If I gave you a gift and you chose not to use it, Harley, would I be loving if I ORDERED you to use it?
It isn't as if we are ORDERED to use anything that God gives us. God can't order us to use peace, love, joy, or kindness now can He? These are things that are given to us and we apply them naturally. They become part of our nature.
Neither is the word "Trinity". Nor is "hypostatic union".
Sorry, no dice. That would be a great argument except for the fact that the term "imputed" IS used in the scriptures in relationship to our salvation. So you would need to explain the meaning of imputed righteousness from a Catholic perspective-a very difficult thing to do since Catholics don't believe in it.
Yes, we are imputed justification, but it is much more than a legal relationship with the Father. It is a familial relationship, a New Covenant.
Let's not change terms. The scriptures isn't talking about imputed justification. It is talking about imputed righteousness. Justification is the act, whereas righteousness is the state-a subtle but distinct difference. We are in a state of righteousness before the Father through Christ our Lord.
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
"Imputed to us for righteousness" is far more than a family characteristic. We are now His friends.
You cite Romans 4 and James 2. These are NOT the same moments in Abraham's life, so how can justification be a one-time legal-only event, if Abraham is declared righteous on at LEAST two occasions (three if you go to Hebrews...). Again, your understanding is incomplete.
Nope. God looks at the entire span of a life. Somehow Orthodox, Catholics and Arminians overlook this yet when talking about foreknowledge the say God looks down the corridors of time.... They think people who fall away from the faith next year have somehow surprised God and that God pull His Spirit from them. This doesn't make any sense. If God is all knowing and "foreknows" who is going to be a Christian from the foundations of the world, why on earth do you think that if He knew 3,000,000,000,015 years ago that Joe wouldn't stay the course that He would have put His grace into Joe, and worked with Joe. I always marvel at Kings because it always starts out with "King So-n-So did what was evil/good in the sight of the Lord" and then it gets into their history. This is the way God looks at us. God already has declared, "HarleyD did what was good in the sight of the Lord, yet he did not removed the high places." and then my history unfolds.
This is the same for Abraham. God called Abraham out of his country and Abraham followed in Chapter 12. I would even suggest that at this point Abraham wasn't even saved by faith-that didn't happen until Chap 15. Abraham wasn't saved by works until Chap 22. But there is no doubt that all the way from Chapter 12 to Chapter 22, God was guiding, protecting and nurturing Abraham; helping him to grow in God's grace. The work Abraham did in Chapter 22 is based upon the faith given by God in Chapter 15 that is based upon his calling by God in Chapter 12. So it is with each one of us. God calls, God gives faith, God prepares us for works all over our entire life times.
If you want, I can go to my sources for this. Let me know and I'll do the research.
I don't think that's necessary if you believe my second assumption to be correct, that:
(((HD SUPPOSITION)))Calvin believed Christ's goodness is imparted to man and that is what God the Father sees. Any good works that man does based upon man's choices is because of Christ working(((HD SUPPOSITION)))
There is a hair's breath difference between this and true imputed righteousness. If this is truly what Calvin believed, and I'm not saying it is, I'm not sure I would disagree with this statement nor could I argue against it except for semantics. Calvin certainly didn't believe that works came from individuals nor did he believe one could lose their salvation. That is rather indisputable.
It isn't as if we are ORDERED to use anything that God gives us. I get the idea that this is exactly what you believe - that God has already ordained what we will do, ordering us to use or not use His gifts of grace.
Sorry, no dice. That would be a great argument except for the fact that the term "imputed" IS used in the scriptures in relationship to our salvation. So you would need to explain the meaning of imputed righteousness from a Catholic perspective-a very difficult thing to do since Catholics don't believe in it.
Untrue, Harley. I have already said that Catholics believe in imputed righteousness - but it goes BEYOND that. That is not the end of the story. Not only does God CALL us righteous by "legal name", but He MAKES US righteous! Our inner self is now able to choose good because of the Spirit's abiding in us and our new nature. As I tried to say, you are giving half truths.
God looks at the entire span of a life.
Then how is man justified only once when the Bible says that in three instances in the NT, Abraham was DECLARED righteous? The simple solution is that man is not merely justified one time over the course of their lives. When we choose God, we are being justified, being sanctified, being saved...
Calvin certainly didn't believe that works came from individuals nor did he believe one could lose their salvation. That is rather indisputable.
And that is the sad thing, because Catholics do not believe that good works come solely from us, either. It is too bad that people choose not to listen to what the Catholic Church actually teaches, rather than what some Protestant preacher thinks that the Catholic Church teaches. Never have I seen ANYONE who is Catholic teach that our good works come solely from man, brother. Perhaps the idea of synergy bothers you, but THAT is not a "works salvation", because it ultimately and absolutely depends upon God.
Regards