Understanding God’s election
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An unfree will makes man no different from (and no more accountable for behavior than )animals that are not created in God’s image so that definition is not Scriptural.
Amen.
There's a hatred for Calvinism in most Christian forums that defies reason. And you will never reach those type people with the fact that "Calvinism" is actually the Reformed Doctrine of Christianity. And it predates John Calvin.
It's very likely the opponents you encounter here are Catholics or Arminians. You will never ever persuade them the Bible,God, teaches Election of the Saints. Which is God's predestination. Just as Jesus repeatedly taught.
Those who argue against this insist we can choose to accept the Gospel on our own.
Which calls Paul and Jesus liars.
Paul said the natural man cannot understand the things of God,they are foolishness to them.
You witness the truth of that regularly when reading anyone who condemns God's Election. And predestination.
Paul further said the only way the natural man's mind changes is when the Holy Spirit enters by God's will and leads our consciousness into understanding God's will and word.
Jesus said,no one comes to him unless God leads them.
Christianity itself teaches all of this besides just the particulars. We are spiritually dead in our sin by our human nature. Separated from God.
It is contrary to that natural condition to then argue,insist, we can understand Holy Spirit inspired Scripture reporting our condition God says we cannot recognize in ourselves unless he chooses to give us his Spirit and open our understanding.
Really? You might consider those you are aguing with who insist they do possess the ability to choose and understand God's word while they deny God's Election and predestination example the truth in just 1 Corinthians 2:14. Because they are declaring that passage is untrue of them and their condition.
An unregenerate man who does not want to sin, but can not stop sinning, has his will just the same.
It's just a will that is impotent to do what he wants to do.
But, in spite of his impotence, disabling him to do what is right?
In his mind, he still freely wants not to sin!
Grace is God's granted power to a humble believer (like spinach was to Popeye) to enable his will to be done, not to sin.
......
It's just a will that is impotent to do what he wants to do.
But, in spite of his impotence, disabling him to do what is right?
In his mind, he still freely wants not to sin!
Grace is God's granted power to a humble believer (like spinach was to Popeye) to enable his will to be done, not to sin.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may
rest on me. " 2 Corinthians 12:9
......
Calvinists are the byproduct of Satan shiting his major corruptive influence from the Catholic church that he knew many were getting frustrated with, to grabbing onto disciples of John Calvin, as to distort and create a new way to present corrupt dogmatism to people who were sick of the corrupt dogmatism of the RCC. They had become accustomed to such a form of autocratic authority.
John Calvin did not concoct TULIP. That was arranged by his disciple Theodore Beza after Calvin's death.
Theodore Beza led his committee to create and arrange a dogmatic system to be used to rule a people who hated
the previous dogmatic system the RCC had set up. Believers back then were just used to being treated that way, because
of the Roman Catholic Church's long held practice.
TULIP Calvinists seek to set themselves up as "kings of the hill" in the body of Christ.
Calvinism, as it had become degenerated into, was designed to please a certain kind of self righteousness
that grants license to a form of irrational religious arrogance. Like we see with some posting in this forum exhibiting.
You have no fee will!
Then why do you leave it to me to believe that?
Its all about a failure to understand how God's grace is God's antidote for man's fallen state.
In Him.....
Now you're catching on. Man's will is bondage to his sin nature which is why no man can will himself to never sin.
You can believe Moses and Jesus were being disingenuous when they spoke DT 19:30 and MT 23:37 if you want since you are free to do so, but I choose to believe they were serious.
You should pay much closer attention to what you write. In fact, you should let your fingers catch up to that maze you consider to be your brain.
Since you say that sin-filled unregenerates "don't want to sin" still have a will, however that will is just "impotent" because they can't get it to cooperate with their desires, i.e. what they "wants", then this logically mean that the will is not free to act contrary to the unregenerate's sin nature. The sin nature actually restricts the will's freedom.
Smooth move, Mr. Ex Lax....
Only "future dead" is truly dead aka the state of permanent separation from God (post GWT judgment in the lake of fire).
Nevertheless, it is clear that many times Jesus frames His assessment of men thusly.
Because of course His perspective includes (but is not limited to) that which is outside of time.
They desperately need to drop their MASSIVE Reformer/Reformist/Calvinite baggage that is causing them to fall flat on their faces right out of the gate.
Calvinism snatched away the brutal authority of the RCC to tell its believers made up stuff.
To turn around, and use again brutal illogical thinking to tell Calvinists made up stuff. (TULIP)
But to be fair to John Calvin, who was basically a good exegetical teacher. He did not originate TULIP.
It was after his death that some of his disciples (headed by Theodore Beza) organized and came up with what we find today.
They did it under the banner of the name of John Calvin's accepted good reputation....
(forgetting about him putting some heretic to death)
John Calvin Killed Rival Theologians: Bad Bible Interpretation Justified It.
Calvin specifically justified capital punishment of heretics with Leviticus 24:16.
“The one who blasphemes the name of the Lord should be put to death;
all the congregation must stone him. Any foreigner or native who blasphemes
the Name should be put to death.”
John Calvin could be said, was in a way, somewhat like a Muslim thinking in his feelings about infidels.
Was Calvin promoting? ..... Jesus Akbar!
............ "Any foreigner or native who blasphemes the Name should be put to death."
That might explain why there is that certain emotional pattern we find with the die in the wool Calvinists.
They crave to have a certain kind of power over even the rational thinking of others.
Satan knows. False doctrines are always created with a target audience in mind.
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
Take our pick from those great number of teachers Paul told Timothy about?
And, realize that Jesus said that the road to destruction will be 'broad and wide'.
We are now finding ourselves living in it!
grace and peace ......
Though he does not have the power to do so?
Man can still wish to never sin!
That is what God saves,.
Because it merits salvation!
God grants impotent men the wish/desire for righteousness!
Then how come?
So many know about God, while they do not believe in Him?
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder."
James 2:19