Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2022 9:32:25 GMT -8
Oct 29, 2022 11:43:51 GMT -8 @josheb said:
That is the horse before the cart. My analogy stems from my theology, not the other way around AND my theology comes from scripture, not Calvin. Most of the rest of the post has absolutely nothing to do with what I posted or what I believe scripture to teach. I read that post and think, "Well, eg is just making up a pile of crap because none of it has anything to do with what I believe." I'll bet that's not your intent. I'll bet it is not your intent to make up stuff and pretend it has anything to do with my views.Sure, He does. If statements like that are going to be made, then some form of scriptural justification for doing so should be posted (preferably with explicit statements in scripture and not inferentially read scripture rendered from an already existing doctrinal bias).
Remember: BOTH Calvin AND Arminius believed in total depravity. BOTH men argued the unregenerate sinner is incapable of trusting God salvifically. BOTH men taught the unregenerate sinner is incapable of choosing God salvifically. BOTH men believed God must first act upon the sinner BEFORE the human could choose Christ as their Lord and Savior. Calvin simply placed that act in regeneration. Arminius hypothesized a moment of intervention he called, "prevenient grace," whereby the sinner was sufficiently liberated just enough to choose God before being made regenerate. BOTH men said regeneration is an act of God alone. Both men believed God made a person alive so he can choose to trust God for his salvation.
- God can be trusted to do many things.
- God can be trusted to do many things apart from salvation.
- God can be trusted to do many things apart from salvation by unregenerate people.
God cannot be trusted by the unregenerate to save them. At least there is no explicit example of such a person in the Bible. ALL the accounts of people being saved are people who already believed in God AND already had God at work in their life for the specific purpose of their salvation. God worked in Pharoah's life, but it was not for the purpose of Pharoah's salvation. Faith, or trust, is a gift from God and it is not something of our own.
Ephesians 2:4-10
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
- It was because of God's mercy we were made alive together with Christ.
- It was because of His great love, even while dead in sin we were made alive with Christ.
- It was by grace we are saved.
- It was through faith we are saved.
- That mercy, that grace, and that faith because of which, by which, through which we are saved are not of ourselves. They are gifts.
- God has mercy upon whom He has mercy and it does NOT depend on how a person wills or walks (Ex. 33:19; Rom. 9:15-19). It is not of ourselves.
- We are not saved by faith; we are saved through faith. Grace is the cause.
- We are created in Christ for works, and those works for which we are created in Christ having been saved, are works God had already planned in advance for us to perform.
- We are God's workmanship.
.
In other words, there's not a single thing in the entire narrative that makes the sinfully dead and enslaved sinner's will relevant. Every single aspect of it is explicitly assigned to God.
That has yet to be proven. I read the protest and I acknowledge that is your position, but I read absolutely NOTHING proving the claim correct. So far it is a baseless claim built on misconceptions of TULIP and a willful effort to find flaws where none exist.
The two are not mutually exclusive conditions. The sinfully dead and enslaved sinner "living" in a "sea of despair" is still sinfully dead. The supposedly "better alternative" has not been shown to be viable, much less "better". Protests without any evidence don't prove anything.
Scripture says quite a lot about people "living" in sin. It says those people are dead. It says they are enslaved. They have a will and that will has some modicum of volitional agency but it is not the will or the volitional agency of those who are not already dead and enslaved to sin and the two should NEVER be treated synonymously. Neither should the unregenerate be treated as identical to the regenerate. If and when some scripture is posted, please make sure those two errors of false equivalence are not committed. Work hard so as not to give me those reasons to dismiss the post because if that error is made, I will dismiss the entire argument.
As you have already noted, EVERYONE is all already dead in sin. Because of the disobedience of one man, sin and death have come to all men because ALL will sin. All will sin. This turns out to be very important because the Traditionalist does not always believe in original sin. Traditionalist soteriology (SBC) believes it is not until a person sins that they are compromised. Doesn't much matter because according to scripture all will sin and all have sinned. All have sinned and all will sin and there's not a single example in the entire Bible of a sinless person coming to Christ on his own for salvation.
Scripture says the heart of man is deceptive above all else. The heart is many things, but above all else it is deceptive. It's not honest. Scripture says the mind of those who deny God is futile in its thinking. The heart of such a person is darkened. Not only is the mind thinking futilely and the heart darkened and deceptive, but God has given the God-denier over to his lusts. The mind of the flesh is hostile to God; it does not and CANNOT please God. It is the mind of Spirit that is life, and the sinfully dead and enslaved unregenerate sinner does not have the Spirit. He is only a natural man. The natural does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
These are not things I am reading into scripture. Every single one of those statements is something explicitly stated in God's word. My reading is not inferential. If I were asked, "Where does scripture says, X ?" I am able to cite book, chapter, and verse to show that's what scripture actually explicitly states without any added inferences.
