No Choice

Then answer the question: Why do some choose salvation and others reject salvation?

 

Eve yielded to temptation. Adam chose death. Neither chose life instead they hid from God.

You appear to be totally ignorant of what I have said on this post. I have never said that God caused the dead to choose life. That is the point of the doctrine of election. Those who are spiritually dead cannot choose life. God must make those who are spiritually dead spiritually alive and then give them the gift of faith to believe. That truth is clearly taught in Ephesians 2:1-8 except for those who refuse to see.

1. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2. in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5. even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6. and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,
7. in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Please read the passage, particularly verses 4 and 5. It states that when we were dead in our transgressions God made us alive. There is absolutely no action indicated on man's part. In fact being spiritually dead he can do nothing. Then if you will read verse 8 you will see that God gives those He has made spiritually alive the gift of faith.

 

That verse is speaking about the 'act of savlation' which is regeneration. It even says so - by grace you have been saved!

Nothing in the above even infrenences that God must give man faith, that is a theological presupposition added into THIS text.

 

Uh read verse 8. through faith you have been saved; and that not of yourselves it is the GIFT of God.

 

But this is a person's view, so I don't take it as scripture.

God does tell people to believe. Jesus said some people rejected the call. It is God who saves but man is still accountable. Both are true. I don't think the bible clearly states either way; and yet statements in the Bible lead to both views.

Btw, it's not anomaly. That just means a deviation from the norm. It's a word that has to do with opposites being true.
I know paradox means that, but I'm pretty sure the word started with an "a." I'll have to ask.

 

Allan

You are incorrect as usual. This Scripture teaches, to all but those who fail to see, that God gives spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead and then gives the gift of faith through man is enabled to respond to the work of God in regeneration.

 

So you see no difference in being spiritually alive and being spiritually dead. Fortunately Scripture does:

1Corinthians 2:14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The natural man is the man who is spiritually dead.

 

I don't take it as Scripture but I believe it reflects the teaching of Scripture.

There are Scripture that seem to indicate that salvation is the purview of man.However Scripture teaches the following about those who are spiritually dead, the unsaved man:

1Corinthians 2:14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.


Even so I believe that man is held accountable.

 

So did God also seek the unbelieving Jews in the New Testament? (Romans 11) Have all men had the same opportunity to reject Him?

 

And yet, we know that "...there salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven which has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 EMTV)

So am I correct in assuming that you believe that those who never hear the name of Christ will be saved and enter heaven? If so, what would be the advantage of believing the gospel?

 

I do take the position of an age of accountability and God's grace through Jesus Christ for those who are disabled (you must enter the Kingdom as a child), but I also believe that those whose names have been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will be saved. God is sovereign and all whom the Father draws will come to Him.

I do respect your position of not knowing. There are many things we have yet to discover in Christ, but I cannot agree that there is any other way of salvation but through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Awesome and right on.

 

Yes, elect according to the foreknowledge of God. Whom He foreknew... What does that mean to you? It does not mean that God looked ahead and saw what we would do and then chose us based upon our choice of Him. Our salvation is not dependent upon our own righteousness. That would make man responsible for saving himself!

Foreknowledge simply means God knew His elect from the foundation of the world because He created them for glory in Jesus Christ.

 

But what we do know is that "It is appointed unto man to die once, then the judgement." Hebrews 9:27