tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post593184006491902283..comments2024-03-06T04:31:53.093+11:00Comments on Just in CASE: Irresistible Grace: 'Brideshead Revisited' revisitedTrevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-34786977253743075352010-09-05T04:57:43.412+10:002010-09-05T04:57:43.412+10:00If God gives His Grace to everyone and desires eve...If God gives His Grace to everyone and desires everyone to be saved, then why can't everybody enter heaven? Scripture says that God gives His Grace lavishly to the Elect (Ephesians 1:7-8) and has mercy but also hardens the hearts of whom He will (cf. Romans 9:18). <br /><br />This is something we cannot question – God is the potter and we are the clay (Romans 9:20-21). in Catholic Church's terminology God gives the Elect sufficient and efficacious Grace [2] while the Reprobates receive sufficient but inefficacious Grace. <br /><br />Thus Catholics believe God gives sufficient Grace for everyone to make him/her, using his/her freedom, turn to God and be saved. One way to explain this is using Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). <br /><br />In the parable the Master gave different number of talents to his three servants according to their abilities. The Master obviously had every right to decide how many talents each servant received. The servant with only one talent was later condemned. Yet his Master did not intend to condemn him by giving him only one talent. <br /><br />Had he deposited it in the bank he would be fine like the other two. The servant was condemned for his own wrong action, i.e. hiding the single talent entrusted to him. <br /><br />Thus Catholics believe that condemnation of the Reprobates to hell always involves their freedom to reject God’s Grace – in other words they are responsible for their damnation. Catholic’s view on Reprobation is called as Positive Conditional Reprobation - when God created the world He, being omniscience, foresaw the Reprobate’s rejection to His Grace and let them use their freedom to do so. Yet God still wants them to be saved and still gives them sufficient Grace.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07940745178193985942noreply@blogger.com