man "choosing" God-FUN PROJECT 4 EVERYONE 2 TRY

[Guest]

This is a fun project I'd like everyone on the board to try:

Load up a biblesearch program (biblegateway.com/esword?) and put in the words "choose" "chose" "choosing" "chosen" and limit your search to the New Testament.

You will find out of the 43 or so times (numbers may vary + or - slightly based on translation) those words appear, not a SINGLE ONE ever refers to man choosing God. NOT A ONE.

41 of those all refer to God choosing man. 2 refer to man choosing another man (the apostles picking a replacement in Acts, etc.)

The question is obvious: if the bible never speaks of man choosing God in salvation, why should we? Why are most of our churches altar-calls riddled with this kind of phrasing? Our terminology and gospel presentations need to be biblical. Our soteriology has to be scripturally submissively based.
Since the bible never once speaks of man choosing God in salvation, we shouldn't either. And since it does speak of God choosing man at least 41 times, we should preach it as well.
Do you want to? Does Homer, Paidon? Sean? Are you gentleman comfortable proclaiming that God chooses man? The bible says He does at least 41 times.

You may ask "why doesn't it say man can choose God?" Because... man, in and of himself, CAN'T. However, the bible does say "believe" many, many times. Man does believe in God, once regenerated and made alive by the Spirit. There's a world of difference in the definitions of "pisteuo" "pistis" (noun and verb forms of believe), faith, and choose.
Man isn't capable of believing, apart from the work of grace and the Holy Spirit. And even that faith is not man's, it comes as a gift from God.

[Guest]

Hi bilbofett,
I know this is your game, but I thought it might help if we exanded the word search to include 'seek'. Here's what I found.

1 Chronicles 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord."

1 Chronicles 28:8 Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.

1 Chronicles 28:9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

2 Chronicles 11:16 And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 14:4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.

2 Chronicles 15:12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

2 Chronicles 19:3 Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God."

2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

2 Chronicles 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.

Ezra 6:21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

Psalms 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

Psalms 53:2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

Psalms 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Psalms 69:32 The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

Psalms 70:4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified!"

Isaiah 58:2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.

Jeremiah 50:4 "In those days and in that time," says the Lord, "The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the Lord their God.

Hosea 3:5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Does God wan't us to seek Him, or should we just sit and wait for God to choose us? It seems to be faily clear to me.

Robin

[_Paidion]

Why should we limit our search to the New Testament? Did man have the ability to choose God under the Old Covenant? Did he lose that ability under the New? Or is it because you have discovered that there are passages in the Old Testament which speak of man choosing God?

Joshua 24:15 "And if you be unwilling to serve the Yahweh, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Yahweh."

Joshua clearly said the Israelites could choose to serve whatever god they wanted, but that he and his house would choose to serve Yahweh.

However, just because one cannot find a passage in the NT which contains some form of the word "choose" in reference to man choosing God, doesn't mean there is no reference to the concept.

Mark 9:37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

It seems to be a human choice to receive a child in Christ's name. In so doing, one receives Chrsit, or as Christ said, receives the One who sent Him, that is, God.

John 1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the authority to become children of God.

In this verse, the word for "receive" is "lambanō", a word which is stronger than "receive." It actually means "take". It implies that one actively rather than passively takes something or someone. So taking Christ gives one the authority to become a child of God.

Being saved is not an act of man, nor is it a sovereign act of God. Man must coöperate with the grace of God, or it will not happen.

[Guest]

Hi bilbofett,

God choosing someone doesn’t necessarily negate a persons freewill in my mind. For example:

Mat 12:18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

Luk 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!"

Both of these scriptures are referring to Jesus. I'm certain you wouldn't consider his will "dead" simply because it speaks of God choosing him.

Is it possible that many of the scriptures that speak of God choosing are pointing to the prerogative of God? For example, I may apply for a job at a company but it's up to the employer if they "choose" me or not. Therefore, I may petition God to save me but Salvation is totally in His hands . It's God's perogative/choice if he accepts me or not. Although, He has spelled out in scripture that he responds to faith

Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

[Guest]

Hi bilbofett,
I know this is your game, but I thought it might help if we exanded the word search to include 'seek'. Here's what I found.

