Quote Originally Posted by briancook007 View Post
Lydia was not saved before she heard Paul's message in Acts 16:14. Yes, it says she "worshipped God", but the Greek word translated "worshipped" there is "sebo", the same word that is rendered "worship" in Mat. 15:9 and Mk. 7:7. Acts 16:14 says God opened her heart to respond effectually to Paul's message; she was baptized immediately thereafter (vs. 15), which shows that her response was salvation.
If someone believes in God they are saved. God is not going to send that person to Hell. She was receptive to Paul because she was already a believer. She did not "sebo" some false god, but she revered the Creator. Hence, she confessed her life to Christ and was baptized by Paul who was an authority in the work for the Church. Baptism follows new birth, which shows she was a believer already whether she entered new birth at that point or not. What this shows is that there are believers in the Old Testament period who are saved who would accept the Messiah when personally revealed. They don't go to Hell because Jesus hadn't yet died on the cross. Who can say some person on some remote island is not saved who truly believes in God? Please don't use this passage to think God irresistibly imposed salvation on her. God is not a tyrant. He forces Himself on no one. She was already a believer you admit for she worshiped God. This is in contrast to the girl "fortune-telling" immediately following who was not a believer (Acts 16.14).

God never asks anyone to repent or to believe; He commands those things (Acts 17:30, Mat. 11:28, Mk. 1:15, Rev. 22:17c & d). Mat. 11:28, Mk. 1:15, and Rev. 22:17c & d are in the imperative mood in the Greek, which means those statements are commands, not invitations. Rev. 22:17 says that he who is "athirst" should come; totally depraved, unregenerate man never is thirsty for salvation; he is satisfied with his own sin, drinking it like water, his thirst being satiated already (Job 15:16). Do you need proof of total depravity? What saith the Scriptures (NKJV)?
God is pleading with you which requires your response: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11.28). "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17.30). Since God commands you to repent an all people everywhere to repent, then people must have been given sufficient grace to be able to obtain the gift of repentance and is not denied to anyone whosoever is willing. Again, "The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1.15). "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22.17). This is a free gift offered to everyone, not just some. How strange it would be if you could only come by being forced to come.

Job 15:16: "How much less man, [who is] abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!"

Psa. 51:5: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me."

Psa. 58:3: "The WICKED are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies."

Eph. 2:1-3: "And you He made alive, who were DEAD in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were BY NATURE children of wrath, just as the others."

Jer. 17:9: "The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

Jn. 3:27: "A man can receive NOTHING unless it has been GIVEN to him from heaven."

Jn. 6:65: "No one can come to Me unless it has been GRANTED to him by My Father."

Acts 11:18: "Then God has also GRANTED...REPENTANCE to life."

Acts 13:48: "And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

Jn. 6:28-29: "Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The WORK of God is this: TO BELIEVE in the one he has sent."'

Phil. 1:6: "He who has begun a good WORK in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ."

Eph. 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through FAITH-and THIS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, it is the gift of God-not by WORKS, so that no one can boast."

Phil. 1:29: "For to you it has been GRANTED...TO BELIEVE in Him...."
God is the provider of grace. He is the source. None of these verses say God irresistibly imposes regeneration on anyone. Why read into the text that which is not there?

What do Jn. 5:24 and Jn. 6:40 say? "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who HEARS My word AND BELIEVES in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who SEES the Son AND BELIEVES in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Spiritually, man sees and hears BEFORE he believes, he having been regenerated, having been made alive in Christ; he is no longer dead, separated from God (Isa. 59:2, Jn. 9:31a), and therefore God can hear him, spiritual communication can happen (Jn. 10:27-28). The Pharisees could not hear Christ spiritually, because they were unregenerate (Jn. 8:43, 47). Regeneration takes place according to God's own sovereign will (Jn. 3:8, Jas. 1:18), not according to man's will (Jn. 1:13).
You're assuming Jesus will never present Himself to many people who already believe in God, and thus, according to you they will never be saved. Yet they truly believe in God. Are all ancient Israelites unsaved because they did not live at the time of Jesus or after? Of course not. So don't legalize or twist the passage by pulling out a word and treating it as an idol. Those who see Jesus and believe on Him shall be saved. There is nothing about needing to be irresistibly regenerated before one can believe. Nothing whatsoever. Regeneration does take place according to God's own sovereign will when man is willing to repent and believe on Him which is a free gift offered to all.

You quoted Deut. 10:17 to show that God is impartial. That's the point; He is impartial, His election is unconditional, not based on anything seen in man, but only on His own sovereign will (Rom. 9:16, 18). If his election were based on any good ever having been seen in man, no one ever would be saved; man is totally without merit apart from God's grace (Job 15:16, Jn. 15:5c).
His election is conditional which is impartial. If election has to be irresistibly imposed on someone, unconditional and denied opportunity, then this is partial. God is not going to save you by you just assuming you were regenerated for that is by your own sovereign will and not God's. God wants true repentance unto salvation. No matter how good you are in thinking and assuming you were irresistibly regenerated without prior repentance and faith, God won't save you in your good self. Man can't save himself, but God has made in him in His image to have the choice afforded to him. You're meritoriously trying to save yourself by your soulish power of assuming, and since you assume it was not your choice, you don't really know if you are saved, that's why you work for it. Salvation is not by works, lest any man should past.

You continue to judge other men's hearts. Regarding this, what saith the Scriptures (NKJV)?

Mat. 7:1-2: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

James 4:12: "There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?"

You have accused me falsely of unbelief and of heresy, which I now forgive in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ by His grace (Jn. 15:5c) per His command (Mk. 11:25-26). I also bless you in His Name by His grace per His command (Rom. 12:14).
The Bible does not say to NOT judge, only that when you do judge if you commit the same sin or selfishness that same judgment will come upon you. Obviously we have to judge in many aspects of life, e.g. we throw people in jails for their crimes. We must judge the work ethic of another person in the employment space. You are trying to abuse Scripture so you are not judged for your misapplying Scripture and your unwillingness to repent and believe in Christ to be regenerated. You don't like being judged for your selfish salvation, but you are judged by the Holy Spirit. You reveal it yourself you are unsaved when you say you are unwilling to repent and believe in Christ to be regenerated, whatever excuse you may use.

I rebuke you in your blessing, for I refuse the blessing of someone who is Hellbound, who refuses to repent and believe in Christ to be regenerated. Since Romans 12.14 is applied to Christians, you have no authority to use this verse in His name.