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You are essentially correct - and it's not a "technical" matter, but a profoundly biblical one. Believing upon Jesus is not a matter of religion. It's not a matter of choice. It's not a matter of moral philosophy. It's not a matter of cultural conservatism. It's not a question of whether we obey the Ten Commandments, or the Mosaic Law, or the teachings of Jesus. I assure you no one does all these things or is even capable of doing all these things. If you violate any part of God's law, you are guilty. Whatever else might be good about anyone is vitiated by breaking the laws of God.
Faith is a matter of predestination. As God is sovereign, nothing whatsoever can happen apart from either His active or permissive will. In fact, no one can come to Jesus unless the Father compels that person to do so (see John 6:44). The is the effectual call of God. Ultimately, it works 100% of the time, as God--in love--works to create salvific faith among the ones He has chosen and predestined before the world even existed (see Ephesians 1:3-6). Being born again is as volitional as being born in the flesh for the first time - i.e., not at all. But, if anyone was wondering, ascertaining your own election unto salvation is very possible by asking yourself whether you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and placed your faith in His death and resurrection as complete payment for your sins.
Outwardly, the Gospel is broadcast to the whole world, in accordance with God's will. However, there is no faith without an inward call. It's an effectual call. It is an act of coercion upon the will. It is why some believe the Gospel and others don't, even when they hear the exact same outward message. Left to our own devices, no one would be able to recognize any need for salvation through the imputation of Christ's righteousness upon us. Man's fallenness is such that none of us can autonomously repudiate self-justification as a criterion for salvation, even if we acknowledge God and the afterlife. However, without Christ's righteousness, every single person falls short of God's standards and is dead in sin without God's gift of faith.
Having established that faith is a gift from God, we can understand why biblical Christianity is NOT declining in America, even while it declines elsewhere in the Western world. Notwithstanding outward affiliations of faith, it does not necessarily seem to me that the overall percentage of Americans who are actually saved has changed very much.
There is only one reason America is an outlier here: God intended it that way. It sets the stage for the events foretold in the Book of Revelation to transpire. It's reasonable to surmise that the Rapture will impact America in such a way as to take her off the world stage. It's America--by and large, and secondary to divine providence--that prevents Israel's enemies from waging total war.
I think we need to be careful not to assume that divine election and free will are mutually exclusive.
Otherwise, I generally agree that the number of Biblically oriented evangelicals in the USA is probably increasing.
Last edited by Hightower72; 04-06-2019 at 07:48 AM..
Reason: video
And yet you support a man who has veered away from embracing morality and who has broken many of the 10 Commandments routinely his entire life. Is that all a part of your so-called "Christian values?"
Yes it is. It is called making a deal with the Devil.
You are essentially correct - and it's not a "technical" matter, but a profoundly biblical one. Believing upon Jesus is not a matter of religion. It's not a matter of choice. It's not a matter of moral philosophy. It's not a matter of cultural conservatism. It's not a question of whether we obey the Ten Commandments, or the Mosaic Law, or the teachings of Jesus. I assure you no one does all these things or is even capable of doing all these things. If you violate any part of God's law, you are guilty. Whatever else might be good about anyone is vitiated by breaking the laws of God.
Faith is a matter of predestination. As God is sovereign, nothing whatsoever can happen apart from either His active or permissive will. In fact, no one can come to Jesus unless the Father compels that person to do so (see John 6:44). The is the effectual call of God. Ultimately, it works 100% of the time, as God--in love--works to create salvific faith among the ones He has chosen and predestined before the world even existed (see Ephesians 1:3-6). Being born again is as volitional as being born in the flesh for the first time - i.e., not at all. But, if anyone was wondering, ascertaining your own election unto salvation is very possible by asking yourself whether you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and placed your faith in His death and resurrection as complete payment for your sins.
Outwardly, the Gospel is broadcast to the whole world, in accordance with God's will. However, there is no faith without an inward call. It's an effectual call. It is an act of coercion upon the will. It is why some believe the Gospel and others don't, even when they hear the exact same outward message. Left to our own devices, no one would be able to recognize any need for salvation through the imputation of Christ's righteousness upon us. Man's fallenness is such that none of us can autonomously repudiate self-justification as a criterion for salvation, even if we acknowledge God and the afterlife. However, without Christ's righteousness, every single person falls short of God's standards and is dead in sin without God's gift of faith.
