Chosen by God - A study in Election

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May 19, 2020
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You think somehow the potter's clay speaks about God acting completely and totally out of character? I don't deny Scripture, I recognize it for what it says. If we read Jeremiah we can see clearly the potter and clay analogy is about God judging not based on nothing, but based on whether the "clay" works good or evil.

Yet you abuse Scripture by not recognizing the understanding the audience would have had and forcing it into a Calvinist twist in which God acts capriciously.


I am glad you say you don’t deny scripture.

There is a guy on here who kicks against scripture a lot.....

Fruit of the Spirit is one.

The Holy Spirit dwells in a believer.....I had to show him scripture as he denied that it was God’s word.

Something not right with that,imo.
 
Apr 2, 2020
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"but based on whether the "clay" works good or evil"
There is absolutely nothing whatsoever in the text that indicates anything about the quality or any attribute of the clay itself. The key to the parable is the potter Himself. The righteousness of His judgments, His sovereign will to do as he sees fit, His divine prerogative of choice.
Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

How is that not speaking to the good and evil that is done?
 

cv5

Well-known member
Nov 20, 2018
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Don't you know . God has a secret will . Permissible will and a decretive will .( you couldn't make it up , oh wait ,they did) They needed a work a round to get passed those bother some verses lol
Doesn't quite work with 1 thes 4.3 though .
If you think that Lord God Almighty has disclosed to you the full scope and magnitude of His will, altogether with the secrets and hidden things, you had better reconsider.

If God to do that you would probably go insane and then your head would explode.

But beyond that, this is not scriptural. God has His confidential matters which only he attends to and as for you and me, we are provided information on a need to know basis.
 
Apr 2, 2020
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I am glad you say you don’t deny scripture.

There is a guy on here who kicks against scripture a lot.....

Fruit of the Spirit is one.

The Holy Spirit dwells in a believer.....I had to show him scripture as he denied that it was God’s word.

Something not right with that,imo.
Scripture is the only means by which we can truthfully come to know God, there is no denying it and avoiding building a god in one's own image.

I had a long fight accepting it as God's word, mostly because I was under the impression Calvinists were correct in their readings. I couldn't see how the God I first heard about could be so awful, how He could inspire such a hatred in as the doctrine "God hates the unrepentant" took hold of me. So I rejected it as truth but held it as useful for argumentation, but He brought me back to it first through Hebrews then through Leviticus.

There's a lot of good things in the Reformers theologies, but there's also a lot of human junk. Be careful not to rest too strongly on anyone's opinion, even your own.
 
May 19, 2020
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Amen!....Fruit Of The Spirit I stand on God’s word....

You shall know them by their fruit.

Thank you for your informative post.
 

cv5

Well-known member
Nov 20, 2018
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Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

How is that not speaking to the good and evil that is done?
That is outside the scope of this thread so I'm going to leave it thanks anyway.
 
Apr 2, 2020
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That is outside the scope of this thread so I'm going to leave it thanks anyway.
I'm not sure it is, as it speaks to the context of one of the most commonly cited verses to defend God's sovereign choice. Linking with Jeremiah 18 we see that the potter and clay analogy is not about an individual but God's selection of the nation of Israel, which Paul's letter to the Romans is discussing the removal of and reworking to allow the gentiles in. So right there we find the idea of particular election under attack when context is considered.
Even more, it speaks to God's purpose in election as that verse linked with the quote of Exodus 33 is given an distinctly different flavor. Rather than justifying God in capriciousness the combination of quotes speaks to God's election of the church in order to show mercy to the gentiles without going back on His promises to Israel.
These are the sorts of contextual things that are often missing from the discussion of whether these verse truly speak to particular election or if the surface gloss is mistaken.
 
May 19, 2020
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Had to post this,from a guy I follow on Facebook,a strong follower of Christ.

Did you receive the real Holy Spirit.

Wherever the Holy Spirit dwells.
His presence creates a hunger for Holiness .
His office is to magnify Christ,and it is He who gives the believer a desire to be like Christ.
The natural man has no such passion.
But in the Christian ,the Spirit of God begins to carry out the will of God to make the child of God like the Son of God( Romans 8:29.
And He who began this good work in the life of the believer " will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" ( Phillippians 1:6) Amen!
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
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The Biblical answer is clear and treated with the utmost thoroughness:
The "all men" are the ELECT.
Then why the word “specially”? It separates two things: all men from those men that believe. The verse clearly states that the Lord is the Saviour of both groups not some calvinist elect.
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
17,089
3,681
113
Had to post this,from a guy I follow on Facebook,a strong follower of Christ.

