It doesn't appear nonsensical; it is nonsensical. You are saying that we need to have faith in Christ so that we can have faith in Christ.
I'm saying that faith in Christ and believing in Christ cannot be separated. Faith is created within fallen spiritually DEAD mankind, and that is the work of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel. Then through that power man will believe in Christ.
You say the Holy Spirit helps unregenerate mankind who is spiritually DEAD to muster up faith/believing when they hear the Gospel, thereby denying the power to have faith, believe and repent comes not from within DEAD men, but from without as the grace of God! In reality you believe DEAD mankind has the ability to eternally save themselves through their own good faith/believing! That is indeed nonsensical, and worse than that denies that it is God alone Who shall build His Kingdom!
God does not regenerate the unbeliever and then they believe. God regenerates those who believe and have repented.
Saying it does not make it true! Prove through the Word of God that DEAD unregenerate mankind has the ability to believe in Christ for eternal life apart from the power of the Word and Spirit. It is the Spirit who makes alive, the flesh profits nothing!
John 6:63 (KJV) It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Galatians 6:8 (KJV) For
he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
The spiritually dead are not physically limited in any way whatsoever. They have all their physical senses and all their physical abilities, NOWHERE in Scripture does it say that the dead in trespasses and sins cannot hear and understand. More importantly, you are arguing that God is incapable of communicating with the spiritually dead. That is simply not true.
Once more prove spiritually DEAD mankind has the ability to physically eternally save themselves?
There is not a verse or a passage that says or even suggests that eternal salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. If you think there is, then post it so that we can discuss it.
I've proven from the Scripture what I believe Scripture teaches. Rather than asking me to prove what I already have, how about you proving from the Scripture how spiritually DEAD mankind can regenerate themselves?
John 8:43-45 (KJV) Why do ye not understand my speech?
even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Read of the meaning of the parable of the sower who sows seeds, where it is written that only those having ears to hear will hear. Certainly the unregenerate DEAD mankind has physical ears to hear! In what way did they lack the ability to hear for eternal life? If the heart is not prepared to receive the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, unregenerate DEAD mankind will NOT be eternally saved. All mankind can hear with physical hearing, but unless a work of God's grace through the Word and Spirit has opened their ears spiritually to hear, the Word of God will serve only to bring further condemnation and judgment to the hearers.
Luke 8:10-15 (KJV) And he said,
Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this:
The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock
are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of
this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.