heymikey80
Quidquid Latine dictum sit, altum viditur
Well, that's very interesting. Where's the decision stated as being salvation in Scripture? Maybe Romans 10? But in that case the decision is a result of belief. Something that results from belief can't also be belief. Belief can't precede itself.
So I would run to more basic issues. Salvation is through Christ, by union with Christ (Rom 6), from His work on the Cross (Rom 5, end of 7).
Salvation is applied by God to us through our faith (Rom 10, 4). Faith is our receiving and relying on the power of the Cross to our lives (Ep 2:8-10), and that causes repentance, true repentance, through the work of the Spirit in our lives (John 3, Ep 2:1-10, Rom 8). So now the sole question is whether the Great Workman brings His own tool of faith to people who otherwise wouldn't believe (1 John 5:1, John 3:3-8). On that Calvinists generally agree, He does.
Yet apparently to you a person can love without knowing God. That's essentially what you're saying: God's pleasure is contingent on our faith = love, so we must find a way to love without God making Himself (making love) available to us.
You've said the person who pleases God must "first believe Him." That makes little sense unless God first puts something of Himself (He Who IS Love) in those who don't please Him. And in that event, the argument that faith = love = salvation = decision, it collapses. Because what pleasure God derives from your actions or your faith, that pleasure isn't why God saves you.
He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus from all eternity 2 Tim 1:9
No, it's the direction God is headed in that's why God saves you. His eye's on the prize -- He's not deciding, "Well, these guys are such sinners, but I guess that's faith enough for me to save."
Love without God isn't love. God must be there if the person loves.
But ... does your belief trump God's statements of fact?
Yes. But if the path to the sea involves going up a mountain before going down to the sea, isn't "up" away from the sea, but still headed toward the sea?
And in another sense in Calvinism you're just as hellbound as anyone before God brings you to New Birth. It's God's intent that predestines you. It's God's work that turns you. It's God's timing when that occurs in your life. Depending on God's timing that could be a quick turning, or it could be God arranging things all throughout your life to come to Him with knowledge when the Spirit bears you. It can be either (and in fact both, pre-Christ, are still hellbound).
Were that true the word of God would not be "predestined" (prooriso). It would be "destined" (oriso).
I tell you God changes the elect as He did you. Are you still hellbound? Why do you say you're not? Because you did something like asking?God did 100% of the saving, because I asked Him to. I didn't command God to save me, I didn't tell Him to kiss my butt, I didn't swear at Him or curse Him, I just humbly asked Him to please save me. You tell me God will save the elect by forcing His will all over them. I do not beleive this. God wants people that genuinely love Him, not pre-programmed robots.
Nobody said people were robots. I'm intrigued at this leap to a conclusion -- when you halt a child from going into the street, is that treating the kid as a robot? When we imprison criminals, is that robotic? How about scaring people with the truth -- is that robotic? Where is this robotics coming from?
In Calvinism the human will is free to do as the person wishes ... within the bounds of Creation. However, the human will is also bound to his life's history. Is that robotics? Is that lack of choice?
And if all are running headlong into the flames like zombies, if God chooses freely to rescue some by awakening them to see and run away -- that's lack of choice?
I didn't know evil was a good choice.
And finally, as I understand it there's a Last Day. Are you saying "[God is] forcing His will all over them" on this Last Day? Will He never set all things right?
You see the complications, I'm sure. The assertion is that God is playing nice & free for a short length of time -- yet the reasoning is moral. There's no room for God to end our freedom if our freedom is morally warranted.
But I don't think we're free from sin. We don't embrace this love without the power of God in our lives. So we aren't saved without God doing it.
Upvote
0
saying, "THAT IS NOT ME, THIS IS NOT HER HUSBAND! I AM HER HUSBAND!"
He is in 
