Posted on 04/15/2008 8:34:19 PM PDT by blam
That’s nonresponsive.
Tell that to Janis Joplin, John Belushi, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Farley, Etc.
Even our ability to repent is a gift from God.
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" -- 2 Timothy 2:24-25"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
There are hundreds of "if/then" verses in the Bible, They are written by God to instruct the faithful.
The old man rebukes God. The new man in Christ obeys God. Why? Because of Christ within him. Our own obedience doesn't save us. Christ's obedience saves us and that righteousness is mercifully and freely imputed to us by God.
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." -- Romans 5:19
You continue to follow the dictates of Rome when you confuse justification with sanctification. Rome benefits by saying they are one and the same thing, therefore we are saved by our good works.
But the Bible tells us our own good works are as filthy rags, and the only good work that saves us is Christ's work on the cross. It is God who justifies the unGodly -- one time, for all the sins of His flock.
Good works, most especially our work of faith, are all a result of our regeneration by God; not a requirement for it.
Justification has been accomplished by Christ on the cross. Sanctification takes a life-time, "if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."
Oh boy, this is getting painful... I guess it just continues to blow right over your head there can't be any "if/then" anything if there is not a free will to setup the "IF" in the first place. If there is no free will involved, the "IF" condition can't possible exist. it's only THEN.
Calvinism is just flat out illogical.
You would bother telling a rock “when I drop you, if you decide to fall, then blah, blah, blah...”, unless you were high on crack or certified nuts?
Telling humans about the consequences of a choice, if they also do not have any free to will to make that choice (such as the rock) is equally nuts.
Is God irrational, i.e. a KOOK?
I say there is.
So do I.
AMEN, Dr. E.! I wouldn't want to ever be anywhere else. As soon as men start puffing out their autonomy it inevitably leads to man saving himself. NO THANKS, I'll pass. :)
They died exactly when they were supposed to, not a minute sooner or later. Do you really think they died without God knowing when they were going to die?
The one thing that is so very self evident is that your #1 reason why men don't have a free will is that they then "COULD" get puffed up. Men "COULD" get puffed up over anything, but that does not prove or disprove why something is true.
I'm willing to be that if a poll was taken of all those on FreeRepublic who do not beleive in Calvinism, 99% of them would say they are saved by grace and grace alone, and not by their works. Matter of fact, I've met probably thousands of people in various churches over the last many years, and I've NEVER heard anyone say/think other than that salvation was gift from God, according to His great mercy. So your unhealthy obsession with what "could" be is just that.
And another thing, if you have no autonomy, then praying ("Dear God in heaven, please, please") is just flat out ridiculous, since, then you are acting as if something YOU can do matters. It does not remember? Be consistant, you are just a programmed robot.
Arminian Grace
(To the tune of Amazing Grace)
Arminian “grace!”
How strange the sound,
Salvation hinged on me.
I once was lost
then turned around,
Was blind then chose to see.
What “grace” is it
that calls for choice,
Made from some good within?
That part that wills
to heed God’s voice,
Proved stronger than my sin.
Thru many ardent gospel pleas,
I sat with heart of stone.
But then some hidden good in me,
Propelled me toward my home.
My poor, dead neighbor,
Such a fool!
Didn’t choose from sin to flee
I had the sense
to change my heart
But he’s not smart — like me!
When we’ve been there
ten thousand years,
Because of what we’ve done,
We’ve no less days
to sing our praise,
Than when we first begun.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Because of what we’ve done ("we believed")
I am a Deist. I believe that God exists. I also believe that he set the universe in motion (like winding an alarm clock) and went on to do something else. Our attempts to worship him, and make some connection to him are foolish and arrogant, think Jimmy Swaggart, the Reverend Jim Baker, and other assorted fakirs. I believe that the foundations of morality are in the “golden rule” Some of our founding fathers were also Deists. I also believe in free will.
Interesting. I have never talked to a Deist before. Do you believe the Bible as God’s word?
Just parroting you.
So, why are you so much smarter that the unbeliever?
What unbeliever?
You can't explain why YOU "BELIEVING" is not basing YOUR salvation on something YOU did. "I believed"
I see it's cricket chirping time again...
I have read the Bible. One of my favorite books is Ecclasiastes, but I don’t believe it is the word of God. As I said before religion, whether Budhism, Catholicism, the Jewish faith, Muslims, Baptists, Lutherans, And even cults like the Reverend Jim Jones are attempts by fallible human beings to explain our existence. The alternative is that when we die there is nothing. Having to face that idea is not a pleasant thought. I do believe in intelligent design. It is around us everywhere.
If you do not believe in the Bible as God’s word, how do you come to an understanding of God? How can you have any idea how to worship, why you should worship, and what you are worshipping? Or do you even worship at all? Do you feel that God is a loving God, or are you satisfied that he created everything and then left us on our own?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.