Your notion of sincerity is also off. I imagine God's sincerity in his calling is a little like his sincerity in regeneration: The faith he gives is given in different measure,
STOP—God does NOT give saving-faith to anyone! What verse makes you think that, Rom12:3? That is SEMITIC VIEW, it’s a literary way of saying, “as much faith as each person HAS”. Golly, Mark—the Greatest Commandment is TO LOVE GOD (Matt22:37), that would be insane nonsense if it’s really GOD who GIVES faith and the
mindset of loving-God, TO certain persons! To my memory you haven’t engaged Acts 17:26-31, have you?
”Receive as the outcome of YOUR FAITH salvation of your souls!” 1Pet1:9
Whose faith? God’s-faith that He GIVES a few (if they’re lucky), or our faith? Was Peter misinformed?
but the quality of the faith, whatever the measure, is the same. It is GOD in us producing the faith.
We just read 1Pet1:9, you and I; what do you think of Peter’s words when you also think
”God produces/gives faith to a few”? In Romans2:4-11 God’s patience kindness and forbearance are
meant to lead us to repentance, but by our stubborn unrepentant hearts we store up wrath
for ourselves for the day of judgment, when God will give to each according to what he has done; to THOSE WHO by perseverance in doing good seek glory honor and immortality, eternal life—but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, wrath; …for there is NO PARTIALITY with God!
Where in all of that is “GOD-GIFTS-FAITH-to-His-few-FAVORITES”? No, He doesn’t! His kindness is MEANT to lead men to repentance and faith, but those WHO refuse store wrath for themselves! How can I convince you that your doctrine just marks out or ignores clear verses? We cannot throw anything out, brother Mark! It all has to fit!
And I may not be able to convince you that we truly have “free will”, but I can certainly hold you accountable for the idea that “heart-change/regeneration comes
before belief”—it does not, cite the Scripture you think supports that. It’s not Ezk36:26-27; it’s not 1Cor2:14, it’s not Jer17:9, it’s not Isaiah6:9 or John12:40, it’s not Rom8:7-8, where is it?
Besides, there is no such thing as “regeneration” without being “made-alive”, or “having-life” without “regeneration”—do you disagree? John said (Jn20:31) that he wrote the testament to
PERSUADE people to believe --- and believing, they may THEN have life! What’s the defense against “regeneration/made-alive”, coming after belief?
There is no threshold amount that is just barely enough to do the job. Furthermore, It is not, nor can it be humanly produced.
Really! Was Jesus an idiot all the times He said, “be it done to you according to YOUR FAITH”? Or, “Your faith has made you well”! In Matt8:10 Jesus said, “Truly I have not found such faith in all of Israel! Go, it shall be done for you as you have believed!” Mark, God PUTS “the-word-of-faith” in EVERY heart and mouth, each of us then decides what to DO with it! Deut30:11-20, Rm10:6-10! Where is the debate?