What God joins together let not man break asunder. A Christian marriage vow includes the statement that this union is not created by man but God. God arranges the marriage!
John 6:44 King James "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." -ελκυση verb - helkuo hel-koo'-o: to drag -- draw.
James 2:6 "But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?" ελκουσιν verb - present active indicative - third person helkuo hel-koo'-o: to drag -- draw.
Acts 16:19 "And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers," ειλκυσαν verb - aorist active indicative - third person helkuo hel-koo'-o: to drag -- draw.
Acts 21:30 "And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut." ειλκον verb - imperfect active indicative - third person helkuo hel-koo'-o: to drag -- draw -
New American Standard Bible (©1995)Then all the city was provoked, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. -Scripturetext.com for text and Greek words.
You have to draw water from a well with a bucket. You can not woo water from a well neither will God woo a sinner for Christ. The word implies an active drawing, dragging. The Father drags the sinner to Christ. -thanks to R C Sproul for this view
Contrary to our culture the bride is drawn to the groom, not by romantic allurement or enticement. Implied in this traditional arrangement perhaps is an unwillingness to marry! In the case of the sinner he is hostile to God, spiritually dead without desire to come to him. When sinners are approached by the Holy Spirit they scatter like sheep, they go astray. They have to be caught and "made" by regeneration to repent and confess. By regeneration they are given the faith to believe. They have to be regenerated to see the kingdom of heaven.
Faith clearly follows regeneration. It cannot nor will not precede regeneration.
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Regeneration is the first step in the application of Redemption.
In It The Holy Spirit implants in the elect sinner, the graces of faith and repentance which will be used in his conversion experience.
The sinner is passive in regeneration, but active in Conversion.
Salvation is totally of God, by God, through God, and unto God.
repentance is the result of regeneration and not the cause of regeneration.
A regenerated person ask, "what must we do?"
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