say that God did not reveal his goodness to him. He rains on the righteous and he rains on the UNrighteous. Blessings will follow those who walk according to Gods ways because he has decreed it to be. "If you refuse to bow down to false Idols and worship and serve God alone, then his blessing will be upon your food and your water, there shall be among you no sickness or disease and there shall be no womb that is barren." There are also curses for those who refuse to follow Gods ways and he decrees much suffering to those who walk in disobedience.

While God may rain on the righteous and the UNrighteous, this does not free a person from the consequences of making the wrong decision. He is merciful NOW, but as a perfectly Holy and Just God he has also promised to pour out his Holy vengeance on all SIN. Anyone who stands before the Judgement seat of God guilty will realise that God DID reveal his goodness and his faithfulness and his mercy WAS offered to anyone who would believe.

Does God work in the lives of the UNbelievers..Yes he does, but he is not given the glory and he will NOT share his glory with another. God can only call the UNbeliever while he is alive. Today is the day of salvation. Gods mercy is there for anyone who would be brought to Godly repentance and seek Gods forgiveness for their rebellion towards him. He draws men to himself. But he lets the man choose life or death.

"For it is appointed once for every man to die and then the judgement." If you the UNbeliever wants to know what happens to him after he has lived a life of rebellion toward God please read Jesus words in Luke 16:19-31. If you want to know what happens to the believer when he dies then please read the same chapter and look to the beggar named Lazarus. Lazarus wasnt even buried. But he was carried off by the angels into the presence of the lord. The Rich man WAS buried and found himself in hades. Hades is just the holding cell until the final judgement, where of course "death and hades are cast into the lake of fire."

Think about that.....The Rich man who probably had the funeral send off to end all funerals...found himself ina place where he begged for someone to go and tell the people who just saw him off......."so that they might NEVER come to this place." Learn from this lesson people. The ones who had just buried this man and honoured and celebrated his life believing that he is now in some fine place being rewarded for all the good he did.....are about to follow him into the very same place of torment.........You UNbelievers have the opportunity to learn from this account of Life WITH Christ and life withOUT Christ.

Dont make the same mistake as the Rich man who placed in faith in something other than Christ.

Regards,

Ben.

[>> Hannah <<]

G-d intervenes providentially in the lives of all, believers and unbelievers, to the extent that the world is moving along a predetermined course according to His will. But He does not hear the prayers of unbelievers (with the exception of the prayer of repentance and salvation, of course), so to say that G-d intervenes in their lives the same way He does in the lives of believers is not substantiated in Scripture.

Finally someone who is actually answering my question.... so if a non christian were to pray that there dying father was healed of cancer god would ignore it, as it was not a prayer of repentance or salvation.... sure only god knows their heart... but if there just praying on a whim that maybe this unsure being will help.... will he answer it....??

[EricH]

We have at least one concrete example in scripture: Cyrus in Isaiah 44:28 - 45:4

1. God named Chyrys as his shepherd and annointed (44:28, 45:1, 3b, 4)

2. God governs the life and development of Cyrus (44:28, 45:1)

3. God governs the activities and successes of Cyrus (44:28 - 45:3)

[redeemed098]

Hi Hannah,

I prayed on a whim one night eight years ago a rather simple prayer. As an UNbeliever confused with all the religion and hypocrisy in the world of men, that if at any time in the future of my own life I should decide to follow any of these religions, "please let it be the right one."

Eight years later I surrendered my life to Christ and was Born again and spirit filled. Did God answer MY prayer as an UNbeliever...? No....! However he "heard" my prayer. How could he have NOT heard it...? He created me and knows all of my inmost thoughts. What God DID do is bring me to a place in my life where I would cry out to him. This was not of Gods manipulation either. He has written for all to see that if a man does not repent of his sins and do what is righteous, then God will multiply that mans sins seven times over. He will continue to do this until you are brought to a point where you are so desperate that you have nothing else left to place your faith in. He will take away everything you have depended upon if he has to in order to get your attention. What is most amazing is that he has worked it ALL through YOUR OWN Will. Why..??? It is HIS will that NONE shall perish. God gave me the choice..."Choose life and blessing or death and curses."

God has left no doubt as to what he requires when it comes to prayers being answered. Right prayers with right motives...What motive is a right motive...That is simple. "THY WILL BE DONE AND NOT MINE." An Unbeliever may pray, but who is he praying to....??? and if that prayer appears to be answered and the dying father survives, what next.....? Does God receive the glory, does God receive the recognition as the healer and restorer that he IS....? Or does the man who prayed forget and simply move on......? How can one who doesnt believe in God be thankful according to who God IS. He doesnt even Know God, he has NO revelation of Gods goodness or his faithfulness or mercy. So he thanks God, and simply continues on living his sinfilled life oblivious to the God of all creation.

Jesus spoke these words....What is important is not so much what he said as WHO he said it to......"If you abide in ME and MY Words ABIDE in YOU, you shall ask of the father whatever you will and it shall be done unto you." He spoke this to the "Disciples." He also said, "If YOU will hold to MY teachings, you are TRULY my disciples....THEN !!!!! You shall KNOW the Truth and the Truth shall set you free." Once again, he is speaking to the disciples....."Seek and you will find, ask and you will receive, knock and the door will be opened." Once again this is to the disciples.....Never did Jesus teach an UNbeliever how he should pray. When the disciples wanted to know how to pray they said, "Teach us how we should pray Lord." Do you see the key here...? Teach us LORD. Jesus was their LORD. They believed. To the man who calls Jesus "LORD", there is only ever one prayer that is RIGHT......"Thy Will BE Done, NOT Mine."

To pray in the name of Jesus is to pray according to the WILL of God.

God forgives on the basis of what Christ has done..He justifies on the basis of what Christ has done. He answers prayers on the basis of what Christ has done.

The prayer outside of Christ might be "heard", but until you are "In Christ", you are Apart from Christ.

To say that God knows a mans heart is truth, but you must realise that in Knowing a mans heart, God also knows a mans true motives.

The Unbeliever who prays for the healing of his father's cancer, may be thankful that his father Lives, but will he be thankful that Christ died for him so that he COULD live.

The purpose of the gospel is NOT to learn lessons from the LIFE of Christ. It is to receive LIFE through the DEATH of Christ. "If any man be in "Christ" he is a NEW creation. The Old has passed away and behold ALL things are made NEW. The UNbeliever or UNregenerate man is still dead. He needs to be Born Again.

Until a man recognises the significance of the Work of the Cross, his thanksgiving is in vain.

Be Blessed and BE a blessing,

Regards,

Ben.

Edited May 25, 2006 by redeemed098

[eric]

I wiil go along with Marnie on this one. I believe that everything that happens to believers and non believers is providential, or divinely inspired.

[gypc]

I wiil go along with Marnie on this one. I believe that everything that happens to believers and non believers is providential, or divinely inspired.

Amen

[Rober H]

Of course God intervenes in the lives of those who don't believe or have rejected Him.

How else could a non-believer be saved?

Also, God gives people space or time to repent and come to Him.

God practices what He preaches and teaches.

Matthew 5:45-46 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Matthew 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Matthew 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Paul was speaking to non-believers on Mars Hill when He delivered this speach. Read Acts 17

Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Why would Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost say ask us to pray for "all men" if He wouldn't intervene in their lives.

1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1 Timothy 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

In His service,

Robert