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Calvinism states:
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And is answered by:
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Total Depravity:
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Sin has affected all parts of man. The
heart, emotions, will, mind, and body are all affected by sin. We are
completely sinful. We are not as sinful as we could be, but we are completely
affected by sin.
The doctrine of Total Depravity is
derived from scriptures that reveal human character: Man’s heart is evil
(Mark 7:21-23)
Mark 7:21: For from within, out of the
heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mark 7:22: Thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness:
Mark 7:23: All these evil things come
from within, and defile the man.
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If man is “not as sinful as we could
be,” then what is “Total Depravity?”
Is it being “completely affected by sin?” Even nature itself is completely affected
by sin.
Romans 8:22 For we know
that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
(KJV)
Animals and plants don’t commit sin, but
they are affected. The very premise of
“Total Depravity” is flawed as is revealed by the effort here to explain it.
Use of this passage of scripture to
justify the doctrine of “Total Depravity” is an abuse of scripture, language,
and reason.
The Pharisees were trying to condemn
Jesus’ disciples for eating bread without washing their hands:
Mark 7:5 Then the
Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy
disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with
unwashen hands? (KJV)
Jesus is telling the Pharisees it is not
that which goes into the man that defiles the man, but that which comes out
of the man that defiles him. The verse
does NOT say “the ONLY thing that comes out of the heart of man is
evil.” It simply states all of these evils come out of the heart of men, and it is
that which defiles him. The invalid
conclusion implied is that man is INCAPABLE of ANY good. What does this say for Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it.”? This instruction
implies that children can be raised to be good. Does God’s Word lie?
Is man “totally depraved” from
birth? Jesus seems to indicate
otherwise:
Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto
you, Except ye be converted, and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (KJV)
Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto
me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (KJV)
Jesus says we have to
become like children, implying that as children, we are blameless.
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And sick (Jeremiah 17:9).
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This is true in man’s unsaved state.
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Man is a slave of sin (Romans 6:20).
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This is true in man’s unsaved state.
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He does not seek for God (Romans 3:10-12) .
Romans 3:10 - 12
10 As it is written, There
is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way,
they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not
one. (KJV)
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This passage is taken completely out of
context and missing the point. The
context is the comparative advantage of the Jew over the Gentile (Romans
3:1). He says that even though the Jew
should have had an advantage, yet
they are as guilty as the Gentile.
Paul is NOT saying no one ever can or ever will seek for God, he is
saying that of those he is discussing, unrepentant Israel, none seek for God
and therefore are no better than the Gentiles (as they thought they
were). Paul is saying that we are all
guilty of sin. None of us, Jew or
Gentile, are righteous on our own. All
fall short. See
Romans 3:9 What then? are
we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles,
that they are all under sin; (KJV)
He is not saying man in general, is
incapable of seeking after God. In
addition, it does not say than man NEVER seeks for God, but that these have
not.
Remember Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Moses,
Samuel, Elijah, Saul, David, Solomon, and Job? These are all well known men of the Bible,
and they sought God. Multitudes of
others have in the past, do in the present, and will in the future, as God
grants us years.
Man, even in his own degenerate state holds
an emptiness deep inside because of the absence of a relationship with
God. For this reason
he yearns for God because of the need to fill the emptiness felt by
separation from God. This does not
mean man will find God, but just that he knows he needs something, and when
Jesus is presented this fills his need. The New Testament even indicates that man
seeks God:
Acts:10:22: And they said,
Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good
report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear
words of thee.
Also see Acts 8:27-39 (The Ethiopian
eunuch.)
Jesus said, “…I will draw all men unto me.”
John 12:32 (KJV) This does not mean he
will save all men, but that through our preaching of the Gospel, all men
being drawn to Him (being made aware of Him), all who hear will be given the
opportunity to choose.
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He cannot understand spiritual things (1
Corinthians 2:14).
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This is true in man’s unsaved state.
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He is at enmity with God (Ephesians 2:15).
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This is true in man’s unsaved state.
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And, is by nature a child of wrath (Ephesians
2:3).
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Yes, in our sinful state, we are. He is speaking to Christians! That means that each of those SAVED were
once children of wrath, and yet God loved us and sent His Son to die for us
all.
Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
(KJV)
Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (KJV)
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (KJV)
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The Calvinist asks the question, “In
light of the scriptures that declare man’s true nature as being utterly lost
and incapable, how is it possible for anyone to choose or desire God?” The
answer is, “He cannot. Therefore God must
predestine.”
Calvinism also maintains that because of our
fallen nature we are born again not by our own will but God’s will
(John 1:12-13);
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Where is the justification for “the
answer” of “He cannot”? This is an
unfounded assertion!
This flies in the face of the very
essence of repentance. Calvinism here
says man cannot repent! (Repent means
to turn away or turn around. To change
and go the other way.)
I think Calvinists are guilty here of
the “false dilemma” – clouded by their own twisted logic.
This very proof text contradicts the
Calvinists position!
John 1:12: But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name:
John 1:13: Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God.
They did not get the power to become the
sons of God until they received Him.
They couldn’t have received Him until they chose or desired God!
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God grants that we believe (Philippians 1:29);
Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is
given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe
on him, but also to suffer for his sake; (KJV)
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That’s not what Paul is saying! Paul is saying that, in addition to our
opportunity unto salvation, our Christian life is not going to necessarily be
a bed of roses; that suffering is going to be part of it. God is not going to remove our suffering in
this life.
