Can you show me where praying is work? I don't consider it working at all; rather it's more like a conversation.
Do you think not praying will change your destiny, change who you are, where you are and why you are? Do you think "knowing" what the Father wants from you is necessary for your salvation? Obviosuly not!
No. From my perspective I would like a certain person to come to know Christ. I have been praying that God will help this person come to Christ. Now do you think God will answer my prayer? Do you think I'm praying outside of God's will? From your perspective I'm not and by all account God should grant my petition. But what happens if He doesn't? How do you justify my prayer not being answered?
Rather from my perspective God has already ordain those who will come to Him. Consequently, my prayer for the salvation of this individual is for my edification. If this person comes to Christ, I can celebrate that God has answer my prayer and this one lost soul has been transformed into a new creature to share all eternity in heaven. If this person does not come to Christ, God still has answered my prayer. I can satisfy myself in the knowledge that the will of the Father is done and know this was what is best-even though I might not understand it.
So, once again, why do the Reformed pray?
The real question is why does the synergist pray for the salvation of others when it overrides their will.
Can you show me where praying is work? I don't consider it working at all; rather it's more like a conversation.
Sure, it's an act for which you expect something in return. You hope, you wish, you desire, that this act, this activity, results in something. I would say that's work.
Now, believing is not work. It is something you know in your heart as we say. No words are necessary. It's a 'feeling.'
I have been praying that God will help this person come to Christ.
According to the Reformed theology that must be pointless, because God does not do what you expect him to do. In fact, that person's fate has already been sealed according to the Reformed theology that you subscribe to, and therefore your prayers are empty words.
Now do you think God will answer my prayer?
No! He has already decided (according toy our theology) what happens to that person and your praying will change absolutely nothing, either way, in that regard. The result would be the same if you did not pray.
Do you think I'm praying outside of God's will?
Yes you are. I believe in free will, which you deny. You say that you pray because God makes you pray, so then, by necessity, your prayers are simply doing His will, not yours. I say it's self-delusion.
From your perspective I'm not and by all account God should grant my petition
Well, you got that wrong, HD.
But what happens if He doesn't? How do you justify my prayer not being answered?
It means your prayers were not pure, but selfish and unrighteous (cf James 5:16). It means, God didn't hear them, not because he is mean, but because He can't hear that which is impure. He can't see that which is sinful. he can's save that which is evil.
Rather from my perspective God has already ordain those who will come to Him
Yes, I have been saying that all along, which is why your prayers (by your own theology) change absolutely nothing.
Consequently, my prayer for the salvation of this individual is for my edification
As in self-aggrandisement? I would agree with that. It's a feel-good thing. It's a Pharisaical was of drawing attention to oneself and making oneself feel more important.
If this person comes to Christ, I can celebrate that God has answer my prayer and this one lost soul has been transformed into a new creature to share all eternity in heaven.
God didn't answer your prayer, HD. He did absolutely nothing of the sort. Your prayer has a 50-50 chance of being right. According to the Reformed teaching, God already made that decision loooooooong before you decided to pray, or for that matter before you even existed.
If this person does not come to Christ, God still has answered my prayer.
LOL!!!! I have watched enough comedy with Miss Hilton this week -- this tops it off! You covered all bases, haven't you!? Talk about self-righteousness being the very fabric of reformed thinking...geeez!
I can satisfy myself in the knowledge that the will of the Father is done and know this was what is best-even though I might not understand it.
That's for sure, HD.
The real question is why does the synergist pray for the salvation of others when it overrides their will.
The synergists prays for others because the synergist believes that the good Lord can and does change things out of mercy in response to our pure prayers. Our will is simply to ask God for mercy. It's not something we "synergists" invented, it's in the Bible!
I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. [Isa 38:5]
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. [Jame 5:16]
Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops [James 5:18]
We synergists believe that God intercedes in our lives, rather than believe that he has already pre-programmed each and every one of us to do exactly as robots, with no will of our own.