All of that said, I do not wish to “pick apart” your long posts word by word, but rather to hit upon some of the larger points; for to deal with Calvinism in its entirity would take far more time and space than feasible here. (And should certainly earn the participants some kind of academic CREDITS!)
Jeremiah29:13-14 says, ”You will SEEK Me and you will FIND Me, when you seek Me with all your heart; I WILL BE FOUND BY YOU!” Which is it, then? NO ONE seeks? Or SOME DO?
Romans 8:12-13 says, ”So then, brethren, we are under obligation not to the flesh (to live according to the flesh) --- for if you live according to the flesh you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the things of the flesh, you will live”. Where in this is DIVINE DECREE? It sounds all about CHOICE to me...
In all the verses you quoted, where is the premise that mankind is too far gone to receive CHRIST? For it is CHRIST in their hearts that opens their SPIRITUALITY; but there is nothing that says “they are too DEAD to
RECEIVE CHRIST.” One verse used to infer ”They can’t believe BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT JESUS’ “ (Jn10:26); yet in context, it REALLY says: ”You do not believe that I’m the MESSIAH because you do not believe in ME!”
stone-give-flesh-heart... BUT as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I WILL BRING THEIR CONDUCT DOWN ON THEIR HEADS!” declares the Lord
God.” Where is the PREDESTINATION in that? It’s completely choice; turn from abominations to God, receive a new heart; stay in abominations, face condemnation...
Genesis 8:21 The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, FOR THE INTENT OF MAN'S HEART IS EVIL FROM HIS YOUTH; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. [Post 442].
There is a great difference between a verse that issues a THEOLOGICAL DICTATE, and verses that are LAMENTATION. Calvinism founds on passages such as Romans 3, which says “no one seeks after God, all have turned aside, there is none that does good not even one...” Is this an ABSOLUTE? A DICTATE? No. It is merely quoting Psalm 14 and Psalm 53; which themselves are lamentation. IOW, exageration.Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are FULL OF EVIL and INSANITY IS IN THEIR HEARTS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. Afterwards they go to the dead. [Post 442]
Jeremiah29:13-14 says, ”You will SEEK Me and you will FIND Me, when you seek Me with all your heart; I WILL BE FOUND BY YOU!” Which is it, then? NO ONE seeks? Or SOME DO?
And yet, there isRomans 8:7-8 the sinful mind is hostile to God. IT DOES NOT SUBMIT TO GOD'S LAW NOR CAN IT DO SO. Those controlled by the sinful nature CANNOT PLEASE GOD. [post 442]
Romans 8:12-13 says, ”So then, brethren, we are under obligation not to the flesh (to live according to the flesh) --- for if you live according to the flesh you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the things of the flesh, you will live”. Where in this is DIVINE DECREE? It sounds all about CHOICE to me...
In all the verses you quoted, where is the premise that mankind is too far gone to receive CHRIST? For it is CHRIST in their hearts that opens their SPIRITUALITY; but there is nothing that says “they are too DEAD to
RECEIVE CHRIST.” One verse used to infer ”They can’t believe BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT JESUS’ “ (Jn10:26); yet in context, it REALLY says: ”You do not believe that I’m the MESSIAH because you do not believe in ME!”
Acts 11:17: ”God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also AFTER BELIEVING in the Lord Jesus Christ...” Do you see? BELIEF CAME FIRST...Acts 11:18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has GRANTED to the Gentiles also THE REPENTANCE THAT LEADS TO LIFE [post 439
CONTEXT, ak. You missed verse 18, and verse 21: ”WHEN they come there, they will remove allits detestable things and all its abominations AND I shall give them a new heart.. takeEzekiel 11:19-20 "And I shall GIVE them one heart, and shall PUT A NEW SPIRIT WITHIN THEM. AND I SHALL TAKE THE HEART OF STONE OUT OF THEIR FLESH AND GIVE THEM A HEART OF FLESH, THAT THEY MAY WALK IN MY STATUTES AND KEEP MY ORDINANCES, AND DO THEM.
Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
stone-give-flesh-heart... BUT as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I WILL BRING THEIR CONDUCT DOWN ON THEIR HEADS!” declares the Lord
God.” Where is the PREDESTINATION in that? It’s completely choice; turn from abominations to God, receive a new heart; stay in abominations, face condemnation...
The context of that part of John6 is Jesus professing His EQUALITY with GOD. the NONE CAN COME unless he is DRAWN by the FATHER (vs44) is said in RESPONSE to verse 42: ”Isn’t this JESUS, son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He say, ‘I have come from HEAVEN?’ (Didn’t we watch this KID grow UP?)” This whole passage is akin to John14:1, “You believe in God, believe also in Me.” IOW, those who truly believe in GOD, are therefore (because Jesus is the MESSIAH) given to CHRIST. Verse 39 & 40 are PARALLEL, not SEQUENTIAL; there are NONE who are given to Christ before they BELIEVE.Also, you still have not responded to my rebuttal of your usage of John 6:35-44. If it is Christ who does the will of his father PERFECTLY, IT IS HIS WILL THAT HE LOOSE NONE OF ALL THAT ARE GIVEN TO HIM, and no one can come to him without the father’s drawing. THERE YOU HAVE CALVINISM AND ETERNAL SECURITY.
Again, CONTEXT. He says, “Brethren, if any of YOU” --- there is no way to contend he is addressing anyone UNSAVED. “Wander from the truth” --- wander-backslide, but still SAVED? ”Turned a SINNER from the ERROR of his WAY has SAVED a SOUL from DEATH!” Contextually, can a SINNER lie in the ERROR of his WAY but still be SAVED? Can’t imagine how one could make that assertion. It appears unavoidable that “THANATOS” here means “DEATH and HELL”. He’s talking to SAVED BREHTREN, and he says “wanders from the TRUTH”; then he says “turns and his SOUL is saved from DEATH”! There really is no way to bend this into “OSAS”...First, the idea that thanatos ONLY refers to spiritual death IS JUST PLAIN NUTS!!
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