Featured Does God command the lost to do something they are unable to do?

Relative to: If we followed your train of thought we would have to conclude that every Jew became a devoted follower of God.

I will just post; John 3:7, Romans 11:19-36, Ezek 37

I would like to pose a question to you and to all on the board.

From Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
John 7:39 YLT and this he said of the Spirit, which those believing in him were about to receive; for not yet was the Holy Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified

On the day that took place did the dead Abraham have the Holy Spirit within him?

Gal 3:14-16 YLT that to the nations the blessing of Abraham may come in Christ Jesus, that the promise of the Spirit we may receive through the faith. Brethren, as a man I say it, even of man a confirmed covenant no one doth make void or doth add to, and to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed; He doth not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to thy seed,' which is Christ;

What will the promise of the Spirit do for Abraham who had been dead for thousands of years?

 

God saves those that believe the gospel message just as Ephesians 1:13 tell us.
"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,"

And we also see in Romans 10:13
"WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

And Paul goes on to tell us why they would call on the Lord in Romans 10:14
"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"

We have to hear the message before we can believe the message and then we can respond to it and either call on the Lord or reject it.

 

Re Joel 2:28 if you will look back to Joel 2:1 and following you will see that he is speaking of the "day of the LORD". the end times {see the book of Revelation}

No he did not as the Holy Spirit had not been given as of yet.

Abraham was considered righteous because he believed the Lord
Gen 15:6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Just as we are considered righteous when we do.
Rom 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Rom 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Rom 4:7 "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.
Rom 4:8 "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."

God considered Abraham righteous through faith just as we are and just as our sins have been forgiven so were Abraham's.
The Holy Spirit does not save us but He does indwell us to guide us. The promise of the Holy Spirit is for those that have trusted in God since Pentecost.

 

Canadyjd, Hi. It is so hard because the natural unregenerated man is blind 2 Cor. 4:3-4. I believe God breaks us and brings us low
Romans 3:19. We are brought to helplessness and hopelessness. God saves in his own time. All glory to God.

 

Where does belief come from?

Are you born with the ability of belief? If you are born with the ability of belief and exercise that ability, why would you need to be born from above?

Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that ye may believe in him whom He did send.'

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that ye may believe in him whom He did send.'

I ask all. When did Paul go from being an unbeliever to being a believer? When did he preach Christ as the Son of God?

 

Yes. The answer is obvious, we cannot save ourselves. Our belief does not save us but it is the condition of our salvation.

The crowd asked Jesus "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"

Jesus had told them "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life,..." This comment from Him brought the question of "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"

So we see that the only thing that God would require is that you believe in Him.

The bible does not make a clear statement as to the time but I would say at the Damascus road experience.

From the biblical text we can conclude that Paul began to preach the gospel message in Damascus shortly after he had his sight restored.

Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;
Act 9:19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,
Act 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

 

So you are saying that when God gave the Moral Law in Ex 20 that He was serious?

even though He knew that we couldn’t obey it?

yeah, I thought so, and by the way, I agree w you.
And you are correct on your other points as well

 

No. Those that hear the gospel either believe or do not. Those that believe it will be saved. But that does not preclude God saving those that trust in Him when drawn through the other means He has provided.

I do not limit God in the exercise of His prerogative to save those that He chooses to save. The question is why do you?

 

Did I say that people are not saved by trusting the gospel message? NO. So you should quit with the false accusations. To say God can save as He chooses does not lessen the sacrifice of Christ.

Your hyperbole is just a bit trying by times.

What I find strange is that you want to disparage me for saying God can save as He chooses and yet you call into question His sovereignty when you limit His authority with what you write.

So the question is, who is actually disparaging God?

 

Yet some say God reprobated people to unbelief from the beginning but still says they are responsible for what He did. God gave me a logical mind. If I build a robot and program it to act a certain way and it DOES what I instructed, I get the credit.

In fact, I wrote programs for my employer at the time that are still working as I wrote them, 24 hours a day, 10 years later.

But if I give it free will then IT has the responsibility. I didn’t give them free will.

 

Then as I said before you have a odd understanding of the meaning of sovereign. Either God can do as He chooses or He cannot. You obviously do not think He can do as He chooses.

God has provide various means with which to draw people to Himself. You cannot accept that He in His sovereignty can save those that trust in Him unless they conform to your view. You do realize that Christ is God, right? I have to ask as you keep saying that those that trust in God are not saved unless they hear the gospel. So I have to ask why you have such a low view of God?

As I said those that hear the gospel will either trust in or reject Christ. Those that trust in Him will be saved those that reject Him will be lost. Where you have a problem seems to be that God can and does draw people through His creation and by the Holy Spirits conviction.

Who do you think you are that you can tell God whom or how He can save? You seem to be rather selective in the scriptures that you believe.

Joe 2:32 "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD H3068 Will be delivered;

H3068
- Original: יהוה
- Transliteration: Y@hovah
- Phonetic: yeh-ho-vaw’
- Definition: Jehovah = the existing one

Rom 10:13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD G2962 WILL BE SAVED."

G2962
- Original: κύριος
- Transliteration: Kurios
- Phonetic: koo’-ree-os
- Definition:
1. he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, Lord

Lord, master, owner. Also the NT Greek equivalent for the OT Hebrew Jehovah. The Complete WordStudy Dictionary

I understand that this is hard for you to accept but those that call out to God in faith will through His grace be saved.