Thanks for your response MJM.
You give yourself credit for your faith correct?
averagefellar said "Man is spiritually dead, morally corrupt, does not seek and actually opposes God due to his sinful nature. It takes a radical change to alter this."
I will go a little bit deeper with this and give scripture to back it up.
-Paul says we are "dead" Eph 2:1-3.
-Paul also says there is no one who searches after God or even does anything good. Rom 3:10-12
-Paul says were at enmity with God and cannot please him Rom 8:7-8
-Jesus even says we refuse to come to him. Jn 5:40
-Jesus says we are children of the devil and it is OUR will to do what he desires. John 8:44
How then can we be saved?
-John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
- like SemperReformanda said only if God draws us or enables us. Jn 6:44,65
- John 1:12-13 says But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, BUT OF GOD. -Phil 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose
- Rom 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
As you can see i am not basing my beliefs only on eph 2:8,9 but on what scripture says as a whole.
Please give me scripture thats says our will is free to chose between good and evil or generate faith on our own. There is plenty of it that has been perverted.ie: Josh 24:15; Rev 3:20
Soli Deo Gloria <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bananas.gif" alt="" />
