So those whom God chooses are Christians, those in Christ. It's up to us in hearing the gospel to believe it or not. That is what the apostles did, proclaim the gospel. Those who hear so as to believe have an honest heart but those who do not believe have a hard heart. Here Paul presents them the gospel, what does Paul say about why they didn't believe. Acts 13:46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Paul puts it on them for not obeying the gospel.
Can't truly believe until saved as in Gal 2:16, and the below.
[2Co 4:3-4 KJV]
3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
[Act 13:48 KJV]
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord:
and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
So those whom God chooses are Christians, those in Christ. It's up to us in hearing the gospel to believe it or not. That is what the apostles did, proclaim the gospel. Those who hear so as to believe have an honest heart but those who do not believe have a hard heart. Here Paul presents them the gospel, what does Paul say about why they didn't believe. Acts 13:46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Paul puts it on them for not obeying the gospel.
If it is a requirement that someone do something to become saved, then Christ is not the Saviour.
All of the unsaved thrust aside the word of God. They do so because they have not been given the faith of Christ, nor a renewed mind through salvation. Nevertheless, they still stand guilty before God.
Didn't you read the verses I included about natural man not being able to comprehend things spiritual? If unable to comprehend that, then it is impossible for anyone to choose Christ.
The heart of natural man is deceitful and wicked. God must give a new heart through salvation that it be otherwise.
[Jer 17:9 KJV] 9
The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?
[Eze 36:26 KJV]
26 A
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and
I will give you an heart of flesh.
It is the duty of all saved to preach/proclaim the gospel to everyone, yet, only those God had elected to salvation will respond to it.
[2Co 2:15-16 KJV]
15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, i
n them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16 To the one [we are] the
savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who [is] sufficient for these things?
There were those who did obey the gospel by being baptized.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. They're appointed because they obeyed the gospel by being baptized just as Jesus said.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
The whoever is the one believing. Which is anyone who believes. They were to preach to every creature and the one believing and being baptized is the one that is saved.
The verse says those ordained to eternal life believed. Why would anyone choose of themselves to obey the gospel if they didn't first believe? Yet according to you, they obeyed before they believed - with belief coming afterwards - seems illogical to me. Instead, their belief came from being ordained - they were ordained before the foundation of the world: ordained to eternal life first, because of, and from that, they believed - with no action required by them in between. Being ordained had no prerequisite - it stands alone - everything proceeded from and because of it.
The baptism is baptism by the Spirit, not by man.
To believe is from the faith of Christ, not by man.
Yes, the whoever is anyone who believes, but to believe is only given to the whoever by Christ's faith, not of themselves.
I'm thinking we're going around in circles at this point in that we're both repeating the same points, so I don't see
much value in continuing. I think it comes down to a fundamental unresolvable difference between our points of view: you see it that man must do something to become saved, I on the other hand, believe not.
So, let's call a time-out and ponder each other's position. Should either of us have a new revelation, we can restart.