So, I now agree with the current unpopular view of great theologians, such as:
St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards.
The natural (unsaved) man
-- is born with a sin nature and is totally separated from God.
-- is at enmity with God, which means he is an enemy of God.
-- is owed absolutely nothing, nada, zero, etc. by the totally Holy God.
-- insists on following his fallen nature and naturally chooses this over following God.
-- considers the gospel to be foolishness:
“For the message of the cross (the gospel) is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved (through sanctification) it is the power of God.” 1 Cor. 1:18
-- exercises his free will and miraculously all of a sudden chooses Jesus and his gospel ???
The free-will verses
“All”, “whoever”, “everyone who” believes … can be viewed as referring only to God’s elect.
In the OT, God proves that natural unsaved man cannot (or is not willing to) obey God, etc.
God chose His special people group to represent the human race, and they failed miserably.
Go ahead and “choose this day to believe and follow God”. If you are able to do this, super.
This is why He promised to institute His new/better covenant with His Messiah-Redeemer-Savior.
In the NT, those who believe have miraculously been given the necessary faith to believe.
Saving FAITH is a GIFT from God by His GRACE
Paul was privately trained by the Lord for 17 years (Gal. 1:18, 2:1) prior to starting his ministry.
“For by grace (undeserved favor) you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, not of works (anything you do), lest anyone should boast.” Eph. 2:8-9
Natural sin-laden, rebellious, etc. man is simply NOT capable of coming up with his own saving faith.
God has the right to do whatever He desires (whether you like it or not)
In Romans 9:9-24, Paul explains:
-- God chose Jacob over Esau before they were born (i.e. before they had done any good or evil).
-- The choice did not depend on any of God’s foreknowledge (knowledge of the future).
-- The choice did not depend on the 2 twins: “not of works (anything they did) but of Him who calls”.
-- The choice was strictly: “that the purpose of God according to election might stand”.
-- God has mercy and compassion on whom He chooses.
-- Who is chosen does not depend on man who desires it, works for it, etc.
-- Who is chosen only depends on God who shows mercy to certain ones.
-- The analogy of the potter and the clay from Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9-13.
-- God prepares vessels for honor and vessels for dishonor.
-- God prepares vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.
-- God prepares vessels of mercy prepared beforehand for glory.
-- God called the Roman Christians to belong to this latter group.
God knows peoples’ hearts and who He wants to have in Heaven
“the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts” 1 Chr. 28:9
“I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit” Isaiah 57:15
A repentant heart is necessary: “… unless you repent you will all likewise perish” Luke 13:3,5
The poor (in various ways) are the most likely to have the right heart attitude:
“He (Father God) has anointed Me (Jesus) to preach the gospel to the poor” Luke 4:18
“Has God not chosen the poor to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” James 2:5
God predestines and chooses His elect
“God's elect ... who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” 1 Pet. 1:1-2
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world … having predestined us” Eph. 1:4-5
“And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed (in the gospel)” Acts 13:48
God’s guardian angels protect His people until they obtain salvation
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those
who will (in the future) inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14
God does the choosing, not us
“All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me” John 6:37
“No one can (has the ability to) come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” John 6:44
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you …” John 15:16
Man appears to have the freedom to choose
God’s plan of salvation: the sinless Messiah came to die on the cross for the sins of the elect,
and the elect must hear this gospel (good news), believe it, and believe-trust-obey- love Jesus.
The free-will verses encourage evangelists to take the gospel to the 4 corners of the earth.
The gospel must be presented to the elect before they can respond to it. And presenting it
to the non-elect ensures that they cannot claim at the Judgment that they never heard it.
The Augustinian view of predestination
Man is totally incapable of being saved on his own, but depends totally on God’s grace.
Man is not required to make any free-will choice to co-operate with God’s grace.
God’s choice of His elect has nothing at all to do with their choosing/believing the gospel.
All humans are destined to be separated from God, but God has chosen to grant mercy to some.
If you claim that God is not merciful enough (or, indeed, if you find any fault at all with God),
then you are committing blasphemy against God. So, it's best not to judge God.
