Finestwheat
01-13-2010, 07:17 PM
God desires "peace, and not...evil" for Israel (Jer. 29.11) and "would have healed" her (Hos. 7.1) and blessed her without limit (Ps. 81.13-16). Instead, reluctantly, He had to punish her. God's will is for "all men to be saved" (1 Tim. 2.4) and "not the will...that these little ones should perish" (Matt. 18.14) but "that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3.9).
James White says the "four point Calvinists," who reject "particular redemption," are "not Reformed at all." So if you are a Calvinist who believes God died for all, then God's Reformation is not for you. It's ironic because White also preaches a prescriptive will and a decretive will: outwardly delivering the gospel to all, but secretly not wanting all to be saved. Do you see the contradiction? He claims He wants all saved outwardly yet turns right around and declares that the Reformation is not for those who preach Jesus died for all. Classic doubletalk. What this shows is that James White is confused. He's confusing himself.
From Hebrews 10.14, White says, "The offering of Christ perfects those for whom it is made." No, it perfects "those who are sanctified." Limiting the Cross to the latter is unwarranted.
Quoting "ransom for many" (Matt. 20.28), White argues that "many never means all." It could and sometimes does: "Many...that sleep in the dust...shall awake" (Dan. 12.2) means all the dead even the Two Witnesses, Enoch and Elijah (the only two men who have not died yet), who shall die at the hands of the Antichrist.
White interprets "His people" in Matthew 1.21 as the elect and says this is "consistent with the entirety of Scripture"? "His people" is found 150 times in the Old Testament. Most often the phrase means Israel or physically related; never does it mean Calvinism's elect. It occurs nine times in the New Testament; eight times it means Israel (Matt. 1.21; Luke 1.68,77; Rom. 11.1-2, 15.10; Heb. 10.30) and one time the redeemed (Rev. 21.3).
Christians do not teach that unbelief is the one sin for which Christ did not atone (how evil) as taught in Calvinism, but that it is the one sin for which there is no remedy but Hell, because of the able but unwilling to receive Christ who died for all men. White asks, "Did Christ actually save anyone at the cross, or did He simply make people savable?" God provides salvation; man must believe to be saved. I know that is painful for White to hear, but it is the truth as verified by the Scriptures. Saving and making savable are not mutually exclusive. Jesus does save people on the cross by making them savable and if they are willing.
White argues that without particular atonement by irresistible grace, "the death of Christ must only be potential...[dependent upon] the free choices of men in time." Good thing particular atonement is not true in the form White wants. Why is God not allowed to create men by giving them the choice and grace to be able to respond to the gospel? God's grace is abundant! Since the alleged Calvinism elect must be sovereignly regenerated irresistibly and given faith to believe without the right or ability to refuse like robots, they too are only "potentially" saved because before the foundations of the world it was not actual before potentially implementable.
The blood of the Passover lamb, a type of Christ, saved only those who applied it to their door posts. White is a libertarian free-willer because he can make his will move beyond God's provision when he is able to assumes himself into regeneration without repentance and faith. Yet numerous Scriptures declare faith is essential to salvation; e.g. "Believe and be saved" (Luke 8.12); "that believing ye might have life" (John 20.31); "Believe...and though shalt be saved" (Acts 16.31); "[The gospel is] salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1.16); "[If thou shalt] believe in thine heart...though shalt be saved" (Eph. 2.8). But Calvinism denies faith unto regeneration in order to protect its brutal and unloving and tyrannical extreme view of regeneration. Reminds you of evil dictators doesn't it?
James White says the "four point Calvinists," who reject "particular redemption," are "not Reformed at all." So if you are a Calvinist who believes God died for all, then God's Reformation is not for you. It's ironic because White also preaches a prescriptive will and a decretive will: outwardly delivering the gospel to all, but secretly not wanting all to be saved. Do you see the contradiction? He claims He wants all saved outwardly yet turns right around and declares that the Reformation is not for those who preach Jesus died for all. Classic doubletalk. What this shows is that James White is confused. He's confusing himself.
From Hebrews 10.14, White says, "The offering of Christ perfects those for whom it is made." No, it perfects "those who are sanctified." Limiting the Cross to the latter is unwarranted.
Quoting "ransom for many" (Matt. 20.28), White argues that "many never means all." It could and sometimes does: "Many...that sleep in the dust...shall awake" (Dan. 12.2) means all the dead even the Two Witnesses, Enoch and Elijah (the only two men who have not died yet), who shall die at the hands of the Antichrist.
White interprets "His people" in Matthew 1.21 as the elect and says this is "consistent with the entirety of Scripture"? "His people" is found 150 times in the Old Testament. Most often the phrase means Israel or physically related; never does it mean Calvinism's elect. It occurs nine times in the New Testament; eight times it means Israel (Matt. 1.21; Luke 1.68,77; Rom. 11.1-2, 15.10; Heb. 10.30) and one time the redeemed (Rev. 21.3).
Christians do not teach that unbelief is the one sin for which Christ did not atone (how evil) as taught in Calvinism, but that it is the one sin for which there is no remedy but Hell, because of the able but unwilling to receive Christ who died for all men. White asks, "Did Christ actually save anyone at the cross, or did He simply make people savable?" God provides salvation; man must believe to be saved. I know that is painful for White to hear, but it is the truth as verified by the Scriptures. Saving and making savable are not mutually exclusive. Jesus does save people on the cross by making them savable and if they are willing.
White argues that without particular atonement by irresistible grace, "the death of Christ must only be potential...[dependent upon] the free choices of men in time." Good thing particular atonement is not true in the form White wants. Why is God not allowed to create men by giving them the choice and grace to be able to respond to the gospel? God's grace is abundant! Since the alleged Calvinism elect must be sovereignly regenerated irresistibly and given faith to believe without the right or ability to refuse like robots, they too are only "potentially" saved because before the foundations of the world it was not actual before potentially implementable.
The blood of the Passover lamb, a type of Christ, saved only those who applied it to their door posts. White is a libertarian free-willer because he can make his will move beyond God's provision when he is able to assumes himself into regeneration without repentance and faith. Yet numerous Scriptures declare faith is essential to salvation; e.g. "Believe and be saved" (Luke 8.12); "that believing ye might have life" (John 20.31); "Believe...and though shalt be saved" (Acts 16.31); "[The gospel is] salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1.16); "[If thou shalt] believe in thine heart...though shalt be saved" (Eph. 2.8). But Calvinism denies faith unto regeneration in order to protect its brutal and unloving and tyrannical extreme view of regeneration. Reminds you of evil dictators doesn't it?