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To: chuckles
Now, does he predestine you, or does He just know the ending?

Good post, but to answer this question: God is proactive, not merely reactive, with man's salvation.

"'But there are some of you who do not believe.' (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.'" (Joh 6:64-65)

Whether you believe, or reject the teachings of God, is entirely dependent on the granting of the Father. The "Christian is not the result of persuasion, but of power" (Ignatius, Epistle to the Romans). If you do not believe, it is because it was not given to you to believe.

God does indeed use circumstances, human instrumentality, and providence to draw His elect. However, no matter how many seeming "hoops" you had to jump through (all our struggles, though we do not understand always why God puts us through them, are for our benefit, for "all things work together for good to them who love God, who are the called according to His purpose"), it must be acknowledged that salvation is all of God. All things occur at His command, and nothing is owed to our alleged merits or greater knowledge in this process of salvation:

1Co_3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

25 posted on 12/27/2016 7:36:52 PM PST by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans
I have a theory but I don't like to talk much about it because it always starts a flame war and I'm too lazy to answer more than a couple. Go back to Gen 6 and notice the " Sons of God" mated with human women. I don't want to start an argument but the Sons spoken of here are fallen angels. Forget the sons of Seth because they are sons of men. Just give to to me for the cause of discussion. God soon after flooded the whole world to kill everyone. Remember Noah was found perfect before God, but also found grace from Him. If perfect, why need grace? His genes were clean. God made several demands, especially from Saul to kill every man woman and child in a city. It is obvious that God found something wrong with the DNA of some people. Maybe this is a "mark" that God knows about and doesn't want in heaven. Remember, the challenge was already made in the garden to Satan that the seed of the woman would defeat Satan. Satan was busy always trying to break the line of Jesus to make God a liar. Having a corrupt DNA line would do it. Pharaoh killed all he babies trying to kill Moses and another attempt was made on Jesus.

I believe there are some that will NEVER accept Jesus because it's just not in their DNA. They swing more to evil and Satan than people that have bypassed the genetic line of the fallen angels. Just a theory, but it might explain a lot.

27 posted on 12/28/2016 1:05:43 AM PST by chuckles
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

BTW, do a word search on “earth dwellers” and see what you get. We are “aliens” here. Sons of men cannot go to heaven, but we have been given the “right” to become “Sons of God” Sons of God are created by God. That would be angels, good and bad, Adam and Eve, Jesus, and Christians. God is Spirit and we must be born of the Spirit to be Sons of God.


28 posted on 12/28/2016 1:11:47 AM PST by chuckles
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