Dougcho
Member
The apostles view of man
Paul and Peter explain to us that unredeemed man is just NOT able
to believe in Jesus and the Gospel … due to a multitude of reasons!
(These are available in the opening post of the thread:
“Unable to Believe the ‘Foolish’ Gospel”)
No chance to be saved ---BUT --- With God it is possible!
“He (Jesus) said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God.” And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” But He said,
“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:25-27)
Jesus explains Father God’s intervention
“All that the Father gives Me (Jesus) will come to Me … This is the will of the Father who
sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing … No one CAN come to Me unless the Father who sent Me DRAWS him.” … And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one CAN come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (John 6:37-65)
● The word “CAN” refers to ability (or in this case, the lack of ability).
Jesus was saying, “No one is able to come to Me unless the Father intervenes.”
● The Greek word for “DRAW” used here is “helko” (Strong’s #1670).
Kittel’s Theological Dictionary defines “helko” as: “to compel by irresistible superiority”.
Other New Testament uses of this word “helko” are …
“Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?” (James 2:6)
“… they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace” (Acts 16:19)
Man is not wanting to come, he is not even willing to come … he must be dragged!
More about Father God giving His people to Jesus
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish …
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all …” (John 10:27-29)
“… that He (Jesus) should give eternal life to as many as You (Father God) have given Him.” (John 17:2)
“Here am I (Jesus) and the children whom God has given Me.” (Hebrews 2:13)
Jesus gets to choose, not us!
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you ... I chose you out of the world” (John 15:16-19)
Paul defends God’s righteousness and His authority
“… that the purpose of God according to ELECTION might stand,
not of works but of Him who calls … What shall we say then?
Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
So then, it is not of him who wills (to be saved), nor of him who runs (works for it),
but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:11-16)
This last verse (9:16) is absolutely fatal to Arminianism
Man does not choose to believe and be saved …
God chooses who will be saved … e.g. Lydia in Acts 16:14,
where He “opened her heart” so she could believe what Paul was preaching.
*** Does God do this for everyone? *** ● Lydia was “a worshiper of God”,
and if God needed to do this for her, surely He needs to do it for everyone!
We are saved by the power of God
“For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)
This power of God starts with His giving the necessary faith to those He has chosen …
“To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours …” (2 Peter 1:1 - NASB, NLT)
The above is part of the Reformed view of predestination
Some famous theologians who believed in the Reformed view of predestination are:
St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards.
Paul and Peter explain to us that unredeemed man is just NOT able
to believe in Jesus and the Gospel … due to a multitude of reasons!
(These are available in the opening post of the thread:
“Unable to Believe the ‘Foolish’ Gospel”)
No chance to be saved ---BUT --- With God it is possible!
“He (Jesus) said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God.” And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” But He said,
“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” (Luke 18:25-27)
Jesus explains Father God’s intervention
“All that the Father gives Me (Jesus) will come to Me … This is the will of the Father who
sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing … No one CAN come to Me unless the Father who sent Me DRAWS him.” … And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one CAN come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” (John 6:37-65)
● The word “CAN” refers to ability (or in this case, the lack of ability).
Jesus was saying, “No one is able to come to Me unless the Father intervenes.”
● The Greek word for “DRAW” used here is “helko” (Strong’s #1670).
Kittel’s Theological Dictionary defines “helko” as: “to compel by irresistible superiority”.
Other New Testament uses of this word “helko” are …
“Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?” (James 2:6)
“… they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace” (Acts 16:19)
Man is not wanting to come, he is not even willing to come … he must be dragged!
More about Father God giving His people to Jesus
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish …
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all …” (John 10:27-29)
“… that He (Jesus) should give eternal life to as many as You (Father God) have given Him.” (John 17:2)
“Here am I (Jesus) and the children whom God has given Me.” (Hebrews 2:13)
Jesus gets to choose, not us!
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you ... I chose you out of the world” (John 15:16-19)
Paul defends God’s righteousness and His authority
“… that the purpose of God according to ELECTION might stand,
not of works but of Him who calls … What shall we say then?
Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
So then, it is not of him who wills (to be saved), nor of him who runs (works for it),
but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:11-16)
This last verse (9:16) is absolutely fatal to Arminianism
Man does not choose to believe and be saved …
God chooses who will be saved … e.g. Lydia in Acts 16:14,
where He “opened her heart” so she could believe what Paul was preaching.
*** Does God do this for everyone? *** ● Lydia was “a worshiper of God”,
and if God needed to do this for her, surely He needs to do it for everyone!
We are saved by the power of God
“For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)
This power of God starts with His giving the necessary faith to those He has chosen …
“To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours …” (2 Peter 1:1 - NASB, NLT)
The above is part of the Reformed view of predestination
Some famous theologians who believed in the Reformed view of predestination are:
St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards.
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