[QUOTE="Taken, post: 731296, member: 7756"]Not sure what all Calvinists Core Belief is. The "tough" texts seem to be featuring Salvation, or who shall be Saved, and Who shall not be Saved.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people (elect/saved) from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
My belief is:
Concerning Predestination;
* God Knows All...Man Does Not.
True! God knows the end from the beginning.
* God OFFERS to All.
No!! only to those He elected and chosen (predestined) to salvation before the foundation of the world (John 13:18; 15:16) (John 6:44; 37)
* God KNOWS who will and Who will Not accept His OFFERING.
True! However, God will only save His elect (Matthew 1:21).
* God has Preparations Made for All.
Yes, some to salvation and others to damnation. God declared: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
* Every Individual, who has Opportunity to Hear Gods OFFERING....has FREEWILL to Accept or Reject Gods Offering.
Free will is alien to the Bible and never taught in Scripture! Please read Post #25
* God Knows Who Will Accept and Who Will Reject His Offering....man does Not.
The rest of your post contains some truths but mostly misunderstandings of Scripture!
To God Be The Glory[/QUOTE]
Thank you for your comments and Welcome to the forum.
Point 1) Offering;
John 6:
[
51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give
is my flesh, which I will give
for the life of the world.
Heb 10:
[
10] By the which will we are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.
* Offering to the WHOLE world, to ALL...is an OFFERING to Every Person.
Point 2) Freewill of man.
Josh 24:
[
15] And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,
choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Prov 16:
[
9] A
man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Duet 30:
[
19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore
choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
The Lord God Provides the WAY.
He provides Knowledge, which gives all men OPTION to "Freely" CHOOSE/ ELECT/ PICK The Lord God .... or Not.
It is based on: man being Given Knowledge, to Know his Options...and a man Choosing what the man Elects to Choose.
God Forces NO ONE to Believe IN HIM, Or LOVE Him.
Man, being created in Gods LIKENESS...neither can FORCE another to Believe in them or Love them.
God provides knowledge About Himself, that a man MIGHT freely choose to Believe in Him, Choose to Love Him...and men do the Same.
Point 3) Predestination
^ THAT is About WHAT God Knows...and every individual man Does NOT "YET" Know.
You did not Pre- Know every thought, idea, decision, you would hear, learn, decide from the day of your Natural Birth...(but God DID).
God Knew...IF "You"...and every other individual...would or would NOT "choose" Him.
God "pre- knew"... every man Who would Teeter...sit on the fence wavering, believing one day, not the next...He knew every man who would Follow and Learn His Way, and every man who would Feel no need of Him, Reject Him...
Rejection DID NOT STOP God from His Mercy and He being Just ... To "OFFER" to "All" men, the Knowledge of Him and His WAY...for Every Man to Freely CHOOSE...or REJECT His Offer.
He FORCES no one.
However those men WHO are teetering, wanting/desiring to Believe...God DOES put a messenger in their path (an encounter), to help them with more knowledge, that they may land on a Choice.
God is clear, He desires All men will Freely Choose Him...
And The Facts are clear, All men Alive in their own Blood LIFE, will Not Freely Choose Him.
Fact: men Who Do, in their own Blood Life, that DO Choose Him, shall be Saved (unto) Him, be MADE in His Likeness, with a Forever Living spirit, and WITH Him Forever.
Fact: Those who REJECT Him, to the day their own Blood LIFE ends...shall be Bodily raised from their grave, SEE Him, and Believe...Bow in Worship to Him...(but shall Have No Blood of their own Life to Offer for the sins of their Disbelief).... Thus ...
Scripture is Fulfilled...All Believe.
Scripture is Fulfilled...All are Not Saved.
The ELECT "OF" God, are those who were Offered a WAY according to The Lord God, and Freely Chose to Accept The Lord Gods Offering...and Become MADE Converted and SEALED unto Him, ONCE and Forever.
We are still in disagreement, on these points.
We are likely in disagreement on other points as well pursuant to my previous post you called misunderstanding on my part.
Don't know about you...but according to Scripture, and what I "elected" /"Chose"...
Was my choice, not Forced by God...but rather, by my choice to Learn ABOUT Him, From His provided Knowledge, and "my Freewill Choice to Trust to Believe Him.
1 Thes 1:
[
4] Knowing, brethren beloved,
your (my) election of God.
Glory to God,
Taken