Christ's Atonement

It is a condition:

John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

It is a condition not in the sense of what earns salvation but a God required and designed response to the offer of salvation.

 

A usable distinction between the two.

A debate of several centuries.

Personally I am undecided and even see a third view of "middle voice" typified in the passage:

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Used by Paul as God's spokesman:

Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

 

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The gospel is the power unto salvation. Grace is the gift. Often those who claim grace alone do not really mean it because faith in their doctrine always travels with grace as a gift.

 

I believe you have set up a false either or scenario.. Further your reply seems to rely totally on reason devoid of scripture. Let's take a look at what scripture says once again.

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

So faith comes from hearing God's word. It is never listed as a gift (Eph 2:8-9 lists grace alone as a gift). This is faith in God, faith is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the context of Romans 10.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The power "of God" (important words there) is the gospel. The power of God is not experience it is the gospel. Hence the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-26, hence the Great Commission, hence the calling of the Apostles (those who are witness to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ).

The experience comes once we are saved and experience grace via our belief and repentance.

 

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Grace is the impetus by which the free gift is offered. Faith is the reaching out and receiving the gift. Both are necessary FOR salvation (Acts 16:30-31; 20:21).

 

He wasn't talking to Peter about the New Birth.

The gospel Romans 1:16, 10:17

 

Jesus never said that the pharisees did not receive the same revelation that Peter did. Further scripture answers your question:

1 Peter 5:5-6: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

 

Sure by other clear scripture:

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
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. So they are without excuse.
om 1:21 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 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
Rom 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
Rom 1:27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Rom 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Rom 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
Rom 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Rom 1:32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Those who are blinded are those whom God gives over to the hard hearts they already have

 

Now let me ask you, if men are born blind or unable to come to God why would God find it necessary to blind them?

 

Interesting answer.