gilliansnotebook

Hi Robin: First off, apologies for making that assumption. As soon as I read “NON CALVINIST” I jumped to that conclusion. And when it comes to the issue of Calvinism, I’m not the most patient person around. So I DO apologize. To answer your question(as best I can) the Bible says Faith comes by HEARING and Hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) But some, either by lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and the pride of life turn their back on the preaching of the Cross. Some might have been so deceived in the past that any mention of the Bible turns them off. Others, by religious background and tradition see the cross as a stumbling block. As far as overcoming that stumbling block…. God knows the heart. The Bible says that you will seek me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13) But that searching is a personal CHOICE. And if someone GENUINELY WANTS to know, God will put someone in their path to point the person to Christ. John 14:6 is a huge issue here, but too many don’t know, even in the midst of their search, so they end up falling for the deception of the Watchtower Jesus, who can’t save. A few people have come to faith (from agnosticism or atheism) by trying to DISPROVE the Bible and Christ. There’s one author, I cannot remember his name, and he came to Christ after researching (out of sheer intellectual curiosity) to prove Him a myth or just a man. He’s a current author…. LEE STROBEL! (I just checked it) . 😀 But INTELLECTUAL SUPERIORITY is another reason some dismiss Christ and the Bible. The HUMAN MIND can’t make sense of this. But even Shakespeare said “There are more things in heaven and on earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” And Romans 1 is a great chapter. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Those who are continually stumbled by this are either content to rest in their intellectual superiority, or they’re afraid of what would happen if they did accept Christ. I’m not a seminary scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know that spent years, going to church with a classmate’s mom just because I liked what I was hearing. 1 Tim 2:4-6 says that it is His desire that ALL be saved, but the enemy of humanity has a firm grip on too many hearts and minds. (2 Cor 4:4) At the end of the day, the devil is the CHIEF source of every reason people don’t come to Christ. He devices road blocks. God will NEVER prevent ANYONE from coming to Him. Hebrews 11:6 . I hope that helps a bit. Once more, apologies for my jumping to hasty conclusion. Hope we can chat more.