Under my view there is no paradox between freedom and grace. There is experiential freedom and there is God's sovereignty. Both are real and both matter. The difference is in who gets the credit among primary and secondary causes. I believe you share the credit in salvation (not 99%-1%, but more like 50%-50%), and I give it all to the primary cause.
For FK, I would like to say that in the formula above, it is correctly stated - BUT there is a caveat to add. God does EVERYTHING for man and salvation. But in another sense, man must respond to God's grace through faith working in love. These two things are not set against each other (like the above example pulling the wagon). They are on different metaphysical levels.
That indeed is a paradox. I don't see how the magic of metaphysics helps you here to separate the work since in your view NO ONE goes to Heaven without having done enough works in quality or quantity. That is the reality no matter how you categorize between this world and God's world. Therefore, God CANNOT do "everything" for man's salvation, as you claim. Over and over and over again, Apostolics have told me on this thread that Jesus made it POSSIBLE for man to finish the job. None of them has spoken about metaphysical levels and a new paradigm.
As St. Augustine said, we are only returning to God the gifts that He has given us. How can this be called "works salvation" when anything good we do is a result of God's will (as in Phil 2:12-13)? We cannot boast because we are ONLY able to do good while IN CHRIST.
This is all Reformed theology. So, I would have assumed that you disagree with it. :) I don't understand how you could agree to this given the view of free will that has been explained to me. It would seem to me that "anything good we do is a result of God's will" would be a clear violation of man's independent free will.
You have merely proven my point when you lay out some sort of percentages. God does it all in one sense, and I do it all in a different sense. But without God, my "sense" is meaningless.
Consider the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew and Luke's Gospel.
On one plane, without the seed, God's grace, NO FRUIT WILL GROW. You can water and hoe and kiss the dirt or whatever, and no fruit will grow without that seed. On the other hand, our response ALSO FULLY determines if that seed will grow. Is the dirt prepared? Is it thorny? Is it shallow? Or is it prepared and ready for the graces? In this sense, man is responsible, since man has free will and can focus on wordly goods, or give in to satan, OR open his heart to God and ALLOW GOD to bring the seed to fruitation. Naturally, this is a parable and not a perfect analogy of what happens. However, it is clear that nothing good comes from man alone - while in another sense, being open to God's Word is dependent upon man, because man CAN refuse this grace.
Note, in Matthew's version, Jesus gives a short saying from Isaiah on WHY He teaches in parables. Clearly, GOD IS NOT "BLINDING" men, but man is responsible for turning away, as the following shows. This is just a growing number of examples that shows your view as incompatible with Christ's teachings.
For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Mat 13:15
They have closed their OWN eyes, because IF they opened them, they would see that they would require to live a moral life and answer to God. They do not WANT to be converted and healed.
I don't see how the magic of metaphysics helps you here to separate the work since in your view NO ONE goes to Heaven without having done enough works in quality or quantity
Wrong. When did I ever say that I must do "enough works" to enter heaven? I think I have clearly said enough on this subject. If you desire your ears to remain closed to what I say, that is your decision. God didn't make you that way...
Therefore, God CANNOT do "everything" for man's salvation, as you claim.
God provides the seed. Will fruit grow without the seed?
Over and over and over again, Apostolics have told me on this thread that Jesus made it POSSIBLE for man to finish the job. None of them has spoken about metaphysical levels and a new paradigm.
The first sentence is true, but in a broad way. Metaphysically, grace and man's nature operates at different levels, they are not analogous, nor are they similar. Without grace, man's nature can do nothing good. This grace enables man's nature, a recreated nature, as Paul writes, with the ability to freely obey. However, as Paul and John state, men CONTINUE to sin, thus, man STILL has the ability to follow the flesh which leads to death, or follow the Spirit, which leads to eternal life. It becomes clear that we can only serve one master. While receiving the Spirit enables us to obey God, it doesn't follow that we CANNOT GRIEVE the Spirit. And what does "grieving the Spirit" mean in Scriptures, FK?
I will quote one of the most beloved of Protestant Scriptures to show you my point:
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Eph 4:30
Written to Christians, Paul tells YOU. YOU MUST NOT grieve the Spirit. Apparently, man can grieve the Spirit. What happens to those who grieve God's Spirit?
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Is 63:10.
Again, Paul warns them of falling into sin, because sin ruins our relationship with God. It can potentially turn us into an enemy of God.
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Ez 18:23-27.
SAVE HIS LIFE! On one hand, we understand that the wicked cannot save their life without God's grace. On another level, the wicked is saving HIS LIFE! Clearly, the prophet, who speaks God's Word, was NOT a Calvinist. Tell me, how is it possible that God is "pleased" with sending men to hell WITHOUT seeing his demerits, but HERE, God wants wicked men to return to Him? Sounds a bit odd, FK? Sounds like more double-talk.
We have two Calvin birds hit with one stone. The righteous CAN fall, grieving the Holy Spirit, and can die - while God certainly does not CREATE wicked people. This verse clearly tells us that He AWAITS the wicked to TURN BACK TO HIM.
Scriptures tell us one thing. Calvin tells us something totally different.
Regards