Does anyone know of....

[rogerg]

To all these Calvinists who are pushing this "choice vs. free will" nonsense remember this verse:

Matthew 23:37
New International Version
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

There is no point in the Bible even being written if we do not have a free choice in the matter.

Your words are but philosophical gobbledygook.

[Luk 13:34 KJV] 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen [doth gather] her brood under [her] wings, and ye would not!

What does "your house is left unto you desolate" mean?

[Luk 13:35 KJV] 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until [the time] come when ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

 

[Rufus]

"If God must regenerate people before they can believe the gospel, then the invitation is not really to all people, but only to those already born again. "

Whoever wrote the above must have never read the Parable of the Banquet (Lk 14:16-24).

 

[Magenta]

The message of the Gospel is light.

Sadly as someone once stated, in their attempt to honor God, they make foolishness of the whole thing.

The natural man hates the light as a lover of darkness and refuses to come into the light.

Shame on you. Really, get a clue. And maybe read the Bible. With your eyes open.

The gospel is foolishness to the natural man, since he can neither accept nor comprehend the spiritual things of God. It is impossible for his incurably wicked heart to grow the seed of God’s Word into the good fruit of faith while he is captive to the will of the devil. Along with the rest of the world who does not know God, he is blinded to the truth and under the power and influence of Satan, rendered incapable of submitting to or obeying God, with Whom he is inherently hostile toward in his mind, for he craves what is contrary to the Spirit. He suppresses the truth in unrighteousness, refusing to come into the light because he is a slave to sin, a lover of darkness, defined as darkness itself, and his deeds are evil.

 

[Magenta]

Whoever wrote the above must have never read the Parable of the Banquet (Lk 14:16-24).

I just posted about that... (here) Though I was referencing the wedding supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19 .

 

[BillyBob]

Does anyone know of people who are convinced of the validity of the tenets of Calvinism and are also assured that they are not part of those chosen few?

Prior to the HS giving me a new heart, I was convinced of the validity of the reformed faith. I found it to be true and in agreement with scripture. I was also sad because I never considered myself worthy to be a child of God.
Once I believed and put my trust in Christ, I discovered that both of my convictions were true, especially me not being worthy!

 

[Inquisitor]

I am sure they had their reasons, it is not my concern. But it was their choice not God.

The Lord invited those chicks.

Luke 14
16 But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ 19 Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20 Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21 And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.

The same will now be true of the Christian world also.

 

[Magenta]

Suffice it so say that it is God who gives eternal life to anybody and everybody who simply and only believes in Jesus Christ for it.

It is a aberration to insist God must provide individual revelation prior to belief in order to trust Christ for the gift.

You say such things because God has never revealed Himself to you personally, even though it is a promise He makes in Scripture, which you attempt to shame people for. Perhaps you are to be pitied, and also taken to task for denying what Scripture says, which is that faith comes by hearing. Hearing must encompass comprehension. The gospel message is foolishness to the natural man. You also reject what Jesus said because He made it clear not everyone hears. You claim otherwise.

 

[Inquisitor]

Prior to the HS giving me a new heart, I was convinced of the validity of the reformed faith. I found it to be true and in agreement with scripture. I was also sad because I never considered myself worthy to be a child of God.
Once I believed and put my trust in Christ, I discovered that both of my convictions were true, especially me not being worthy!

The validity of the gospel or the validity of the "reformed faith"?

 

[Inquisitor]

And what is Jerusalem? As a city, what does it represent? What do its "chicks" represent?

The city of Jerusalem was inhabited by the chicks.

Israel was the elect, chosen nation.

Jesus was only sent to the Jews.

The Gentiles ate the crumbs that fell from the master's table.

Romans 11:20-21
Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;
for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.

 

[Magenta]

Matthew 16 verses 15-17 ~ What about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.

 

[Magenta]

Pelagian heretics insist man is inherently good. From within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. Mark 7 verses 21-22 Every inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Genesis 8 verse 21b Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one! Job 14 verse 4 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Matthew 7 verse 18

 

[rogerg]

@Lamar

The city of Jerusalem was inhabited by the chicks.

Yes, but Jerusalem was the focus of the verse, not the chicks. So, that which was left desolate was Jerusalem itself.
Jerusalem, as the old holy city, was symbolic of, and central to, the Jewish religion. The verse therefore is stating that God would no longer use it and its corporate infrastructure, as His tool to bring the gospel - by which, the Jewish religion became spiritually desolate, and thereby, desolate of true converts - that is why V35 states "your HOUSE is left to you desolate" - that the true gospel would not come through/by it. Instead, God began to use His apostles and His disciples as His mechanism to promulgate the gospel. The intent of the verse is not to say that by someone's choice they become saved, as the original poster implied:

[Luk 13:35 KJV] 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until [the time] come when ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

" Lamar said:
To all these Calvinists who are pushing this "choice vs. free will" nonsense remember this verse:

Matthew 23:37
New International Version
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

There is no point in the Bible even being written if we do not have a free choice in the matter.

Your words are but philosophical gobbledygook."

Israel was the elect, chosen nation.

No, the earthly nation of Israel is not the elect. The elect are those individuals whom God chose to salvation from before the
foundation of the world.

[Eph 1:4 KJV] 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

[1Pe 1:2 KJV] 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

[Mar 13:27 KJV] 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

[Rom 8:33 KJV] 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? [It is] God that justifieth.

Jesus was only sent to the Jews.

Jesus was sent to bring salvation to the spiritual Jews - the true Jews - the elect.

[Col 3:10-12 KJV]
10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

The Gentiles ate the crumbs that fell from the master's table.

Neither eating from the table nor of crumbs will bring salvation to anyone. Salvation is given only by God - a gift through His grace.