Cheryl Schatz

Mark,
You said:

First of all i never called you a semi-pelagian. I asked you to show me how your view is not semi-pelagian, there is a difference.

Mark, when you present my view as what is semi-pelagian and then ask me to prove that I am not a semi-pelagian, it means the same to me. And it isn’t something new to me. I have heard non-Calvinists called semi-pelagian all the time. Sometimes I honestly wonder why Calvinsts would even consider us brothers and sisters in Christ. It is so divisive and I have seen so many people hurt. I have been hurt by my old pastor more than you can even imagine. I developed a stress related disease that the doctors said would never go away – all because of the persecution of Calvinism by someone who was supposed to love the sheep not eat them. The fact that I can even discuss these issues with a Calvinist and call them a brother in Christ is a miracle of God’s grace after what I went through.

From what you have written it seems that we somewhat are closer to agreeing than perhaps first thought. You have admitted that we need God to open the eyes of believers, which i think is good.

I think you mean unbelievers. Yes God needs to do that.

Here is where I feel very strongly. Please pardon me if I have already said this before….Some people think that they can delay accepting Jesus and putting their faith in Him until their last moments of life because, frankly, they want to live their lives for fun and for themselves and then take the escape hatch at the end. But what they don’t understand is that no one can come to God without Him drawing them. We cannot of ourselves conjure up saving faith. We cannot just snap our fingers and “decide” for God on our own. God said that now is the day of salvation:

2 Corinthians 6:2 (NASB) for He says,
“AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.”
Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”—

The fact is that God has to let us find Him because we cannot come to Him on our own accord:

Isaiah 55:6 (NASB)
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.

Those who do not fear the Lord will not put their faith in Christ, thinking that they can have His favour anytime they want. But that is not true. God is not mocked.

Hebrews 12:15–18 (NASB)
15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Repentance is not granted to someone who despised their birthright. For many there is no going back once God has hardened the heart. Today is the day of salvation for all but there is no guarantee of tomorrow if we harden our hearts today.

More to come.