Ferguson, Godfrey, Jones, Lutzer, and R.C. Sproul: Questions and Answers #3 

Requesting Prayers for Discernment of the church leadership to study and follow our original Reformers

The 'whosoever will' are the elect. I had this discussion with a friend who said she chose God, she chose to believe the Gospel and trust in Christ. I said no, God chose you and super naturally regenerated your spirit and upon hearing the effectual call, you came to Him. 'My sheep hear my voice'. I hated this doctrine when I first read about it but now think it's kind of comforting. God leaves nothing to chance, not one of his sheep will be lost. All safe in the fold.

“Whosoever will” when looked at side by side with the depravity of man shows nobody will. I heard it like this once. A man walks under a doorway that says “whoever will, may enter”. And when he enters and looks back it says “I have chosen you before the foundation of the world”.

@@franstrahan7575 for me, it happened in reverse order ( i hated my confusion when i didnt know of the doctrine and was elated right at the start when i learned of god's sovereignty in salvation. ( I think my churches i grew up in were arminian). i was always concerned even as a child/young teenager that salvation was left to chance (circumstances had to line up for people to hear the gospel, so it troubled me greatly that people would die without a chance at salvation), so when i discovered just a few years ago of god's sovereignty in salvation (i read pink's "sovereignty of god") it was such a joyous discovery to know that he chooses us, and he will move heaven and earth to allow the elect to come to salvation. None of the elect will be left out!! Not one of the elect will be forgotten/overlooked/left out!!! :) god's sovereignty is the aspect i love most behind the actual salvation part. It brings me enormous comfort knowing he's in control. Even going though bad times/struggles, even though I know he has the power to remove the struggle altogether, if he doesnt remove it, it helps that it's all in his hand, and there's purpose in the struggle, even if i dont see it at the time.

It's *not "whosever will"* !! That's out of context!* It is *"whoever believes"* ! That's different. The problem was *never* who will but who believes! Whoever believes! How do you believe! It doesn't come from you because the Faith comes From Jesus! That's the problem! You cannot believe if The Holy Spirit doesn't change your heart first! For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV And you He made alive, *who were dead in trespasses and sins,* Ephesians 2:1 NKJV Yeah you have "free will", every single person has free will! That's not a debate! But your free will is bound (tied, conditioned) by your nature! What does a dead person can do? He is free to choose! The problem is that his only choice is bound to his nature so he's (she's) only choice is to remain dead and experience decay and corruption of death! *But God!* But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4‭-‬6 NKJV While you are being dead, tied to your own will, thought and desire (which according to your dead condition was quite of choiceles) God made you alive and saved you through Jesus's Atoning Death! So, if you're dead in your trespasses and sin you can choose but *you will choose only sin* because that is what you like, what you desire, what you think of! If and when you are Made Alive and given a new heart, because of that NEW NATURE you can choose God because you have no other choice because your desire is God, your Thoughts are God and you have a new nature that is inclined to perfection Only! I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Ezekiel 36:26‭-‬27 NKJV (Look Who does all that?)

Huh?

Mario1611 l

We need to preach everything in balance.