For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
I like the way you're formatting this. Makes it easy to respond to.
So, I do not read this as God causing us to do anything but here is saying that what we've been given, what we should do are two things. Believe and suffer for his sake. This means that we give up that which pleased us, sometimes put up with persecution and obey his commands.
And in this case our "should" is "for the sake of Christ." The word "grant" there can also be translated "given." Commands are given. Responsibilities are given. This isn't magic power he's talking about but the "perfect law of liberty." It's up to us to obey it.
Al, thanks for being careful with the text! I think you make an astute observation; however, I believe that your interpretation is mistaken. The sense of “should” in Philippians 1:29 is not in this context indicating obligation, rather purpose. This can be seen if you consider the use of the word “that” earlier on.
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, - Philippians 1:29 (ESV)
In other words, the “should” which follows the “that” explains the purpose of the granting action of God, namely, that it is done on behalf of the Son. Perhaps it would be helpful to see how other translations render this verse.
Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, - ESV
For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, - NASB
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; - KJV
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, - NKJV
For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, - CSB
because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him, - LEB
And the elect, the chosen, are those who obey the gospel call. They are not pre-selected outside of God's foreknowledge.
Al, while I agree that all the elect ultimately obey the gospel call, I do not think that they are elect
because they obey. I believe that God set apart a people for himself according to his gracious choice, which is expressed by his foreknowing them (Romans 8:29). If you mean by “foreknowledge” that God knows who will positively respond to the Gospel in time and that these he elects and predestines to be conformed to the image of his Son, I would have to disagree in that this reverses the order of what I think the Scriptures teach. I think the Scriptures tell us that God chose his people before the foundation of the world and that he moves upon them in time, as he sees fit, to reconcile them to himself.
Here's where I think we may disagree. You say that those who are "fallen in Adam" are born that way right? I don't believe we're born that way. Even this passage is letting us know that to set one's mind on the flesh is not a result of a man's birth condition but the choices he makes to set his own mind on the flesh and live according to the flesh. A mind set on the flesh - a man's own rules and desires - cannot submit itself to God because the man in control of that mind has chosen himself as king rather than God.
Al, when you say that you “don’t believe we’re born that way” in response to the quotation of Romans 8:5-8, are you saying that you do not believe that man is born incapacitated by sin to submit to the law of God? King David seemed to think that sin is with fallen humanity from our very conception (Psalm 51:5). If so, the idea of radical corruption is based in Scriptural truth and we need to consider how this sin nature effects our desires and our will. I think Ephesians gives light to this.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. – Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV)
Paul states that we were children of wrath “by nature”, suggesting the corruption of sin extends to the very core of our being. However, I do not want to misrepresent you so I may need your help to clarify this.
Of course. It's impossible not to. So wouldn't it be weird if faith was something God supplied or withheld arbitrarily?
I agree with you that faith pleases God. Yet I take difference to your interpretation in that I do not believe that God grants faith arbitrarily. As faith is a gift from God, it is wholly according to his will as to whom he dispenses it. The reason why God gives his grace to some and demonstrates his wrath on others is to demonstrate his glory as Paul declares.
What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— Romans 9:22-23 (ESV)
Paul gives us further insight to God’s redemptive will in his opening statements to the Ephesians.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. – Ephesians 1:3-14 (ESV)
In other words, God predestined the saints according to the council of his will, free of contingencies outside of himself, and that being purposed to the praise of his glory!
The word repent, is a turning of the mind from one idea to another. In this case, sin. People are saved because they, just as Paul describes is necessary for us to do, renew our minds and turn to God as our Lord rather than our flesh. Obeying the flesh produces sin. Obeying God produces righteousness. The righteousness that he has defined, not that we have defined for ourselves.
Al, I appreciate your definition of repentance. I agree with you that it is requisite for salvation. However, the Scriptures indicate that repentance is a not only a command, but a gift from God, much as faith.
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. – Acts 5:31 (ESV)
When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” – Acts 11:18 (ESV)
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. – 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (ESV)
I hope not to be unfair to the context of these passages, but they seem to me to indicate that repentance itself is a gracious work of God.
The faith - the gospel is a gift from God. Our faith or belief, is a commandment given by God. They aren't the same thing. The faith we are to demonstrate is not the same as the system of faith that we are to obey.
The crux of the matter is that God can both command of us what we cannot do and provide the means to fulfill his command! This is the tension seen throughout Scripture: that God in certain places commands men to repent and believe, yet in other places indicates that so doing is a gift of God. Let Ezekiel be one example of this tension.
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. – Ezekiel 11:19-20 (ESV)
Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? – Ezekiel 18:31 (ESV)
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. – Ezekiel 36:26-28 (ESV)
Regarding Philippians, I believe there is a distinction between “the faith” (noun) and “to believe” (verb). The faith, the Gospel, is a gift. The act of believing in response to that Gospel is both a command and a gift.
Well, this assertion is an attempt to explain the HOW of the gospel's mechanisms without the benefit of any actual verbiage in the text that explicitly tells us that this is how it works. It is a conclusion drawn from what is written that I don't believe is actually implied by the text.
When God had Ezekiel prophecy that he would give us hearts of flesh rather than stone, I believe we actually see the greatest example of how he would accomplish that on the day of Pentecost and it wasn't as you describe. The means by which he softened the hearts of those Jewish people on the Day of Pentecost was not through the use of the Holy Spirit literally himself changing the nature of the listener but by delivering the words through the mouths of his chosen prophets to speak to the people.
It was the words which convinced those standing there that they had indeed made a mistake when they commended their Messiah into the "lawless hands" unto crucifixion.
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
And Paul confirms that this is the way it works in Romans.
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So, it is the word which will either soften or harden our hearts, words delivered by the Holy Spirit. The first thing, Paul says is we must hear. And it is our choice whether or not we accept the words we hear and give them the compassion they deserve. Those on the day of Pentecost heard the words that Peter taught and then believed and it was then that their hearts were exchanged, otherwise they could not have been cut. Stone won't do that. Their now softened hearts were open to the command that Peter would give them in response to their question "what must we do?"
Some standing there chose not to believe.
Al, I believe that the words spoken through the prophets are the means by which the Holy Spirit works to regenerate the man dead in his trespasses and sins. In other words, God decrees both the ends (election unto salvation) and the means to those ends (preaching of the Gospel). Paul declares in the beginning of Romans that the Gospel is the means of God's redemptive work.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” – Romans 1:16-17 (ESV)
It is the very words of Scripture, all of which are
theopneustos, or God-breathed, which carry the regenerative power of the Spirit to his elect. So, it is not the natural man who consents to the Gospel in his hardened state before his heart is changed, but God who softens his heart to receive it, believe it, and obey it.
I hope this is helpful!