Hi, Bottom
Below, I am offering what I have learned, but I don't know if it matches with any official person or group's ideas.I understand that God's grace includes the almighty action of His love's power; so yes it is irresistible, as far as unstoppable power is concerned. And ones who have experienced God's love would say His love is so good and satisfying that they can not resist whatsoever the grace of His love has them doing
Maybe it's like how a block of frozen butter will become soft in the sunshine.
But I can't speak for what each individual believes the "I" of "TULIP" means, because I don't personally know anyone who says he or she believes in "I" of "TULIP". What it means in each one's real life is what I'm talking about - - - if and how it effects how one relates with God and loves any and all people like Jesus wants > Matthew 5:46.
God changes people to become receptive. I understand that this is included in how our Father draws someone > John 6:44. He changes how a person is, so then the person starts to be more and more receptive. And free will people, to my knowledge, do pray for God to soften the hearts of ones they are reaching for Christ. And certain predestination people might not pray for sinners. People in different groups can be not all alike
the hardness of their hearts
But this does not mean God will never change them . . . for example, Saul.
God somehow does bless every person. Even the most wicked could not even be able to eat, if God did not somehow make them able to eat and to digest food . . . and to breathe. And I believe that in some way God is blessing every human, so ones can function somehow, mentally and emotionally, if not in salvation >
"For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." (1 Timothy 4:10)
So, God is doing some kind of saving good to each and every human. But the saving good might not be spiritual, but could be how the person gets something to eat or does not become as much of an emotional basket case as he or she could have become. Plus, I understand that Jesus is the same Jesus offered to all people, and we know God is not willing that anyone perish. So, in His disposition in Himself He is desiring that anyone be saved, though this does not actually happen. And Jesus on the cross had hope for any evil person, at all. And He has us loving any and all people, like this > love "hopes all things", we have in 1 Corinthians 13:7.
And so we need to have hope for any evil person, at all, and pray God's blessing to anyone, for howsoever He pleases to do any person good
It is offered to all, but ones refuse.
Men do resist God, but they get nowhere except where He decides, in His all-control.
I understand that all humans in sin are equal; so we humans of ourselves do not make exact opposite choices about Jesus . . . or else we would not be equal. But God makes the difference > He draws people to Jesus > John 6:44 >
"'No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.'" (John 6:44)
no
God succeeds in howsoever He pleases to bless each human. And all His blessing on the whole produces the end-game result that Jesus will have "many brethren" who are conformed to His image > Romans 8:29. Predestination, then, is not about only who controls what happens to people, but predestination is primarily about how our Heavenly Father will succeed in transforming many brethren into the image of Jesus.
However, there are arguers who go on and on about free will versus being elected, but they do not deal with what is basic > how to become conformed to the image of Jesus so we are loving and pleasing our Father by becoming like His Son > 1 John 4:17. This is what needs to get attention first, I would say.
God accomplishes His good and He changes people so we become His children who share with Him in His grace, in oneness with Him > 1 Corinthians 6:17. So, His grace makes us personally sharing with Him in us, in His love > Romans 5:5, Jude 20-21; so this is not only some intellectual and scholarly issue.
One might ask > "But do you think, then, that a person who believes in free will can be saved?"
I think there are free will people who understand God better than a number of predestination people do. And they help me to treat people like they do have free will . . . so I am not trying to boss myself over people and control people > 1 Peter 5:3. However, there are other free will people who can be very dominating and dictatorial and controlling.
As we become transformed to be like Jesus and how He has us loving . . . this is how we really get to know Jesus > by loving like He does, while being sweetly pleasing to our Father in His love > 1 Peter 3:4, 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, Ephesians 4:1-3, Ephesians 4:31-32, Ephesians 5:2. And this is how we discover the love meaning of His word, instead of only arguing in a more or less emotional game of word chess about beliefs.
