It says unless you turn. There is no "are" in that sentence despite some versions using it.
So, as with the second half I quoted, the first half puts the onus of change entirely on you, not God.
âTruly I tell you,â He said, âunless you change (turn) and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Thus the onus for both changing and for humbling is entirely on you, and nowhere does it say God does the changing or the humbling for you.
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,
3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 18:1-4)
The words "you are converted" comes from the Greek word base of strepho which means turn, convert, and change, but in Matthew 18:3 the actual verb word is straphete which is aorist subjunctive passive in the 2nd person plural which causes the word to mean "you are turned" or "you are converted" or "your are changed".
This means that Matthew 18:3 can be rendered with any of these:
"unless you are turned and become like children" (Matthew 18:3)
"unless you are changed and become like children" (Matthew 18:3)
"unless you are converted and become like children" (Matthew 18:3)
Each and every instance represents the person being acted upon by God.
Behold, Lord Jesus says "unless you are converted and become like children" which is a direct reference to "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, see also John 3:4-8).
He even says "converted" which equates to "born again"/"born from above". He refers to "the kingdom" in both Matthew 18:3 and John 3:3.
Taking scripture with scripture, Lord Jesus indicates that one must be born again in Matthew 18:3.
After one is born again by God's choosing - for a person certainly cannot cause himself or herself to be born again - then such a one has fruit of the Spirit which includes being humble (Matthew 18:4) - humility being fruit - for Lord Jesus says "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
Cross-referencing scripture, Lord Jesus indicates that God is required for people to bear much fruit - even being humble!
None of Matthew 18:1-4 indicates "choose" for the word is absent implicitly and explicitly, so you are adding to scripture AGAIN.
"Great deed", don't be silly, it was no great deed when I did what Jesus said and simply humbled myself.
Humbling myself simply means making myself smaller, not greater as you imagine. But then you're a Calvinist, brainwashed for back to front thinking!
Francis Drake, your great deed of choosing is of your pride, great pride and arrogance because the free will doctrine indicates that God has no choice but to comply with your choice. That great deed or work of your choice is on the dead side of conversion according to the Matthew passage.
Choice is a work. "Choosing" is a deed. The Apostle Paul wrote that we are not saved by our works (Ephesians 2:8-10), but you worked a choice.
Brilliant verse, proves my point
"He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for [those of] the whole world" (1 John 2:2).
Look, the word "choose" nor the concept of man "choosing" God is in the verse,
Since your point of "choose" is not in the verse, then it is sounding like you are arguing that everyone without exception is saved.
Nonetheless, these words of John need to be reconciled back to the words of Jesus.
Jesus says that He came "to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
Jesus also gave this parable:
2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
3 "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
4 "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are [all] butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'
5 "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,
6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
7 "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
8 "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find [there], invite to the wedding feast.'
10 "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
11 "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless.
13 "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14 "For many are called, but few [are] chosen."
(Matthew 22:2-14)
Well, clearly, Jesus is saying that not everyone is going to be saved; therefore, "the whole world" here in 1 John 2:2 would mean the chosen of God (John 15:16. Matthew 22:14).
John is certainly not going to contradict Jesus!
Absolutely yes, this again proves my point, thanks for posting it.
The whole world lies in the grip of the evil one, which is why Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world, that the evil one's grip could be broken.
But of course many prefer darkness rather than light.
"the whole world lies in [the power of] the evil one" (1 John 5:19)
Look, the word "choose" nor the concept of man "choosing" God is in the verse,
The whole world here in 1 John 5:19 are all the unsaved which includes people destined for "the outer darkness" where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 22:13) as well as the chosen of God yet to be saved (Matthew 22:14, Ephesians 2:1-5).
"The whole world" in 1 John 5:19 is not the same as "the whole world" in 1 John 2:2.
You are twisting the meaning of "the whole world" out of it's context in 1 John 2:2, so you have a huge problem in 1 John 5:19 - and you have serious problem with adding to scripture.
Hilarious silliness, go read them again without your Calvinist specs on.
The verses are entirely in context and obviously reinforces one other, to all but fools.
You have said it.
But I don't need 1John to prove this point. Paul says it here-
2Cor5v18Now all things are of God, the One having reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and having given to us the ministry of reconciliation: 19how that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning their trespasses to them, and having put into us the word of reconciliation.
Jesus reconciled the world to himself, not half or a part, but the whole world. That many people reject him is their own choice.
Look, the word "choose" nor the concept of man making a "choice" toward God is in the passage, so you add to the words of Paul by your words of "That many people reject him is their own choice",
And again Paul says the same to Timothy.-
1Tim2v6who gave Himself as a ransom for allâthe testimony that was given at just the right time.
Ransom for who, for some, for Calvinists maybe?
Absolutely not Jesus is a ransom for all, for ALL!
That means no one was left out of the sacrifice Jesus paid with his blood.
Well, Paul is not going to contradict Jesus' words "to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28, as well as Matthew 11:2-14); therefore, all means the chosen as well as chosen yet to be saved.
Regardless, the word "choose" nor the concept of man making a "choice" toward God is in the passage, so this fails to be a proof for choosing toward God.
The fact that only some get saved is entirely because they choose to reject the Lord. They love darkness rather than light.
That's simple mathematical logic.
What a laughable and entirely unscriptural drivel, found nowhere in scripture.
How on earth could a sensible person come up with the idea that responding to God is a "work" of man?
Zero, none, nada - that's the amount of scripture that indicates a person can "choose" towards God in the New Testament.
Zero, none, nada - that's the amount of scripture that indicates a person can "choose to reject the Lord" (your words) in the New Testament.
There is no level that a person can choose Lord Jesus because He said "you did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16) - Jesus, being God, did not provide any exception for choosing toward Jesus. Lord Jesus speaks to all believers in all time because He also said "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word" (John 17:20)! All these words of Jesus are at the same supper! All glory is God's! With man, salvation is impossible (Matthew 19:25-26)! All glory in the salvation of man is God's (John 15:5, Isaiah 42:8, Psalm 3:8)!