Parture
04-18-2012, 12:45 PM
God "wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth" (1 Tim. 2.4). Yet we know not everyone will be saved. Why? An Arminian would say because God has provided us sufficient grace to have the free choice. Since God has provided ample prevenient grace to receive His Son and the person doesn't receive His Son then the reason falls on the person for rejecting God's mercy, love and grace.
But in Calvinism exists an evil sadistic god who doesn't want everyone to be saved. Compare this to God of the Bible who through Paul says, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them" (v.1). Why in Calvinism pray for people who are going to Hell with no opportunity to be saved? That would be demented. God intercedes for all people giving us all the free choice. The god of Calvinism is pathetic, impotent and incompetent to be able to do this so God trumps the god of Calvinism every time.
"God is the Savior of all men, specially those who believe" (1 Tim. 4.10). An Arminian reads this verse as follows: God provides sufficient grace to all men and Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world so God, thus, is the Savior of all men, but specially those who believe, because having the free choice to believe, those who chose to believe receive regeneration of their spirit, forgiveness, power over sin and self, a new life, a quickened spirit and eternal life--a new creation of God.
In Calvinism though this passage makes no sense and becomes totally contradictory. If God is the Savior all men, meaning just some men in different places, then it would be nonsensically redundant to say "specially those who believe" for obviously those saved in all those different places believed, so why repeat specially those who believe? It makes the god of Calvinism seem goofy. And a further question is raised: who are some of these people who are saved by the Savior in various places who don't believe? Crazy stuff. That's creeping up on universalism.
Other Calvinists, realizing the mistake of reading the passage that way, turn around and say "God is the Savior of all men" refers to God as the giver of grace to all men even though most go to Hell. How can God be the Savior of people who go to Hell, that is, not giving them sufficient grace to save them, but passing over them without caring. What love is that? This does violence to the text. It was not their fault they were born into sin, but it would be their fault if they refused God's prevenient grace to have the free choice. And why would a loving, righteous and holy God give enough grace to exist as a human being, but then premeditatedly fall short in supplying sufficient grace to have the free choice to receive His Son? In the context of "Savior of all men" the only proper sense would be because Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world (unlimited atonement); this is something the god of Calvinism can't do so the god of Calvinism sucks.
But in Calvinism exists an evil sadistic god who doesn't want everyone to be saved. Compare this to God of the Bible who through Paul says, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them" (v.1). Why in Calvinism pray for people who are going to Hell with no opportunity to be saved? That would be demented. God intercedes for all people giving us all the free choice. The god of Calvinism is pathetic, impotent and incompetent to be able to do this so God trumps the god of Calvinism every time.
"God is the Savior of all men, specially those who believe" (1 Tim. 4.10). An Arminian reads this verse as follows: God provides sufficient grace to all men and Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world so God, thus, is the Savior of all men, but specially those who believe, because having the free choice to believe, those who chose to believe receive regeneration of their spirit, forgiveness, power over sin and self, a new life, a quickened spirit and eternal life--a new creation of God.
In Calvinism though this passage makes no sense and becomes totally contradictory. If God is the Savior all men, meaning just some men in different places, then it would be nonsensically redundant to say "specially those who believe" for obviously those saved in all those different places believed, so why repeat specially those who believe? It makes the god of Calvinism seem goofy. And a further question is raised: who are some of these people who are saved by the Savior in various places who don't believe? Crazy stuff. That's creeping up on universalism.
Other Calvinists, realizing the mistake of reading the passage that way, turn around and say "God is the Savior of all men" refers to God as the giver of grace to all men even though most go to Hell. How can God be the Savior of people who go to Hell, that is, not giving them sufficient grace to save them, but passing over them without caring. What love is that? This does violence to the text. It was not their fault they were born into sin, but it would be their fault if they refused God's prevenient grace to have the free choice. And why would a loving, righteous and holy God give enough grace to exist as a human being, but then premeditatedly fall short in supplying sufficient grace to have the free choice to receive His Son? In the context of "Savior of all men" the only proper sense would be because Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world (unlimited atonement); this is something the god of Calvinism can't do so the god of Calvinism sucks.