It contradicts the entirity of Eph 1, John 10 and Romans 9. While we are the recipients of charity, if we must use that term, we do not have the ability to deny God's charity. God's work in us via salvation is his work alone, we play no role in opening our own eyes. We are dead in trespasses and sins, scripture is very clear that not one of us is good and that we cannot come to God because of our sin. I am grateful that God has worked in my heart because I am utterly incapable on my own and he is utterly capable.
You cannot just list scripture and assume everyone has the same interpretation of those scriptures
Eph.1 is written specifically to: To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus…
Yes! God chose to save everyone, who would accept Christ and predestined them to be His adopted children.
Paul is addressed the whole group of Christians in Ephesus and did not say, “Joe only”.
Look at this Eph.1:12 …we, who were the first to
put our hope in Christ… “We” did something and it does not say “God put hope in you”.
Look at Eph.1: 13 And you also were included in Christ
when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When
you believed,
Paul does not talk about the Ephesians doing nothing.
Eph. 1:19… his incomparably great power for us
who believe.
The great power is contingent on them believing.
John10: 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
John does not say: the sheep which are driven through the gate.
Sheep which follow have to already be in the pen which is not an issue; the issue is
how do they first get into the pen?
Thieves and robbers try to enter some other way, it is not that the pen is full off bad and good people since the bad try to get into the pen.
John 10: 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
This is not talking about those who accept being Christ’s sheep and those which refuse, but sheep
after they made the choice.
We need verses on
how to become sheep and not after you become a sheep.
John 10: no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
This is talking about existing sheep and those thieves and robbers going after the sheep. God and Christ are more powerful than any thief and robber, but that does not mean the sheep cannot go off on his own and refuse to listen to the shepherd. We are protected from being stolen and can certainly follow the shepherd, but we do not have a leash on us. We are not held locked in a pen all the time, nor is the shepherd herding us, that is not the analogy.
Romans 9
Paul uses two teaching methods throughout Romans even secular philosophy classes will use Romans as the best example of these methods. Paul does an excellent job of building one premise on the previous premises to develop his final conclusions. Paul uses an ancient form of rhetoric known as diatribe (imaginary debate) asking questions and most of the time giving a strong “By no means” and then goes on to explain “why not”. Paul’s method goes beyond just a general diatribe and follows closely to the diatribes used in the individual laments in the Psalms and throughout the Old Testament, which the Jewish Christians would have known extensively. These “questions or comments” are given by an “imaginary” student making it more a dialog with the readers (students) and not just a “sermon”.
The main topic repeated extensively in Romans is the division in the Christian house churches in Rome between the Jews and Gentile Christians. You can just look up how many times Jews and gentiles are referred to see this as a huge issue.
The main question (a diatribe question) in Romans 9 Paul addresses is God being fair or just Rms. 9: 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!
This will take some explaining, since just prior in Romans 9, Paul went over some history of God’s dealings with the Israelites that sounds very “unjust” like “loving Jacob and hating Esau” before they were born, but remember in all of Paul’s diatribes he begins before, just after or before and just after with strong support for the wrong answer (this makes it more of a debate and giving the opposition the first shot as done in all diatribes).
Who in Rome would be having a “problem” with God choosing to work with Isaac and Jacob instead of Ishmael and Esau? Would the Jewish Christian have a problem with this or would it be the Gentile Christians?
If God treaded you as privileged and special would you have a problem or would you have a problem if you were treated seemingly as common and others were treated with honor for no apparent reason?
This is the issue and Paul will explain over the rest of Romans 9-11.
Paul is specific with the issue Rms. 9: 19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”
The Jews were created in a special honorable position that would bring forth the Messiah and everyone else was common in comparison (the Gentiles).
How do we know Paul is specifically addressing the Jew/Gentile issue? Rms. 9: 30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.
Paul is showing from the position of being made “common” vessels by God the Gentiles had an advantage over the born Israelites (vessels of honor) that had the Law, since the Law became a stumbling stone to them. They both needed faith to rely on God’s Love to forgive them.
Without going into the details of Romans 9-11 we conclude with this diatribe question: Romans 11: 11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
The common vessels (gentiles) and the vessels of honor (Jews) are equal individually in what is really significant when it comes to salvation, so God is not being unjust or unfair with either group.
If there is still a question about who is being addressed in this section of Rms. 9-11, Paul tells us: Rms. 11: 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.
Rm 9: 22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?
This verse is not saying all the “vessels” created for a “common purpose” were created for destruction (they were not made from the start by the Potter “clay pigeons”). Everything that leaves the potter’s shop is of great quality. Those vessels for destruction can come from either the common group or the honor group, but God is being patient with them that will eventually be destroyed. The vessels God does develop great wrath against, will be readied for destruction, but how did they become worthy of destruction since they left the potter’s shop with his mark on them? Any vessel (honorable or common) that becomes damaged is not worthy of the potters signature and He would want it destroyed.
To understand this as Common vessels and special vessels look at the same idea using the same Greek words of Paul in 2 Tim 2: 20. There Paul even points out the common can become the honored vessel.
That is a short explanation, since you really need to study all of Romans especially chapters 9, 10 and 11. Also please look at individual laments in the Psalms and diatribes in general, I really cut those short.
