From God's POV, we are His (main) instruments for the carrying out of His plan on earth. He has already ordained all the good we will ever do and taken steps to make sure it will happen.
From our POV, after salvation, we are free to do good in God's eyes. For example, next Saturday I might feel up for giving a couple hours toward one of our church's many community service projects. Let's say that two that sound OK to me are leaf raking for elderly church members, and picking up canned goods door to door for a food drive. I feel totally free to choose either and know that I'm doing God's will. Neither holds any more particular interest to me than the other, so whichever one I pick I know was God's choice for me in the first place. :) Of course, in real life, I don't think about the theology behind it when it happens, I just pick something and go do it.
But isn’t bearing fruit deeds? I thought that deeds were of no effect or importance under Reformed theology. I am not trying to belabour the point, but rather to understand it. I’d appreciate your further thoughts on this.
Yes, bearing fruits are deeds. Deeds are part of perseverance, and perseverance is required to enter Heaven. For us, though, we say that perseverance is a God-guaranteed process that will necessarily take place in all of the elect. We say God promises this to us in scripture. It is included in the "package" of salvation. So, it's not that deeds are not important, it's just that they are not in question. I have likened perseverance to physically running around the bases after hitting a home run. It's necessary for the run to count so it's important, however, it's not something anyone ever worries about in terms of WHETHER it happens. (I actually looked it up and from what I could find in the history of MLB, no one have ever failed to complete the trip.)
Perseverance a one-off event - the thief’s dying testimony? I’ve never heard it put that way. It’s hardly perseverance if the span of time is in seconds.
Why not? Don't we both say it is never too late to believe? :) I'm sure that if either of us had a dying friend or relative, whom we had strong reason to think was lost, we would both minister to that person in hopes of his salvation. On deathbeds around the world, I actually think the thief's story happens every day. Some of them might be fake, but I'll bet that a lot of them "count". :)
Fascinating.
Are you saying that whatever it is that you do is God’s will? You have no freedom in the matter? Would you compare it to picking a card, any card, but the magician directs your picking to a certain card 100% of the time? I am unable to discern other than programming, and I keep coming back to the same conclusions. You folks say it isn’t preprogrammed robotic behaviour. If you say that whichever deed you pick is God’s choice for you, what’s the qualitative difference?
If deeds happen, just like the running of the bases, as an aftereffect of salvation, are they meaningless in themselves, then, just a show, or a formality?
Absolutely I agree that there are almost certainly deathbed repentences that count with Him. I wouldn’t let it go that long, though. I mean, if you’re counting on that last second conversion, and you fall under an atomic bomb, there’s not a lot of time available for such a feat.