Where do you find "choose" in that verse? They have been blinded. Blinded means unable.
Doctrine of Unconditional Election
- Thread starter brightfame52
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Where do you find "choose" in that verse? They have been blinded. Blinded means unable.
The Bible says that it's impossible for God to lie concerning the hope (Heb 6:18). I believe God has not, does not, and will not lie, but could He lie? That's almost more of a philosophical question than a theological one. We know that He has been sorry a time or two, and has changed His mind (Gen 6:6; Isa 38:1-5).
Honestly, while I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God does not lie and confident that He will not lie, I would be uncomfortable in saying there was something God could not do. He is God.
Scripture says that It is impossible for God to lie.
God is constrained by His character just as we are.
[2Co 4:4 KJV] 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Sequence is clear if you are unbiased.
Their minds were blinded as a result of their choice not to believe.
This is in fact exactly what he is stating.
He is not constrained by His character, it is not IN His character.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Nope.
Besides your interpretation being logically impossible, for it to mean what you've said, it would have had to be written as:
" them who believe not, the god of this world blinds their minds", and not how it was actually written.
Also, you ignore:
[Act 13:48 KJV] 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
[1Pe 1:21 KJV] 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Are you basing that on Heb 6:18?
Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
It says that in two immutable things it was impossible for God to lie.
I am not saying that God did, does, or will lie, ever, but could He? He is God...
What are you inferring by that? Are you suggesting that because we have a sin nature that we cannot believe the gospel unless God somehow first intervenes?
If that is what you are suggesting, I do not agree.
No.
Were that the intention of the verse, for it to be correct logically, it couldn't have been written that way.
As I posted to John146, for it to mean what you say, it would have had to be written as:
"them who believe not, the god of this world blinds their minds", and not how it was actually written.
Yes they are unable to believe. Jesus says man cannot come to Him unless the Father draws them Jn 6:44 Thats what Jesus means, man cant believe in Him save for Divine Intervention.
False Grace is given and by that its received. Rom 12:6
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
1Cor 1:4
I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
Eph 4:7
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ
2 Tim 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Should we have to "receive" it, or do anything for it, then it can't be grace.
I refuted your anti-Biblical view with Scripture. You have ad homs and repetitive knee jerk reactions to some
medieval guy and his doctrines, even when some of them are shared across the majority of Christendom.
Jesus' Words in John 6:65
Who defined God's grace that way?
I'm not sure what you're asking? My reply was to brightfame52, who was replying to John146, who said that
to have grace, it needs to be received by the person, meaning I think, that the recipient has to do something
in order to get it - which I emphatically disagree with.