Dear Troy,
In reply to:
[color:"blue"]Don't believe the mistaken assumption that man is so fargone he can't come back without exercising his free will to choose. Otherwise you sedate yourself into passivity of a calvanist exactly what he devil wants.

My heart goes out to you. You just don't get it do you? [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/sad.gif" alt="sad" title="sad[/img]

If man's free will didn't truely die in the garden of eden upon choosing to sin against God then man wouldn't need rebirth. However Jesus said, "You must be born again."

You may think you have a free will but you are following a form of doctrine which appeals to man's fallen will and depends on man's own logic. Unless one is truely born from above he shall never see how great a salvation God has provided in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In salvation God will receive all the glory because that which was dead is now made alive by God's grace alone. Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. John 1:13 tells us that we must be born again from above, by the will of God, not by the will of man.

OBTW Calvinism is not a passive form of Christianity. Calvinism is Biblical Christianity! It centers on who God is, unlike Arminianism which centers on man and his supposed "free" will. Man is nothing: he has a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to will and to do His good pleasure.

May God be merciful to you.


Wes


When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. - Isaac Watts