The doctrine of election and reprobation

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Stunnedbygrace said:
I do believe there is something we could be said to "contribute" - not to our being drawn, called, healed of blindness, and saving - but after that. We make choices everyday to either side with the world or refuse the worlds wisdom and to side with and stand firm in faith.

We may hear some wordly wisdom and begin to sink into worry, about how we don't have a huge retirement stored up. And He catches us as we start to slip in trust and we can refuse the wordly wisdom and say: no, I am commanded not to worry about these things as the gentiles do. He knows what I have need of and He is my security, not a stockpile that could be blown away in seconds on a whim of "The Marketplace."
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That's a very good point, I'm sure we all struggle with worldly worries and concerns and they can easily swallow us up if we don't follow Jesus closely.
We must put on the whole Armour of God every morning and take our sword, because we go into a life or death battle every day. Don't forget, we can lose our salvation if we don't preserver to the end. We must finish this race and he who endures to the end will be saved. I know this doesn't sound like Calvinism, but it is describing true believers. Those who don't make it to the end were never truly saved from the beginning.
So trust in the Lord with everything you have, give Him 100% of your heart, mind, soul and strength. If you hold back anything, you will suffer chastisement and none of us like that.
 
MarkWilliams said:
Our Pastor said on Sunday that the Christian life is very hard and the non believers live easier lives in general. They enjoy this world and they strive to get the most out of this world, while the Christian is striving for the next world.
So I would encourage you to tolerate weaker brothers as much as you can, we don't know if they are genuine or not so we must give them the benefit of the doubt.
I have been taken advantage of by false believers, it's a very unpleasant experience. It's not as bad when a worldly man takes advantage but it hurts much more when a so called brother does.
Remember, your reward will be great in heaven. This is not our home, we are aliens here so keep your eyes on the prize.
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Genesis 6:3 (KJV)

3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh:.....

This has not changed....Jez sayin' :)
 
MarkWilliams said:
So I take it we all agree that we didn't contribute anything to our salvation.
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Yes but not on the sense of absolute nothing. We have to believe the Gospel:

Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
Acts of the Apostles 16:30‭-‬31 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/act.16.30-31.NLT
 
Stunnedbygrace said:
I agree wholeheartedly! That obedience we "contribute" is the obedience of faith, and that obedience is learned and it grows.
We learn the obedience of faith (trust) by the things we suffer and experience and the situations and circumstances He places us in.
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I can find myself in a place of grumbling and complaining very often when monkey wrenches fly from all directions during the course of the day, and then I recall that I may make my plans but it is HE who guides my steps. And when it doesn't go according to my plans, I most often get cranked up and huffy and grumpy, until I remember that verse: a man makes his plans but it is God who guides his steps. :)
 
Stunnedbygrace said:
I agree wholeheartedly! That obedience we "contribute" is the obedience of faith, and that obedience is learned and it grows.
We learn the obedience of faith (trust) by the things we suffer and experience and the situations and circumstances He places us in.
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Please understand, that our experiences are all preordained by God. He puts us through trials to purify us, nothing happens by accident in Gods universe
 
MarkWilliams said:
Don't forget, we can lose our salvation if we don't preserver to the end... Those who don't make it to the end were never truly saved from the beginning.
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You contradict yourself :unsure: Others make the same mistake :( If you were not truly saved from the beginning, as you say, there is no "losing your salvation" since you never had salvation to begin with.
 
DevotiontoBible said:
Yes but not on the sense of absolute nothing. We have to believe the Gospel:

Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
Acts of the Apostles 16:30‭-‬31 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/act.16.30-31.NLT
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That's true, but God makes you believe it while He hides it from others so you still have nothing to boast about
 
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Magenta said:
You contradict yourself. Others make the same mistake. If you were not truly saved from the beginning, as you say, there is no "losing your salvation" since you never had salvation to begin with.
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Sorry I should have mentioned that nobody but God knows who's saved and who's not. A person may present as a model Christian, but they may be wicked inwardly and we would never know it and they themselves may not know it until they come to the Lord saying Lord, Lord haven't we done XY&Z and he will tell them depart from Me, I never knew you.
 
MarkWilliams said:
Sorry I should have mentioned that nobody but God knows who's saved and who's not. A person may present as a model Christian, but they may be wicked inwardly and we would never know it and they themselves may not know it until they come to the Lord saying Lord, Lord haven't we done XY&Z and he will tell them depart from Me, I never knew you.
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Do you not know that you are saved? Scripture says we can know.
 
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Stunnedbygrace said:
He grafted us in so we should take care that our hearts do not become evil and unbelieving as with Israel.
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Yes, that's true. We have learned a lot about God's character by the way He dealt with Israel. Our Shepherd will never lead us astray, we are far more blessed than Israel was. Israel had the Law, we have the perfect fulfillment of the law for us in Christ
 
MarkWilliams said:
I want to learn as quickly as I can, the locusts have eaten up the best years of my life. I'm trying to claim some back
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The locusts, yes, they have caused much grief in my life also :cry:

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