I believe that his sovereign enlightening (who lighteneth every man that cometh into the world) made it possible for them to choose or reject based on the image of God that God intentionally left within every man for just that purpose. Therefore, it is all of God and not of themselves.
However, if someone insists that my position bears some tiniest portion of work at the moment of choice, then I will grant them that. Why do I do this? Because if I allow that in this argument, then they must also allow that they have put forth a God who is hard-hearted and unfair.
I would prefer to preach a loving, accepting God to whom "whosoever will may come" than a hard-hearted, unfair God to whom many are not permitted to come no matter what.
I believe that his sovereign enlightening (who lighteneth every man that cometh into the world) made it possible for them to choose or reject based on the image of God that God intentionally left within every man for just that purpose. Therefore, it is all of God and not of themselves. However, if someone insists that my position bears some tiniest portion of work at the moment of choice, then I will grant them that. Why do I do this? Because if I allow that in this argument, then they must also allow that they have put forth a God who is hard-hearted and unfair. I would prefer to preach a loving, accepting God to whom "whosoever will may come" than a hard-hearted, unfair God to whom many are not permitted to come no matter what.Fine. Grant Man as much Free Will as you like. That isn't the issue here.
Matthew 11:20-27 specifically states that God foreknew the Tyre would freely choose to Repent if He performed therein miracles equivalent to those He performed in Chorazin, and that Tyre would freely choose to NOT Repent if He did not perform such miracles. Thus, God foreknew that His decision whether or not to perform such miracles would determine whether or not Tyre would Repent and Believe.
God decided NOT to perform these miracles, thus ensuring that Tyre would not Repent and Believe, and would be reprobated to Damnation, not Saved.
Matthew 11: 20 - 27 -- Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
- God foreknew Tyre and Sidon's free choice NOT TO REPENT in the case of His non-performance of such Miracles; AND
- God foreknew Tyre and Sidon's free choice TO REPENT in the case of His performance of such Miracles; AND
- God CHOSE not to perform these Miracles in Tyre and Sidon, a choice which had as its perfectly foreknown result the NON-Repentance of Tyre and Sidon, just as He foreknew.
True, or False?