"...If any one shall affirm, that mans freewill, moved and excited by God, does not, by consenting, cooperate with God, the mover and exciter, so as to prepare and dispose itself for the attainment of justification...let him be accursed."
Saint Augustine writes, that freewill, without God's grace and the Holy Ghost, can do nothing but sin.
Seems like they are saying nearly the same thing. Without God, we do not have the free will to choose Him. And without God, we do not become saved. I can quote Fathers from even before St. Augustine that say we require God's Grace to be saved. This is nothing new. We aren't Pelagianists. We cannot choose God without God. But as St. Augustine says, God does not save us without us. Somehow, there is a cooperation. But it is not a 99%/1% ratio or anything like that. Perhaps that is what throws you off. We believe that God doesn't need us at all regarding our salvation - but He choses to allow us to participate. Much like the mother/daughter cookie analogy that I have told here. God's love allows us to participate in a secondary manner. St. Augustine did write about secondary causes, correct?
In the flesh, we are free to sin - but this means that we cannot do enough to be saved of our own works. People can and do things that are not sinful - but it is never enough to earn salvation. This, too, is clear in both OT and NT. In other words, we will never choose God's ways without God. Also, we aren't "hand in hand" with the Armenians - as we DO believe in predestination...
Wow, we are on topic of this thread. How about that?
Regards
It's that NEARLY that makes the difference and places you under #4 (Resistable grace) on the Arminian scale in post 3086. You would say that God leads all men to salvation and then what??? They can choose to reject Him???
This is not what Augustine argued who felt man's will is bound in sin, incapable of doing good. Once the Son sets us free, we can do good. Under your soteriology God shines His light and gives His grace and then what??? We make some kind of "intellectual" decision to go to heaven?
Wow, we are on topic of this thread. How about that?
LOL!!! It only took us 3,000 posts! :O)