1 Chronicles 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord."

1 Chronicles 28:8 Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.

1 Chronicles 28:9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

2 Chronicles 11:16 And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 14:4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.

2 Chronicles 15:12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

2 Chronicles 19:3 Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God."

2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

2 Chronicles 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.

Ezra 6:21 Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

Psalms 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

Psalms 53:2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

Psalms 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Psalms 69:32 The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

Psalms 70:4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified!"

Isaiah 58:2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.

Jeremiah 50:4 "In those days and in that time," says the Lord, "The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the Lord their God.

Hosea 3:5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Does God wan't us to seek Him, or should we just sit and wait for God to choose us? It seems to be faily clear to me.

Robin

God is seekable to those enabled by the Spirit. None of those verses you used speak of ability. That's the question. We must interpret the Old from the New, since we as Christians are not locked into 1st Covenant 2nd temple Judaism. We have progressive revelation, and we view the historical narratives of the Old through the doctrines of salvation from the New. The New teaches in many places that "no one seeks after God" nor is able to, in and of themselves, being dead in trespasses and sins.
I knew the response to my post would be largely almost all Old Testament passages.
2nd point real quick: God commanding things of people does not automatically necessitate that they are able to do those things. Whatever you think is fair; put it aside for a second. God commands many things. The 10 commandments. Are all humans capable of following them 100%? Absolutely not. That's just one example.
My position is that once regenerated by the Spirit, people "choose" or "seek God" and find Him. But they don't have free wills, either before or after.
None of those verses above discuss ability, teach neutrality, or contradict total depravity.

[Guest]

Why should we limit our search to the New Testament? Did man have the ability to choose God under the Old Covenant? Did he lose that ability under the New? Or is it because you have discovered that there are passages in the Old Testament which speak of man choosing God?

Joshua 24:15 "And if you be unwilling to serve the Yahweh, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Yahweh."

Joshua clearly said the Israelites could choose to serve whatever god they wanted, but that he and his house would choose to serve Yahweh.

Mark 9:37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

It seems to be a human choice to receive a child in Christ's name. In so doing, one receives Chrsit, or as Christ said, receives the One who sent Him, that is, God.

John 1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the authority to become children of God.

In this verse, the word for "receive" is "lambanō", a word which is stronger than "receive." It actually means "take". It implies that one actively rather than passively takes something or someone. So taking Christ gives one the authority to become a child of God.

Being saved is not an act of man, nor is it a sovereign act of God. Man must coöperate with the grace of God, or it will not happen.

Why should we limit our search to the New Testament? A few reasons. We must interpret the Old from the New, since we as Christians are not locked into 1st Covenant 2nd temple Judaism. We have progressive revelation, and we view the historical narratives of the Old through the doctrines of salvation from the New. The New teaches in many places that "no one seeks after God" nor is able to, in and of themselves, being dead in trespasses and sins. Therefore, what we read in the OT must be submissive to the NT doctrine of total inability. Man did not have the ability, in and of himself, to choose God for salvation, under the Old Covenant. None of the verses you posted discuss ability.

The Joshua verse is simple and easy to answer. You need to keep reading. Verses 16-17 and on show clearly that his audience were already believers, who had favor with God and were His people. He was not preaching to pagan unbelievers. His message was one of perserverance. The doctrine of perserverance, especially in the NT, is one given to people who are generally considered believers as a warning to not stray from the faith. This does not teach that genuine believers can fall away. False converts will. A message of "staying faithful to God" given to a group that is considered saved is not a worthless message.

Let me point something else out. Joshua is not a soteriology handbook. It does not have systematic theology on sin, forgiveness of sins, justification, repentance, faith, the atonement, Christ on the cross, redemption, etc. It's a historical narrative. That doesn't mean it will contradict NT revelation about salvation, but it means that its incomplete and needs to be viewed through the NT lens.
And yet I can't tell you how many arminians flee to Joshua and quote the "choose you this day!" to me when I have them in Romans or Corinthians. They quote Joshua almost as much as "whosoever will!"

