If you can't apply that to love your enemy than you're not going to be as saved as you think you are.
Perhaps you can explain how the mentally retarded understand grace and mercy?
Love is all that matters.When are you going to UNDERSTAND that,my dear brother?
stf- Ridiculous!
Oh really? All one has to do is look around them. Who brought us to repentance? Gave us our saving knowledge?Gave us our faith? Helps us to persevere? What do we have that God has not given us?
If you can't apply that to love your enemy than you're not going to be as saved as you think you are.
I don't see where loving my enemy has anything to do with how God chooses believers. After all He chose Israel over Egypt, Jacob over Esau, Paul over Fred.
Perhaps you can explain how the mentally retarded understand grace and mercy?
All I can say is that there are mentally retarded who are saved and understand grace and there are some who are not saved. Salvation works the same way.
Love is all that matters.When are you going to UNDERSTAND that,my dear brother?
On the contrary. The holiness of God is all that matters.
I don't want to jump into the fray too deeply and join the theology discussion... I know what I believe and I believe what I know, your mileage may vary. :) Yet I would like to speak to this particular question, if I may. I am the sister of a mentally retarded schizophrenic and I am a substitute teacher and have worked many days with the special ed kids.
I see it in my sister and I see it in the kids I've worked with. These kids have a relationship with Christ, inherantly, IMHO. I don't know if I'm of the elect, or if they are of the elect... God is glorified everytime I'm with the kids or my sister regardless!
Anyway, I'm new here and probably won't speak up much. You just touched on a subject near and dear to my heart. :)
One of my dearest friends is Baptist and poor thing grieves for my salvation because I don't solely read the KJV Bible and because of the whole predestination thing. I get enough theology debate from her! I do look forward to reading these threads as there does seem to be some intelligent discussion.
God brings men to Him by free, unmerited grace. If He so chooses to bring to Himself men who are mentally retarded then He does that the exact same way -- by free, unmerited grace.
Love is all that matters. When are you going to UNDERSTAND that,my dear brother?
Are we instructed to hate sin?