coffee4u
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- Dec 11, 2018
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Repentance is our response to the Law, the Law brings knowledge of sin and with it condemnation of our sin; and thus comes despair over our sin and the contrition of having fallen short of the command of God. Which is why repentance isn't just some event in a person's life, but the ongoing reality of Christian discipleship. Repentance is part of the cross Christ calls us to bear as His followers. The contrition over our sins, and the ongoing transforming of our minds as we live out in the new obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God's gracious work in saving us isn't about Him "forcing" anything, but about Him being the compassionate, gracious Savior and Redeemer. God doesn't sit back waiting for us to climb up some ladder to reach Him, He comes down to us to save us. God pro-actively saves us, that's what the Gospel is about. God became man, God came down, God offers Himself to the world in life, death, and resurrection to rescue, redeem, save, and heal us and this world.
If you are drowning in the middle of the ocean and someone jumps in the water, drags you to the shore, and gives you CPR so that you can start breathing again, would you say that they "forced" something on you? Or would you say they saved you?
Should a lifeguard not jump in and save a drowning person until the drowning person climbs up the lifeguard's tower and asks to be saved?
-CryptoLutheran
There’s a problem with this explanation. No one can come to Christ unless The Father draws him. Who did Jesus say who sowed the tares? Was it The Father? The planter’s enemy planted the tares. The enemy cannot draw someone to Christ and yet Jesus said anyone who does not remain in Him will be cast away to wither and cast into the fire to be burned. Furthermore Paul said to the Judiaser Galatians you have been severed from Christ, you have fallen from grace. Paul says these people were given grace. Are tares given grace? Does the enemy give grace? So next time you compare someone to the tares keep in mind these people cannot be in Christ, they have not been given grace. Simon Magus was a tare. He is the kind of person Jesus referred to in Matthew 7:21-27. There’s a difference between someone who fails to abide in Christ and a person to whom Jesus will say I never knew you. Those to whom Jesus says I never knew you can’t be severed from Christ. They can’t fail to abide in Christ. You can’t be severed from Christ or fail to remain in Him if He never knew you.
I don't believe God simply plucks out random people and says you will be saved. I believe he wants ALL to be saved.
1 Tim
2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.
If we have no choice then we are robots and I do not believe that. God calls and man responds or not.
This is not really a topic that interests me. I do not hold any strong feelings on it so I wont bother to post on it again. God knows how each person came to faith, isn't that good enough? Not something that needs discussion IMO.
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