As I said in the OP I believe that Salvation is a Supernatural experience.
It is not simply the mechanical acceptance of the facts of the birth, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I believed that years before I was saved because I had been taught it.
I believe that Salvation from beginning to end is the work of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, I believe that God works in the life of each person He has chosen to bring them to Salvation.
God saves people one at a time.
May I say that your admission:
Seriously, do you read my replies?
I answered you already when I wrote:
"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?"
And in doing so you reveal your ignorance of the topic.
You don't have to agree with me, but at least study opposing positions and come to a basic understanding before diving in with attacks.
Allow me to explain, those of us who hold to libertarian free will believe in "first cause choices."
That is we believe in Self-determination...the belief that for a choice to be morally accountable it must not be determined by anything other than the agent making that choice (Agent Causation).
Your desire to find a determination ("reason") for a moral choice assumes your premise that something other than the agent himself determined his choice and is a debate fallacy call "begging the question."
Libertarian Free Will still acknowledges the influence of outside factors and even leaves room for some decisions to be "causally determined," but it maintains that for a choice to be free, and thus morally accountable, then the agent must have had the ability to willingly do other than what he ends up doing.
That is a very precursory look at the subject, so may I suggest reading up on the topic and having another go at it.
I made no attack; your paranoia is showing.
I simply said:
That sounds just like what I said in my remarks above. If you cannot explain the reason for your "libertarian free choice" then it cannot be a free choice as I said in my original quote which I will repeat for your edification.
You may call it "begging the question if you choose.
In the discussion of the OP I call it the Doctrine of Grace!
As for "Self-determination" may I quote Scripture since this is a Forum on Baptist Theology?
Proverbs 14:12, KJV
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
When it comes to Salvation I am not particularly interested in "libertarian free will" but in the Grace of God.
If you want to discuss such esoteric/arcane issues such as "libertarian free will" then perhaps you can encourage the Web Master to start a Forum on "Philosophy, etc.".
Does your "libertarian free will" tell you that you cannot defend your position on salvation so you fall back on what many on this Forum like to call "ad hominem" attacks on one's learning?:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
What kind of ridiculous question is that?
You were regenerated when you sensed the Holy Spirit working in your life convicting you of sin.
How did you think it worked?
Did you think your nose lit up green when the regeneration signal hit your body?
You know what is amazing about your flawed theology, is that you believe you have it within yourself , in a fallen and sinful state, with your free will, to accept the call to salvation.
Yet, once you attain that salvation, you believe you cannot lose it.
In other words, you have the free will to accept salvation, but do not have it to lose it at a later date.
Many sense the Holy Spirit working in their life but resist it. Just because the Holy Spirit works in a person's life does not automatically mean they become regenerated. They become regenerated when they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and his atoning work on the cross.
Given your response above you should be able to answer the challenged posed in the OP.
Since Salvation is a supernatural work of God how do those who hold the doctrine of Freewillism know that God has not already performed an act of Grace in their life and given them the Faith to believe.
They don’t! Neither can they!
You asked the question and you answered it. Your answer is wrong. A person knows when a work of grace is done in their life. It is done when they invite Christ to be Lord of their life. At that moment Christ, by the power of his Holy Spirit comes and takes up residence in that person. Most often the person is given peace, joy, a sense of forgiveness of sins. When you say "They don't! Neither can they!" You simply tell a lie. They can. The Holy Spirit now resides within. There is a difference between one who is dead and one who is alive.
I believe this is just more work games by OR.
He will not stop until you say something he can twist and make it appear that you did not have a choice in responding to God, thereby saying that you, unknowingly, hold to the same doctrine he does.
Unless I read you wrong, you believe, like I do, that the Holy Spirit offers salvation and we have a choice as to whether or not to accept it.
BTW, I don't know why one accepts the Gospel while another one rejects it.
I certainly don't believe the false doctrine that it is because God wants the lost to remain lost.
You are giving opinion not fact.
How do you know that you "invited Christ to be Lord of your life" of your own free will or whether it was caused by a supernatural act of God?
Did you make yourself spiritually alive or are you telling me that one who is spiritually dead can perform a spiritual act? Scripture itself states unequivocally:
John 6:36-39, KJV 36. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:44, KJV No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 10: 14, 26-29, KJV 14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
26.
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
John 6:44 alone tells us that God has already performed a supernatural act in the life of one who comes to Jesus Christ.
Who are you to place limits on what God can do?
By the way, you are a moderator DHK.
Isn't it contrary to the Forum rules to call someone a liar?
You seem to make a habit of it.