Entering or invited?

[agedman]

In a recently closed thread, @AustinC gave this illustration to the point that one must enter the door of a room.

"God goes through the door and draws you in.
God is the cause of salvation. Faith is the effect."
​

I thought this a rather insightful response. However, that nor the topic of that thread are the discussion of this thread.

Often one hears the message of invitation to receive Christ, but how would the message of invitation be different with the thinking mentioned by AustinC?

This thread is not about the controversy of how one is redeemed, but specifically upon the words used in the desire for one to be redeemed.

Whether it be one on one, one to the assembly, or one to those who pass by on a street, how would you put the message of belief?

 

[SavedByGrace]

Often one hears the message of invitation to receive Christ

This is very clearly taught in the Bible, as in the Parable of the Wedding Feast, in Matthew 22

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

It is clear from this Parable, that Jesus says that entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, is by INVITATION. This initial Invitation was REJECTED by those originally Invited, which were the Jews, the CHOSEN of God in the Old Testament. Because of this, those who REJECTED this Invitation (shows free will), were no longer worthy to attend this Banquet. The Invitation is then OFFERED to ALL THE PEOPLE, THE BAD AS WELL AS THE GOOD, shows that the WHOLE HUMAN RACE in meant. We then have those who suppose that the can enter this Banquet, by another means, and Jesus clearly says that this is not possible, as He ALONE is The Gate.

Reformed theology, as represented by @AustinC, are clearly in error, as they suppose that sinners do not have the God-given ABILITY to ACCEPT or REJECT the Gospel Message, which is Parable clearly shows to be WRONG!

 

[agedman]

This is very clearly taught in the Bible, as in the Parable of the Wedding Feast, in Matthew 22

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

It is clear from this Parable, that Jesus says that entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven, is by INVITATION. This initial Invitation was REJECTED by those originally Invited, which were the Jews, the CHOSEN of God in the Old Testament. Because of this, those who REJECTED this Invitation (shows free will), were no longer worthy to attend this Banquet. The Invitation is then OFFERED to ALL THE PEOPLE, THE BAD AS WELL AS THE GOOD, shows that the WHOLE HUMAN RACE in meant. We then have those who suppose that the can enter this Banquet, by another means, and Jesus clearly says that this is not possible, as He ALONE is The Gate.

Reformed theology, as represented by @AustinC, are clearly in error, as they suppose that sinners do not have the God-given ABILITY to ACCEPT or REJECT the Gospel Message, which is Parable clearly shows to be WRONG!

Did the ones from the streets come because they were invited or compelled? Theming said invite, but the servants brought them.

The ones on the street seemingly showed no more inclination to come then did the others who didn’t come, but were given proper clothing and brought. “10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

All but one was dressed appropriately, and they would not normally have such garments.

Where does that fit in your presentation of the error of Reformed Theology?

 

[SavedByGrace]

Where does that fit in your presentation of the error of Reformed Theology?

reformed theology, as it is called, is in error when they insist that the Gospel Message is not an Invitation, even though we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, say, "And the Spirit and the Bride say, COME! And let the one hearing say, COME! And let the one who is thirsty come. And he WILLING, let him take of the Water of Life FREELY" (Rev.22:17). This Invitation, as we can see from the Parable of the Wedding Feast, and elsewhere in the Bible, can be REJECTED, which is done so by human FREE WILL that God has given to all humans. Salvation is not prederetmined by God and given only to a select few, as the reformed teach, as The Gospel Message is The HOPE for the whole human race, who God Loves very much, and desires that they repent and believe in His Good News, and get saved!

 

[Aaron]

reformed theology, as it is called, is in error when they insist that the Gospel Message is not an Invitation,

Its a commandment. Repent.

 

[SavedByGrace]

Its a commandment. Repent.

before you can repent, you must be INVITED/CALLED! read your Bible more!

 

[5 point Gillinist]

before you can repent, you must be INVITED/CALLED! read your Bible more!

You're right you must be effectually called! I'm glad you decided to embrace reformed theology!

 

[Martin Marprelate]

reformed theology, as it is called, is in error when they insist that the Gospel Message is not an Invitation, even though we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, say, "And the Spirit and the Bride say, COME! And let the one hearing say, COME! And let the one who is thirsty come. And he WILLING, let him take of the Water of Life FREELY" (Rev.22:17). This Invitation, as we can see from the Parable of the Wedding Feast, and elsewhere in the Bible, can be REJECTED, which is done so by human FREE WILL that God has given to all humans. Salvation is not prederetmined by God and given only to a select few, as the reformed teach, as The Gospel Message is The HOPE for the whole human race, who God Loves very much, and desires that they repent and believe in His Good News, and get saved!

The Gospel message is certainly a gracious invitation (eg. Matthew 11:28) as well as a command (eg. Mark 1:15), but as you can see from the very text you quoted from (Matthew 22), people do not accept the invitation - they are not WILLING to come (John 3:19; 5:40). This is the glory of Irresistible Grace. 'Then the master said to the servants, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in that My house may be filled' (Luke 14:23; cf. Psalms 110:3).

 

[SavedByGrace]

effectually called

where did you read me say this?