So when you say....
...that is demonstrably not true. Scripture, not Josh, explicitly states the mind of flesh CANNOT please God. Scripture, not my "theology," explicitly states the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit. Scripture explicitly states no one can come to Christ unless God first drags that person to Jesus. Scripture explicitly states it is God who gives knowledge, God who gives understanding, God who gives both hearing and understanding, both seeing and perceiving. Apart from all these works of God - we are His workmanship - we cannot and do not come to God for salvation.
Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Arminius, and Wesley all agreed. The traditionalist agrees once the person has sinned.
The analogy was based on scripture, not merely monergist soteriology, but the fact is the overwhelming majority of orthodox mainstream Christian soteriology agrees humanity is unable to respond to God unaided.
LOOK at what you've just posted. You've just contradicted yourself.
A person with no hope, and no way of saving themselves cannot do something to save themselves! If a person has no way of saving themselves then not even their choice will save them. This "better alternative" is no different or "better".
Irrelevant. A person's acceptance, acknowledgment or denial of the state does not change the state. In point of fact none can adequately understand the state of sin absent the power of the righteous One to understand their inherent condition of death and slavery. Adam was the last man to have known both sinlessness and sinfulness and after having sinner he could no longer adequately understand his prior state. It was only a memory. None of us have ever had such a memory. We are dead whether we know it or not. We are in need of salvation whether we know it or not. Denial is irrelevant to necessity.
No one can get out of their own way. You just got done stating the better example would be "No way of saving ourselves." No one can get out of their own way because there is no way of saving ourselves. Even if a person could get out of their own way, they have no way of saving themselves.
I don't know exactly what you mean by "seeing" the savior, but "seeing" is not enough. He must be seen AND understood AND understood salvifically AND he must know that sinner salvifically, too.
Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you...."
Galatians 4:8-9
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?
We must BOTH know AND be known. Many people know Christian theology but are not saved. Knowing is not enough. That's Gnosticism. All people are known by God. All people bear His image, but not all people bear His image found only in Christ. All are known by God but not all are known salvifically. Most are known only in sin, judgment, and wrath. It is from that condition we are being saved!
Incomplete sentences.
When you say "let him save them" do you realize you are subordinating God to the sinner? Do you understand you are subjugating God's will to the will of the unregenerate sinner? Do you realize you're contradicting your own post because you've also said the person is incapable of doing anything to solve their own problem. "Letting" God do something is the dead sinner doing something to solve his own unsolvable problem. Can't be had both ways.
Furthermore, I can think of several scriptures explicitly stating God helps the sinner, but I cann think of a single verse stating sinfully dead and enslaved unregenerate the sinner helps God save the sinner. Not only does anyone who believes that believe something irrelevant.... they are believing an irrelevancy that compromises the attributes of God (something that was protested earlier) and something nowhere found in scripture!
No, they don't. They see AND understand because God gave them those abilities AND because God gave those abilities specifically for the purpose of God saving them from the destruction that was otherwise awaiting them.
THINK about what you just posted. All that does is modify the analogy to say they did not wash up on the beach on their own..... they were pulled from the sea of sure death onto the beach by God and then made alive by God! That's exactly what the analogy says.
THINK about what you've just posted. Dead people have neither belief or unbelief. They are dead! The dead know nothing (Ecc. 9:5). The "dry land" is not free of unbelief and if your argument is God first brings them to a different land then you're arguing monergism, not synergism.
THINK about what you've said because you have said, "...rescued from death," but you've also said they are already dead. What the Bible says is t the sinners are being rescued from the already existing death AND rescued from the future wrath that comes consequent from that already existing death. As it turns out, you have fixed the analogy based upon your theology, not scripture, and as a consequence judged me to be doing the same.
Ephesians 2:1-6
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...
Colossians 2:13-15
When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Being dead in sin is the default state. The only way to not be dead is to be made alive. Unless a person is born anew from above, he CANNOT see the kingdom of God. That is what scripture explicitly states. I'm not saying anyone cannot, scripture plainly states the "cannot".
Scripture says otherwise.
And yet all are not saved.
Unless that statement is intended as an expression of agreement with what I have posted, I completely agree and NOTHING I have posted should even remotely be construed to say otherwise. Otherwise, the comment has absolutely NOTHING to do with my position.
Irrelevant.
Got scripture for that or are you just making stuff up as you go?
God did not ask a single individual in the Bible if they wanted to be brought into any of God's covenants. God initiated every single covenant in the Bible ALL on His own. He willfully chose those people before they were even aware they were chosen. He called AND commanded their obedience, and He did not allow for any possibility they'd say "No." In point of fact, it was not until long after the covenant was initiated, the person was brought into the covenant, and the person's obedience was commanded that any of them were ever offered a choice.