St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards.
The natural (unsaved) man
-- is born with a sin nature and is totally separated from God.
-- is at enmity with God, which means he is an enemy of God.
-- is owed absolutely nothing, nada, zero, etc. by the totally Holy God.
-- insists on following his fallen nature and naturally chooses this over following God.
-- considers the gospel to be foolishness:
“For the message of the cross (the gospel) is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved (through sanctification) it is the power of God.” 1 Cor. 1:18
-- exercises his free will and miraculously all of a sudden chooses Jesus and his gospel ???
The free-will verses
“All”, “whoever”, “everyone who” believes … can be viewed as referring only to God’s elect.
In the OT, God proves that natural unsaved man cannot (or is not willing to) obey God, etc.
God chose His special people group to represent the human race, and they failed miserably.
Go ahead and “choose this day to believe and follow God”. If you are able to do this, super.
This is why He promised to institute His new/better covenant with His Messiah-Redeemer-Savior.
In the NT, those who believe have miraculously been given the necessary faith to believe.
Saving FAITH is a GIFT from God by His GRACE
Paul was privately trained by the Lord for 17 years (Gal. 1:18, 2:1) prior to starting his ministry.
“For by grace (undeserved favor) you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, not of works (anything you do), lest anyone should boast.” Eph. 2:8-9
Natural sin-laden, rebellious, etc. man is simply NOT capable of coming up with his own saving faith.
God has the right to do whatever He desires (whether you like it or not)
In Romans 9:9-24, Paul explains:
-- God chose Jacob over Esau before they were born (i.e. before they had done any good or evil).
-- The choice did not depend on any of God’s foreknowledge (knowledge of the future).
-- The choice did not depend on the 2 twins: “not of works (anything they did) but of Him who calls”.
-- The choice was strictly: “that the purpose of God according to election might stand”.
-- God has mercy and compassion on whom He chooses.
-- Who is chosen does not depend on man who desires it, works for it, etc.
-- Who is chosen only depends on God who shows mercy to certain ones.
-- The analogy of the potter and the clay from Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9-13.
-- God prepares vessels for honor and vessels for dishonor.
-- God prepares vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.
-- God prepares vessels of mercy prepared beforehand for glory.
-- God called the Roman Christians to belong to this latter group.
God knows peoples’ hearts and who He wants to have in Heaven
“the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts” 1 Chr. 28:9
“I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit” Isaiah 57:15
A repentant heart is necessary: “… unless you repent you will all likewise perish” Luke 13:3,5
The poor (in various ways) are the most likely to have the right heart attitude:
“He (Father God) has anointed Me (Jesus) to preach the gospel to the poor” Luke 4:18
“Has God not chosen the poor to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” James 2:5
God predestines and chooses His elect
“God's elect ... who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” 1 Pet. 1:1-2
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world … having predestined us” Eph. 1:4-5
“And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed (in the gospel)” Acts 13:48
God’s guardian angels protect His people until they obtain salvation
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those
who will (in the future) inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14
God does the choosing, not us
“All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me” John 6:37
“No one can (has the ability to) come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” John 6:44
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you …” John 15:16
Man appears to have the freedom to choose
God’s plan of salvation: the sinless Messiah came to die on the cross for the sins of the elect,
and the elect must hear this gospel (good news), believe it, and believe-trust-obey- love Jesus.
The free-will verses encourage evangelists to take the gospel to the 4 corners of the earth.
The gospel must be presented to the elect before they can respond to it. And presenting it
to the non-elect ensures that they cannot claim at the Judgment that they never heard it.
The Augustinian view of predestination
Man is totally incapable of being saved on his own, but depends totally on God’s grace.
Man is not required to make any free-will choice to co-operate with God’s grace.
God’s choice of His elect has nothing at all to do with their choosing/believing the gospel.
All humans are destined to be separated from God, but God has chosen to grant mercy to some.
If you claim that God is not merciful enough (or, indeed, if you find any fault at all with God),
then you are committing blasphemy against God. So, it's best not to judge God.
