Thanks for your patience with me and taking the time to help me see your point of view. I am glad that you have shown a support for and belief in the new birth. I don't know how God does this, probably can not know in this mortal body. But I know that God in His manifold grace does this and I agree that I could never save myself. I can see how it could be that moments before I choose (or change my mind) to believe in Christ in faith, the Holy Spirit has actually already done or begun to change or let's say "quicken" my formerly dead spirit into the new creature who is able to receive and spiritually discern the things that God will now perform in my life.
Forgive my ignorance of Calvinistic principles, but for those the Calvinist considers personally, particularly chosen as elect of God (from the foundation of the earth): what is their disposition prior to the new birth? They will not be conscious of the fact that they are the elect, but I assume there may be several interventions by the Spirit of God into their lives so that they move more or less irresistably into right relationship with Him, finally resulting in their complete salvation. The reprobate should be equally unconscious of their election to damnation and apparently God passes them by instead of goading on to faith in Christ?
So does the Calvinist (again, sorry to use the label because it may not exactly represent your position) believe that there is a definite change or regeneration to new life in Christ? That is, do you also accept that a miraculous change takes place whereby we are born again but by the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus? And then could it be that God chooses the "moment" of salvation and prepares our heart. Then we as a result believe on Jesus Christ (now that our new, renewed spirit has been quickened (made alive) and is able to believe.
I guess that I would live in some apprehension, not wanting to outguess God for this moment, again I may be missing the point. By what I am hearing from you, believing faith is a post-salvic action, not a pre-salvic or "salvation initiated by the individual's will".
With that in mind, I can see now why the mass-invitation given by evangelists such as 'Billy' of my discussions would be viewed as distasteful and repugnant to the Calvinist. Let me think about this some. I have personally favored one on one or small Bible study evangelism for witnessing.
