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To: jo kus
FK: "I would also say that faith produces good deeds, and faith comes only from God. So, our difference would be to what degree you believe faith is man-generated. My view is to say 0%."

I would respectfully disagree. Faith doesn't produce anything. God does. Whether it is our love, our faith, our repentance, our contrition - it is all moved by God. God calls man to respond to Him in faith, in love, in repentance.

And I would respectfully disagree that you disagree, I would say that you do agree. :) You are true to Catholicism in being a champion of free will and cooperation with God. It seems to me then, that you actually need some of your own "faith" in order to accept God's faith. On what else does a man base his decision to accept God, given that he has free will to reject? Therefore, this "faith" that a man uses to accept God's gift is "man-generated". That's what I'm talking about. I still put the number at 0%. I'm guessing you would have to put it higher.

6,846 posted on 05/18/2006 7:31:27 AM PDT by Forest Keeper
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To: Forest Keeper
You are true to Catholicism in being a champion of free will and cooperation with God. It seems to me then, that you actually need some of your own "faith" in order to accept God's faith. On what else does a man base his decision to accept God, given that he has free will to reject? Therefore, this "faith" that a man uses to accept God's gift is "man-generated". That's what I'm talking about. I still put the number at 0%. I'm guessing you would have to put it higher.

God gives us a gift. Faith. We can use it or not. God works within us the desire to do His will. We can choose to or not. At some level, man is expected to use his own intellect and will to decide on whether to follow the promptings that are foreign to him - to do good. If man does not cooperate at all, then this drastically changes the meaning of great swathes of Scripture that tell US to persevere, US to love, US to have faith, US to repent. WHO EXACTLY is God telling to do these things? Himself? Is God talking to Himself to provide faith in "x" man?

You are forgeting that the Bible clearly expects man to respond at some level to God's gifts. It is MAN who will be judged based on what he does - not on what God does.

Regards

6,851 posted on 05/18/2006 8:08:30 AM PDT by jo kus (For love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. 1Jn 4:7)
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