everstill
01-01-2009, 01:42 AM
Surely, "those that believe" must be the elect for whom Christ is the Savior not true of "all men" in general. Contrasts in Scripture can be found. Paul exhorts prayer "for all men...that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life..." (1 Tim. 2.1-2). Surely the "we" who are to pray must be the Christians, and the "all men" must be the everyone else. Again Paul writes, "Let us do good unto all men, especially unto...the household of faith" (Gal. 6.10). True believers must be the household of faith, again set in contrast to "all men."
Not only White and MacArthur, but other Calvinists astonishing reasoning in order to escape the plain teaching of Scripture. Gary North explains that "Christ is indeed the Savior all people prior to judgment day." "Savior in what way? North doesn't explain, nor can he. Calvin is no less irrational in his claim that Savior simply means that Christ shows "kindness" to all men. Where is "Savior" every used to signify "kindness"? And what kindness would bless in this life and predestine to torment for eternity as Calvinism teaches?
Calvin adds that by "Savior the passage only means (for the non-elect) that Christ "guards and preserves." Pink and Beck declare, somewhat like Calvin, that "Savior of all men" simply means that Christ is the "Preserver" of all men. Temporarily? Preserve from what?
In what way does God "preserve" those whom He has predestined to eternal damnation? And what could be meant by God's "kindness" to those He predestined before their birth (or after their Total Depravity) to the lake of Fire and from whom He withholds the salvation He could give them if He so desired? We are appalled by such bold perversions to escape the plain reading of Scripture.
Sproul explains: "Savior of all men. The general call to repentance and salvation is extended to all people" (emphasis in the original). How can salvation be "extended" to those for whom Christ did not die? And how can that supposed "call...to salvation" make Christ the Savior of those who are totally depraved and unable to respond to this call? and who have already been predestined to eternal damnation? Calvinism seems to pervert not only the Bible but men's minds, so that they are able to pretend that obvious contradictions make sense.
MacArthur goes into more depth in an attempt to remove the contradiction:
Yet, the Gr. word translated "especially" must mean that all men enjoy God's salvation in some way like those who believe enjoy His salvation. The simple explanation is that God is the Savior of all men, only in a temporal sense, while of believers in an eternal sense...all men experience some earthly benefits from the goodness of God. Those benefits are: 1) common grace...God's goodness shown to all mankind universally...showering him with temporal blessing...; 2) compassion - the broken-hearted love of pity God shows to undeserving, unregenerate sinners...; 3) admonition...God constantly warns sinners of their fate, demonstrating the heart of a compassionate Creator who has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ez. 18.30-32; 33.11); 4) the gospel invitation - salvation in Christ is indiscriminately offered to all....
Far from removing the scandalous contradiction, MacArthur only emphasizes the contradiction with what the Bible teaches. That God has "broken-hearted love of pity" for and "constantly warns sinners of their fate" and that "salvation in Christ is indiscriminately offered to all" is the clear teaching of Scripture. But this is the very antithesis of Calvinism, which teaches that Christ died only for the elect and salvation is only for them.
MacArthur himself declares that "God chose only the elect out of the world" and that "a corpse could no sooner come out of the grace and walk" than for a non-elect even to hear the warnings and offers of salvation, let alone to respond to faith. Then how could salvation sincerely be "offered" to the non-elect? What deep holes Calvinists dig for themselves in trying to reconcile their theory with Scripture!
It is an insult to the God who is love to say that giving temporal blessings on this earth to those whom He predestined to eternal torment in the Lake of Fire before they were born is "God's salvation in some way..."! And it is a cruel mockery to tell those for whom Christ didn't even die that God is the Savior! Sproul and MacArthur very well know what Paul means by salvation - it isn't something temporary for this life only!
There is no reason, none whatsoever, for us to think MacArthur, Sproul, White, North and other such calvinists are Christians.
Not only White and MacArthur, but other Calvinists astonishing reasoning in order to escape the plain teaching of Scripture. Gary North explains that "Christ is indeed the Savior all people prior to judgment day." "Savior in what way? North doesn't explain, nor can he. Calvin is no less irrational in his claim that Savior simply means that Christ shows "kindness" to all men. Where is "Savior" every used to signify "kindness"? And what kindness would bless in this life and predestine to torment for eternity as Calvinism teaches?
Calvin adds that by "Savior the passage only means (for the non-elect) that Christ "guards and preserves." Pink and Beck declare, somewhat like Calvin, that "Savior of all men" simply means that Christ is the "Preserver" of all men. Temporarily? Preserve from what?
In what way does God "preserve" those whom He has predestined to eternal damnation? And what could be meant by God's "kindness" to those He predestined before their birth (or after their Total Depravity) to the lake of Fire and from whom He withholds the salvation He could give them if He so desired? We are appalled by such bold perversions to escape the plain reading of Scripture.
Sproul explains: "Savior of all men. The general call to repentance and salvation is extended to all people" (emphasis in the original). How can salvation be "extended" to those for whom Christ did not die? And how can that supposed "call...to salvation" make Christ the Savior of those who are totally depraved and unable to respond to this call? and who have already been predestined to eternal damnation? Calvinism seems to pervert not only the Bible but men's minds, so that they are able to pretend that obvious contradictions make sense.
MacArthur goes into more depth in an attempt to remove the contradiction:
Yet, the Gr. word translated "especially" must mean that all men enjoy God's salvation in some way like those who believe enjoy His salvation. The simple explanation is that God is the Savior of all men, only in a temporal sense, while of believers in an eternal sense...all men experience some earthly benefits from the goodness of God. Those benefits are: 1) common grace...God's goodness shown to all mankind universally...showering him with temporal blessing...; 2) compassion - the broken-hearted love of pity God shows to undeserving, unregenerate sinners...; 3) admonition...God constantly warns sinners of their fate, demonstrating the heart of a compassionate Creator who has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ez. 18.30-32; 33.11); 4) the gospel invitation - salvation in Christ is indiscriminately offered to all....
Far from removing the scandalous contradiction, MacArthur only emphasizes the contradiction with what the Bible teaches. That God has "broken-hearted love of pity" for and "constantly warns sinners of their fate" and that "salvation in Christ is indiscriminately offered to all" is the clear teaching of Scripture. But this is the very antithesis of Calvinism, which teaches that Christ died only for the elect and salvation is only for them.
MacArthur himself declares that "God chose only the elect out of the world" and that "a corpse could no sooner come out of the grace and walk" than for a non-elect even to hear the warnings and offers of salvation, let alone to respond to faith. Then how could salvation sincerely be "offered" to the non-elect? What deep holes Calvinists dig for themselves in trying to reconcile their theory with Scripture!
It is an insult to the God who is love to say that giving temporal blessings on this earth to those whom He predestined to eternal torment in the Lake of Fire before they were born is "God's salvation in some way..."! And it is a cruel mockery to tell those for whom Christ didn't even die that God is the Savior! Sproul and MacArthur very well know what Paul means by salvation - it isn't something temporary for this life only!
There is no reason, none whatsoever, for us to think MacArthur, Sproul, White, North and other such calvinists are Christians.