Look it up.
God saves people against their will all the time. God literally knocked Saull off his donkey, struck him blind, and commanded him to go see Ananias expressly for the purpose of Saul's salvation and Paul was not asked if he wanted to be chosen, asked if he wanted to be saved, asked if he wanted to be blinded, asked if he wanted to go see Ananias, wanted to hear anything God had for Ananias to say. Saul was not asked if he wanted a life of suffering for Christ. Saul was not asked if he wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul was not asked if he wanted any of it.
Acts 9:15-16
15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
It had ALL already been decided before Saul knew about any of it. His choices came only after those things were decided. He was chosen by God without his knowing it. He was chosen by God as an instrument of God's before he even knew it. He was chosen as an instrument of God's for suffering before he knew anything about it or was asked if he wanted any part of it.
Scripture says otherwise.
And God's will should not be predicated or in any way shape or form be made subordinate upon the will of the fleshly sinfully dead and enslaved unregenerate sinner's will, especially without scripture that actually, explicitly states God will not save someone against their will - especially if it's also going to be claimed they cannot get out of their own way and have no way of saving themselves. If they have no way, then they cannot "let" God save them. That would be a way out and you've said that's not possible.
So.....
- A clear misunderstanding of the monergistic soteriolgy (and straw men and non sequiturs being argued as a consequence).
- An observable lack of scripture.
- An observable external inconsistency with explicit scripture.
- Several internal inconsistencies that contradict and thereby self-refute what's been posted.
Changes are warranted one way or another. Either reconsider the monergistic position since you clearly believe several things in agreement with the monergist, or reconcile the several inconsistencies o they no longer exist and don't contradict themselves or scripture.
That has ALWAYS been an assumption on the part of the synergist so before you post any other response to this post first provide scripture explicitly stating God will not save someone against their will.
The point of my analogy is that the sinner's will is irrelevant. The dead know nothing. So, show me where scripture explicitly teaches God won't save someone against their will.
Do not assume it.
Prove it.
One of the best places for understanding this is simply through the fact the entire Bible is a revelation from God and without that revelation we would not understand much at all. All creation bears witness to the existence of God and His power (Romans 1) so there remains a witness - a means of understanding - in nature apart from the written Word but the fact remains we're clueless absent God's revelation. God gives knowledge. We are not born knowledgeable of our sinfulness. Neither are we born knowing Jesus. As a consequence, we all once lived in a state of condemnation (Jn. 3:18-19) about which we were completely ignorant.
Another place we find what should be an obvious understanding of God as the giver of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom is the prophetic declaration of Isaiah 6:9,
Isaiah 6:8-10
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."
The first thing to note is the prophet is sent to tell the people something they do not know! They are completely lacking in knowledge here. God has to tell them. All prophecy is like this but this particular prophecy is poignant because to is God telling the ignorant people He is going to make them more ignorant! The people of Isaiah's day were disobedient and because of their disobedience God was going to one day in the future render their hearts insensitive, their ears dull and their eyes dim AND He was going to do that for the expressly stated purpose, otherwise, they might hear, understand, and be healed! In other words, God would proactively preventing them from seeing, hearing, understanding, and repenting. This flies in direct conflict with the notion God doesn't coerce salvation asserted earlier in one of the posts. Appeals to situations of already existing disobedience don't change the facts stated by God. Pharoah hardened Pharoah's own heart and as a consequence eventually God hardened it for him. Likewise, the disobedient Hebrews were going to be made more blind, deaf, ignorant, and unable (not merely unwilling) to repent.
The reason I cite this particular text from Isaiah is because it is used repeatedly in the gospels and Acts and the epistolary.
Matthew 13:10-17
Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Mark 4:10-13
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
Luke 8:9-15
And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
John 12:37-43
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Therefore, they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
Acts 28:23-28
When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Romans 11:1-8
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
The prophecy of Isaiah 6 came true during the NT era. Jesus plainly states the force of prophecy had come to bear directly upon those refusing to listen. Not only were they unwilling to hear they could not hear because they'd been rendered deaf, mute, and ignorant. (unknowing). What God ordained He ordained without causing violence to the human will or the contingencies of all the secondary causes that had transpired between Isaiah and the gospel era. In contrast, Jesus plainly tells the disciples the reason they can understand is because that knowledge had been given to them. He explicitly states, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance...," "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that 'they may indeed see but not perceive....'" and "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand...." It's a very curious thing for God to say He spoke in parables SO the hearers would NOT understand. Even more so when the purpose of not understanding is disclosed to be so they won't repent and be healed. According to Pau, they were given a "spirit of stupor." It was not simply that the word was veiled, hidden, and spoke in foreshadows. The word was veiled and hidden AND the people were given a spirit of stupor. Remember also that those who denied God's existence thought futilely, had darkened hearts, and had be given over to their lusts. In other words, God ADDED to the ordinary cause and effect of sin. Sin causes one's thinking to become futile. Sin causes one's heart to become darkened. But, in addition to those two really, really, really bad things.... God gives a person over to their lusts. Notice that Paul is speaking specifically about the Israelites in Romans 11 but he generalizes this "spirit of stupor" to those outside of Israel when he limits the promises to the elect. The Gentiles would listen (Acts 28:28). They would listen because God had now made it possible for them to do so.