You then spoke of human choice. I believe we have choice. But I don't believe we are neutral or completely free. And there's a difference between choice and will, isn't there? Showing an example of someone making a choice in the Bible has no automatic bearing on whether or not they were a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness at that time.

I believe all those regenerated will receive Christ. I have no problem with that.

I find it ironic that you quoted John 1:12. You need to look at the surrounding verses. Let's do that. Verse 13 says "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

Not from:
blood (biological birthright)
will of the flesh (non-christian effort)
will of man (human effort)

but of God.

I don't how much more clear it can get. Those who receive Christ don't do it by being born into it, or by trying to will it as non-christians, or even choosing it at all as human beings. It is an act of God.

[Guest]

Hi bilbofett,

God choosing someone doesn’t necessarily negate a persons freewill in my mind. For example:

Mat 12:18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

Luk 9:35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!"

Both of these scriptures are referring to Jesus. I'm certain you wouldn't consider his will "dead" simply because it speaks of God choosing him.

Is it possible that many of the scriptures that speak of God choosing are pointing to the prerogative of God? For example, I may apply for a job at a company but it's up to the employer if they "choose" me or not. Therefore, I may petition God to save me but Salvation is totally in His hands . It's God's perogative/choice if he accepts me or not. Although, He has spelled out in scripture that he responds to faith

Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

AnotherSteve, you said "God choosing someone doesn’t necessarily negate a persons freewill in my mind." Let me ask the same the other way; would you agree to this: That if man chooses God, does that interfere with, alter, or impose upon God's free will? Why is everyone so concerned about man being free... what about God? Where is all the fighting on this board to maintain His freedom? Doesn't anybody care about that? Are we champions more of man than God? Anyhow... let me get off my soapbox there for a sec

"I may petition God to save me but Salvation is totally in His hands . It's God's perogative/choice if he accepts me or not. "
Really? You really believe this? Can you think of an example of someone that really, honestly, wants to be saved, but God says "eh... naw." This is what some confused arminians accuse us calvinists of teaching. It is incorrect. There is never an example of anyone who WANTS to be saved, that isn't. And vice versa. There isn't an example of someone who does NOT want to be saved, and is. God changes the hearts of people who were against Him and then they desire Him. It's not agains their wills, their wills are changed to want Him. He takes out their heart of stone and puts in a heart of flesh (Ezekiel).

I like how you quoted Hebrews 11:6. Combine it with Romans 8:7-8 and you get this: "It is impossible for those in the flesh (non-christians) to have faith". It goes quite nicely with 1 Cor 12:3 "No one says Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit". No one proclaims Jesus is God, and their Master, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. This is unto salvation. The Holy Spirit is first, not man.

[Guest]

Hi Bilbofett,

God commanding things of people does not automatically necessitate that they are able to do those things. Whatever you think is fair; put it aside for a second. God commands many things. The 10 commandments. Are all humans capable of following them 100%? Absolutely not.

I and anyone else are able to keep the 10 commandments, even if we don't do so perfectly. God commanding Israelites to keep the 10 commandments was not unreasonable because we know that there were some who were blameless concerning the Law.

1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

God is not unreasonable, which is what your statement implies. A God that would command all people to seek after Him, yet at the same time restrict their ability to do so, could in no way find fault in them.

You seriously need to think through this view of God that you hold, and consider the implications. I consider this view to border on blasphemy.

Robin

[Guest]

Bilbofett wrote
Let me ask the same the other way; would you agree to this: That if man chooses God, does that interfere with, alter, or impose upon God's free will?

If that is what you think I’m saying then I certainly appreciate your concern. I think my garbled writing is the culprit of misunderstanding here. God is sovereign…no question. Perhaps a story from 2Kings 5 would help clear it up. If you know the story well, you can skip over it.

