I'm starting to believe you don't read all my posts. :confused:
Here let me post it again:
I am not a Calvinists and I believe that we do have "free will." But I aslo believe that God has performed an act of Grace in my life in order that I might believe unto salvation.
I believe God sending his Son to disciple the apostles and to die on the cross was an act of Grace.
I believe God sending the Holy Spirit to inspire the scripture and send the powerful truth of the gospel to the whole world was an act of Grace.
I believe that when my parents, full of the Spirit themselves, witnessed to me and shared this powerful truth with me that was an act of Grace.
I just don't believe that any of the acts of Grace were "irresistible" and unique only to those "unconditionally elected." Find some passages that support these parts of your dogma and then maybe your point will be valid and worthy of further consideration.
If that was to me then I would say that Angels rejoicing.
And the fact that I rejoiced like the Philippian jailer, also the fact that my whole life changed and the Bible was alive to me, brought forth by the Word of Truth I believe James puts it.
Also I got baptized and testified to the truth of God as is taught in Jesus Christ.
Not sure what more proof you need but God and heaven was well satisfied.
Goodness me, it sounds you would have me doubt my own conversion.
That cannot be good.
I have told you before that I spent many hours in prayer before I believed that God had saved me. So obviously God had performed an act of Grace in my life that made me desire Him and eventually exercise the Faith with which He had endowed me.
At that time I did not understand the Doctrines of Grace any more than you do now.
I have always believed that Salvation required a Supernatural act of God but it was only as I allowed the Holy Spirit to open the meaning of Scripture to me that I came to accept the Doctrines of Grace.
I read all your posts.
I am asking you what specific act of Grace did God perform in your life that enabled or caused you to believe while others do not?
I feel sorry for a lot of people brought up in Christian fellowships, must be hard to know when.
I have been blessed but also had a hard time.
I have had to have the leopard spots whipped off me.
Made me tough though.
Or should I say will, not sure the Lord has finished correcting me even now, getting better though.
"God’s grace was quite irresistible because of it’s power and loveliness and yet at the same time I opened the door to Him who was knocking and that
was after a period of time being convicted of my sin."
Interesting testimony David but just why did you open the door while others do not?
That's easy, I chose to.
Not a fool you know.
I guess others preferred darkness rather than light.
I came to the light that it might be shown that what I did was carried out in God.
Seriously, Oldreg, I think there is a lot of truth in what I just said.
Btw, I am only standing up for my own thoughts on this, not trying to undermine anyones thoughts on the interpretation of Scripture, that you have to work out for yourself.
What you need to realize is that the drive to explain a truly free choice in this manner is really just a game of question begging because it assumes that a deterministic explaination is required. The choice between available options is what free will is all about and it is finally mysterious, beyond full explanation, for full explanations presuppose the very determinism we reject. Do you understand?
Now, if you answer the question on my other thread titled, "Let's suppose Calvinism is true...then why don't all Christians believe it?" then you will better understand our position.
Go to the thread and you will see that I just answered that question.
That will keep us from mixing up these discussions.
Why won't you guys just answer it?
I even gave you multiple choice...do I need to add another alternative?
I agree you are not a fool.
But does that really explain why you chose positively.
Is it just possible that it was the work of God not David Michael Harris?