These that try to take scripture and make it as their foundation that man can not save himself.
There is no argument that man can not not save himself, but there is evidence that unregenerate man can respond to the word of God in his state of spiritual separation.
The word of God teaches and always has taught that they are at least two in agreement to be a partaker of covenant.
There is God's promise to man in every covenant, and the condition's man is responsible for in that covenant.
Men has the ability asked of him by a just God, and that answer, or requirement has always been faith.
Jesus discussed in the parable of the sower:
Man is expected to hear the word of God, to be careful what he hears, in other words do not receive all that he hears, make sure it agrees with the totality of scripture!!
Then he chooses to believe the scripture, we know that thru out scripture we see those that chose to believe and also those that chose not to believe.
Then in being a doer of what he hears and believes, is the man's response to what he heard and believes, is his faith.
When man lives in the light of the word of God as mentioned in this parable, it is referred to as walking with God, walking in the light of the word of God.
Here it is in the old testament:
Prov 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 � My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Can you find mankind that pleased God in the old covenant?
Please address EXACTLY what is being avoided, and I will address it if I can. EXACTLY what does not reconcile with what? You don't have to type the entire verse, I can look them up. And be so kind as not to bury me in a mountain of Scripture, (that is just rude there is time to post others later) So what scripture doesn't reconcile with what scripture?
Well, we can start with this, Joh 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT BY GOD.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
Joh 6:65 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."
Rom 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
Rom 3:10 As it is written: "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE;
Rom 3:11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS; THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD.
Rom 3:12 THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE; THEY HAVE TOGETHER BECOME UNPROFITABLE; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, NO, NOT ONE."
Rom 9:8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
Rom 9:9 For this is the word of promise: "AT THIS TIME I WILL COME AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON."
Rom 9:10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac
Rom 9:11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),
Rom 9:15 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."
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Rom 9:17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I HAVE RAISED YOU UP, THAT I MAY SHOW MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MAY BE DECLARED IN ALL THE EARTH."
Rom 9:18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
Rom 9:19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?"
Rom 9:20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"
Rom 9:21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
Rom 9:22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
Rom 9:23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
Rom 9:24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
Pro 20:9 Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Eze 16:2 "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
Eze 16:3 and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: "Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
Eze 16:4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
Eze 16:5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.
Eze 16:6 "And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'
Just so you know; I am Not playing "scripture chess" with you, I really want to discuss this. I have to get some horse stuff done before dark, then meeting some friends tonight. I will read seriously what you have posted and get back to you either late tonight or early in the morning.
Ok, just a quick skimming of the mountain of scripture you provided reveals it contains no verse which denies the possibly that man still retains a innate ability to respond to Gods invitation.
I will read more when I have time. Is there any particular verse you would like addressed first?
Leon there is no merit in 50 or 100 scriptures quoted out of context, and man's opinion applied to them. if there is one scripture that is not the truth, then we have no reason to believe any scripture for all would have to be a lie.
Jesus this is how the kingdom of God operates, so those words speak for them self and in every aspect he spoke of in the parable of the sower refutes every aspect of Calvinism, but one first hear what the word says, and then believe, and you refuse to do either.
Leon it has always been of those that preach calvin's unbelief, to ignore scriptural answer's, your response is the same every time, ignoring the word of God.
