It's backwards. God leads all people to faith. Some may not go. Some may not agree with you on all the details. That doesn't matter. Jesus made it clear what was necessary to be saved, and those things are accessible and doable by those of almost every faith.
Yes. it's how I got my nickname. I am most proud of one in particular. We were about as close as internet friends can be. Posting on a science board, he was unaware that I was a Christian for some time. And he questioned me a lot about it when he discovered the fact. His daughter who was then a tween, developed an interest in spirituality, and we talked about that. He finally let her investigate the Church and she became a believer. Last time we talked, he was going though some doubts himself. The board we were on ended and I lost touch with him. I hope things worked out well.
But it is God who leads us to faith and the works He asks of us, not our own virtue.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
God's grace leads us to faith, not our own efforts. We merely choose to follow or not follow. This is sometimes wrongly interpreted to mean that only faith saves. It does not contradict other parts of the Bible that say we are saved by works also. It merely means that faith is not the results of our efforts, but that God calls us and we can only choose to answer or not answer.
Yes. it's how I got my nickname. I am most proud of one in particular. We were about as close as internet friends can be. Posting on a science board, he was unaware that I was a Christian for some time. And he questioned me a lot about it when he discovered the fact. His daughter who was then a tween, developed an interest in spirituality, and we talked about that. He finally let her investigate the Church and she became a believer. Last time we talked, he was going though some doubts himself. The board we were on ended and I lost touch with him. I hope things worked out well.
But it is God who leads us to faith and the works He asks of us, not our own virtue.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
God's grace leads us to faith, not our own efforts. We merely choose to follow or not follow. This is sometimes wrongly interpreted to mean that only faith saves. It does not contradict other parts of the Bible that say we are saved by works also. It merely means that faith is not the results of our efforts, but that God calls us and we can only choose to answer or not answer.