 

[SavedByGrace]

The Gospel message is certainly a gracious invitation (eg. Matthew 11:28) as well as a command (eg. Mark 1:15), but as you can see from the very text you quoted from (Matthew 22), people do not accept the invitation - they are not WILLING to come (John 3:19; 5:40). This is the glory of Irresistible Grace. 'Then the master said to the servants, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in that My house may be filled' (Luke 14:23; cf. Psalms 110:3).

It is clear that you don't even understand what you write! You say on the one hand, "people do not accept the invitation - they are not WILLING to come"; and then , on the other hand, "This is the glory of Irresistible Grace"! If this grace for salvation is NOT ACCEPTED, as in REJECTED, then HOW can it ce called "Irresistible"? do you guys really undersand the English language? The one cancels out the other!

 

[SavedByGrace]

'Then the master said to the servants, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in that My house may be filled'

again, if this grace is "Irresistible", then WHY the need to COMPEL anyone? makes ZERO sense!

 

[5 point Gillinist]

where did you read me say this?

Your post.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

It is clear that you don't even understand what you write! You say on the one hand, "people do not accept the invitation - they are not WILLING to come"; and then , on the other hand, "This is the glory of Irresistible Grace"! If this grace for salvation is NOT ACCEPTED, as in REJECTED, then HOW can it be called "Irresistible"? do you guys really understand the English language? The one cancels out the other!

again, if this grace is "Irresistible", then WHY the need to COMPEL anyone? makes ZERO sense!

With much respect, I'm afraid it is you who appear not to understand, though I rather think that you know enough theology to comprehend the difference between the General or Universal Call and the Particular Call.
The Gospel call goes out to everyone, but people do not receive it savingly unless unless it comes with irresistible, life-giving power.

Look, Lazarus is dead; he's been dead for quite some time. We can call on Lazarus to come back to life; we can tell him how much better it would be if he were alive, and point out to him the severe disadvantages of being dead. We can get the best preacher in the world to tell him all this. But it won't do any good. He won't hear us. He can't. He's dead, you see (Ephesians 2:1).
In fact, it's even worse than that, because, quite frankly, Lazarus is a stinker (John 11:39). He's not just dead, but he's dead in trespasses and sins. He has no right to come back to life. 'But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us , even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)' Ephesians 2:4-5). And there is your irresistible grace! When the Lord Jesus calls, "Lazarus, come forth!" Forth Lazarus will come, ready or not, still bound with the grave clothes, but obeying the sovereign command of Christ.

 

[5 point Gillinist]

With much respect, I'm afraid it is you who appear not to understand, though I rather think that you know enough theology to comprehend the difference between the General or Universal Call and the Particular Call.
The Gospel call goes out to everyone, but people do not receive it savingly unless unless it comes with irresistible, life-giving power.

Look, Lazarus is dead; he's been dead for quite some time. We can call on Lazarus to come back to life; we can tell him how much better it would be if he were alive, and point out to him the severe disadvantages of being dead. We can get the best preacher in the world to tell him all this. But it won't do any good. He won't hear us. He can't. He's dead, you see (Ephesians 2:1).
In fact, it's even worse than that, because, quite frankly, Lazarus is a stinker (John 11:39). He's not just dead, but he's dead in trespasses and sins. He has no right to come back to life. 'But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us , even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)' Ephesians 2:4-5). And there is your irresistible grace! When the Lord Jesus calls, "Lazarus, come forth!" Forth Lazarus will come, ready or not, still bound with the grave clothes, but obeying the sovereign command of Christ.

LOL, he literally just endorsed the doctrine of effectual calling in order to be able to repent.

Jesus said, “For many are invited, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). In this statement, Jesus distinguishes between the general call that everyone receives by hearing the gospel and the effectual call that leads to salvation. The effectual call is also taught in passages such as Romans 1:6, where Paul greets the believers as those “who are called to belong to Jesus Christ”; and Acts 16:14, where Luke says of Lydia that “the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” The effectual call, therefore, is God’s action toward the elect, those whom He chose in Christ “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless. . . . He predestined [them] for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:4–5).

- GotQuestions

 

[SavedByGrace]

Your post.

go back and have another read, this time take off your calvinistic specs!

 

[SavedByGrace]

General or Universal Call and the Particular Call

God does NOT play games with anyone! Either He sincerely INVITES the entire human race to repentance and faith and salvation in Jesus Christ, or He does not. All this distinctions are man-made RUBBISH!

Like I have heard, that in God's "revealed will", He desires that the entire human race is saved. But, in His "secret will", He really only desires to save the elect! UTTER RUBBISH!

Reformed theology on the salvation of sinners, is mainly HERESY!

 

[kyredneck]

very clearly taught...as in the Parable

...now that's an awful good oxymoron.

Parables clearly teach? Not.

 

[SavedByGrace]

...now that's an awful good oxymoron.

Parables clearly teach? Not.

The PARABLES that Jesus used are 100% TRUE, and not lies! They are illustrations

 

[kyredneck]

those who had been invited

hose who have been invited

24 But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Mt 15

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

23 And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Acts 3

those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’

45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed.
46 And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Acts 13

 

[kyredneck]

The PARABLES that Jesus used are 100% TRUE, and not lies! They are illustrations

Illustrations that were not intended to be understood except by those to which it was given to know:

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Mk 4