Is EVEN The Faith To Believe A Gift From/Of God?

To your two "c" revelations I add two more...they are my "four c's"...creation, conscience, circumstances (Acts 17:26-27, and the desire for ceaseless existence (immortality, Ecc. 3:11)

This is clearly God reaching out to man first, providing him with everything needed to truly seek Him, and condemning those who reject His grace.

 

Not necessarily. The bible is not perfectly clear on this point, so I do believe there isn't a perfect answer. However, it does seem to reveal that there is some level of "blood on the hands" of messengers who are disobedient, which seems to indicate that disobedience might be the cause of why some 'groups' don't hear the gospel. Either way, I trust God is just in dealing with men's response to whatever light they have received, whether "general" or "special."

Matthew 11:21:
"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

You know what this verse indicates to me?
1) That God is not obligated to give the same level of revelation to all people. If they have the creation/conscience/circumstances they have what is sufficient to respond to that level of revelation and thus are without excuse.

2) More light can have an effect. People's natural condition doesn't prevent them from being persuaded by more light (as Calvinism's dogma indicates). So, the more revelation, the better...but that doesn't mean its necessary for a response or in any way deserved.

Make sense?

 

I understand your position better now, thank you.

 

Unless you believe as I do, that death = separation, look at what you posted, as your own belief:


Death = live ("spirit is alive)

Seems like a contradiction to me.

Now this is confusing!!

You believe that an unsaved person (spiritually dead) dies (is physically dead), and will someday stand before God (at the Second Death) where Death and Hell will be cast into the Lake of fire. So this thrice dead person will be alive in an eternal hell.

At the same time you believe that a new born baby, having a depraved nature, is dead and will remain spiritually dead, totally depraved, unable to obey God's command to repent, because he has no life in him. A person who has died three times is alive. A person who has never been died is dead already. I wouldn't want to hear you explaining the plan of salvation to the unsaved.

 

I see. So God enables every person's dead spirit to be just enough alive to be blind.

Yes, makes perfect sense.... :BangHead:

 

How does a dead person realize anything? We are seeing first hand the consequences of believing total inability.

 

6But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth

looks like Paul did not have a problem with it:thumbs:

 

Of course this is speaking of being physically alive while spiritually dead...not spiritually dead while spiritually alive (slightly) and spiritually blind.

You are right, Paul had no problem with such error

 

Dead people aren't color blind if you equate spiritual death with spiritual inability.

 

Not sure if it has been mentioned since we are on page 12, but I think Phil 1:29 is pretty clear:

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,