You be the Judge, how can one Preach the Gospel of the Grace of God, and omit the doctrine of the election of Grace and predestination ? Paul did not.
I have agreed with everything you’ve said in this thread. I don’t really think we differ on this point either. I agree with you in your post #153 of this thread.
I was answering strangeloves question as I took him to mean it. There are some strange dichotomies in Christianity. We are exhorted to flee from evil while we are told that we are protected from it. We are told to make our election sure and at the same time told that it is guaranteed. We are told to seek God, and told that no one seeks…
Likewise we are to invite everyone to the cross – even though only some are enabled to do so. All I meant was that you don’t say to a stranger, “Hey, Pal, have you considered that God may or may not save you?â€
I think you see what I mean… One could leave the predestination firmly in place and say something like, “Have you considered that God has a plan for you?â€
Typically, I want people to know that there is a God, that they are sinners, and that there is one way to become reconciled with God: Jesus.
Predestination is a tricky subject. Man does have a free will, and there is a very real decision to be made by man. The Calvinist understands this; he just recognizes that God affects the will of man to choose according to God’s will. Until acted upon by God, man will consistently choose his own way. A bad way. A way that leads to death.
God must intervene merely to get our attention off ourselves. From this point on, man’s will should become more and more like the will of Jesus, in gratitude and voluntary submission, until upon our resurrection, we will be like Him.
-HisSheep