You say, "I find that the reformed never reply to my verses."
I can't speak for the rest of the reformed, but, to me, your verses are no more proving of the point you take them to prove than the verses of any other of your ilk.
I now "your ilk" is not really pejorative, but, boy, it sure sounds bad.
If you think the verses I post are not supportive of what I'm stating,
shouldn't you be telling me where I'm wrong in understanding them?
I always reply to verses.
I've been discouraged, as no doubt you too have, from time to time, from having argued so long with little visible result. It's like trying to wake the dead. You show choice and seem to think it means your brand of freewill. You show patience, mercy, even forbearance, and think it means God is unable until we are willing.
God is always able.
He's always ready to take us in as a member of His Kingdom.
This is why Jesus died as an atonement.
God was so separated by man when Adam fell that it took God to bring us back to Him and break the power of satan.
Acts 11:18
18He will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
A message that saves us...
Isaiah 12:2
2God is my savior.
Zephanaiah 12:17
17The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
The Lord rejoices over those He will save.
Surely He would be sad at those that are not saved.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
You say, "Yes, God's grace is open for all to take advantage of or deny."
I can't help but be skeptical of your use of the word, "open". All I see your statement to be saying, (discounting that use of "open"), is that God must wait for us to act first, and that, somehow, we, though dead in our sins, are able to obey the gospel, contrary to Romans 8.
God does not wait for us to act first.
This is incorrect theology and I've NEVER said that. You're assuming again.
God does hope we will answer with a yes, after He has revealed Himself to us - in whatever way He sees fit, as Romans 1:19-20 supports.
And yes, we are ABLE to obey the gospel.
Would you be able to show me in Romans 8 where it says we are not ABLE?
You say, "We cannot add to God's grace in any way...God is full of grace - one cannot be more full than full."
Then, if God is all in all, and full of grace, are you saying mathematically there is nothing else? Unless that is how you are thinking, him being replete with Grace is not quite what we are talking about, (though in the logical end it may perhaps be argued that way). What we are talking about is the complete work of Grace, in producing regeneration, faith, repentance, the ability to obey, and even in creating our very will. You concede this in your statement here, yet somehow, like the others of your ilk, think that little extra ingredient in the soup, that of the person grasping for Christ, "accepting him", (or however you want to put it), is somehow not God's work —in fact, somehow mysteriously not work at all— but entirely of the freewill of man or it is not actual real choice. Again, I say, if it is not the work of God, it is not actual real choice. If one supposedly reaches for God apart from the work of God, it is a mockery of Grace.
How could that be?
God is always at work revealing Himself to man - who knows how many times a day God revealed Himself to you before you became a believer.
But we are ABLE to reach for God. It's written all over the NT, I've posted 10's of verses, including some of Jesus speaking.
Why not reply to that instead of giving a speech?
I mean, what we think is pretty irrelevant unless we could back it up with scripture.
You say, "The following verses about God's mercy (which is a part of His grace) tells that all are welcomed:"
Obvious enough. I suppose you posit these verses as proof, (since "all are welcomed"), that God has not chosen specific ones, predestining them for Heaven while rejecting the reprobates, unless by reason of their choice alone.
PLEASE show me how it is NOT of their choice alone.
And don't go all the way back and say that I'm saying that God does not make the first move.
It is MY CHOICE whether or not I want to follow God or satan.
Romans 6:16 NASB
16Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
17But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
18and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
Just look at what the above states:
1. We present OURSELVES.
2. Either as slaves to obedience, or slaves of obedience. Our choice.
3. We became obedient from the heart DUE TO A FORM OF TEACHING...The teaching of the Apostles.
4. We presented ourselves as slaves to impurity, now we are to present ourselves as slaves to righteousness.
5. Resulting in Sanctification. Sanctification is achieved by a free will choice to obey...by presenting ourselves.
Repeated in Romans 12:1 PRESENT YOUR BODY ... Present implies that WE are doing the presenting. God is not speaking to Himself.
You want it to show God's longing as though it means he has no preference, no agenda, no particular reason to create, but only general goodwill toward even the reprobate. In other words, you want him to be altogether as we would be were we without sin. You want him subject to circumstances he does not control.
God controls every circumstance.
Please stop putting words in my mouth.
God DOES have an agenda regarding mankind,
and He is loving enough to LET US KNOW WHAT IT IS, as I've stated on several occasions now.
You say, "Jerusalem wouldn't LET Jesus protect her."
Take a look at which "translations" use that terminology. That isn't even worthy of the term translation —it is "paraphrase" at best, and not a very good one. It says, "but you were not willing." God is not subject to anything but himself —not even to our omnipotent (as if !) wills.
Matthew 23:37 means the same, no matter what version you use. The persons were NOT WILLING. This denotes free will.
New International Version
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
New Living Translation
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
English Standard Version
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Berean Standard Bible
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!
Berean Literal Bible
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those having been sent to her! How often would I have gathered together your children, the way in which a hen gathers together her chicks under the wings, and you were not willing!
King James Bible
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
New King James Version
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
New American Standard Bible
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
NASB 1995
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
NASB 1977
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Amplified Bible
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who murders the prophets and stones [to death] those [messengers] who are sent to her [by God]! How often I wanted to gather your children together [around Me], as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Christian Standard Bible
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!
American Standard Version
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that murdered The Prophets and stoned those who were sent to it! How many times have I desired to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!
Contemporary English Version
Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't let me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not?
Good News Translation
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!
