Does man do so based on his inner goodness, his power because he is a man? If every man is graced with inner goodness, then why is it that some reach out for saving grace and some reject? Is it that some have built up their free-will intelligence, or their free-will love, more than others?
Paul says this:
Rom 7:18-19 : 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good , but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.
Paul didn't seem to think that his inner goodness was good enough to be able to reach out for saving grace on his own. What would the non-Pauline reading of this be?
Reformed doctrine says that it doesn’t matter if man reaches out or not, the Grace is put into him, and then all things come from that.
No, Reformed doctrine teaches that it is always God who reaches out and takes hold of man's hand, which was flailing about aimlessly and without purpose beforehand. Man never has the ability to reach out himself on his own.
We also argue about what free will comprises. We believe that man is singly predestined to heaven unless he refuses God and then is rightly Judged to hell. I am unable to understand what the Reformed believe about free will because of the apparent variation in beliefs, but the statement that sticks with me is that nothing that man does matters.
You can be certain that ALL Reformed believe that the initial destination of all mankind is hell, not Heaven. The scriptural evidence is overwhelming that the fallen nature is plenty enough to condemn if unchanged. To be honest, I was under the distinct impression that Roman Catholics also believed that original sin was fatal by itself. But you are telling me the exact opposite. So now I am unsure of the Latin belief because of "apparent variations". :)
Wow. I was just reading Romans 7! I’d think that was some kind of coincidence if I believed in coincidences. 8~)
FWIW, one verse comes to mind.
Roms. 5:17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one (Adam), much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
I added the (Adam) in case there was any confusion about who's offense brought death.