Our salvation does not depend on our accepting of Him but His accepting of us... Salvation is by His Grace . This is not the thread for that 2000 year old discussion..
John 6:44 (KJV)
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
How does God draw men and women unto himself
John 6:45 (KJV)
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
And it was for this he called us
2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 (KJV)
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
The Holy Spirit calls men through the gospel; and it is the gospel that is the power
Romans 1:16-17 (KJV)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
God draws people unto Himself through the teaching of the gospel
1 Corinthians 1:18-21 (KJV)
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where
is the wise? where
is the scribe? where
is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
When they hear the gospel, they have the ability to respond to God's gospel call, but they also have the ability to reject it
Acts 13:45-48 (KJV)
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
For so hath the Lord commanded us,
saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Sinners are saved by God's grace when they respond in faithful obedience to the gospel that draws them to God
Matthew 7:21 (KJV)
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
God is always ready for men to repent and obey. I like this verse ;o)
Acts 17:30-31 (KJV)
And the times of this ignorance
God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by
that man whom he hath ordained;
whereof he hath given assurance unto all
men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
God calls us, God calls us to repent of our sins.
Luke 5:32 (KJV)
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
We have to respond
Acts 2:21 (KJV)
And it shall come to pass,
that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
We have to respond
Acts 2:38 (KJV)
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We have to respond, we have to be born again from above
John 3:3,5-8 (KJV)
3 Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
God calls us to repentance, salvation is the gift,
but we have to respond, through Jesus, we have to be born anew.
Our salvation DOES depend on us accepting him sister.
If we don't...
John 3:16-21 (KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Shalom
