Quote:
Originally Posted by dnlgfnk
I'll be giving my full attention to Keeneland very soon and was leaving you to your own devices, but can't resist.
You're twisting yourself in knots. Did you forget the "U" in TULIP? There is no condition of man that merits God's love. God's initiative, out of love for the God- Man, in saving man is by necessity to man who cannot love God and keep the commandments consistently (your Total Depravity).
After regeneration, I don't know who is disagreeing with you about the "conditional" aspects of Divine love...
https://biblia.com/books/nasb95/Mt25.31
But I do appreciate the text attesting to infused grace (Jn 14:23). |
I FTFY above.
Also, the "U" in Unconditional Election is spot on because man
cannot meet God's conditions due to his sin nature,. Therefore, on the vertical level (between God and humanity) Divine Sovereign Election must logically be unconditional. However, this doesn't mean that on the horizontal level (between the Father and Son in eternity) that God's election, which is motivated by the Father's Love for the Son, is not conditioned upon the Son's perfect obedience to his Father's will in time and space, which would ultimately result in the Son redeeming a people for his Father, whereby that act of redemption would manifest the Father's eternal love for his elect in Christ.
This is the Greatest Paradox of all the Ages! We know this to be irrefutably true because there could be no salvation apart from the Son's perfect obedience to his Father's will. God's love for his elect finds it's only justification in that perfect, loving, joyful obedience of the Son. (This is why there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved, cf. Act 4:12)!
What I have just stated is what will
drive God's elect to the Father in faith and repentance, as they plead the sinless life and the atoning work of the Son on the Cross. This Greatest of all Paradoxes, when by God's sovereign grace is understood rightly and appropriated with genuine, heart-held faith , is what will cause the greatest of sinners to repent with a contrite heart and broken spirit and to
storm the Kingdom of Heaven by
force (Mat 11:12, Lk 16:16) in the Mighty Name of the Spotless Lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the world.
