Featured Entering or invited?

With much respect, I'm afraid it is you who appear not to understand, though I rather think that you know enough theology to comprehend the difference between the Universal Call and the Particular Call.
The Gospel call goes out to everyone, but people do not receive it savingly unless unless it comes with irresistible power.
Look, Lazarus is dead; he's been dead for quite some time. We can call on lazarus to come back to life; we can tell him how much better it would be if he were alive. We can point out to him the severe disadvatages of b

 

Your evident lack of ability to grasp truth is on display yet again...
Your posts are borderline incoherent in that they depart from any scriptural base.

 

One question.

Did Paul join up or was he drafted?

 

Maybe I should have asked about a little background.

Just what was Paul on the road to Damascus to do?

 

Jon. I can tell you ahead of time that Calvinists are all over the place on this. Christ's death accomplished salvation for the elect when he died in the sense that what God ordains WILL come to pass. An "elect" person is lost until he comes to Christ by faith. But he will do this. And he will do this because of the work of the Holy Spirit. God is not sitting somewhere saying to Jesus "well, let's hope now that at least some of these people come by faith". This business of election is God's business. But numerous scriptures support it. God has shown it to us in a glimpse into his purpose but he has not given us warrant to speculate on who's in or out. So what does it look like to us?

The general call or invitation goes out to everyone who is within the hearing of it. In other words, everyone who hears the gospel or the word of God is invited to come by this general call. And it is REAL. Any one of those who hear this and come to Christ by faith will be saved. Were they elect? Yes, looking back - but that's as far as we can speculate.

Now, we believe that men are not going to come to Christ by faith without the Holy Spirits direct involvement. You must be born again, regenerated, enlightened, and other terms too. This is the effectual call. What does this look like to us? It looks like the person comes under conviction and has a desire to come to Christ and see's his own sin and the value of Christ. This is a work of the Spirit and you are passive in it.

You are not saved from eternity or from the time Christ died on the cross.
Faith IS a means or a condition.
When you talk about "salvation" for someone who lives a time after coming to Christ then sincere obedience, love, good works, and pursuit of a holy life are requirements for salvation.

Half the Calvinists on here will completely freak out over this.

 

"I conclude with an exhortation to come to Christ, and accept of salvation in this way. You are invited to come to Christ, heartily to close with him, and trust in him for salvation: and if you do, you shall have the benefit of this glorious contrivance. .....God has already contrived everything that is needful for your salvation; and there is nothing wanting but your consent. ......Salvation is already brought to your door; and the Savior stands, knocks, and calls that you would open to him, that he might bring it in to you. There remains nothing but your consent. All the difficulty now remaining is with your own heart. If you perish now, it must be wholly at your door. It must be because you would not come to Christ that you might have life; and because you virtually choose death rather than life........"
(Jonathan Edwards, Wisdom Displayed in Salvation, sect.XI Exhortation to Come to Christ")

I cut out parts for brevity but if you ask me, this is how you do it and it sounds an awful lot like an old fashioned Baptist preacher. And Edwards was definitely as much of a Calvinist as you can be. Agreeing with the TULIP or believing in God's meticulous sovereignty of everything doesn't mean you don't witness and preach with everything you have and with all the means you have.

 

Therein is your problem

 

because there are some who say that "parables" are illustrations that can be either true, or even false, like myths, and cannot be taken as serious messages to derive doctrines from. For example, the Rich Man and Lazarus, is not a true account of the after-life for the lost and saved, as this is a parable that does not need to be truthful.

 

I said that there are SOME who use this idea that parables do not need to be factual. I believe that every parable that Jesus uses, including the Rich Man and Lazarus, IF it can be included in this class, are completely factual illustrations, that can be fully relied on.

 

blah, blah, blah...

You guys speak in riddles, and not consistent to what the Bible teaches!

IF, the Gospel Call or Invitation is given to ALL, that is, the entire human race. Then this can only be SINCERE, if God has made provision for the ALL, in the Death of the Lord Jesus Christ. He must have Died for these ALL. Otherwise it is no more than a SHAM!

The Universal Call of the Gospel Message, to "every human created", as Mark 16:15 tells us, can only be serious, when we accept the Universal Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Not the same as Universal salvation.

This negates the TULI in TULIP!