Featured Salvation: God's Choice, Man's Choice, Both Choose?

BOTH.

There's TWO aspects of our salvation; eternal and temporal.

The eternal we have no choice and are totally passive in.

The temporal we choose and are active.

 

A few things we have zilch to do with:

Our names written in heaven before the world was made.
Our election regardless of the good or evil we've done.
Our justification by His blood while we were yet sinners.
Our heavenly birth from above John 1:13.
Our preservation 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Our free gift Romans 6:23

A few things we have everything to do with:

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. Acts 16

16 Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee. 1 Tim 4

8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6

 

OF COURSE!:

6 For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;
28 and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:
29 that no flesh should glory before God.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 1 Cor 1

 

God choses the elect and then enables them by the work of God Holy Spirit to respond to the gospel with faith in Jesus.

We are saved by that faith in Christ, but such faith is a response to God’s intervention in our lives.

peace to you

 

God chose to save all who would believe. That is election. That is God's choice, plan and purpose. In doing so He has offered the free gift of salvation to everyone. Redemption, grace, salvation is freely available to any and all men. God planned it that way. Since it is true and scriptural that He planned it that way we can have confidence that God is not limited by anything man does with regards to salvation.

When we offer a gift and in order to receive it we reach out and take it do we then also give credit to the receiver of the gift for giving the gift to himself? Of course not. The gift could never be given unless God has provided it then offered it. That said regardless of what one does to accept the offer credit for the gift is purely on the giver and cannot in any way be attributed to the receiver.

 

Is the gospel necessary for salvation?

Is the free gift of salvation offered to the hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people who never heard the gospel?

If the gospel is necessary for salvation, doesn’t that mean that God, by your own standards of “election”, has chosen to pass over all who never heard the gospel?

Doesn't that make your view if “election” much less different than “Calvinists” than you imply?

Peace to you

 

Since everyone has enough understanding given them to understand there is God, Romans 1:19, and they reject that understanding they are given no further understanding the gospel Romans 1:18. They have no excuse v. 20.

cornelius in Acts 10 is an example of one who recieved understanding of God received it well and was given the gospel that leads to faith Romans 10:17

 

i do not agree

 

The general revelation found in creation attested to in Romans 1:19 never saved anyone. That is the point.

The gospel is special revelation of God, given to specific people. By your own standards of “election”, God has passed over all who never get the chance to hear the gospel, right?

Cornelius of Acts 10 is referred to as a “God-fearer” which is a technical term for a Gentile that has converted to Judaism. He had been privy to the special revelation of God found in OT Law and scriptures.

I believe Cornelius was chosen by God, not for anything he did, but to demonstrate to Peter and the others that the Gentiles would be included in the church.

There is no doubt Cornelius was being moved by God Holy Spirit to accept the truth of the gospel. Peter didn’t even get to finish his sermon! I wonder how many preachers would stop their sermon short if God Holy Spirit started bringing listeners to salvation?

I can hear it now. “Just a second folks, I’ve got three more major points and two sub points to get to, then an appeal to the gospel, then prayer, then an altar call while we ding hymns…. “

peace to you

 

Are you saying the gospel is not necessary for salvation?

Please RevMitchell, say it an’t so!!!

peace to you

 

did you read my earlier post

 

Sigh guys please read my post these questions arent necessary

 

To restate what I said:

Rom 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Rom 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

Lost people have been given a measure of revelation of God without the gospel.I don't know how to say that any plainer.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Rom 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Rom 1:20 .........So they are without excuse.

Cornelius in Acts 10 is an example of one who received understanding of God prior to have been given the gospel, received it well, and was given further revelation because of not rejecting the natural revelation already given, being the gospel that leads to faith Romans 10:17.

I hope that clears it up for you.