I had to omit most of your post due to space constrains, so I encourage those who want to understand my comments to refer back to it.
You didn't quote the entire section of Scripture that I mentioned (1 Cor 1:26ff). You only qouted the first verse, which didn't really make my point.
Do you know what "ff" means? It means all verses forward from that point.
And in these verses, the phrase "God chose" is repeated three times. I don't know if you are aware of this, but when the authors of Scripture repeat things, they do it because they are emphasizing something important.
Additionally, the section says that God did this for specific purposes. He chose weak individuals in a worldly sense, to make his strength more visible. So, he chose specific individuals, not just anyone, in order to make his strength show more clearly through them. And, he mentions salvation terminology in regards to this. He was not talking about mission alone, as the free-willer claims on so many other Scriptures teaching election.
Regarding your assessment of my exegetical and reasoning ability, it really isn't important for me to defend myself to you in this regard.
I think it's pretty funny that you claim God exerted simple persuasion upon Jonah. Do you really think that there's any chance Jonah or any other man can escape God's will for them? LOL.
What about Paul? He was knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus and told what he WILL do. There was no gentle persuasion here like your free willer god supposedly gently exerts, like some crying little old man who is helplessly watching without being able to stop all these sinners going to eternal punishment.
Romans 9 is clearly teaching that no one can resist God's will, and that some individuals are already destined for glory, and others are destined to destruction.
And, it is God who shapes those individuals for these fates.
By the way, your argument would be very much like what the charges Paul anticipates here:
Romans 9:1-24 1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
(ESV Strong's)
Now, whether free-willers like it or not, it is what Scripture teaches. No one resists God's will for them, and there are individuals God is shaping for glory, and there are individuals who are not being shaped for glory.
Additionally, God will show his wrath for those individuals as a display of his power. So, even in their destruction, his attributes will be more clearly displayed. He will be showing that he hates sin (in reality, he even hates the unrepentant sinner but that's a topic most free willers will simply deny).
Regarding this remark:
Can God not bring about his will even within free will? I think he can. Remember Jonah ran away but God didn't robotically take control over him. God did some mighty convincing and Jonah still hated that God was forgiving the gentiles
You are describing compatibilism, which I explained to you as my position!!! What the heck is your problem? I am not sure you are even reading what I have said, other than some cursory glance.
Compatibilism is the normal Reformed position.
Regarding your understanding of biblical faith, the issue is that you are claiming an unsaved man has biblical faith already. As I have indicated, God gives the believer his faith through regeneration. There is an inferior level of faith which is not Spirit-wrought but it will not endure. You see this described in John 6. One group of followers does not persevere because their faith is inferior and not Spirit-wrought. The other group of followers has been given supernatural faith, and they persevere.
The difference is regeneration.
As for the believer, though, it is obvious these gifts associated with salvation were PROVIDED and were not generated by the person himself.
Ephesians 2:1-10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV Strong's)
Regarding the KJV bible issue at the jail, the problem is that many of these men have learning deficiencies. Additionally, they were not given dictionaries. Actually, I gave some of them dictionaries from my own funds in order to help them out in that way later, but the KJV only guys certainly didn't step forward and provide them very often.
By the way, you can continue criticizing my reasoning ability. I simply think you are trying to manufacture a belief system that is consistent with your own philosophical presuppositions about God that are not biblical.
And, I made it clear that I do not consider critical reasoning skills, inductive and deductive reasoning, and examination of fallacies to be "philosophy". The real issue is foundation. Is one's foundation Scripture, or is one's foundation some humanistic presuppositions that are unbiblical, such as libertarian free will?
You have made it clear from the past that you hold the position of libertarian free will. This is an unbiblical presuppositon. I think you know it is unbiblical, so you try to mollify your position by your "strong persuasion" qualifiers lol.
God does more than use "strong persuasion". He actually changes the nature of those that he chooses. And, Scripture is clear on this.
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