@TomL
Greetings Tom.
No sir, God's elect are regenerated
so that they can see, hear, and believe. It is true, that faith is the clearest evidence that one is regenerated.
Greetings but
Nope one must believe before he receives life
Highlighted are mine for discussions.
No pun intended Mr. Tom, but that's an oxymoron statement.
Thisccomment?
That is, I believe one must have faith before he is made alive
Hardly as we shall see
That statement proves that the devil has you very confused. Tom, you are not even being rational in your reasoning. So, pray to tell me, how in the world can one do spiritual acts pleasing to God before they are quicked to life by the Spirit of God, what would it serve for the Spirit to give life, if they one can do spiritual acts pleasing to God before that person is made alive in the Spirit?
Well lets see what God states
Deuteronomy 30:11–19 (NASB95) — 11 “For this commandment which I command you today
is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 14 “B
ut the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. 15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 17 “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. 19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I
have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
Your argument appears contrary to what God states may be done
Will you claim it irrational to believe what God states?
I find it irrational to contradict him
No sir, you never found that teaching in the scriptures.
You are not hearing this scripture properly. Look at the verb tenses in this scripture spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ and if you do so, you will see if one can hear and believe that person already has eternal life, you do not do these spiritual acts of faith without already possessing life! Listen carefully once more:
John 5:24
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me,
hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but
is passed from death unto life.”
If one can hear and believes, then that person
HATH (past tense, not will have!) everlasting life! He
IS PASSED ...........past tense, not will be! from being dead in tresspasses and sins to life in Jesus Christ. John 5:24 is declaring
a biblical truth, it is not a conditional scripture as many desire to make it seem to be. Our Lord using the double verily he is showing us that what he is about to teach, few would truly understand what he was teaching, and is this ever so!
I'll come back and finish the other scriptures you used after a very short trip this morning.
Your problem is eternal life must be preceded by faith
John 5:24 (NASB95) — 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you,
he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Now let's hear from a greek scholar
Hath eternal life (ἐχει ζωην αἰωνιον [echei zōēn aiōnion]).
Has now this spiritual life which is endless. See 3:36. In verses 24 and 25 Jesus speaks of spiritual life and spiritual death. In this passage (21 to 29) Jesus speaks now of physical life and death, now of spiritual, and one must notice carefully the quick transition. In Rev. 20:14 we have the phrase “the second death” with which language compare Rev. 20:4–6. But hath passed out of death into life (ἀλλα μεταβεβηκεν ἐκ του θανατου εἰς την ζωην [alla metabebēken ek tou thanatou eis tēn zōēn]). Perfect active indicative of μεταβαινω [metabainō], to pass from one place or state to another. Out of spiritual death into spiritual life and so no judgement (κρισις [krisis]).
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn 5:24.
The passing out of death is contrasted to coming into judgment
Further your view is clearly contradicted by scripture
John 3:36 (KJV 1900) — 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
You have man seeing life when scripture states the wrath of God remains on him and he shall not see life
BTW the very next verse in the context
John 5:25 (KJV 1900) — 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Hearing that is believing precedes life
Jn 3:16 | For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.
Jn 3:15 | so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”
Jn 6:47 | Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life.