I would say that if one does not think himself elect,but he does consider himself saved, then he has something to boast about. Because that means He did not choose you but rather you chose Him.
Paul certainly knows he was elect, but he never boasted about it, instead he felt humbled, considering himself the chief of sinners.
The person who holds to election, and boasts about it, not in Christ, but in himself, does not understand what God's holiness is all about, and has no idea how completely rotten and leprous he looked like to God outside of Christ.
In other words, the 'boastful elect' is just as disgusting as the 'humbled whosoever'.
I would say that if one does not think himself elect,but he does consider himself saved, then he has something to boast about. Because that means He did not choose you but rather you chose Him. </font>[/QUOTE]Wrong.
God desires that ALL come to Him and NONE perish.
This happens through faith, which comes from hearing the Word of God.
To say "we chose him" is a false statement.
We BELIEVE hence we are saved!
To believe and choose are two different things.
You can CHOOSE not to believe!
Um, if you can CHOOSE to not believe, than you can CHOOSE to believe. You can't say that one can believe and this is not a choice, but if that person does not believe then that is a choice. So which way is it?
Salvation is all of God. Even the faith one places in Christ is God's gift.
Seems to me the "humbled whosoever" is exactly what God is looking for!
The Scriptures declare it! "Come unto me all ye who are weak and heavy burdened, I will give you rest."
"The meek shall inherit the earth" and many more timeless phrases out of the mouth of God the son.
Choosing to believe is the only thing man can do for his salvation!
Choosing to believe rests entirely in the man.
God does not force anyone to believe, and in truth, God says, "For lack of knowledge my people perish"
Why do people perish because they lack knowledge?
Knowledge is the whole sum of what believing is based upon! You cannot believe in that for which you possess no knowledge!
Scripture says you cannot be saved unless you believe!
There it is, you cannot be saved unless you believe and you cannot believe unless you possess knowledge, and believing in God is caused by knowledge you receive from God's word.
It is those who believe that God saves!
Nutshell Gospel!