Reading through the book of Acts, I don’t see anyone preaching....*Maybe you’re one of the elect ones God chose to save. If you are, be prepared for God to move in your lives. etc.*
On the contrary, they preached Jesus and Him crucified to ALL people everywhere they went as much as they could and when people were convicted, and asked what they needed to do, the answer was *believe*.
They never got into theological debates about HOW or WHY.
Early in the thread I commented that....”I really don’t see the point in getting into some of these nuances. They may be interesting theological discussions for the philosophical types, but have little practical bearing on the living of our day to day lives.” It threw some into a tail spin and I got piled on because of it, but I still stand by that.
My thinking that God brings people to a point of decision and allows them the option of deciding for or against Him does not affect my responsibility to grow in Christ, witness of Him to others, show is love to others, or any of the other practical outworking of my salvation.
Without that enlightening, I was a slave to sin. After my decision, I am a slave to Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit to the day of redemption. My belief that I am given the option of saying yes or no does not by default mean that I have to believe, or do believe, that salvation is dependent on works.
Scripture gives plenty of evidence to support both the positions that it’s God’s ultimate choice vs permitting man to choose after having been called and drawn and given the option. Scripture indicates that God does actively choose some but in other cases, that He allows others to do the choosing. I don’t see that God is bound to do everything the same way all the time and I’m not going to put God in that kind of box.
I’s sure there will be those who disagree but that’s too bad for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed to Him against that day.
I’m with you all the way on that one. If someone wants to believe in strict predestination that’s fine but don’t call me a heretic if I don’t. God is rather plain on some things like no idols and such but other things are pretty much cloudy which indicates to me that it’s not something we need to fret ourselves about. Anything beyond “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved – and your house” is inching closer and closer to legalism and we know God’s attitude about that.