While I do not wish to be unkind or confrontational, I feel compelled to defend my position. He dismisses the idea that the Apostle Paul, in Romans 7, is describing a believer, instead suggesting that spiritual growth naturally progresses toward perfection—a comforting thought, perhaps, but one that I find unorthodox. When we bring in the doctrine of total depravity, which he and others tend to minimize or set aside, he perceives faith as a natural gift that works in harmony with God's will. However, he describes faith in a way that seems to border on contradiction. He claims that God grants us the freedom to choose, yet insists that this freedom is not determined by God—calling it, somewhat loosely, a kind of Christian “chance.” And at the same time, he asserts that God empowers us to do all good things. I admit I am still trying to understand how these ideas fit together coherently. Our ultimate purpose in life, as I see it, is to glorify God by finding our joy in Him forever. This singular focus leaves no room for divided devotion; to do so would be to fail in resting fully in His sovereignty. If resistance to His will is conceived as a kind of divine freedom intertwined with human choice, then resistance appears as a matter of chance—an equal possibility between divine determination and human decision. But in truth, resistance only occurs when God’s decree permits it; it is a reflection of His sovereignty, not a competing force. My understanding of faith—what some might call passive—is simply a refusal to accept his inconsistency. When I say that God empowers us, I mean that He ordains all that happens; His power is meaningless without His will behind it. The core issue isn’t passivity but acting according to the flesh—acting out of self-interest rather than divine grace. My acceptance of His power is rooted in the conviction that He alone determines every outcome. As you are certainly aware, he often depicts my stance as one of passivity. However, I must clarify that my refusal to accept falsehood is not a sign of weakness or inactivity; rather, it is rooted in a form of faith—a quiet, unwavering certainty that resides beneath our disagreements. This perspective, I believe, is subtly rooted in a Calvinistic outlook, which emphasizes divine sovereignty and grace. The Scriptures make it clear: a Christian's response to God is impossible without God's prior initiative. His divine power sustains us completely, protecting us from temptation, guiding us through trials, and ensuring our perseverance in faith. Only God has the authority to influence and determine our choices; it is beyond our own capacity to act independently of Him. Our main problem is the illusion that we are autonomous beings capable of acting on our own. In reality, we tend to operate based on our natural inclinations—primarily self-interest—without fully recognizing the divine sovereignty that underpins everything. Our true strength lies in acknowledging that God's omnipotence is the only source of true power, and therefore, only He deserves the glory. Embracing this truth means accepting that God alone is able to accomplish all things, and in doing so, we acknowledge our profound dependence on Him. When dependence on God becomes our natural state, we find ourselves more willing to surrender our lives into His hands. It is vital for salvation that we see this dependence on God as the foundation for developing a genuine Christian character. All the suffering and unrest of the soul stem from resisting this true rest—the peace that flows from surrendering to His sovereign rule, recognizing Him not only as all-powerful but as the sole foundation of everything we are and all we hope to become.