General Call and Effectual Call

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did FOREKNOW (foreknow what? the choice and the person), he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Rom. 8.28-30).

In Calvinism, God issues a general call to all mankind to repent and believe in Christ, the gospel and be saved. And there is an effectual call that goes out only to the elect, and they are the ones predestined to salvation.

OSAS Arminians charge that the general call of God is not insincere, but the general call presented by Calvinists is ultimately insincere to repent and believe, because their God does not give everyone the capacity to respond to it. It's sort of a charade. God doesn't really intend that the non-elect should respond to it. The Arminian says this is such a mistake in teaching to the point that the Calvinist is unsaved and worships a false Christ who is double minded and thus, deceiving to prevent salvation of souls, to cast doubt upon the believer's faith, and turn people off from Christ by misrepresenting Him.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3.9).

So we clearly see here God wants all persons to come to reach repentance and come to know Him, not just a predestined elect to the exclusion of the rest of the human race. It is not saying just the elect, nor is it saying some elect can perish though God is not willing that any should perish, for God certainly does preserve the elect; hence, that can't be what is being said here either.

"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2.4).

This is incompatible with a Calvinism general call and an effectual call, because God sincerely wants all men to respond to the gospel and thus, all have the capacity to respond. An Arminian says God predestines, placing His stamp of approval on those whom He foreknew would respond to the gospel by free-choice, to conform to the image of God all those who are in Christ.

The Calvinist accuses the Arminian of meritorious works by placing his faith in Christ (accusing the brethren day and night, Rev. 12.10), whereas Paul always distinguishes between faith and works, that faith is not a work. Regeneration follows faith, but not so for a Calvinist, because for them to believe in Christ is a work. Hence, they never come to Christ, because they deny the Scriptures which says faith is not a work.

"Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth...What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? ...What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed" (Rom. 9.18, 22-24, 30-33).

God is sovereignly free to place grace on whom He wants. What is the principle to whom are called? We see the answer in verse 30 and 31. The righteousness of faith. Israel did not pursue it through faith, but as works. The sons of Abraham are those justified by faith in Jesus.

"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3.6-9).

What determines if you are a child of God? Faith. Election is not closing people out and passing over people. It is broadening out to the Jews and Gentiles. God can show mercy on whomever He wants even the Gentiles.

"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10.12-13).

The only way to make sense of this is salvation is a universal invitation. But some might say isn't faith a gift of God?

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--" (Eph. 2.8).

The word "this" does not refer back to faith. Faith and grace, both in the Greek, are in the feminine. But the word "this" is not in the feminine gender, so it doesn't agree with faith. This whole process of salvation by grace through faith is a gift of God, not your own doing or your own works. It is not a meritorious work to choose Christ.

Stephen said, "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts 7.51).

You can resist the Holy Spirit. If you have no freedom, then it turns people into manikins and puppets. Therefore, their decisions become trivial and it becomes impossible to reward them or judge them. They are just mechanical outworkings of the God of the Calvinism. This is the crux. You can't really take seriously the God of Calvinism's love for everyone and wants everyone to reach salvation. It's seems unseemly, unable to take seriously. God is not a God of partiality. Passing over others without any basis for His discrimination is arbitrary and is more than just a sovereign will of God, but would be evil, because He could save all, but doesn't do so. There is no basis, and so this characterizes the behavior of Calvinists so you can't really talk to them in their belligerency and obstinacy. There is no basis for a Calvinist to believe what he does, but the evil spirit planted the seed in his heart and there it remains, imposed upon a creature of bad habits.

God will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy. The fact that He saves even a few, you can't complain. Two people sentenced to death, at the last minute one is pardoned. The other protests, why should he be let go and not me? As long as he was being executed with other he didn't complain. God is not under any obligation to pardon all. Even so, to provide no enabling grace at all is showing partiality, for He could have shown love and pardoned both. Why wouldn't He grace to some when He could have done for all? It's because God is not all loving if that is the way He behaved.

Was the fall predestined to occur? Then you make God the author of evil and sin, causing Eve to be disobedient. Wherever predestination enters without the choice or not providing enabling grace to all, you have God being the author of sin. That's is very problematic. That is a false salvation entered into through a false Christ.