I said a "humble response" from a "softened heart". The Holy Spirit does the softening, and the humble response is the result of that. But this softening work is not regeneration.
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The free gift of salvation is given to those who do believe; not to those who cannot believe. We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) (KJV 1900)
Only to those who know scripture.
ya, and that's a totally healthy pov to have
do you really think you've proven anything, Dave?
Rejoice in the fact that you believe because God saved you. Had he not, you could not believe.
Jesus teaches limited atonement in John 10
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) (KJV 1900)
“But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.” (John 10:26) (KJV 1900)
I would have to say that when the Holy Spirit draws a man, He takes him out of his natural mode of thinking so that he can make a choice concerning the things of the Spirit of God. There would have to be a response of some kind of faith in the man in order for him to be able to receive the things of the Spirit of God.
I think the issue is not "which came first, the chicken or the egg" i.e. "which comes first, regeneration or faith" I think that the two would have to basically come simultaneously for it to work according to scripture; and even in this faith would be the cause and the effect would be our entering into grace according to Romans 5:1-2; while the man would have to cease to think naturally in order to receive the things of the Spirit of God to the extent that he would put his faith in the gospel message.
It may boil down to the fact that we cannot comprehend everything that is God!
Yet Unlimited Atonement is preached elsewhere as far as I can tell.
Do you have an answer for 1 John 2:2, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:3-4 in light of the doctrine of Irresistible Grace?
Yet there are those who believe only for a while (Luke 8:13). Did they believe because they were saved? And if they were saved, did they not lose their salvation when they ceased to believe? Or were they not saved? And if they weren't saved, then their belief was not the result of salvation; because they did believe, and yet they ceased to believe at some point and therefore either their faith did not save them or else they lost their salvation the moment they ceased to believe.
Thoughts or comments? (please take this post as a whole thought and do not try to break it up in pieces).
3/4 of the believers in the parable of the sower wash out. Also tares believe. Even on the last day many will brag about prophesying, casting out demons in Jesus' name, to find they were never saved. The reason is, only those Jesus died for will have true and lasting faith from the good soil of a regenerate heart. The rest believe with the mind (flesh).
In other words, these people believed only for a while; and therefore if their belief was the result of salvation, their salvation did not bring them a lasting faith: this to me appears to be declaring a false doctrine that I recently encountered, that a man can fall away from the faith and will still be saved. It is either that, or the faith that is spoken of in Luke 8:13 was not a saving faith. Or, the person had a saving faith but saving faith does not produce everlasting life.
I have answered this by saying that a nominal, lukewarm, or shallow faith is not a living and saving faith; because it amounts to mere mental assent to the tenets of the gospel. But that a heart faith (Romans 10:10) is unto righteousness (see Matthew 5:6, Romans 5:19, 1 John 3:7) and will endure unto the end also (see Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 3:14, Matthew 10:22).
I have answered this by saying that a nominal, lukewarm, or shallow faith is not a living and saving faith; because it amounts to mere mental assent to the tenets of the gospel. But that a heart faith (Romans 10:10) is unto righteousness (see Matthew 5:6, Romans 5:19, 1 John 3:7) and will endure unto the end also (see Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 3:14, Matthew 10:22).
Limited atonement forces constraints on the universal passages. Whole world = Jews and gentiles, not each person, etc.
But you said that if I believe it is because I am saved. So then, I can believe but it does not necessarily mean that I am saved, according to your more recent statements.
There is inconsistency in your message from what I perceive.
No, these believed with the mind (flesh) and not from a born again heart. Many believed when they saw the miracles, but Jesus didn't commit himself to them.
“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” (John 2:23–25) (KJV 1900)
Do you believe with the mind, or with the heart? This is why free will gospel is misleading. It requires head faith.
Not necessarily. I think that you still have to prove that free will is never a factor in a man's salvation; otherwise the whole world, "all" means all people.
"God is not willing that any should perish but that Jew and Gentile alike will be saved." it is not as consistent as you would like it to be.
"God is not willing that any should perish but that all should be saved." This is what it really says. If the Holy Spirit had wanted to say the other thing, he could have said it plainly without too much effort.
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