2Ki 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
2Ki 5:2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife.
2Ki 5:3 She said to her mistress, "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
2Ki 5:4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, "Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel."
2Ki 5:5 And the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothes.
2Ki 5:6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy."
2Ki 5:7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me."
2Ki 5:8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel."
2Ki 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house.
2Ki 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean."
2Ki 5:11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.
2Ki 5:12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.
2Ki 5:13 But his servants came near and said to him, "My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"
2Ki 5:14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Who’s making the choice whether to heal Namaan or not. It’s clearly in God’s hands. The King even said “Am I God to kill and make alive?” God chose to heal him…..under a certain condition. Naaman had come there with preconceived ideas about how to be healed by God. If Naaman had not humbled himself and gone to the Jordan (God’s way) he would not have been healed. All Naaman did was choose to obey God. In a sense, he didn’t choose to be healed. He asked and responded in obedient faith but it was God who chose to heal him.

In a similar way, it’s God’s choice to save people or not (and he has clearly decided to do so as evidenced by the cross) but He does set a certain condition ….faith in his Son. Only those who come God’s way are saved.

Thus, God is certainly the one who is in control. He made the choice and set the conditions.

Bilbofett wrote
"I may petition God to save me but Salvation is totally in His hands . It's God's perogative/choice if he accepts me or not. "
Really? You really believe this? Can you think of an example of someone that really, honestly, wants to be saved, but God says "eh... naw."

I don’t think I made myself as clear as I should have….my apologies. If anyone truly comes to Christ he will not turn them away. But I also know of people, and I’m sure you do as well, who would like to make heaven their home and thus follow certain religious practices but don’t truly follow God’s way.

Bilbofett wrote
I like how you quoted Hebrews 11:6. Combine it with Romans 8:7-8 and you get this: "It is impossible for those in the flesh (non-christians) to have faith". It goes quite nicely with 1 Cor 12:3 "No one says Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit". No one proclaims Jesus is God, and their Master, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. This is unto salvation. The Holy Spirit is first, not man.

Bilbofett, could you expound on this a little. I’m interested in hearing your thought but I just need to get more info in order to understand how you interpret Heb 11:6. If you weren’t interpreting Heb 11:6 but just giving some “food for thought” that’s cool…..don’t worry about responding in that case Thanks. God Bless.

PS...I ended up putting your quotes in bold because I got so messed up with quotes all over in the wrong places that I gave up (I hope there's someone else who can relate out there!)....a computer geek I'm certainly not!

[Guest]

Hi Bilbofett,

God commanding things of people does not automatically necessitate that they are able to do those things. Whatever you think is fair; put it aside for a second. God commands many things. The 10 commandments. Are all humans capable of following them 100%? Absolutely not.

I and anyone else are able to keep the 10 commandments, even if we don't do so perfectly. God commanding Israelites to keep the 10 commandments was not unreasonable because we know that there were some who were blameless concerning the Law.

1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

God is not unreasonable, which is what your statement implies. A God that would command all people to seek after Him, yet at the same time restrict their ability to do so, could in no way find fault in them.

You seriously need to think through this view of God that you hold, and consider the implications. I consider this view to border on blaspheme.

Robin

I never said God is unreasonable. Never once said that, implied it, hinted at it. That's ridiculous. Let God be true, and every man a liar. I think it is perfectly reasonable for God to demand perfection out of us. We are not capable of it. All our righteousness is as filthy rags before Him. If we stumble in one point of the law, we have stumbled in all. There is none righteous, no, not one.

And I never said God limits people's ability to follow the law. Man limits himself. Adam limited all his offspring in the fall. I'm not sure you understand the reformed view of total inability.

Romans 8:7-8 says "because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

1 John says those who are God's do not sin. Is that absolute? Are there conditions? Do we just read the verse exactly as it appears in the english in the 21century, or is there more to it. Do you sin? Taking that verse just as it stands, then you're not a christian. That's the teaching of 1 John.... or is it? Thats how simply you placed the verses about about Zacharias and Elizabeth.

Do you believe that Christ's righteousness was imputed to Old Testament Saints? Do you believe His blood covered them? Do you believe all their righteousness was as filthy rags before God, as Isaiah says? Do you believe there is none righteous, as Romans says?
Scripture doesn't contradict itself. There is a way to harmonize these verses. The arminian exegesis won't do it. It will just ignore one for the sake of another.

I didn't have alot of time but I wanted to respond to the charge of bordering on blasphemy. Of course it had me concerned.