LMOROVAN: RESPONSE TO
"As support, I ask you, is God capable of forgetting anything?"
Response: I believe your analogy breaks down in that God forgets our sins and removes them as far as the east is from the west, but that is not contrary to His nature.
The thought of God sinning is contrary to His nature & to His Word. Again, James 1.13 - no man is tempted of God & God cannot be tempted w/ evil.
Job 34.10 - "Far be it from God, that He should do wickedness, and from the Almighty, that He should commit inequity."
Hab 1.13 - "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst look on inequity.
Scriptures thus states that God's character cannot commit, behold, or look upon sin. Therefore, He could not sin.
Jesus described His Father in Matthew as 'perfect'. Being perfect He would not be capable of sinning. Adam & Eve were sinless & innocent, but not perfect. They were created w/ the ability to choose between good & evil, and, unfortunately, chose to disobey God.
What we must understand is that we cannot understand the character traits of an Infinite Being. Many believe that God's traits limit each other. For example, His love is limited by His holiness, so therefore He must punish sin in spite of His love.
I believe this thinking is in error. God's traits somehow are not compromised at all. He is always all-loving. He is always all-holy. How these attribute coexist, I cannot comprehend, but they do.
"When the Holy Spirit approaches a human being it causes one of two possible reactions: acceptance or rejection. It is not our choice to reject Him or accept Him. That has been preordained even before Creation. The Grace of God is indeed irresistible, but only the chosen ones are able to "feel" or "react" to it."
"Response: This is going to start a firestorm, but let's do it!"
Just a quick comment first. The Holy Spirit is part of the Triune God, and therefore should be addressed as "He", not "it". Matt 28.19 says: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Since Scripture states we are to baptize in one name, not names, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-equals in the Godhead, yet have different roles.
Let's discuss the idea that it is not our choice to reject Him or accept Him. "Yet, how can they accept something that have not been enabled to accept?"
Response: Then why did Christ Himself rebuke the Pharisees for not repenting? According to your line of thinking, Christ is indeed criticizing them because He had not bestowed upon them the ability to accept what He was saying. That makes no sense!
"...because the Bible tells us so, we must accept that, in His Sovereign decision, the jailer and his household were part of the people predestined to Salvation."
Response: Agreed, but as I stated, faith came before regeneration, not vice versa, which is what you are claiming. Paul did not proclaim, nor did any of the other Apostles at any time for that matter, that if and only if one were elected He could be saved.
One might ask why don't those who share the Gospel w/ the lost say that the unsaved can be saved only if they are part of the Elect?
"Salvation begins with God enabling us to hear His call and receive the Holy Spirit who begins the process of regeneration"
Response: Can you support that w/ Scripture? I concur that salvation is of God only. However, I do not see in Scripture the idea that God enables 'us to hear His call & receive the Holy Spirit who begins the process of regeneration'. I see that the Holy Spirit calls 'all men', that God 'is not willing that any should perish', and that God's desire is that 'all men through Him might believe.'
I must bow out of our discussions until this weekend. God has graciously given me a little downtime where I have been able to check out the boards & respond. I now must return to the work at hand.
In His Name,
NJMARK50
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