Those who were not given the 'ears' must be the rejects, or else they would have been given to them.
Ultimately that is true. But life is long and none of us knows where God intends anyone to be tomorrow, let alone 10 years from now. So we preach the Gospel to all men, confident those who are His will, at a moment in time and place chosen by God, know his salvation has been obtained for him by Jesus Christ, second person of the Triune God.
This Scriptural perspective makes for a lot less anxiety. Anyone who seeks Christ with a repentant heart given by God will find Him. Those who don't seek Him, do not want to find Him.
Amen. Well said, Dr. Eckleburg!
Okay, but that wasn't the question. I also never claimed I knew whom God rejected. What I did say was, based on what AG wrote, that some people are saved because they were given the 'ears' and others are damned because God chose not to give them the spiritual ears.
I do understand that the Bible commands you to preach the Gospel, but it is not your preaching (which is works) that gives 'ears'; rather it is God who does. And he decided that before the foundation of the world and not as a result of your preaching. Because preaching is works of men, it can not be an instrument of salvation, lest one is saved by works.
This Scriptural perspective makes for a lot less anxiety.
Okay, so does chewing gum.
Anyone who seeks Christ with a repentant heart given by God will find Him
But God doesn't give a repentant heart to everyone, does he? Ergo, he rejects some, doesn't he?
Those who don't seek Him, do not want to find Him.
That's "soft Calvinism" in my opinion, Dr. E. Seeking is works, and seeking does not save. I think your fellow Calvinists would say that you are either saved or not, no matter what you do or think and that what you do with your repentant heart is not your will but God's.
In other words, I think Calvinists would say that if you don't seek it's not because you don't want to find him but because God doesn't want you to find him! Ultimately, who gets saved and who doesn't is God's decision and doing, not yours.
So simple, isn’t it?
Amen, Dr. E.
This Scriptural perspective makes for a lot less anxiety. Anyone who seeks Christ with a repentant heart given by God will find Him. Those who don't seek Him, do not want to find Him.