CALVINISTS, please answer this question.

Salvation takes faith... but understanding takes knowledge... 1 Timothy 4:13 13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

1 Timothy 4:16 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

God also sent TEACHERS, Pastors, to learn from...Like Edwards, Owens, and Calvin.

 

Faith takes understanding. No one believes (has faith) in that for which they have NO understanding. Granted, it need not be thorough understanding, only an understanding sufficient to faith.

 

Wes,
Faith doesn't need understanding, it needs a NEW HEART. All understanding flows from that.

 

Without faith--God He does not give ‘a new heart,’ as some wrongfully believe. Religion is man’s search for God and faith is a person’s longing and reaching out toward the Lord God. ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him . . .’ [Hebrews 11:6] Without faith the gift of grace will not be given to the sinner. [Ephesians 2:8] Faith is a lively trust and belief in the Lord Jesus for grace and salvation, which is everlasting life.

 

Hello hoosierdaddy, good to meet you.

Depends on what you mean by love. If God has decided to starve some poor African and it is in our power to help the man then we are commanded by God to help him. Why do you compare us with God? He told us to love our neighbour. Do you think we are not bound by the rules He gives us because He does as He likes?

Don't cows come home twice a day for milking?

Romans nine is about the Sovereignty of God.

johnp.

 

Wes.

Being saved by grace takes no understanding. John the Baptist was saved in the womb. Lk 1:41. That was included in scripture just for you Wes.

JN 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "
Romans 8:7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.

Tell me Ray how a man can reach out to God according to Romans 8:7? According to John 3:3 what must a person be to understand?

johnp.

 

Johnp,
That is why we are not saved by grace! There is no power in Grace to save! It is only those who understand the gospel message that ever come to faith in God.

John the Baptist was not save in the womb! You make entirely too much of that scripture. John the baptist was marked before conception to be a servant of God, the forerunner of the Messiah to announce the Messiah's arrival! He did a wonderful job beginning in the womb!

The most vile of sinners can understand words and when words are put together to mean something even the most vile of persons can grasp the surface meaning of the thought! Believing comes from that surface meaning. It is only the wise who do not comprehend the surface meanings, they are too busy trying to take it all apart to find the "hidden meanings". It is the scholars that are never content with the message, they want to kill the messenger!

 

NOONE SEEKS AFTER GOD...NO WES,RAY ... NOT ONE..

 

Well then, I guess you'd be wrong rc!

 

John 3:3 indicates that except a sinner is changed on the inside through Christ, he or she will never see the Kingdom of God above.

Romans 8:7-8 is stating the situation of the lost sinner. He cannot come to God by himself. But, when the convicting and convincing work of the Spirit takes place, that one can respond to Jesus’ call. [John 16:8-11] The Triune Godhead’s call is to the ‘ . . . whosoever will, let him take . . .’ [Revelation 22:17] Eternal life is free to those who take it. Reaching out to God is taking of 'the water of life, freely.'

 

Nice Wes.. I sight scripture and you say I'm wrong... it's a definitive fact... NNE SEEKS AFTER GOD.

Ray, the H.S. doesn't "convince" for salvation it regenerates. And please stop quoteing Rev 22 it's the Church He is addressing NOT unbelievers!

He regenerates those He choses and in John 16 He will reprove judgement and righteousness. There is no "Call" in John 16 at all. Total eisegesis.

 

Wes, I don't want you to think I am calling you names or anything but below is a description of you.


ROM 3:10 ..."There is no one righteous, not even one;

RO 3:11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.

RO 3:12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."

RO 3:13 "Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."

RO 3:14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."

RO 3:15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;

RO 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways,

RO 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know."

RO 3:18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

God says that is you. That's Romans 8:7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. And that is the gospel.

johnp.

 

Nice try John
But man is awefully prideful....

We're all created Arminian's, then God gives us grace and become Calvinist's.

They just want to hold on to some kind of power...they just can't give it all to God..

And no Wes... just because man WAS created in the image of God, he supresses the truth in unrighteousness... He HATES GOD. YOU can't find one verse in the whole Bible that states IN THE INDUCTIVE form that man has ANY will to choose God. NOT ONE!

 

ISA 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Sovereign man! HaHa!

Good to meet you.

johnp.

 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

 

Wes, here is a sad commentary on Scripture.

rc wants us to believe that Revelation 22:17 means that the Bride is calling the church. The Bride of Christ is the church and she is calling sinners to drink of the water of life, freely, as is stated by Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well. Christians don’t need the water of life, as is stated in verse seventeen of Revelation twenty-two. True believers already have the water of life within--springing up within themselves. [John 4:14]

God speaking through the Apostle John in Revelation 21:6 indicates that Jesus will not turn anyone away from the hope of Heaven. ‘I will give unto him who is athirst of the water of life freely.’ 'Whosoever . . . ' is not a qualifying statement; it is a universal call to Heaven and eternal life. [Revelation 22:17]

Jesus offered the Samaritan woman ' . . . living water;' She had never drunk from His life giving well at a previous time.

Not only the Bride/the church calls sinners but also the Spirit of God. The Lord is not prejudiced for or against certain human beings. [I Peter 1:17] 'He is not willing that any should perish . . . ' [II Peter 3:9]

God the Spirit is not calling to the---soon to be elected church, as rc would like to think. You see, Calvinism has them ‘painted into a corner,’ making the meaning of Scripture very stilted and unnatural.

 

Well Johnp
If you do not want me to think you are calling me names, why did you put my name in your post?

Who gives you the right to judge me?

 

Then perhaps you could explain to us all why there are people who come to church on their own? Or maybe at the invitation of another?

Could you explain why unbelievers are "drawn to" conversations where one is giving the Gospel message to another, and they too hear the gospel and must make a decision whether or not to believe.

Could You Explain why a child can ask, "is there a God?" Or, Daddy, can you tell me about Jesus? Or, "Mommy, do you believe in God?"

If no one seeks God, why do children ask questions about God?

There is a very strong possibility you'd be wrong!

 

Wes.

Because it is a description of you.

Why, do you not like it? Do you feel insulted? It's the Judge that judged you.

ROM 3:10 ..."There is no one righteous, not even one;

RO 3:11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.

RO 3:12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."

RO 3:13 "Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."

RO 3:14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."

RO 3:15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;

RO 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways,

RO 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know."

RO 3:18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

God says that is you. That's Romans 8:7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. And that is the gospel.

Have you asked your spirit friends if I am wrong?

johnp.

 

"Suffer not the children to come unto Me, for of such is the kingdom of God."

Selah,

Bro. James