When Calvinism puts God 100% in control in who will or will not believe where man has no control, no input but can only do what is forced upon by God, then that does for a fact make god morally culpable for those that are non-believers and lost.
I already told you that I am not a 5 point Calvinist so enough with the labels.
When YOU say God must first "enable" one to come to Christ before one can come to Christs, then YOU have put God 100% in control over who can and cannot come to Christ where man has no control at all,no input himself, then that does make God morally culpable for all those that do not come to Christ.
Man is incapable of coming to Christ all by himself. As I already said, the approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to choose Christ, we must choose Him by our own freewill, so God doesn't decide who can and cannot come to Christ where man has no control at all. The impulse to faith in Christ comes from God. Your theology is out of balance.
Not only is it making God morally culpable for those lost it makes God a respecter of persons, Rom 2:6-11. When it comes to judgement and salvation God is no respecter of persons but Calvinism makes God a respecter of person for God has more respect for those individuals He supposedly unconditionally predetermined to be saved before the world began, would have respect of persons for those YOU claim He must 'enable' before they can come to Christ and be saved. From Rom 2:6-11 judgment/salvation is based upon the type of WORKS one does and not upon some random choice God made among men.
Here you go again with Calvinism, which you seem to be obsessed with criticizing. Jesus said in John 6:65 that no one can come to Me
unless it is granted him by the Father (ESV; NAS)
unless the Father has enabled him (NIV; CEB)
unless the Father has made it possible for him/to do so (CJB; GNT). Your argument is with God, not with me.
In regards to Romans 2:6-11, If one reads Romans 2:6-10 in isolation from the rest of the book of Romans, one might conclude that Paul was teaching salvation by works. However, as you read and study these passages, it is imperative to keep in mind that these verses do not describe how one becomes saved, but the way the saved conduct their lives. These workss done are the result of, not the means or basis of receiving salvation. So patient continuance in well doing, seeking for glory, honor, and immortality; (vs. 7) is not at all set forth as the means of their procuring eternal life, but as a description of those to whom God does render life eternal. Notice that
ALL who receive eternal life are described as such,
everyone who does good (vs. 10). Good deeds flow from a heart that is saved and evil deeds flow from a heart that is unsaved. Verse 8 - but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation and wrath. Notice that
ALL who do not receive eternal life are described as such,
everyone who does evil (vs. 9). What those passages convey is that though our deeds are judged by God, it's not the good deeds themselves which are the basis or means of our salvation, but the type of deeds expose whether our heart was saved, or not. These deeds done out of faith are the fruit, not the root of our salvation. If Paul wanted to teach that we are saved by works, then he would have clearly stated that we are saved through faith
and works in Ephesians 2:8 and that we are justified by faith
and works in Romans 5:1 but that is clearly NOT what Paul said. Also see (Romans 4:4-6; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9 etc..).
---The fact Lydia (and Cornelius) was a worshipper of God while lost shows that Calvinism is wrong about total depravity and that one does not have to first be "regenerated" or "enabled" by the Holy Spirit before he is able to believe God for they ALREADY believed in God while in a lost state.
There is a difference between believing that "there is one God" (even the demons believe that - James 2:19) and believing the gospel by trusting in Christ's finished work of redemption as the all sufficient means of our salvation (Romans 1:16), which the demons do not believe and Lydia later came to believe.
---nothing in the context does not say Lydia had to have her heart 'supernaturally' by God. Again, if this were the case then God is morally culpable for those who have closed hearts and God is being a respecter of persons for those whose heart He does open.
Your reasoning and understanding is flawed. Acts 16:14 clearly states that God
opened Lydia's heart (other translations say
"enabled her to embrace Paul's message" which means to open one's understanding what is otherwise hidden to their intellect. To open and thus to explain the Scripture. To thoroughly disclose or cause one to thoroughly understand. This "means to explain what is concealed or obscure." The natural man is spiritually discerned.
As I posted already "the context of Acts 16 says v13 " we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither; 14And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."
V13 says Paul "spake unto" her, Lydia "heard us" v14 and it was Lydia's hearing Paul's words, understanding those words that convicted her heart to attend unto the things spoken by Paul. God opened her heart by the gospel message spoken to her by Paul. The context does NOT say God opened Lydia's heart to enable her to listen to Paul, she was already listening v14.
Once again, the supernatural opening of one's (spiritual) eyes, the opening of one's heart to Scriptural truth, explaining the truth, and unless this occurs, we cannot truly understand it naturally, because it is supernatural - (Luke 24:45; Luke 24:32), the supernatural opening of Lydia's heart to receive the gospel preached by Paul (Acts 16:14). The gospel does not come to us in
word only, but also in
power and in the
Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Lydia was drawn and taught by God.
Her heart was opened which enabled her to to understand what would otherwise be hidden.
Nothing supernatural here - Paul spoke the gospel to Lydia, she heard and obeyed that gospel message by being BAPTIZED. One has not accepted the gospel message until he/she has been baptized, Acts 2:41.
False. See what happens when the natural man interprets God's Word?
God's divine drawing and opening Lydia's heart is supernatural whether you accept the truth or not. Also, we
obey the gospel by
choosing to believe the gospel (Romans 10:16). Your watered down gospel is not the gospel of Christ which is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16). Those who receive the gospel message through repentance/faith are "afterwards" water baptized. See Acts 3:19; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31.
Lydia was drawn by that word by being taught, hearing and learning just as John 6:45 says.
No, it was not word only. Her
heart was opened by God to understand what would otherwise be hidden to her intellect.
Those in Acts 2 were taught by Peter, they heard and learned and their heart was pricked by that word prompting them to ask what they must do just as Jn 6:45 says and no "supernatural" drawing.
Their hearts were not pricked by his words alone.
No one comes to Christ unless the Father draws them which is a supernatural drawing (John 6:44). Apart from God drawing them, they would not have repented and believed the gospel. After Peter told Jesus that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, what did Jesus tell him in Matthew 16:17? -
flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
--no verse says God supernaturally draws men, he draws them by His word when they are taught, hear and learn, Jn 6:45.
John 6:44 is a
supernatural drawing. This means that no human, on his own, has the moral and spiritual ability to come to Christ unless God the Father
draws him. You are in complete denial and refuse to accept the truth.
In Acts 2 why did the Spirit send Phillip to teach the eunuch instead of the Spirit just "supernaturally" drawing the eunuch to Christ apart form the word being preached? 1 Cor 1:18,21 God has chosen PREACHING to save, that is, the WORD being taught, heard and learn to save and not some random "supernatural" event. James 1:21 it is the engrafted WORD that is able to save your souls not some random "supernatural" event.
God's word is alive and powerful yet no one comes to the Father
UNLESS THE FATHER DRAWS THEM. "Thus saith the Lord" - John 6:44. The word saves after we are drawn to the word and enabled to understand what would otherwise be hid then we choose to believe the gospel and are saved.
Rom 1:16 the GOSPEL is the power of God unto salvation, not some random "supernatural" event.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (no one comes to Me unless My Father draws him - John 6:44) ONE DOES NOT EXCLUDE THE OTHER - drawn/enabled; believe the gospel/saved. When will you respond to God's drawing and BELIEVE?
