Nottheworld
12-05-2008, 09:45 PM
Unable to find any place for God's love (1 John 4.8) in the theory of predestination arising out of unconditional election, Calvin struck back caustically at his critics in his usual manner, while pleading Augustine authority. He calls them "ungodly" men, that is, unsaved. If any one of the five points of calvinism is denied, the "Reformed" heritage, as calvinist like to call it, is completely lost. Unconditional election necessarily follows from total depravity. If as many calvinists say unconditional election is the "touchstone...the very heart and core of the gospel" then if the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1.16) and the five points of calvinism comprise that very heart of the gospel, non-Calvinists cannot be saved. This logically flows. Therefore, if calvinism is false, then John Calvin and most calvinists are unsaved.
The Bible clearly states that our acceptance of salvation is a condition: "as many as received him...become sons of God" (John 1.12). George L. Bryson rightly stated, "Calvinist Election says to the unregenerate elect, 'Don't worry, your Depravity is no obstacle to salvation,' and to the unelect, 'Too bad, you have not been predestined for salvation but [to] damnation."
The rabbit hole of calvinism goes like this. "By making election conditional upon something man does, even if it what he does is simply to repent and believe the gospel, God's grace is seriously compromised." How the acceptance of God's grace by faith can be compromise grace is not explained, nor could it be. Paul declares that God's grace is received by faith alone: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God" (Eph. 2.8). But calvinists reject faith as essential to regeneration and thus to salvation. Thus, we can conclude calvinists are not born-again.
It is said "to reject [Calvinistic] election is to reject salvation by grace and promote a salvation by works." Thus by the erroneous view that faith is a work, the very faith God requires is denied as the means by which God's grace is received by man!
In the Bible, however, faith and works are contrasted as opposites. "By grace are ye saved, through faith;...not of works" (Eph. 2.8-9); "But to him that worketh not, but believeth..." (Rom. 4.5). To support Calvinism, the Bible must be contradicted in many places.
The Bible clearly states that our acceptance of salvation is a condition: "as many as received him...become sons of God" (John 1.12). George L. Bryson rightly stated, "Calvinist Election says to the unregenerate elect, 'Don't worry, your Depravity is no obstacle to salvation,' and to the unelect, 'Too bad, you have not been predestined for salvation but [to] damnation."
The rabbit hole of calvinism goes like this. "By making election conditional upon something man does, even if it what he does is simply to repent and believe the gospel, God's grace is seriously compromised." How the acceptance of God's grace by faith can be compromise grace is not explained, nor could it be. Paul declares that God's grace is received by faith alone: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God" (Eph. 2.8). But calvinists reject faith as essential to regeneration and thus to salvation. Thus, we can conclude calvinists are not born-again.
It is said "to reject [Calvinistic] election is to reject salvation by grace and promote a salvation by works." Thus by the erroneous view that faith is a work, the very faith God requires is denied as the means by which God's grace is received by man!
In the Bible, however, faith and works are contrasted as opposites. "By grace are ye saved, through faith;...not of works" (Eph. 2.8-9); "But to him that worketh not, but believeth..." (Rom. 4.5). To support Calvinism, the Bible must be contradicted in many places.