It does not mean mankind is totally depraved, it does not mean man has total inability to respond to God thru his word.
The answer is found in this truth:
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Ge 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man�s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
When Adam sinned the Glory of God left man, and Satan became mankind's dominator spiritually, but the lord made away, that until Jesus came to the earth and lived and then died and was resurrected, that mankind could walk with God.
Yes man was dead spiritually, but the word tells us how man could walk in the light of God's word, in making this statement, I am not saying or insinuating man can save himself.
This post is to show how man walked with God prior to the resurrection.
0 � 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.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
1 � My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:20 � 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.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
1 � My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
The word of God told mankind how to do exactly, what some say, and want you to believe, that man can not repsond to the word of God.
Number one to keep the word of God before your eyes!!
Number two keep it in your ears.!!!
Number three keep them in the midst of your heart!!!
Number four speak these word out of your mouth, for they will produce faith, and that faith was accounted unto whosever did that as rightousness!!
We will make another post to illustrate this principle!!
1 Corinthians 5:5 says- "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
If it's all about God choosing who among us will be the "elect", why on earth would a person need to be delivered unto satan so that in the day of the Lord his spirit may be saved? MAY be SAVED? He's either "elect" saved, or 'un-elect', destined for hell, according to James, so what's up with the above verse? Who does it apply to?
How about Jude 1:23? "And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." Explain "elect", "non-elect" in the context of this verse. Sounds to me like those that Jude tells us to pull out of the fire are those destined for hell, no? But then, they would be the "non-elect" if they were destined for hell, right?
So... let's say one of my family members or one of my friends or coworkers has rejected Christ up to this point and therefore is not of "the elect".
James replies:
You and I can never look at anyone and know that they will never accept Christ.
You said:
Am I to think that God made him for destruction; an 'un-elect' and outcast from the family of God, and heck, because he's rejected Christ through no will of his own, because after all, he doesn't have a will of his own to make that decision or not, there's no sense in praying for him because he's gonna be thrown in hell without the hope of Salvation? Is that about right?
James replies:
You are to pray for them, and present the gospel to them, and be a good example. The rest is up to God.
And once again, you and I can never look at another human being, and say, "that person will never accept Jesus".
You said:
And what of the person who willfully [or not?] denies Christ, then sometime down the road, maybe a year or two, whatever, realizes his need for a Savior and places his trust and life in Christ? Did God cause him to deny Christ and then later accept Christ? Does God cause someone to deny Christ? Did God cause Peter to deny Christ three times, thereby making Peter blameless in his denial of Christ?
James replies:
There are only two conditions, for human beings. Lost, and spiritually dead, or saved and born again. The Holy Spirit works in a persons life, sometimes gradually, and lots of times suddenly, but again, there are only two conditions.
Why let the wheat and the tares growup together instead of pulling the tares up early?.....Did God forget who he chose as elect?...Did they get all mixed up and He can't tell them apart?
The more I think about your doctrine, the more I see how out of line with scripture it is. If Calvin hadn't been such a prolific writer. 500 years ago, and this doctrine was developed in this day it would be considered cultish.
