[fortheDeclaration]

"How does God draw anyone before regeneration?" He doesn't. "But the natural man does not receive the things from the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." "Now _WE_ have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God THAT WE MIGHT KNOW the things that have been freely given to _US_ by God." [1 Cor. 2: 10-16]

He doesn't!

Then why are you always citing Jn.6:44 as a Calvinistic proof-text! LOL!

[xzins]

This "Satan is Bound" thread has taught me that there are many Christians on both sides of the calvarm fight who truly honor the word of God and have every intention of dealing with it faithfully.

On some things they come out a different places. They do on premil/amil, they do on calvarm, they do on baptism, they do on lots of things. I'm not preaching relativism here, but I'm preaching that all of us are growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

I ran across an AW Tozer story the other day while surfing. I'm tired of the infighting among Christians on these threads. AW Tozer is one who believed that these inerminable arguments did no one any good. He said once to a young friend who was preparing to attend seminary. "When you get to seminary you will discover many people sitting around arguing with one another about calvinism and arminianism. You should go to your room and pray to God. At the end of your 3 years, you will find that they are still arguing about calvinism and arminianism. But...You will know God." (That's paraphrased but fairly close.)

Somehow there's a way for me to acknowledge the love of Christ both by fortheDeclaration and DrSteveJ and RnMom and Winston Churchill and ShadowAce and Wrigley and Frumanchu and ComputerJunkie.....etc., etc., and at the same time make a comment about scripture that I might see a different way than they do on a particular subject.

It must be loving. It must reflect Christ's love for believers who all follow him. I see no other way.