Van on Calvinism

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Originally Posted by Van

Calvinism is no mystery that takes more than a few minutes to get, here it is in a nutshell, you were saved or damned from all eternity for all eternity and nothing you do can alter that outcome. This is not rocket science.

You are correct in realizing that if God's purpose for creating mankind was to choose for Himself those who glorify Him, and we bring glory to God when we repent and put our trust in God, then His purpose would not be fulfilled if He chose folks unconditionally and compelled them via Irresistible Grace to trust in God.

There is absolutely no support for Calvinism's TULI in scripture. Fallen men have limited spiritual ability, sufficient to understand and accept the milk of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3.

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You said that so well, so simply. I like that you said Tuli, to indicate that preservation of the saints is once-saved-always-saved as taught in Scripture. And those verses show us if a born-again believer can be carnal, why can't an unsaved person from the gift of choice from being made in God's image have at least the ability to be drawn by God to choose the cross?

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Originally Posted by Van

I see the usual suspects are again ganging up on anyone who points out Calvinism is false doctrine. In order to be a Calvinist, one must embrace rewriting scripture, and therefore it is a man-centered doctrine. Unwilling means unable. Choice means non-choice. And on and on. Exhaustive determinism is false doctrine, the idea that every thought and decision of man is predetermined by God.

The idea that our fallen nature dictates that we cannot seek God or believe in God or trust in God is demonstrated false by Matthew 13:20-22.

Calvinism has been shown to be false doctrine based on many scriptures. It is defended by those who find fault with those who present scriptural truth.

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Every thought is foreknown, not predetermined. Predetermined means premade rather than foreknown as acceptable in God's arrangement. God predestinates by foreknowing our free-choice; He does not predestinate by premaking all our actions like a robot. If that were so He is putting some people in hell without first regard for their choice and that would be downright evil to do that.

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Originally Posted by Van

I see another absurdity has been offered in defense of Calvinism, that if a person cannot exercise their will all the time, they had no ability to exercise it at any time. This is nonsense! Scripture says we make plans (teaching that we have an autonomous will) but God directs our steps (teaching that we exercise our will within the confines allowed by God. In Luke 16:19-31 we see that the rich man still had his autonomous will in Hades, desiring to warn others to avoid that place, even though he knew he could not leave.

There is absolutely no support in scripture for Calvinism, so it is supported by ripping phrases out of context, redefining the meaning of words, attacking those who post the truth, and simply posting nonsense as if a rebuttal was being offered.

Choice means choice and does not mean "non-choice." Unwilling means unwilling and does not mean "unable."

And as has been pointed out, John 1:12-13 teaches a person receives Christ, that He believes in Him, before he is given the right to be adopted as a child of God. Faith before regeneration is scriptural, the gift of faith before belief is fiction. What must I do to be saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus! Thus scripture teaches we choose to trust in Christ, not that God instills belief via irresistible grace.

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Excellent observation.

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Originally Posted by Van

Folks, recall I pointed out that Calvinism is supported by ripping phrases out of context. Here we have yet another specific example. Genesis 6:5 says (NASB) "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Now Calvinists contend the idea here is that every thought of men at all times is evil. But that is not what the verse says. Look 3 verses later to Genesis 6:8 where Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Obviously Noah was not contemplating evil when he found favor. So what is the actual message of Genesis 6:5 if we put it back in context? The actual message is simple, man in his fallen state is depraved, wicked and predisposed to evil. Thus a mind set on the flesh is hostile to God. But if a man, such as Noah, sets his mind on the spiritual things he can understand, he can find favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah, fallen and depraved like any other man was a righteous man who walked with God. Noah did as God commanded.

Then in verse 21, we learn that even though the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth, God has no need to destroy the corrupted people of the Ark, or their descendants, because some of them would trust in God and be a people for His own possession. And so among Noah's son Shem's descendants we find Abraham, who also was obedient to God, even though every intent of his heart was evil. We are not compelled by our fallen nature to never turn to God or follow His commands.

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Beautiful!

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Originally Posted by Van

Here are the facts: Total Spiritual inability is false doctrine, because fallen men received the gospel with joy, so they were seeking God and believed in God (Matthew 13:20-22).

Unconditional election to salvation before creation is false doctrine, because God chooses those who are rich in faith, keeping His promise to those who love Him (James 2:5).

Limited Atonement, as defined by Calvinism, is false doctrine, because Christ is the propitiation or means of salvation, not only for us, but also for the whole world (1 John 2:2).

Irresistible grace is false doctrine because unregenerate men who were entering heaven were turned aside by false teachers (Matthew 23:13).

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Those are some powerful verses. How do we correctly understand Rom. 3.11, "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God"?

Nobody does seek after God, but by the grace of God, people are drawn to Him by being convinced, though not to cause some people to believe and others not without regard first for their choice.