Lastly, we have the example of the already regenerate and their lack of knowledge found in James 1.
James 1:5-8
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
God gives wisdom. Even to the saints
. Especially to the saints 
.Romans 10:11-14
For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
The whole of scripture says all these things come from God and not once is human volition ever said to be causal for any of it. There are literally scores of places where the scriptures speak explicitly and implicitly about the salvific faculties of sinfully dead and enslaved unregenerate sinners being given to them by God.
Salvific faith is only salvific because it is of (I say "generated by") the Spirit of God who has "moved in" to the person. It is not the person's new capability that "generates" salvific faith. None of us, not even the regenerate, are able to understand the horror of the nature of sin, nor the depth and breadth of God's love, purity and power, to even understand the Gospel sufficiently well to know what happened in Christ's death and in our being born again. But the Spirit does. And none of us is capable of generating the sincerity, dedication, integrity and force of will to commit to what we have believed. But the Spirit has all that and more.
Again, I agree.
I think the closest any of us have ever come to fathoming the true nature of sin is those who have served in combat, those who've seen the worst of criminal activity, or that of genocide or natural disaster. God is going to literally kill the already-dead-in-sin! Mass destruction. Our worst horrorscape will not compare to the death and destruction God will mete out on sin.
He's not going to ask anyone's permission.
He demonstrated this once before when he wiped out the entire human population (except for eight) with a flood. Anyone ever seen bloated, rotting drowned corpses? How about a million of them spread out as far as the eye can see in every direction. Take in the smell of the rot. Feel it sting your eyes and nostrils. Try controlling the involuntary reflex not to wretch at the stench entering your lungs.
That is what we ALL once were to God. A putrid stench in His nostrils.
The Genesis account doesn't tell what it was like with all the floating bodies and what happened to them, but no one should imagine the Flood was pretty or benign. Not a single one of them knew what was coming. How much better was Noah for surviving it if he was subject to witness the horror? Wasn't long before he planted enough grapes to get so intoxicated that he didn't know his son was sodomizing him.
And some synergists believe the sinfully dead and enslaved unregenerate possess enough faculty to still choose God while still unregenerate. It defies both scripture and logic.
To me, monergism is not only relevant to salvation, but to sanctification —to the subsequent life of the believer. While Scripture makes plain that we MUST decide to do what God commands, and we must pursue Christ, I find not only my motivation to choose to do that, but my ABILITY to do so, is the work of God; indeed, I find that when I have obeyed, or even to have chosen to obey, it was not my doing, but Christ in me. That's experiential, but also Scriptural: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do according to his good pleasure."
Here I'm going to partly disagree. The scriptures make it clear it is God who saves, God who redeems, God who justifies, God who sanctifies, etc. God does a lot. He's doing a bunch of stuff and He's doing it constantly, repeatedly and in an ongoing progressive manner.
But.... the New Testament also makes it clear the regenerate believer in Christ, those in Christ, are ALSO doing a bunch of stuff (or at least we're supposed to be doing a bunch of stuff). God gifts
faith and it is through that gifted faith that we are justified. We were justified on Calvary AND we are justified by faith through which we have salvation.
Justification by faith.
Salvation through faith.
That distinction is important.
We are washed by the Spirit and washed by the word, but how much word-washing would we receive were we never to read the word (or hear it preached)? The purpose of salvation is good works God planned in advance for us to perform (Eph. 2:10) and one of those is apparently to work out our salvation. We are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved and while we are not saved by works, we are saved for works, and it is God who works in us to both will and act for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
The sinfully dead and enslaved unregenerate sinner can't say that. He cannot work out a non-existent salvation with God working within him since he has neither God nor salvation. This is why the monergist position so often makes a distinction between conversion, or regeneration, and the rest of salvation. A person is converted in a moment but having been regenerated that person still has the remainder of their life to work out salvation and that process is not complete until he is raised incorruptible and immortal on the other side of resurrection (1 Cor. 15:35-50.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
God works in His elect so they work for Him.
. That kind of god is not a God, and he most certainly is not the sovereign almighty Creator God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is sovereign even over sin. No creature in sin is sovereign over anything. The regenerate is an adopted royal, priestly son (or daughter) of The Most High God and all creation waits in eager expectation for our revealing. We were made that way specifically for the purpose of WORK. 
