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Yes, only the elect. I pray that you're in! :)

Do you? Why? You believe that it's already been decided from all eternity and that nothing you do can change that. And I believe with all my heart that whatever happens to me will be merciful and just, for God is both. So I say "Thy will be done" in peace and in awe.

As my Pastor has taught a thousand times, I do not have a religion, I have a relationship.

Did it ever occur to you that the word relationship does not exist in the Bible (save for the gender-neutral or rainbow ones perhaps)? Did it ever occur to you that the word pastor means a sheppard? If so, then you are his sheep!

Are you following him or are you following your own intellect as all Protestants claim? If you follow your own interpretations, then he is not you pastor. Food for thought, but don't let me lead you there!

I think of [God] based on His nature...

Did it ever occur to you that the word nature is what we call essence? Now you will tell me that you know God's nature?

If God's plan was dependent on our decisions, as you seem to argue....

Where did I say that we can change His plan?

I said that God changes His plan if He sees fit. He is not limited as to the options available to Him. And all His solutions lead to the same end, regardless of us. He changes what happens to us, upon repentance (true repentance I mean, metanoia).

Again, I don't come and say God CAN'T change His plan, I say He WON'T change His plan because He is God and would never need to

And where do you find that in Scriptures that you may say what God will or will not do? Look up the word repent and tell me that He does not intercede on behalf of those who repent, by changing their destinies.

Me: Yes, only the elect. I pray that you're in! :)

Do you? Why? You believe that it's already been decided from all eternity and that nothing you do can change that.

Yes, I do believe that. I would pray because I do not know the future. It is the same as if you were sick and I prayed for you to get better. God already knows whether you will or not, but it is still a perfectly legitimate prayer.

Me: As my Pastor has taught a thousand times, I do not have a religion, I have a relationship.

Did it ever occur to you that the word relationship does not exist in the Bible (save for the gender-neutral or rainbow ones perhaps)?

I will leave it to you to imply to the whole world that you have no relationship with Christ.

Me: Again, I don't come and say God CAN'T change His plan, I say He WON'T change His plan because He is God and would never need to.

And where do you find that in Scriptures that you may say what God will or will not do?

A thousand places, here are two:

Job 36:4 : "4 Be assured that my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you."

Any plan conceived by one who is perfect in knowledge would not need to be changed.

Rom. 12:2 : " 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

If what God wills is pleasing and perfect, then it does not need to be changed.

Me: We think the "elect" are all of God's people in the sense that God wants ALL of humanity to be saved. Do you believe that God loves and wants ALL of humanity to be saved? Well, we do.

ZN: Absolutely not. He hates a whole bunch of them.

So, God HATES humanity -- that's what you believe? You believe in a deity that hates His own creation? You believe in a malevolent deity akin to one of the native American deities whom we have to placate to be saved from His wrath? You don't believe in a loving God.

And I believe with all my heart that whatever happens to me will be merciful and just, for God is both.

True -- a Protestant God seems at best only just, not a merciful, loving, Christian God. It seems more like Allah at times.

Are you following him or are you following your own intellect as all Protestants claim? If you follow your own interpretations, then he is not you pastor. Food for thought, but don't let me lead you there!

Key point: many Protestants sincerely believe that they are interpreting things for them, but all of the protestaers I've met in real life do nothing more than say: This is what my pastor said, and he said do this or do that -- and these people turn around and accuse us of blindly following the Church. Well, no, we are encouraged to ask and to read and we see that it is good. We are not a man-created organisation, we ARE God's Church.

I said that God changes His plan if He sees fit. He is not limited as to the options available to Him. And all His solutions lead to the same end, regardless of us. He changes what happens to us, upon repentance (true repentance I mean, metanoia).

Exactly, a Protestant deity seems like a powerless deity, one who has created a plan full stop and cannot now change that plan as He wishes, a deity that is bound by a plan, so the plan is more powerful than the deity.