Robert,
Never got a chance to get to a Christian bookstore. It's been real hectic for me lately!
You said, "If one can choose this gift in their " flesh " then according to you, the " flesh " can do " good " things
therefore you make Gods word not true".
The flesh can do no good things, I agree!
Romans 7:18
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. [3] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
But accepting the gift of faith is a spiritual decision provided to us by God. It is a decision made outside of our sinful nature. I explained that a long time ago, in many, many posts. The faith is from God, the providing the opportunity to make a decision is from God, and making the right decision is from God, through predestination and ALSO...
Ephesians 1:4-14
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. AND YOU ALSO were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit AND through belief in the truth.
You see, you still continue to limit God, and in turn, make God's word untrue. All that scripture I gave you about accepting or rejecting, and you still can not see. You are allowing yourself to be blinded -- not open to the Word of God! God could allow us to make the spiritual decision of acceptance or rejection outside the "flesh" condition. You keep limiting God from allowing us to make such a decision. You keep thinking God is limited, in such as, he is bound by "our" sinful nature and couldn't allow us to make a spiritual decision. Because you are thinking in this worldly way, within a "box", you invalidate Gods word.
If we can not accept or reject, why have a bible? Why live at all? Why does God tell us to preach the Good News to others? It would be a waste! Do you make God a fool? If we are selected, outside of our control, why bother going through this hell of a life in this fallen world? What for? He made us robots, with no free will to choose to be accepted, so why are we not just created and living in heaven? Your views throw away the whole thing, our lives, the bible, the good news, everything! Why did Christ go to the cross in your belief structure? Why bother? His dying was not going to make a difference one way or the other, because we have no free will to choose the acceptance of his sacrifice for us to be saved, isn't that what you are saying?. He had to cleanse us of our sins, but why would would he subject himself to a cross, the worst death ever known to mankind? Why would he have given us a sin nature to start, and have to clean up for us later, especially by crucifixion? According to you, God made the decision for us whether to accept the sacrifice, outside of our control. You invalidate God and his word with your beliefs! Shame on you!
Robert, why would God give us all the scripture about accepting or rejecting if we didn't really have the option of accepting or rejecting? Because he was wasting his time when he wrote parts of the bible? God forbid!
I look forward to your response.....
God Bless,
Steve
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