Is there a contradiction between the verse "so then it is not of him who willeth nor of him that runneth" and the verse "whosoever will may come"?
No - because they are not talking about the same thing.
The first verse is about how God's scheme to save by faith removed from the equation the Jews' will and striving under the Law.
The second verse is an invitation to one and to all to come and participate in that wonderful scheme.
The first is about God's right to offer salvation on His own terms - the term of faith.
The second is an invitation to individually partake in that salvation on God's terms.
God's plan (to save by faith) was independant of the will of the flesh - it was God's own plan that it should be that way. No Jew or Gentile dictated his own terms to God. The plan itself did not originate with man's will.
But an individual's decision to come and participate does involve his will. And that's not inconsistent with the statement in Romans.
No comments:
Post a Comment