again I do not deny human free will nor do I advocate fatalism. You’re painting a false dichotomy… Let’s redact the words of Paul at Romans 10:14; however, when Paul was speaking of the gentiles he was referring to believers?
I’m not “painting a false dichotomy.” Rather, you’re contradicting yourself. You deny that human free will has a part to play in our predestination to glory by rejecting the notion that free human cooperation is necessary for our salvation. That’s understandable from your perspective, since you believe that the privileged elect, because of their total depravity, which has been masked by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to their account, have been given ‘irresisitible’ effacacious grace to ensure their election. Meanwhile the unfortunate souls who have been deprived of this essential grace cannot justly be held morally accountable for their damnation. There is no free will where moral accountability is absent.
Above in this thread you objected that you don’t espouse the doctrine of Double Predestination, yet at the same time you speak of this irresistible efficacious grace that’s reserved for a chosen group from all eternity. You confuse us by claiming in one breath that man has no free will, but at the same time has no capacity to cooperate with God’s grace for his salvation. Since grace and salvation has not been offered to all mankind, it necessarily follows that free will has no part to play in our salvation. We have no choice in the matter of being saved or damned for all time.
Your interpretation of Paul’s letter to the Romans confirms what you actually conclude, although you deny it: that man has no free will in his salvation. You deny that Paul is teaching us that the inner law (of the New Covenant) is written in the hearts of all Gentiles besides the Jews. But he was not speaking of only those who had already heard the Gospel orally proclaimed by the apostles. He does not have the “elect” in mind. Every human being is aware of this law that is inscribed in our hearts. Knowledge of this law is not necessarily acquired by literally hearing the proclamation of the Gospel by Christ’s appointed ministers. The idea of being saved through the direct acquisition of explicit divine revelation and knowledge is a Gnostic belief.
You speak of a desire in us to be saved, effected by grace. This desire can only be genuine if it involves free cooperation with God’s grace on our part. And I’m not misconstruing anything. If we knew with certainty that we are counted among the elect, then there would be no need for the Christian virtue of hope. Ironically, how can we be sure of our election in this life if there is a chance of falling from God’s grace, which you admit? Perhaps the best we can do is hope that we will be counted among the elect on the Day of Judgment.
Foreknowledge is not a form of fatalism. Fatalism denies any secondary human causality that is involved in an outcome or event. I can foresee, or in my finite capacity imagine, that a crippled senior citizen will accept my seat that I offer him on a crowded bus. But he does not necessarily have to accept the offer. He will take my seat only if he wishes to without any coercion on my part. If you think that God imposes his will on us in order to be saved, then admit you subscribe to the false doctrine of Double Predestination.
I agree that we are drawn by God’s grace, but not effectively manufactured by it. Grace is not a substance, but a quality. It is something we must first desire in our hearts in order for it to be effective. The Roman convert Cornelius is a good example of cooperating with God’s grace, that was offered him before he was baptized. God answered his righteous prayer to an unknown God. And through that grace he eventually accepted the Word of God as proclaimed by the apostles. He did not acquire faith at the moment he was baptized. He had it all along by the grace of God. His Baptism of Desire came to fruition with his formal baptism prompted by his implicit faith in an unknown God which he had already possessed in God’s grace.
‘Actual’ grace is an internal supernatural help for every human being, including those who have not yet heard the Gospel proclaimed or been formally baptized, which God transmits to the human soul. This grace enlightens us and helps us understand what ought to be done or avoided in our actions, inclining us to do good and avoid evil. In this sense actual grace can be called ‘exciting’ grace and ‘preventing’ grace. It is called exciting grace because it excites us to do good and avoid evil; it is called preventive grace because it is entirely the work of God in our souls, and precedes every voluntary act of our own.
Human nature left to itself apart from God’s grace is prone towards what is contrary to the will of God. Still we are not totally depraved, or else we could not freely respond to the inspiration of God’s grace that enables us to see and understand what is truly good and pleasing to God and best for us - even if we don’t believe in God. Every human being simply feels an inspiration towards goodness or holiness without anything done on their own to experience it. We have no power to hinder this inspiration, which comes to us through the grace of God, and is not a part of our human nature, but we are free to resist and suppress it by our own volition, choosing not to comply with it.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If ‘any’ man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
Revelation 3, 20
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