Having established that faith is a gift from God, we can understand why biblical Christianity is NOT declining in America, even while it declines elsewhere in the Western world. Notwithstanding outward affiliations of faith, it does not necessarily seem to me that the overall percentage of Americans who are actually saved has changed very much.
There is only one reason America is an outlier here: God intended it that way. It sets the stage for the events foretold in the Book of Revelation to transpire. It's reasonable to surmise that the Rapture will impact America in such a way as to take her off the world stage. It's America--by and large, and secondary to divine providence--that prevents Israel's enemies from waging total war.
Those societies today that are the most religious — where faith in God is strong and religious participation is high — tend to have the highest violent crime rates, while those societies in which faith and church attendance are the weakest — the most secular societies — tend to have the lowest.https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-e...101-story.html
Citing four different studies, Zuckerman states: "Murder rates are actually lower in more secular nations and higher in more religious nations where belief in God is widespread." He also states: "Of the top 50 safest cities in the world, nearly all are in relatively non-religious countries.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...m-and-religion
From what I've heard, if you want a happier, safer environment, a secular country is the way to go in most cases. Overall they have a better rep than those who are God-fearing.
From what I’ve heard, if you want a happier, safer environment, a secular country is the way to go in most cases. Overall they have a better rep than those who are God-fearing
That’s interesting since secular communist regimes have killed over 60 million in the 20th century.
You are essentially correct - and it's not a "technical" matter, but a profoundly biblical one. Believing upon Jesus is not a matter of religion. It's not a matter of choice. It's not a matter of moral philosophy. It's not a matter of cultural conservatism. It's not a question of whether we obey the Ten Commandments, or the Mosaic Law, or the teachings of Jesus. I assure you no one does all these things or is even capable of doing all these things. If you violate any part of God's law, you are guilty. Whatever else might be good about anyone is vitiated by breaking the laws of God.
Faith is a matter of predestination. As God is sovereign, nothing whatsoever can happen apart from either His active or permissive will. In fact, no one can come to Jesus unless the Father compels that person to do so (see John 6:44). The is the effectual call of God. Ultimately, it works 100% of the time, as God--in love--works to create salvific faith among the ones He has chosen and predestined before the world even existed (see Ephesians 1:3-6). Being born again is as volitional as being born in the flesh for the first time - i.e., not at all. But, if anyone was wondering, ascertaining your own election unto salvation is very possible by asking yourself whether you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and placed your faith in His death and resurrection as complete payment for your sins.
Outwardly, the Gospel is broadcast to the whole world, in accordance with God's will. However, there is no faith without an inward call. It's an effectual call. It is an act of coercion upon the will. It is why some believe the Gospel and others don't, even when they hear the exact same outward message. Left to our own devices, no one would be able to recognize any need for salvation through the imputation of Christ's righteousness upon us. Man's fallenness is such that none of us can autonomously repudiate self-justification as a criterion for salvation, even if we acknowledge God and the afterlife. However, without Christ's righteousness, every single person falls short of God's standards and is dead in sin without God's gift of faith.
Having established that faith is a gift from God, we can understand why biblical Christianity is NOT declining in America, even while it declines elsewhere in the Western world. Notwithstanding outward affiliations of faith, it does not necessarily seem to me that the overall percentage of Americans who are actually saved has changed very much.
There is only one reason America is an outlier here: God intended it that way. It sets the stage for the events foretold in the Book of Revelation to transpire. It's reasonable to surmise that the Rapture will impact America in such a way as to take her off the world stage. It's America--by and large, and secondary to divine providence--that prevents Israel's enemies from waging total war.
Posts like this are the worst. They appear reasonable, but you really used a lot of words to say almost nothing that could not have been said in a few sentences.
The rapture bit always got me. A bunch of vague predictions sets the stage for people to float in the sky and watch everybody that disagreed with them suffer for years. The “I told you so! Part.” The vague predictions are akin to a horoscope and allow people to go “aha that happened.”
I’ve always found it amusing that somehow the U.S it’s blessed, ordained, and or conceived that we’re some how special because christians say so. Biblically Israel is the chosen nation not us.
Well, where is our plague of locusts, er, frogs? Where is vengeful Jehovah when you need her?
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