Free-will blame and credit

Assuming that God decides who will accept or reject His gospel calling, here is a simple two-part question:

1. If someone accepts the Gospel because of God's will, does that person have anyone but God to credit for the fact that his fate will be different than those God didn't choose?

2. If someone rejects the Gospel because of God's will, does that person have anyone but God to blame for the fact that his fate will be different than the one who God did choose?

If your answer to 1 and 2 are different, can you explain why they are different?

Please read and re-read the questions carefully. I am NOT asking if God will take the blame for those who reject him. I am asking if the person who rejects has anyone else to blame for his rejection except God alone. (To bad you are ignoring me, otherwise this could be fun )

 

Good point -- in the Gospel of our God-given Free Will (as an act of Grace and Mercy of God in GIVING this gift to the sinful totally depraved children of men -- as He Draws ALL MANKIND unto Him) --- the one who ACCEPTS all that God is offering differs from he who REJECTS that GIFT of God - only by that choice.

However Calvinists often seeks to attribute NOT ONLY credit for 'simply saying yes' BUT ALSO for the gift itself - to the one who is ENABLED to say yes by the Mercy and Grace of God --- and then does so.

In Christ,

Bob

 

Let's compare Nick's and My posts that started this thread:

Which of these difficulties does scripture afford?

Nick's questions:
1. If someone rejects the Gospel of his own free will, does he have anyone but himself to blame for the fact that his fate will be different than the one who accepted the Gospel of his own free will?

No, he only has himself to blame because he did have the ability and knowledge needed to accept. He is without excuse.

2. If someone accepts the Gospel of his own free will, does he have anyone but himself to credit for the fact that his fate will be different than the one who rejected the Gospel of his own free will?

Yes, He can still give God thanks and for the gospel and credit to the provisions of Christ's atonement, but his faith is credited to him as righteousness, I must give you that. But is that unbiblical? You be the judge:

For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness" (Rom. 4)

God is willing to credit Abraham and even reward him for his faith with righteousness, why can't Calvinists?

Now, for my questions:

1. If someone accepts the Gospel because of God's will, does that person have anyone but God to credit for the fact that his fate will be different than those God didn't choose?

No, in this scenerio God would certainly get all the credit, which makes the biblical system of reward and punishment senseless. Why reward a man for something God did? And on the other side of that, why punish a man for something a man couldn't change? It may sound like a good scenerio at first, but its not a biblical concept.

2. If someone rejects the Gospel because of God's will, does that person have anyone but God to blame for the fact that his fate will be different than the one who God did choose?

No, that person can only blame God for not giving him he desire or ability to choose. You may say that Adam, as our representative, can be blamed for the fall and thus we are all guilty, but that doesn't work. Why? Because we are judged not for the fall but for our response to the word. Read what Jesus taught in John 12:

47 And if anyone hears My words and does not *believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

Its clear that we are judged based upon our response to God's solution to the fall, we are not judged for the effects of the fall itself. We are without excuse because we KNOW and UNDERSTAND the clear revelation from God, not because we were born fallen.

 

Nick,

He was responding to me but since you're not playing with me anymore you wouldn't know what I said, would you? Or are you secretly reading my posts and just refusing to respond, eventhough deep down you really want to let me have it. You shouldn't let the anger build up, you need to vent.... I'm sorry, I'll stop...I'm just enjoying this way too much.