Salvation is a Free Gift.

John 5:24-25

No. It is to all those not His sheep.

[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.

Do you believe receiving is of necessity active, or can it be passive? For example, if I went to your bank and deposited $100.00 in your account, would you have received it? Did you have to do anything to receive it?

Misapplication of Scripture. The lost are those who reject the Gospel, not those who are supposedly "elected" to Hell. You have no clue about the Gospel and you persist in your false beliefs. So actually your mind is blinded.

You are pitting what Paul explained is the condition of the Jews that the Prophets prophesied with Paul speaking about the completed Gospel. The verses you used the Gospel was still being played out. You aren't even correct with logistics let alone with Biblical collation.

How does it benefit me if I never withdraw it or spend it? Have I received it if it just sits there and does nothing?
Maybe it accrues interest. But that is getting away from what Scripture says, which is that those who receive
Jesus Christ are given the power to become sons of God, born of God.


Ephesians 1:13-14

I'll come back to receiving again. What is the power that is given? What makes someone born of God?

What is the power?

Isn't it the power of God to transform us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Light?

He: has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued
us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:12b-13

Right. It's the Holy Spirit. And it is the Spirit that is the power to become a son of God. It is He who is deposited in you. But unlike a deposit in your bank account, He doesn't wait to be accessed. He comes rarin' to go.

Interesting thought. Though I honestly don't see it, Ill look into it.

Nice to meet you as well

Gotta be careful not to make repentance into a work here..or belief into a work.

Repentance is a change of mind, heart toward Jesus Christ so we can believe in Him. It isn't lessening sin in our lives before salvation is given.

And this is led by Him. He allows us to believe.

Most of the book of John shows this. And Romans 10.

Gotta be careful not making repentance or belief into self effort to be saved.

No problem. I appreciate you replying.

Automatic is a word I am not used to in theological discussions. It does have a ring to it as, since Christ was crucified for your sins, "Bam" you are now automatically saved. I don't in any way agree with that either.

I also believe man is active in salvation. Not in the sense he contributes to his salvation, but as Romans 10 teaches, man must believe in his heart and confess with his mouth.
It's by grace man is saved. Through faith, which isn't of ourselves, it's a gift. This gift of faith is our faith, and we must believe. Faith = Justification.

Well that would depend on whom Christ died for, if he didn't die for the entire world, then not everyone would be saved.


But it's belief/faith that justifies us.

Thankfully.

But where do you get this teaching from scripture? That's obvious.

I believe @rogerg hit the nail on the head.

So you can believe in him? Would you explain that? How repentance makes it so we can believe in Jesus.

Thanks

Repent would be going from a state of unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ. Belief that He is God, that He died and rose again, that by belief in Him you have eternal life.

This being allowed and led by Jesus through the Holy Spirit.