A Help for Davis Farnell to Deliver Him from Calvinism (on YouTube)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davis Farnell
Romans 9:14-16 "What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”Paul feels our pain. He feels our pain in that we have a difficult time reconciling election with a just God. Paul says that God is not at all unjust in election and that he will have mercy on whom he has mercy and compassion on whom he has compassion. This is showing us the glory of God in that he is able to operate in complete freedom because he does what he wants because he wants to.What you need to take away from this is the fact that justice to us is not necessarily justice to God. When you say that a God who unconditionally elects is evil, you are implying that he is evil based on your human understanding of justice. Justice to God, is his never ending commitment to always uphold his glory. Based on those verses, we know that part of God's glory is his right and ability to operate in complete freedom. If God were obligated to act based on the free choice of man (outside his sovereignty), then he would not be acting in complete freedom, rather he would be REacting to the actions of man. This would put God's glory at fault which would make him unjust. In other words, allowing man to have the power of choice outside of his sovereignty, would put his glory at fault and make him unjust. You say that unconditional election is unjust on God's part. That is based on your limited human understanding of justice.
God does the saving, and it is His mercy. That's the point of Romans 9. It is not about irresistibly imposed salvation. That's a heresy. It's about His grace and mercy that is sufficient for all. Some receive more, some less mercy, but it is always sufficient. Your god can't do this. Don't think, therefore, man has no input nor grace sufficient to have the free choice. "Seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. 4.29). Romans 9 is comparing works with faith. "He calls people, but not according to their good or bad works" (Rom. 9.12); "it was by faith that this took place" (v.30); "the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded" (v.31); "they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him" (v.32); "anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced" (v.33). Free will is not outside His sovereignty but part of His plan. God enjoys our responding to Him positively. We are not robots. Since God can do this, but the god of Calvinism cannot, we should uphold God's glory. He pleads and implores us to receive Him. How sadistic that would be to implore us to do something and yet we cannot do it. That would be an unjust god, certainly not God of the Bible. God gives us all sufficient grace to have the free choice. God can and does by His freedom react to your free choice just as He designed. He is the giver of free will and rewards of those who respond positively to Him. Having the free choice is within God's sovereignty for that is how God has designed His creation. Your god is unable to do this. You will always reject the OSAS Arminian God that's why you are going to Hell. You did not come to the cross sincerely as He would have you. Because you can't fathom in your human understanding why some people accept Christ and others do not, you impose some heresies such as Total depravity and irresistibly imposed salvation. Whereas Christians accept God's offer of salvation whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but receives everlasting life. Praise the Lord!
