But if God alone determines who will or will not have faith, then God IS culpable for the faithless.Correct.
Rom 9:20 does not prove your point. Who are you, O man, to make God culpable for the faithless!!! God cannot act against His own holy just nature and doing something unholy, unjust as in requiring men to have faith to be saved, then make it impossible for some men to have faith by not giving faith to them. By the way, he context of Rom 9 is not about Calvinism but about Paul proving God was just and righteous in casting off elect people (Jews) because of their unbelief/disobedience.Incorrect.
Correct.
No it doesn't.
Incorrect.
Certainly He can.
Rom. 9:20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
You evidently do not understand what respect of persons means. Respect of person carries the idea of showing partiality yet God has no respect of persons, therefore God shows no partiality when it comes to salvation for God has set THE SAME STANDARD for salvation for ALL MEN....(Phil 3:16--'walk by the SAME RULE'). Men who of their own free will choose to meet God's standard will receive God's free gift while those who choose not to fail to receive God's free gift. God therefore is not a respecter of persons for setting the same standard for all.Worthless rationalization.
Incorrect.
That is an errant understanding of "respecter of persons".
Yes, God does choose. That is the message from Genesis to Revelation.
Do a study on "choose", "chosen", and "elect".
No, because as I already explained to you (please pay attention, I don't like having to repeat myself) God being "a respecter of persons" means that God's choice is based on something a person is or does. It is the belief that God chooses for salvation those who believe that makes God "a respecter of persons".
The context of Acts 10:34-35 the Jews had a bias against Gentiles and tho't salvation was just for the Jews, that God had respect of persons for the nationality of Jews over Gentiles. Hence Peter's vision showing God has no such partiality/respect of person for in EVERY NATION, ANYONE that meets God's standard ("fear God and worketh righteousness") is accepted with God. God choosing the Jews for salvation over the Gentiles based on nationality would be showing partiality/respect of persons. God choosing to give one person faith over another would be showing partiality/respect of persons. Yet God setting the same standard for all means "God is no respecter of persons" which is the exact opposite of what you are claiming.
The works of Eph 2:8 refer to works of merit not obedience to God's will. Obedience and works of merit are two completely different things. Nowhere ever does the Bible eliminate obedience while it does eliminate works of merit, works of the OT law. All works are obviously not the same.As Rom. 9 says, God makes from the SAME lump of clay vessels for honour, and vessels for dishonour.
Wrong context.
Scripture throughout teaches that salvation is "not by works" (Eph. 2:8-9, Tit. 3:5, 2 Tim. 1:9, Rom. 4:1-6, 9:11-13, 11:5-6, etc. etc.)