***Who's in charge if man can say "no, thanks" to the Creator of heaven and earth?***
Why God is still in charge. In times past, God suffered all the nations to walk their own way, yet now commands all men everywhere to repent. See Acts 17:30. Is the fact that men everywhere will refuse to repent an indication that God is no longer in charge?
The fact that men say "no, thanks" does nothing to dethrone God. Absolutely nothing that man can do or refuse to do will dethrone God. Man's free agency is no threat to the Sovereignty of God.
Colin.
Said the Englishman to the Scot: ‘Take away your mountains, glens and lochs, and what have you got?’ ‘England,’ replied the Scot.
Scripture denotes that the unregenerate man is in bondage.
Galatians 4
1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
Romans 3
9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10As it is written:
"There is none righteous, no, not one;
11There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one."[b]
Romans 5
6For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 6
13And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
John 8:35-36
35And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Prior to being made free by the Son, all are in bondage to the sin nature and without strenth to overcome that bondage.
If God wants all men to be saved, yet some men "refuse the offer of faith," then it would seem man has the final say-so in who goes to heaven and who doesn't. Kinda like the RCs and "last rites."
From before the foundation of the world, God ordained the elect whom Christ came to gather from all nations, and races and times.
Or else it's just a marshmallow world in Candyland and nothing is known to God except the dice we roll on a game board of our own making.
He's either God, who ordains every leaf that falls, counts every hair, names every star, moves ever molecule, or He's not.
Read some Boettner. It's a revelation.
"He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love; having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" -- Eph. 1:4-5.
And read some John Knox. If you're really Scottish, that is. 8~)