MUST God "regenerate" one to faith in Christ - or can ANYONE believe that desires to?
Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2024 2:57 pm
Being spiritually DEAD - what does this REALLY mean?
Incredibly, Calvinists and Reformed Theology falsely asserts that God's choice to save a person has NOTHING whatsoever to do with one's exercising of personal faith - despite what the Bible says about this - because they contend that doing so is IMPOSSIBLE, as they assert if such were possible, a person having their OWN ability to have faith in Christ would be doing a good deed or "work" (to EARN their ability to enter Heaven) that God has made them incapable of exercising on their own. But IS faith a WORK? And has God not given ALL persons a choice (whether to embrace or reject Him / Jesus)? OR, as Five Point Calvinism insists, does God instead cast the choice to have faith UPON people by supposedly "regenerating them from being spiritually dead and INCAPABLE of having faith in God to becoming Believers in Him?
And, related, as Calvinism and Reformed theology further insists, DOES God also PREVENT faith in vast billions of people, having chosen, before time, to eternally trap them in their unbelief, and that He supposedly made this decision FOR them, and BEFORE THEY WERE BORN or had EVER even sinned - and thus condemning them to eternal punishment? But what does the Bible say about all of this?
In this important short video, theologian Dr. Leighton Flowers speaks to the Bible's truths and answers to these important questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4pCWcBZgy8&t=14s
So, Who and what all persons did Jesus come to earth to collectively save?
16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)
Notice, in these important verses (above), WHO all, INCLUSIVELY, did Jesus come to save? Was it a world full of BELIEVERS or already saved people (note that, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was for ALL who have faith in God / Jesus, across ALL time, past, present and future!). No, Jesus came to save an UNBELIEVING / yet unsaved world. And He came to save ALL eventual Believers COMMITTED / SUBMITTED to Him through faith - but not all PEOPLE - as, sadly, many have and will permanently reject Jesus / God - and ONLY of their own desire to do so.
But NO one could even believe if God had not already made that possible, and Jesus made certain, upon His death and resurrection on the Cross - as He paid the price for our sins and misdeeds that God says we are incapable of paying ourselves. We can't ever be good enough to merit God's salvation, as only God has the ability to make us right and acceptable to Himself - and He did so through Jesus at the Cross! And He does that for ALL who will believe.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has HEARD and LEARNED from the Father comes to Me" (John 6:44-45).
God's drawing people first is necessary to one's salvation, but His drawing and wooing them is ONLY effective upon those who will, at some point, have an OPEN heart and mind toward Him AND that OBEY what He says they must do to be saved - meaning that, those who find acceptance in Christ must hear the Gospel message, truly believe it in heart and mind, and, again, must OBEY it - per their repentance of sin (they must change their spiritual and mental attitude, turning from their desires to sin, to instead desiring to follow and obey the directives of Jesus).
Again, God grants that ONLY those who TRULY believe can come to Jesus: 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6: 64-65)
Know that many people physically came to Jesus, but did not believe or accept Him as the Messiah or their Savior - meaning, they didn't fully and TRULY come to him, Because God the Father has given to Jesus ONLY those who TRULY believe in him, and not those who just make a claim of belief or an offer to believe. Many loved that Jesus fed them with the miracles of fish and loaves - as their hunger was fed. And yet, many did not believe in Him as the promised Messiah, or want to commit themselves to Him - they just wanted FOOD and / or they had hard hearts and minds. But ALL who will, eventually and at whatever point in their lives, submit to Jesus, WILL powerfully be drawn by God to Himself. As the ONLY thing that prevents one from being drawn to Christ is a closed, rejecting and resistant heart and mind toward God.
Here then, is how the Father brings people to Jesus. People are taught by God: Those who hear and actually learn from God will fully come to Jesus. Add in Paul's statement and it becomes very clear: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Those who believe come to Jesus. How do people believe? They hear the words of God -- words that that came from the Father. Jesus was not talking about an arbitrary selection of individuals from before the creation of the world. He was talking about a plan of God that would draw people to His truth / to Christ. It starts with God's teaching, which then awakens belief in some people who then seek out Jesus with their full hearts.
God desires ALL people come to Him and be saved (and not, as Calvinism teaches, just "some"):
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (Ezekiel 18:23)
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” (Ezekiel 18:32)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)
And, of course, it is important to note that while God wants ALL to come to Him through faith, belief, and submitting themselves to Jesus, He ONLY desires to save those who do not permanently reject Him and fail to submit / believe / love Him BACK! There will be NO rebels in Heaven - only those who desire and love God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit / ONE God in three Persons!):
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18)