I can assure you that I completely understand that God is fair in His dealings with mankind. I have no inclination to think that God would be unfair to not give us a choice in the matter. The reason I believe what I believe is because the Biblical data seems to point that direction, not because the opposite seems absurd.
I have never claimed that people merit or contribute to the actual saving work. I have only conveyed that God saves when people want to be saved and call on His name.
Romans 10:13-14 is clear that belief preceded salvation:
"whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (salvation from calling on Him)
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? (calling on Him comes after believing in Him)
How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? (belief comes after hearing)
So we shouldn't keep saying things like "a person can't believe until they're saved". It's a demonstrably false statement
Are you aware that the word "saved" has an already-but-not-yet aspect?
Perhaps you are not...if you are a product of dispensationalist teaching. It is one of their problems.
Final salvation is not consummated until glorification, which occurs at Jesus' return.
Am I saying that the real Christian, who has been united with Christ, may not experience glorification? No, I believe that the true Christian will always be glorified at the return of Jesus. That is when he receives his resurrection body.
But, what I am saying is one proof-text such as you used doesn't prove your point. If you understood the already-but-not-yet hermeneutic, you would not have attempted to use it with me, unless you think I am uninformed.
The problem is that the unregenerate man has no facility for faith. He has a heart of stone, not a heart of flesh. He needs a heart of flesh to exercise faith and repentance. It doesn't come from a heart of stone. This is something that free-willers categorically deny, though. This is because they trust in the flesh to exact their ultimate rescue. They refuse to acknowledge that it is all from God, and none from them.
Additionally, they refuse to look at the larger metanarrative. I have already mentioned it. God elected certain individuals to salvation. He knew them from eternity past. He gave these to the Son. The Son atoned for their sins on the Cross. This atonement was personal and actual, not impersonal (general or universal) and theoretical. The Holy Spirit applies this redemption to the believer in time, at the moment of his regeneration.
My position would be that the primary reason they ignore this larger metanarrative is that it chafes agains their Play-doh version of God. They simply cannot believe in a God who exercises his sovereignty over salvation.
By the way, I am attaching a PDF copy of an explanation I created as an overview of the Scriptures for prisoners in jail ministry. If you really think your metanarrative of Scripture is more coherent than mine, show me how my metanarrative is wrong. If nothing else, it will help me to understand how you free-willers think.
I invite anyone else to review it and refute me...go ahead
It represents a solid Reformed perspective.
To be honest, I don't think free-willers even play on the same playground as the Reformed. I don't even listen to their teachings anymore. I spent like 25-30 years amongst different free-willers, and really didn't learn much at all from them. I spend 6-7 years with non-Reformed believers and learn a LOT from them.
Yes, that is my opinion on free-willers. I am honest about it. I think they are really mixed up believers for the most part, but some are strictly works-oriented Pelagians. Some are antinomians as well.
As for you, Mr. Diakonos, I suggest that you go back and study salvation in the NT, as well as the OT. If you are not aware of the already-but-not-yet teaching of Scripture, I suggest that you read materials on this. Because, I don't think you should honestly have used your proof-text if you really understood what the already-but-not-yet principle teaches in regards to salvation.