John UK wrote:
Ooooooh,

Mike wrote:
How do you manage

I've been away for a week and you go back to your old ways of trying to save yourselves.
What am I going to do with you?

Now remember when the sinner is in his natural estate before being called inwardly, he is about as much use to truth and salvation as a plastic duck can drive a double decker bus.
Because the Bible says so.

5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"

See - NO works required!!

8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."

See - Faith is the GIFT of God!!

13 "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak"

Faith therefore is a gift and work wrought in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Aaahh it's good to be back. Time for some real TULIP Calvinism around here.

John UK wrote:
So the question is "Why does a man that is 'dead' in trespasses and sins, like 'Christian' in the Pilgrim's Progress, begin seeking the Light, if he is totally 'dead' spiritually?
I would put it down to 'enlightenment from the word', which is before new birth.

John, Mike, Biblicist
How many times must we teach you that salvation by self does not work.

The Holy Spirit is the one who guides the sinner into all truth - NOT the sinner himself.
Your statement above denies the need of the Holy Spirit.

The sinner, when in his natural estate, cannot spiritually discern the Word of God as Scripture teaches.

This Arminian teaching of yours is based on the same premise as papistry. Again you underestimate the power of sin.

John UK wrote:
#1 The Son is eternally begotten of the Father.
#2 The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
I wonder if you could explain these two statements for me?

2] "The Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the Father *AND* the Son. This procession of the Holy Spirit (called spiration) is His personal property.
Spiration may be defined as that eternal and necessary act of the first and second persons in the Trinity whereby they, within the divine Being became the ground of the personal subsistence of the Holy Spirit, and put the third person in possession of the whole divine essence, without any division, alienation or change." (Berkhof)
_______________

Well you did ask John!!

For more info and a more comprehensive statement you will need Berkhof's "Systematic Theology" chapt. 8.

Biblicist wrote:
1] DJC49 don't you feel even a little ashamed using a different moniker every time you feel like taking a shot at me?!

2] If the titles Father and Son are to be accepted as indicative of familial relations, what about the Holy Ghost?

3] Finally, if the title "Son" must inevitably lead to the concept of "begottenness"

He is not.
And I am not DJC49.

2] These titles come from the Bible. We believe the Bible - Don't you???
NOTE
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Now are we to believe that you will NOT overcome the world? Does this problem of yours indicate that you will remain in the domain of sin and end up in hell?

3] GOD wrote the Bible. All man did was record it and to do that he required inspiration from GOD.
The Holy Spirit is the one who guides the Elect into all truth.

Now where does this leave you?

Do you have faith in God and His Scriptures?

Biblicist wrote:
That says to me that we should take care what we make of these titles....what if this is a complete misunderstanding of why those terms are employed?

Does "Faith" read your Bible?

God, Christ and the Holy Spirit are from eternity.

Parent-child relationship is revealed by God to mortals.

NOT the other way round!