Featured Response-able??

“Proactive people recognize that they are ‘response-able.’ They don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior." (Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Non-Christian Millionaire Life Coach Guru)

“When you are ‘response able’ you are able to choose your response.” (Nathan S. Collier, Non-Christian Millionaire Real Estate/Life Coach Guru and Philanthropist)

"It is not merely a command that implies response-ability and denies the concept of total inability......... It's RESPONSIBILITY that implies the ABILITY to RESPOND." (Skandelon, hard-working Texas Baptist Arminian with Pelagian overtones)

Try as I might to find the term, ‘response-able’ or any of its other root forms, such as ‘responsible’ or ‘responsibility’ in the Bible I was un-able to do so. (I used Strong’s Concordance.)

However, I was able to find 'response-able' in treatises written by many New Age Gurus of the secular world. A few I have posted above.

I then used the online Free Dictionary as a source to help broaden my word search.

The first definition of ‘responsible’ was quite telling:

“Liable to be required to give account, as of one's actions or of the discharge of a duty or trust.”

With this definition I was able to find corroborating Scripture:

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”​

Jesus and Scripture warns that all men shall one day give an account of their lives to God.

Even the most innocuous words spoken will be judged.

By including the fact of idle words being judged, Jesus is warning that no man will escape condemnation by attempting to show himself ‘good enough’ to enter the Kingdom of God…..for all men have spoken idle words.

Thus, man’s human ability to give a good and perfect account of himself in the Day of Judgment is nil.

“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one,that is, God.”​

ABILITY: “The quality of being able to do something.” (Free Dictionary)

ABLE: “Having sufficient power or resources to accomplish something.” (Free Dictionary)

Now let us look at what the Bible says about man’s human power/ability to respond in a manner favorable to God’s command to “repent ye and believe the Gospel.”

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see --- he is not able to see, discern, perceive, understand, he has not the power to see, discern, perceive, understand --- the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter --- has not the ability to enter, has not the power to enter --- into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.​

Man is born in the flesh. He must be reborn in the Spirit before he can repent and believe the Gospel.

It is impossible to repent and believe that which you by nature cannot believe nor wish to believe and repent.

"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."​

CONCLUSION: Man is accountable to God. Yet he is unable/powerless to please God in the flesh.

Thus, man is accountable, though by nature, not willing or able.

It is only when regenerated that man is willing and able to see, discern, perceive, and understand the beauty of Christ, the Gospel, and the hideousness of his sin.

 

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary the root meaning of ‘responsible’ is:

“1590s, "answerable" (to another, for something), from obsolete French responsible (13c., Modern French responsable, as if from Latin *responsabilis), from Latin respons-, past participle stem of respondere "to respond" (see respond). Meaning "accountable for one's actions" is attested from 1640s; that of "reliable, trustworthy" is from 1690s. Retains the sense of "obligation" in the Latin root word.”​

This meaning corresponds exactly with the biblical meaning:

“accountable for one’s actions” [sinful as they may be]; “answerable to another” [God].​

In no way shape or form does the Bible define ‘responsible’ in the terms you and the New Age Gurus define it.

Man is broken and cannot fix himself.

Not even with the help of all the kings horses and all the kings men.

All the positive ‘response-able’ thinking in the world will not help him.

"God be merciful to me a sinner."​

It is when sinful man reaches the end of himself that he seeks the true God.

It is when sinful man realizes he is ‘not able’ and throws himself upon the mercy of God that God responds.

The sinful man who does so is the same man whom the Holy Spirit has irresistibly drawn, regenerated and given the initial gifts of repentance and faith in Christ.

The same man, when taught the doctrines of grace, embraces their truths, knowing full well that his salvation was 100% due to God’s unconditional love, grace and mercy….which will never cease.

That same man refuses to take any credit whatsoever for his salvation.

Unlike the Arminian/Pelagian members on this board.

 

Bob, I for one give you an 'A' for zealousness.

Frankly, I do not see how you are able to hold down a full time job, as well as a family, and still find the time to post as you do.

However, having read your theological viewpoints over the last several months, I cannot find it in my spirit the need to carry on a meaningful dialogue with you.

All that need be said has already been said....over and over.

I do wish you well in all your endeavors.

 

I understand you “do not believe.”

But what matters is what the Lord believes.

The Lord believes all men are accountable to Him. None will be able to stand before Him justified, who have not been born of the Spirit.

Spiritual birth is the sovereign gracious work of God alone according to the good pleasure of His will contingent on nothing in man.

Scripture teaches men universally ‘respond’ negatively to the true God.

“There is none [Jew or Gentile] that seeketh after [the true] God.”​

Men hate the true God.

“Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding……..”​

What more proof does one need besides the crucifixion of Christ….the most hateful act in all history?

It is impossible for man to love who or what he naturally opposes and hates.

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.”​

Man is born a slave to sin and Satan, whom he willfully serves.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”​

“Ye are of your father the devil.”​

Scripture declares them punishable…..i.e., liable to/worthy of punishment.

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”​

Men are punished for what they freely, willfully and wickedly chose to do as natural-born sinners who hate the Holy God.

There are few sinners who claim they lacked control over their actions and words.

The ‘Son of Sam’ serial killer comes to mind. He claimed to receive his commands to kill from his neighbor’s dog.

Did you also hear mysterious voices or experience forces commanding you to sin?

The freedom of God to permit, direct and order sin which He does not approve is another discussion altogether.

This classic Arminian argument of yours was predicted by the Holy Spirit. For Paul proposes this very argument in Romans 9:18-19:

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?​

To sum up your case, as well as the case of the naysayers in verse 19:

If it is the Lord who is the sole determiner as to who will be among the undeserving Elect as well as who will be among the deserving Reprobate, then certainly the Reprobate who was passed by and not bestowed saving grace has a viable case when he pleads injustice on God’s part. Furthermore, what chance for salvation did the Reprobate have since no man can overcome God’s Will of Decree?

But alas, it is not as if the Reprobate cried out to God for salvation, admitting he was a lowly sinner not worthy of God’s love and mercy and God said, ‘Sorry, but I have already decided and you are not among the number of Elect.'

No. The Reprobate hates the true God.

Furthermore, merciful grace is not something man deserves or earns.

It is freely given according to the good pleasure of God’s will to save.

God does not owe man salvation.

God does owe man justice.

The Reprobate will experience God’s fair and holy justice.

The Elect do and will forever experience God's merciful grace in Christ.

Christ experienced God’s fair and holy justice on the cross when He was punished in the stead of all the Elect throughout history.

The Elect will not experience God’s justice, but will see it in action at the Great White Throne Judgment.

Whatever God has declared in Holy Writ is profitable = able to profit the soul of the Elect.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”​

For me personally, knowledge of God’s unconditional election of some, as well as the deserved reprobation of the many, gives me cause to revere the power of God to do with His own as He pleases.

It causes me to revere the unconditional love of God to love one as odious and undesirable as myself.

It causes me to revere the justice of God which I most certainly deserved, but for the mercy and love of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, whom I will always revere.

In short, if our Holy God can love me, He can also love the most vile sinner and save him to the uttermost.

For God's undeserving love, grace and mercy knows no bounds.

Skandelon, if the truth be told, your argument and the arguments of all Arminians and Pelagians on this Board is not with me or Calvinists in general, but with the Lord God Almighty.

 

All men are commanded to repent and believe the truth of God.

Yet all men do not.

The fault lies not in the command which is holy and righteous.

Nor does the fault lie in the One who commands.

The fault lies in sinful man who despises God and His commands.

Jesus explains that the love of God is proven through keeping His commandments.

Adam was the first man to despise God and His command.

Paul explains that the sin of Adam was imputed to the entire human race.

Thus, all men are born despising the true God and His commands.

Man’s continued hatred of the true God and His commands were exacerbated by the immoral crucifixion of Christ.

Throughout history God’s people were/are persecuted and often killed proving man’s continued hatred of the true God and His commands.

Hatred does not alleviate man’s accountability to God.

Crimes against God’s majesty and law will, of necessity, be punished.

Our holy God cannot deny His execution of justice at the end of the world, though He may delay it for the sake of the Elect.

 

We love because He first loved us.

We sinful God-haters now love Him because He first loved us in eternity.

He proved His love by sending Christ on our behalf to satisfy God's just and righteous need to punish our sin.

As Paul so eloquently states, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

The 'all things' includes all the necessary gifts to fulfill the conditions of salvation.

To infer sinful, God-hating man has the power to change his nature and disposition to that of a God-loving obedient disciple is to infer the lie posed in the Garden: 'ye shall be as gods.'

 

No greater preacher exists than Jesus Christ.

Yet He was crucified, rather than embraced, honored and obeyed.

You consistently miss the HUGE message our Lord is signifying by not examining the most despicable act by sinful men in human history.

Furthermore, Christ's murder was instigated by the religious leadership who claimed to be favored sons of God.

Conclusion: It is possible to be very religious, yet be haters of the true God.

Even the people shouted for the release of a murderer, rather than Jesus.

They, too, lacked faith despite the works and words of the world's greatest preacher.

CONCLUSION: Faith is the gift of God to men, not the gift of men to God.