[HarleyD]

It is clear that Scripture ALONE suggests both your point of view and a point of view that gives man free will. If you believe that the Scripture is the Word of God, you CANNOT just ignore verses that clearly tell us to choose between good and evil - or verses that tell us that we will be judged based on our deeds.

I'm not ignoring the text. It goes back to Augustine's puzzlement over Ezekiel 18 and 36 about putting the new heart in a person. God must give us what He commands. Once He has given us what He has commanded, then He commands what He has given to us. If God gives us the faith to carry out something, than we will carry it out simply because God gave us the faith to do so.

I am absolutely convinced that Augustine was EXACTLY right and this is the way God operates in everything. Don't ask to explain WHY He operates this way simply because our ways are not God's ways.

Those who hold to "free will" are simply imputing man's nature on God. God calls man to repent but HE must give us what HE commands. You would say that He has already provided us with this "power" but this is Pelagius argument. Augustine said, "No". We do NOT have this power until given to us by God and the fact is that God gives it selectively. Man's steps are ordained by the Lord.

I have no problem in reconciling "free will" verses simply because I can say that man does have that commandment of God but is unable to exercise the will to do the commandment until God gives him the power. You, OTOH, will never be able to reconcile verses like my tagline.

[jo kus]

God calls man to repent but HE must give us what HE commands. You would say that He has already provided us with this "power" but this is Pelagius argument. Augustine said, "No". We do NOT have this power until given to us by God and the fact is that God gives it selectively. Man's steps are ordained by the Lord.

I agree that God gives man the ability to repent. But it doesn't follow that man WILL repent - if God "forces" a man to repent, then the man is not repenting. Yet, God tells us "{You} Repent and believe the Gospel". I can't fully explain it, either, but I see an interaction that totally depends on God. To say that man comes to God without God is Pelagianism.

I have no problem in reconciling "free will" verses simply because I can say that man does have that commandment of God but is unable to exercise the will to do the commandment until God gives him the power.

You statement is quite in line with Catholic teaching and what we have been saying here for weeks now.

Regards