Marsha's Musings: God is the First Cause (2 Timothy 2:24-26 ESV)

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26 ESV)

We must-

•not be quarrelsome

•kind to everyone

•able to teach

•patiently enduring evil

•correcting our opponents with gentleness

That's a tall order!  It seems like when I get one piece down good, I fail in another.

It is interesting to me that the next part says God may perhaps grant repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth...

This tells me that God is in charge of who comes to Him in salvation. He is the one who grants repentance.

It also tells me that repentance precedes knowing the truth. There must be repentance before one comes to the knowledge of the truth.

I must conclude then, that God is the first cause of a person coming to faith in Him. God works upon a person's heart to draw him or her to Himself and He grants repentance to them, which makes salvation all of Him.

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (John 6:37 NKJV)