Wayne M. wrote:
Seaton,
Would you be in agreement with as part of the preaching of the gospel, sinners should be exhorted to believe in, accept or receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour for salvation?

Whom we preach to is of no concern to us. We simply obey the call. Whether they are converted is of God, by God and in Christ. The means HE uses to bring His children unto salvation in Christ is grace and the Holy Spirit, by the Word. Where and how and with whom HE chooses and elects is in divine hands. Thank God.

None are worthy of salvation.
None are righteous, no not one.
God is gracious, merciful and God is Love. That is the crucial element of salvation in Christ Crucified.
_____________

JD wrote:
I don't know why we have laws and prisons and such like if people are not responsible for their actions.

Note your examples pointed to the iniquity and crime in man.

JD
It is because man is Totally Depraved and this sin affects his will directly and in such awful and evil power, that man's will cannot (R) cannot make a spiritual decision until Grace and the Holy Spirit provides the divine aid to do so.

Do you understand now?

Hence mans "free will" is limited to worldly decisions, eg salvation by human effort and such like. Thus his will is free but constrained by iniquity.

Jn 15:5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me YE CAN DO NOTHING."

But it's so nice to be back and see you two playing so nice together as usual.

As for "Calvs, Charismatics and Dispy Premills"

Don't forget what good old Spurgeon taught in truth, - Calvinism IS the Gospel and the Gospel is Calvinism.

You are joking of course?

If any serious funding was provided to the muslim nations, they would arm themselves to the teeth and be an even greater threat to world security than they are now.

The problem is not dollars, or the lack of them, the problem is their ideologies. Dollars went into Iran for years, and muslim belligerence kicked western style democracy out. Now they've gone backwards and they are dangerous. Plenty dollars went into Saudi also. As for the average Arab the animosity they feel against most things western is palpable amongst them.

This of course was inevitable in an Anti'God, Anti'Christian, Anti'Biblical, Liberal religion country, which prefers to teach Satanic abomination to it's children in school, than Christian Truth and Religion.

To those of you who are Arminian, Free Willer and synergist in your religion, and therefore "antiReformed" - may I just state that I blame you, for planting the SEED of heresy which has brought to the western nations, the Satanic religion of Liberalism.

JD, Abigail, spiritual, Michael, Yamil and other papists, etc etc. Your religion in common with the Liberals has demoted God, Christ and His merits, and raised the sinner to a level of spiritual ability that is UNBiblical and evil.

Ah so it has come at last. This was foreseen by all real Christians, that the prediction of Romans Chapter One, is being fulfilled in this United Kingdom of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Britain announces (has done for a while) that she is now no longer Christian, no longer recognises the Law of God in Scripture.

Psalm 94:23 "And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off."

Prov 29:16 "When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: BUT the righteous SHALL SEE THEIR FALL."

Can you see Britains fall??

Ro 1:32 "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

The Satanic religion of Liberalism has brought the church and state of this country to this sorry end. Their rejection of God and His Holy Writ, as taught in Romans One,(v18/25) predicts the decline and the signs of decline.

The reason for your question is because you can't receive the teaching from Scripture on, "the gift of Faith" Being still convinced of the all powerful human, (not as sinful as some say) and the lesser Sovereignty of God.

Actually if you read the original post containing my assertion above, you will see that your question is answered. But can you receive the simple truth of the matter???

Here is the teaching of the Truth.

WCF 14 *Of Saving Faith.*

1. The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls,(a) is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts,(b) and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word;(c) by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments and prayer, it is increased and strengthened.(d)

* a. Heb 10:39.
• b. Eph 1:17-19; 2:8; 2 Cor 4:13.
• c. Rom 10:14, 17.
• d. Luke 17:5; Acts 20:32; Rom 1:16-17; 4:11; 1 Pet 2:2.

swrb.com wrote:
For more insights into the errors of both Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism please see "Arminianism Another Gospel" at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=106071354170
Here is a brief quote from this free book:

The Arminian does stress man's responsibility to the exclusion of the sovereignty of God, & this is a fruitful cause of more than one error.

Keep up the good ministry.

Former Calvinist wrote:
Why do believers run to a MAN to prove their point?

The Gospel TRUTH has been the same since Jesus walked on the earth.

The Reformed can SEE the Truth in Reformed Theology By Grace and the Holy Spirit.

Reformed Theology comes from Biblical Doctrine, Truth and accurate exegesis.

As Spurgeon stated
The Gospel is Calvinism.
And Calvinism is the Gospel.

You call yourself a "Former Calvinist"
Wrong!!!

If you were ever a Calvinist with the Truth in you, - You would have continued in the Truth and by Grace Persevered just as TULIP states.

ALSO
24:25 "So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute....."

The verses you referred to are being "preached" to a Covenanted people. Now Paul makes the statement in Romans 9:6..."For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel" - Which is an important point to bear in mind when looking at the OT "evangel" chapters.

*Hyper-Calvinism* is pure heresy.
EG They believe
1] God is the author of sin/evil
2] Men have no will of their own
3] The number of the elect is known to men
4] It is wrong to evangelise.
*] Plus another dozen unholy convictions.

I am not an Hyper.
I evangelise to "ALL" because that is in obedience to God's Word/command.
God is certainly NOT the author of sin/evil. Because of His Love He "allows" iniquity in man to bear the fruits of sin. Only God knows who the Elect are at any time.

No Problem!

I doubt very much if God or His Son listens to your idolatrous prayers anyway. The Name, Jesus is only applied by God in the prayers of His Flock.

Jer 11:14 "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble."

Surely the TRUE Christian would not allow the term "spiritual" to continue to be maligned in this way.

Perhaps you should use another alias.

Many on the site would love to provide you with a pseudonym, suitable to your hearts postings.

Remember Jesus condemned the heart thus

Matt 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

And remember this good advice from Proverbs

Abigail wrote:
The saints in the OT were not filled with the Spirit, therefore they were not regenerated.

Deut 30:6 "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."

Now "circumcise thine heart" does not mean a cardiovascular operation with a scalpel. The Holy Spirit was not "on holiday" during the Old Testament time. The ability to believe was provided in the same manner as it is in NT times. The Holy Spirit's work has not changed then or now as regards the gift of Faith.
_________________

JD
Your
"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
How about making the calvinist case for the meaning of death using "dead to sin" by applying your definition."

Good point JD
Look closely at the verse it says "Likewise *RECKON* ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin"

JD wrote:
Why can't a soul that is goverened by sinful deeds repent and desire a change that is offered by God and why can't that soul receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Are we not to believe them?

For Example...

1Cor 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening(zoopoieo) spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

= Are we "made alive" in Christ?

Ro 6:11 "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Therefore "dead" has to apply to the other realm of Biblical discourse viz "spiritual."

The mere fact that it supports the "Pre" saved state, but also the use of the term "dead" - and not just "upset," "feeling sick" or "partially affected," communicates to the believer, that the difference requires a divine action to change that state, and NOT salvation by human cooperation or effort.

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: = Here we see the circumstance of the sinner who is spiritually dead to any choices, confirming the latter half of verse one. Note that both sin and Satan are preventing the natural man from this choice.

But like many problems in western society the nations are seeing decline through many ways and means.

The family, motherhood/fatherhood are responsibilities, and the modern generations don't want any responsibility in the same vein as they reject all authority in decent society.

ALL authority comes from God.
And since Italy, in common with the rest of europe and Britain, have rejected God and the authority of Scripture law, then He does not bless them, - why should He?

Hag 1:6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes

9 Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.