Mathematician
Reason, and reason again
"I am the way the truth and the life; NO MAN cometh unto the Father BUT BY ME."
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You choose Jesus or Jesus chooses you?
- Thread starter Mathematician
- Start date
I believe that God chooses everyone, but the person also has to choose God. Some people do reject God in any form.
I don't always use verses for nonbelievers, but this about the only way I can describe it:
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
I have always taken that to mean that although God will not reject someone, the person must accept God.
I don't always use verses for nonbelievers, but this about the only way I can describe it:
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
I have always taken that to mean that although God will not reject someone, the person must accept God.
Yeshua chooses according to his and the Bibles own words...according to Pharisee beliefs everyone is invited, which isn't so.
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Me personally tried doing a Jonah impression and tried almost everything to run off, God chooses you and destiny brings you back again...
Yet it does make life easier being with God then against (= EGO driven instead of Oneness motivated), those who don't know God, yet choose them selfs, often say the "burden of the lord", where as a true worker of the harvest, enjoys what they get given....
sandy whitelinger
Veteran Member
Absolutely correct.
sandy whitelinger
Veteran Member
You may accept or reject God. That is your freewill. Yet unless God accepts you you are not born again or saved from the second death.
doppelganger
Through the Looking Glass
"Christ" = "God"
"God" = "Love"
"Love is the way the truth and the life; NO MAN cometh unto Love but by Love."
"God" = "Love"
"Love is the way the truth and the life; NO MAN cometh unto Love but by Love."
Then on the other hand; "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will lift him up at the last day."
"Many are called, but few are chosen."
Answer the call and keep the commandments and you MAY be chosen.
Deny the call and you have not a chance of being chosen.
Baruch Haba BShem Adonai
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
sojourner
Annoyingly Progressive Since 2006
Allow me a quotation from "Christianity Rediscovered," a book by Fr. Vincent Donovan recounting his experience in evangelizing the Masai tribe of Africa. He talks about one of the tribal elders telling him the tribe's allegory of belief the elder says:
"For a man really to believe is like a lion going after its prey. His nose and eyes and ears pick up the prey. His legs give him the speed to catch it. All the power of his body is involved in the terrible death leap and single blow to the neck with the front paw, the blow that actually kills. And as the animal goes down, the lion envelops it in his arms, pulls it to himself, and makes it part of himself. This is the way a lion kills. This is the way a man believes. This is what faith is.
We did not search you out, Padri. We did not even want you to come to us. You searched us out. You followed us away from your house into the bush, into the plains, into the steppes where our cattle are, into the hills where we take our cattle for water, into our villages, into our homes. You told us of the High God, how we must search for him, even leave our land and our people to find him. But we have not done this. We have not left our land. We have not searched for him. He has searched for us. He has searched us out and found us. All the time, we think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God."
"For a man really to believe is like a lion going after its prey. His nose and eyes and ears pick up the prey. His legs give him the speed to catch it. All the power of his body is involved in the terrible death leap and single blow to the neck with the front paw, the blow that actually kills. And as the animal goes down, the lion envelops it in his arms, pulls it to himself, and makes it part of himself. This is the way a lion kills. This is the way a man believes. This is what faith is.
We did not search you out, Padri. We did not even want you to come to us. You searched us out. You followed us away from your house into the bush, into the plains, into the steppes where our cattle are, into the hills where we take our cattle for water, into our villages, into our homes. You told us of the High God, how we must search for him, even leave our land and our people to find him. But we have not done this. We have not left our land. We have not searched for him. He has searched for us. He has searched us out and found us. All the time, we think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God."
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
This has nothing to do with choice, but method. Whoever comes to the father goes through Jesus - so the text says - but it doesn't specify if we choose to come or the father makes us.
See My threads against Calvinism
I think that it's a mixture of both God's choice and ours. We don't force God to do anything, and God forces us to do things sometimes - perhaps God forces some people to come to him, and pushes some people away.
Unlike others of my faith, I don't believe that people who have never heard of Jesus will have that held against them. I worship a merciful God.
sandy whitelinger
Veteran Member
The book of Romans states that every thing created knows it's creator and the power of it's godhead.
Mathematician
Reason, and reason again
The verse, I believe, could also be used to rekindle the old debate of faith vs. deeds, or faith + deeds, or just good luck. 
It is very true that we have to accept christ, and we must remember that the book of revelation is for our day , and when Jesus took up his kingship in 1914, inline with bible prophecy and chronology ,and was given great aurthority Daniel 7;13-14 those who hear Jesus voice would be in a priviledged postion but it is a sad fact that many who claim to be christians have not opened the door to christ ,they have in fact rejected him . they have not put their trust in Gods heavenly kingdom goverment with Jesus as a reigning king Daniel 2;44.
Further, the clergy have turned their back on Jehovahs incoming Kingdom by supporting the League of Nations, the United Nations, and nationalistic, revolutionary movements, none of which can solve mankinds problems. and because of this Jesus has rejected them ,and he is directing his attention to a faithful class of people instead . matthew 24;45-47 and it is these faithful ones that are hearing Jesus voice . along with a GREAT CROWD of other sheep John 10;16 revelation 7;9-10
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
doppelgänger;959344 said:
Now is this eros or agape?
Great post, dopp, but I would include women here too.