the person writing is not open to any interaction. They have already made their mind up and are not looking for answers. Once in a while though, there is someone asking questions because they genuinely seek answers. While I do not believe this is the case with the following mail, it might be helpful for someone else who might be reading.
The visitor is writing in normal font and my very brief responses are in bold:
Visitor writes: God is NOT responsible for our wrong choices, and He is NOT obliging us to come to Him and force salvation on those who do not want.
My response: Actually I agree. God does not force salvation on those who do not want it. In grace though, He changes the disposition of our hearts, taking out the heart of stone, to see and adore what we were blind to before. All who genuinely come to Christ do so because they want to, which is always evidence that He has changed the “want to.”
Our Salvation depends on our own choice, not God’s.
All who come to Christ do so because of their choice, but man’s will is not the deciding factor in this. God’s mercy is. Human will is not a factor in our election to salvation, God’s mercy is (as Romans 9:16 states).
It is the prodigal son who chooses to return to God, but he could choose not to. He wasn’t forced or influenced in anyway. He noticed the goodness of his father, and returned home.
Do you believe then that the son returned without any activity on God’s part? It seems from your words that you do. If so, it would seem you are Pelagian in your view, which is outside the bonds of Christian orthodoxy. A good rule in hermeneutics is to interpret the narrative portions of the scripture (where there is a story being told) in the light of the didactic portions (where declarative teaching informs us). Just because no mention is made of the drawing of God in the story it is no indication that it was not a factor. Jesus Himself said “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…” (John 6:44). Christ’s clear statement on the matter should not be forgotten when we read this or any other biblical narrative.
But that choice was never coerced on him. That was an intelligent appreciation to the goodness of his father.
So, the prodigal is saved because of his intellect? Really? I disagree completely but lets go with that for a moment. When we ask “so who gave him that intelligence?” Don’t we end up right back where we started – God? If he had more intelligence that others who did not return, do we not end up back with God again as the source of the intelligence?
It is extremely dangerous to ascribe our salvation to our wisdom and insight. The Bible says we are dead in trespasses and sins, hostile towards God and blind to His beauty – blind, not short sighted. If you attribute salvation to anything other than “amazing grace” – and put intelligence in its place, you place man in control and therefore some of the glory for salvation has to go to man, who did something good with the intelligence he had. That is shockingly unbiblical.
And that appreciation is HIS appreciation, not the Father’s. The Bible is an “iffy” book, “if you obey”. “if you do not obey.” And we are not robots.
God tells us to obey and men are not robots – I agree. Man has a will but it is an enslaved will – in slavery to the sinful nature – John 8:34; Romans 8:7,8.
Our human reason may be deranged after sin, but yet God was right there to plant the enmity, and His Holy Spirit strives with man, except those who persisted to reject Him (Gen 6:3). Even after the fall of Adam into sin, and his family, God encouraged Cain to master and overcome sin which he must because God knows he can (Gen 4:7), otherwise He is stupid to command human of whom He knew they cannot perform.
Here again is classical Pelagian thought. The error is to believe because God commands us to do something, we have the power to do it apart from grace. God says “Be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.’ While it is right for God to command us to do this, man cannot, not because of a physical handicap, but because man’s nature is hostile to God – therefore man is responsible for his sin.
The Bible texts exhorting us to continue in God’s grace (Acts 13:42; Rom 11:22; Col 1:23; 1 Tim 4:16; Heb 3:14), to remain faithful unto death (Rev 2:10), to endure to the end (Matt 24: 13), to be steadfast and not to fall like the wicked (2 Pet 3:17), to make our calling and election sure (2 Pet 1:10), to examine whether we are in the faith and to prove it (2 Cor 13:5), to take heed to ourselves and unto doctrine, and to continue in it in order to be saved (1 Tim 4:16), to lay hold on eternal life and to keep the commandment without spot, unrebukable until the Jesus’ coming (1 Tim 6:12-14), to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering,” “to cast not away your confidence” (Heb 10: 23, 35), repeated command to “watch and be ready” (Matt 24:42, 44; Luke 21:34, 36; Matt 26:40, 41; Acts 20:31; 1 Cor 16:13; 1 Pet 5:8,9; The Lord’s words in Rev 3:2, 3; 16:15), the reality of the word choked by thorns, or withered due to stoniness and sun, and lacking endurance (Matt 13:20-22; Lk 8:13-14; Mark 4:5-7) and the possibility of faith grown dim and joining the drunk and getting drunk with them (Matt. 24: 48-51; 2 Pet 3:3, 4; ) –these teachings do not condone the presumption, “once saved, always saved,” because one can choose anytime to cast aside God’s grace, and choice can sometimes be so rebellious that it will depend on one’s own righteousness and forget God, and become self-righteous, or be self-decidedly wicked (Rev. 22:11).
The true child of God will endure to the end and be saved and heed all the warnings given for casting away trust in Christ.
How easily men backslides! Only just a few remain consistent and unchanging, and only a few are wholeheartedly enduring to the end and do not falter along the way. The rest are weakling Christians who lack endurance, persistence and patience just like those planted on stony ground or a ground full of thorns.
Actually Scripture’s testimony is that those who fully and finally leave the faith never were true disciples of Christ (1 John 2:19)
The choice of man is responsible for that, and God is in no way responsible for our wicked and careless intentions.
I agree – man is responsible for his sinful actions, not God.
Sin is our own act, not God’s.
Yes.
God’s foreknowledge is not responsible in predestining those who refuse to be saved.
I advise you to do a biblical study on foreknowledge rather than assume it simply means that He knows ahead of time which choices men will make. He does know that, of course. But that is not what is meant by the word ‘foreknowledge.” See https://effectualgrace.com/2011/02/07/gods-foreknowledge-and-election/
It is true that only a few will be saved because there are actually only few in a thousand who in heart have God’s law and principles, and are truly righteous.
Righteous without grace?
Only a few as we can observe around us, and as what Christ sees (Matt 7:13, 14). But God did not predestine them to be righteous, that’s their choice, and the influences which they succumbed to. He predestined that all, if possible all must be saved, but He knew only a few will respond.
I notice that there is no biblical text cited for your view for the simple reason that there are none.
His foreknowledge did not impinge upon our choices. His predestination wills all to be saved, and that was His intent that He is not will any should perish (2 Pet 3:9). But He knew not all will appreciate His will and act upon it. Only a few are in the straight narrow path. The majority of the Christians are on the broad ways of life which leads to death.
I believe you have misinterpreted 2 Peter 3:9, which clearly, in its context, refers to His elect. http://www.monergism.com/blog/understanding-2-peter-39-john-samson-guest-post