Did you receive the real Holy Spirit.

Wherever the Holy Spirit dwells.
His presence creates a hunger for Holiness .
His office is to magnify Christ,and it is He who gives the believer a desire to be like Christ.
The natural man has no such passion.
But in the Christian ,the Spirit of God begins to carry out the will of God to make the child of God like the Son of God( Romans 8:29.
And He who began this good work in the life of the believer " will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" ( Phillippians 1:6) Amen!
Very emotional statements but not always true of every believer. Paul warns us to not quench the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:30 Paul warns us again to not grieve the Holy Spirit.
 
Jul 20, 2019
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If you were chosen and someone else was not, no implication needed... it is a straight connection............. you rejoice in God's favoritism towards you over someone else.
of course I rejoice because I was chosen, but I do not do that at the expense of the rest of mankind. They are free to choose to have Jesus Christ as there lord and saviour and take it from there. No one will be denied the gift of salvation or the Holy Spirit . That none shall perish but have the gift of eternal life. Victory is mine says the lord.
 
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EleventhHour

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EleventhHour

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Not sure why I got a red X for quoting scripture.
You got a red x for once again misapplying scripture.

God cannot act against His nature... for instance God cannot lie.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
 
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EleventhHour

Guest
All you really have to notice here, is how the other side "Free Willist" never answer a direct question. They hang their erroneous Dogma, on human understanding, while ignoring so much Scripture and then claim the other side does the same.

I have put forth questions, again and again and again, they answer with a question or try to use Scripture against Scripture.

The conversations go nowhere, so what is the point? And how is God honored in these things?
They hang their erroneous Dogma, on human understanding, while ignoring so much Scripture and then claim the other side does the same.
Oh the irony!!!

Every single proof text of Calvinism in context and according to and understanding the grammar correctly refutes every point of Calvinism.

Staring with John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


And yes "whoever" is correct.
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
I am glad you say you don’t deny scripture.

There is a guy on here who kicks against scripture a lot.....

Fruit of the Spirit is one.

The Holy Spirit dwells in a believer.....I had to show him scripture as he denied that it was God’s word.

Something not right with that,imo.
Wrong what @dcontroversal challenged was your statement ...... "Jesus lives in our hearts" and whether that is found in scripture in those words.
 
Apr 2, 2020
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Oh the irony!!!

Every single proof text of Calvinism in context and according to and understanding the grammar correctly refutes every point of Calvinism.

Staring with John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


And yes "whoever" is correct.
It's the theology of surface glosses except when the surface gloss uses inclusive language, then they believe God really meant to add "of the elect" to any, all, and world. For example, what God really meant in John 3:16 is "For God so loved the world of the elect that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever of the elect beleives in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Just gotta "harmonize."
 
May 19, 2020
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You got a red x for once again misapplying scripture.

God cannot act against His nature... for instance God cannot lie.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.


Once again I did not misapply scripture,I posted scripture....

And once again you deny that scripture,....which speaks volumes ,plus you still haven’t answered the post that Awelight gave,I even told you the number.

You will use whatever excuse you can to dodge certain scripture.
 
May 19, 2020
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Wrong what @dcontroversal challenged was your statement ...... "Jesus lives in our hearts" and whether that is found in scripture in those words.

dc,denied that God lives in our hearts,sorry lady,that is what he posted,he laughed at it even.

So unfortunately your cover up for him as usual wont work.
 
May 19, 2020
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Response...





I would agree context is a problem... my understanding is that God is not the author of evil?

Once again,who posted that God was evil?

Please show me,we posted scripture,which you denied.

You use the same excuse,”context”.....or the twisting of words.which you and dc do all of the time......
 
May 19, 2020
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Wrong what @dcontroversal challenged was your statement ...... "Jesus lives in our hearts" and whether that is found in scripture in those words.

Ephesians 3:17

So that Christ ( who is Jesus by the way) May dwell in your hearts through faith.
Then you,being rooted and grounded in love.


Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.
Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

Father,Son,Holy Spirit all three are one.
 
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