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Yes. You describe my position pretty well. I'm sure we all agree that God is working His plan to conform a group of people to the image of His Son, right? I'd like to suggest that the unregenerate have a role to play in this process. We are to try to reach them with the gospel, but they...

Hi Beartheweak, I've been away from the forum for a long time. I am very happy to see that mondar is still here. I've always found him to be spot-on. I’m afraid I can't stick around to carry on a discussion, because I have to catch a flight in the AM. While I'm at home, I don't often...

Sorry this post got so long. I hope it isn't too scattered to be clear. I'm concerned that it will be hard to follow... It's far easier for me to talk than to type. I hope you'll hang in there with me on this. Hi Butch5, I see what you’re saying. I find this very interesting and it...

Rant alert! Rant alert! Warning… Rant approaching at twelve O'clock! Don't take the rant personally, it's just a general rant. Paul already knew folks would ask that question: 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then...

savedbygrace57, brother, are you still keeping this thread going? Seems like I posted a few times in this thread YEARS ago. I have come to a conclusion on this issue and if anyone has the patience to read it all, here it is in a pretty big nutshell: Strictly speaking, Farouk is right...

Yes. Yes. And more.. To predestine, or predestinate... is to determine destiny beforehand. -HisSheep

When I read the first verse in the book, I take it to be a salutation. Here, Paul addresses and identifies the recipients (the intended audience) of the letter. All the plural pronouns following refer to them (and include himself), and they are New Testament believers. Who else would Paul be...

Stranger, As an aside, I don't think Ephesians 1:4 refers to Christ in the way that I think you are thinking. Let me annotate the pronouns as I see them: According as he (the Father) hath chosen us (the elect) in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we (the elect) should...

Stranger, You really need to explain this a bit further. I don’t think anybody quite knows what you’re asking. It sounds like you’re confusing the statements about the Father knowing/loving Christ before the foundation of the World with the Father knowing the elect before the...

Yes! "Justified by the faith of Christ"! (Gal. 2:16) -HisSheep

Sort of, yes. I’m nearly an occasionalist, that is, I think God orders and controls ALL things. Anything short of this denies the sovereignty of God, which I hold to be absolute. As a text proof of “believers†falling away, how many times in the NT do we see “disciples†turn away from...

You are suggesting that the CAUSE of the difference between the saved and the unsaved is that the saved â€come to Him†while the unsaved do not. I can only assume that you think they come of their own will. In other words, you feel the difference between the saved and the unsaved lies with...

Excellent point, Carlos. Thanks for sharing that, and for compiling the “plural churches” verses... I love this forum. I learn a lot from so many of you. To reiterate the reason for my interest in this thread: My soul is deeply troubled because I may have to leave my church over this...

Bravo!

Great Job Childeye. He aren't forced; we are made willing. ...He works in us to will. Consider that the Hellbound don't WANT God. They wouldn't ENJOY Heaven. There's nothing there for them. People who don't enjoy church won't enjoy Heaven. They can't just CHOOSE to enjoy it...

Another thought about this is that the design of marriage (man and woman) correlates to Christ and His bride, the church. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Ephesians 5:23) Just as the church is to be in...

Sassy! It really isn't about women keeping silence... That's mere legalism. If we consider the reason for the restriction we find that it is about leadership, not decibels. The head of man is Christ, and the head of woman is man. This hierarchy is biblical whether we like it or not...

Why do free-willers love this “robot defense†for their theology? We are not robots, but men. The bible tells us that God gets His way with men: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the...

To be frank, I haven’t read the whole thread yet, only about ¼ of it. I will probably do it during lunch tomorrow. But for now, I want to add this: I am currently in turmoil over this issue. My church is mostly solid but somewhat liberal leaning. I am a very conservative, reformed guy...

We do have a will, but it is certainly not free. Our will is in bondage to Satan upon our birth. It is not so that we are neutral, free-agents upon birth and might choose either good or bad. We are predisposed to choose evil with our wills. We are born as slaves (doulos) of Satan and...