Featured Who is responsible?

And I agree with this. But salvation isn’t like a doll that is dangled in front of a bunch of children and the one who reaches out and takes it gets it. The gift of salvation is God unilaterally moving upon a lost person, bringing them to life via His Holy Spirit, they then exercise faith and repentance and are saved.

 

Again…

So, if sin is not imputed when there is no law, why were the antediluvian ppl destroyed? #RiddleMeThis

 

Do those God chooses to save "merit" salvation? Nope

Do those God chooses not to save "merit" condemnation? Yes

The lost justly deserve condemnation because at their creation they were "made sinners" and were "condemned for unbelief." And when they reach the age of accountability, they are additionally accountable for their volitional sin.

 

...nor repentance...

Repentance is an effect, coming from God causing.

All believers repent because God causes us to repent.

 

You are using “unconditional” election to refer to those that parish instead of those God brings to salvation. It is a misapplication of the phrase as used by reformed minded Christians.

To say “unmerited” election refers to a “condition that must be met” by someone to become elect, you contradict the meaning of the word “unmerited”.

You may as well say water is dry and fire is cold. If you must distort the meaning of words to support your belief, your belief is untrue.

peace to you

 

I am not disputing man being held responsible for perishing.

Also, I do offer this caution.

Matthew is written fundamentally with the Jewish mindset and to prove to Jews the Kingship of the Christ. With the thinking of the typical Jews, who are used to doing as a part of worship and therefore entrance to heaven, to be a "good Jew" one had to follow all that the temple presented as what constituted as "following the law and prophets."

I put those quotes in not from the perspective of quoting the Scriptures, but from various contacts that I have had with the Jewish community over the years.

When the Lord makes the statement concerning the "doing the will of the Father," to the Jews they would then consider that as temple related doing and the customs related to being a "good Jew."

Unlike modern charismatic shenanigans in which these verses are sometimes aligned (rightfully so, imo), in Christ's day, the matter of demons, prophecy and miracles all in some manner intertwined with the temple.
For example: Jeremiah, Zacharia, Isaiah, and others

What the Lord is stating is a principle of not trusting all who present themselves as godly, for some are not acquainted with the Lord at all, nor the God of heaven.
He is not stating who is responsible for salvation, but the condition of those pretenders of His earthly time and by principle of all ages.

A neat discussion might be upon what day will these meet with the words, "Depart from me, I never knew you," and be cast into torment? But not this thread.

I do think some of the most deceitful folks I have ever met were supposed "teachers/preachers" of the Word. Did not the Lord call them lawless? What an indictment to those who were supposed to set the standard of keeping the temple and the temple ordinances!

 

Of course God is responsible for their perishing. He could, if he so chose, save everyone but he does not.

 

I think you would have a hard time arguing that biblically.

 

I disagree. Humankind chose to reject and choose to remain in rebellion, God merely allows them to continue in their own deception and reaping their own destruction.

He gives every human a choice. Every human choice is to sin.

He does not give every human a choice of being redeemed any more than the customer in a grocery store is obligated to redeem every item of all varieties and all sizes.

 

What is your reasoning?

 

I did not say responsible for their sin.

 

No but you did say that "God is responsible for their perishing." I disagree.

The wages of sin is death. All die, for that is the consequences of Sin.

However, after that is the judgement.

It is not God's fault humankind rebel and reject.

God has made a good faith offer to all, "I will give you rest," "I will draw all men to me," "Come unto me...," "He who comes to me..." and many other pleas.

But just as our Lord cried with tears over Jerusalem, THEY would not be gathered under His wings.

Therefore, God is not responsible for the unregenerate perishing. Humankind are not deceived into sin, are not persuaded into sin. It is the nature of humankind to sin, just as it is the nature of a fire ant to bite.

The unregenerate perish because it is in their nature to perish.

 

Semantics. God chose the punishment.