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Old 02-13-2009, 01:47 PM
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Forrest Forrest is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Texas, USA
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Brother George wrote: Calvinists state:
God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual.

I do not agree with the statement: God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual.” If the statement is in reference to “works”, I will agree, but if it is in reference to “BELIEF”, then I CANNOT agree. “ANYTHING” would include “BELIEF” – can you see the confusion (again) of thinking that “BELIEF” (an operation of the heart) is a “WORK” (an operation of the flesh)?

No one can argue with:He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual.All genuine Bible believers would go along with this statement {since MERIT = WORKS}, unless someone lumps in “MERIT” = “BELIEF”! You see how it goes? Can you see how vitally important WORDS are?

IF “MERIT” equals “WORKS”, then we can agree with the statement, without any reservations, for all true Bible believers know that God has not chosen the “elect” because of their “WORKS” – that would nullify BELIEF & FAITH & SALVATION by GRACE! But, if “MERIT” includes “BELIEF”, that would nullify the separate purposes of the heart and the flesh, making them both THE SAMEwhich they are NOT; which would ultimately make “BELIEF” a WORK”which it is NOT! {Can you see how TOTAL DEPRAVITY is the Lynchpin” upon which “Calvinism” relies?}
Very good Brother George. I would appreciate your thoughts and counsel regarding some things I had written on Ephesians 1:4.
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”
Since God is omniscient [all knowing] He certainly knew from eternity past who would exercise their “free will” to receive Christ and be placed “in Him,” but He knew this without imposing His will upon them.

Here is something we should all agree on. If you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day—you were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.

The basis for God “choosing” any one person lies solely in Jesus Christ’s sinless sacrifice and atonement and whether or not you are in Him. We are chosen in Him. If you are not “in Him” by faith and you die a physical death in your alienated condition, you were not chosen.

In His perfect and sovereign will, God did not choose to elect the better man and reject the inferior one. Scripture teaches that every true Christian was indeed chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world solely on the basis of grace through faith.

In addition, Holy Scripture teaches that God ordained all true believers to be endowed with the certain quality of righteousness—to become a peculiar and separated assembly. God has also specifically chosen those who believe in Christ Jesus to be “holy” and “without blame” before Him in love. Our spiritual rebirth imputes righteousness and perfection.

To be holy literally means that we are declared as the most holy thing. It refers to a saint. Personally, I don’t “feel” very holy or saintly—but I am. It is important for us to know that usage of the word holy, in this context, is not referring to changed “outward” behavior. It’s not referring to living a holy lifestyle or improving our behavior.

In this particular passage it denotes that we have an absolute holy standing before God Himself—a declaration of righteousness. In Christ we are: “…holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” (Colossians 1:22).

Brother George, as always, speak freely without any concerns of offending me.