8401	Forums / Theology Forum / Election?	on: September 30, 2006, 08:50:18 AM
Im not sure what I believe on this subjuct MBG. But, I can tell you this far that I do believe it is a calling that brings a person unto salvation. I think we would all agree there.

But really in the judgement at the end of all things doesnt God choose that person for eternal destruction? I mean couldnt He have made a remedy at that point? The person who is going to destruction knows he deserves it but God chooses to send Him there, that person does not decide in any fashion. There really is at no point in a persons existence where he has a free choice in the Arianism sense. We believe that Adam had a free choice in the garden, meaning that he had the power not to eat in himself, but we also believe that God predetermined Adams choice. That is a mystery at the point of choice in Adam. Because if we consider that the circumstances had any thing to do with the power of Adams choice then Adam would have been at a disadvantage in comparison to us being that the garden was profoundly more pleasant than post sin circumstances. So Adam had a power in himself yet he chose to sin not by any other means than what was in Adam.
We are seen in Adam, so that we are seen making the same choice, and that is why sin is imputed to our account by God. We know that freedom does not mean that we have the ability to choose between good and evil, between heaven and hell, but that we can choose what we want when we want, when we reach out an grasp the object that is most pleasing to us. What determines our choices is the state of our souls, the condition of our hearts prior to our actions.  Our responsibility falls on the fact that in that ability to choose from what we are pleased with the most.
 
The scripture says that we are unable to choose good. We do not have the power to choose any good. The objects are too heavy so that we cannot lift them. Inability does not impede free choice. We still can be free to choose to fly, but we are unable to accomplish staying in the air.
We are only enabled by being regenerated. So in a sense we are not responsible for our lack of ability. Because each choice is enabled by grace. So in a sense we can lack the grace and be unable. We can be babies in the faith and not know in an experiential way and be unable. Really there is no difference between what we do and what God can create in us to do. Just because there is a lack does not necessarily fall completely on our shoulders. That is the security that we have in having a proper view of God. That is all of our abilities are short of being able to meet Gods standards of strength. We cannot perform one thing by our own ability. So really there is no seperate willing that falls short by us and what good we do that meets the standard. Every thing we do is enabled by God