"while we were God’s enemies (sinners - verse 8), we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son"
Paul is telling the Roman believers that God reconciled them, not when they accepted Christ, but while they were hating God and indulging the flesh.
Eph 24 :God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
When we were spiritually dead, living according to the flesh, God put our old, Adamic life into Christ and rewrote our history from condemnation to justification.
Apparently so, that is, if you take Calvin's theology to its natural conclusion.
IF God wills to have certain people (the elect) saved and others damned then God has chosen some for the fires of hell.
Furthermore God makes them sin and then burns them in hell for sinning.
I hope Calvin repented on his death bed of the pure heresies that he developed.
But then, maybe he didn't see the error of his way and God granted him eternal life because he didn't know better, that is to say, he was ignorant.
Do you work for the NSA? How'd you tap my phone line to God. I was sure it was encrypted.
[emoji57] [emoji41]
Was that you posing as the utility guy for US Cellular? It explains your avatar.
It's the folks that ignore the warnings from Paul that are most prone to falling from grace.
They see no danger in falling from grace therefore they ignore the warnings at their own peril.
You're right, but ATG doesn't recognize it. I was raised in a similar way. It took many years before God was able to work me through my misunderstanding. I am so grateful for God's patient and loving work of grace as I struggled to grasp His work and rest in His love. Such freedom he brought when I understood His amazing grace.
God is good.