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faith is the work of God (John 6:28-29);
John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of
God? Jesus answered and said unto
them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on
him whom he hath sent. (KJV)
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The question asked was what shall we
do…? In this verse Jesus is saying, “This is what God wants you to do,” or,
this is “the task before you.” “Work”
here is the same as the plan or intent.
Not forced action. They asked
Jesus what God wanted them to do, and Jesus told them, “Believe on the one He
has sent.” This verse says nothing about faith being an action of (a work of) God.
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God appoints people to believe (Acts
13:48);
Acts:13:48 And when the Gentiles heard
this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed. (KJV)
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Appoints? The verse essentially says, as many of
those who were “predisposed” or “of a mind”, believed. Another way to say it would be, “As many as
were convinced, believed.” Same as
John 1:12: But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name:
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and God predestines (Ephesians 1:1-11;
Ephesians 1:4: According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love:
Ephesians 1:5: Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the
good pleasure of his will,
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God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. (See this reference below under
Unconditional Election.) This says God
originally wanted Jesus’ creation to be in communion with Him, but this was
not to be because of man’s sin. And
then, God planned for us to be reconciled through adoption by Jesus Christ.
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Romans 8:29;
Romans 8:29: For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (KJV)
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One of three things is happening in this
verse:
1
Paul
went off the deep end for a moment. (I
cannot accept this because I believe the Holy Spirit worked with Paul to
prevent him from saying things that were not correct.)
2
Paul
is indeed indicating that we are predestined.
(I cannot accept this is because it contradicts statements even Paul
himself makes at other times.)
3
Our
translation into English is suspect in that there is a difficulty translating
the Greek words Paul used into English concepts.
I believe option three is the correct
explanation. In the light of other
things Paul, Peter, Jesus, and the Almighty have said, rather than modify the
meaning of scores of other verses in favor of this one, I would rather
closely examine this one verse in the light of the others.
There is often a problem when
translating words from one language to another such that concepts intended in
the original language are lost in favor of concepts more commonly expressed
in the other language. Often, it takes
more than one word in the translation language to describe a single word in
the source language. Sometimes the
word in the source language is used in multiple ways, but when translated,
gets assigned only one of those
meanings in the translated language according to the choice (or bias) of the
translator. This is what I think is happening here, and in Romans 9; the
English word predestine has been assigned to the source language word,
biasing our subsequent understanding of the entire verse. Unfortunately, when
an error of this nature is made it gets indelibly planted into the theology
and is difficult to correct.
Strongs says of Foreknow:
4267 proginosko
(prog-in-oce'-ko); from 4253 and 1097; to know beforehand, i.e.
foresee: KJV-- foreknow (ordain), know (before).
4253 pro (pro); a primary preposition; "fore", i.e.
in front of, prior (figuratively, superior) to: KJV-- above, ago, before, or
ever. In comparison it retains the same significations.
1097 ginosko
(ghin-oce'-ko); a prolonged form of a primary verb; to "know"
(absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications
(as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed): KJV-- allow, be aware
(of), feel, (have) know (-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure,
understand.
Strong even indicates that there are variations and unclear
expressions associated with these words.
As a result, instead of Foreknow (as in “to see into the future”) we
can also get “ordain”, “allow”, or “be resolved” beforehand. (Note that the same word is used in Acts
26:5 but Paul surely is not saying the Jews “foreknew” him. Also, Peter uses the same word in 2 Peter 3:17
where he essentially says “since you now know that
some will twist the scriptures…,” he is not saying “you foretold the future
and knew that…,” but instead, Peter is saying, “since I have told you, you
will know in advance that people will twist the scriptures….”)
Strong’s says of “did predestinate”
4309 proorizo
(pro-or-id'-zo); from 4253 and 3724; to limit in advance, i.e. (figuratively)
predetermine: KJV—determine before, ordain, predestinate.
Note the definition of the word: “To limit in
advance.” The “predestinate” clause is
figurative language provided by the translator. Using the definition more closely associated
with the word, we get the concept that God limited (or established) in
advance how one could become conformed to the image of His Son.
Therefore, my explanation for this verse
is that He ordained (or resolved) His plan for reconciliation in advance, and determined that those who would turn to
Christ would then become conformed to the image of His Son. (My paraphrase:
“Because He knew in advance many would be saved, He determined that those
would be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren.”)
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Romans 9:9-23)
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Romans 9:9-23 is not saying God
predestinates everyone, but that he has made choices in particular cases, and
who are we to question God? God is
working His purpose. Paul is addressing
the issue of Gentiles being offered salvation on the same level as
Israel. See the reference to Romans
8:29 above and Romans 9:11 below.
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Unconditional
Election:
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God does not base His election on
anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the
kind intention of His will (Ephesians 1:4-8 ;
Ephesians 1:4 - 8
4 According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in
all wisdom and prudence; (KJV)
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If God does not base His “election” on
anything He sees in the individual, then it is completely arbitrary. If this is true, while those who are
“elected” are justified in their thanksgiving and praise, those who are not
“elected” are justified in their anger and hostility toward God. This is absurd. Throughout the Bible, God “honors” those
who obey him. God does not play
favorites based on who the person is:
Acts:10:34: Then Peter
opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive
that God is no respecter of persons: (KJV)
And while this verse could be used to
say, “See, God doesn’t base His election on anything he sees in the
individual,” “election” is still playing favorites based on who a person is —
we just don’t know the criteria. The
verse says God does NOT respect who a person is, and Peter goes on to say God
accepts those who obey and honor him.
Acts:10:35 But in every
nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
(KJV)
The verse says, “He has chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world.” It does NOT say “He has
chosen us to be in Him before
the foundation of the world.” My point
is that Jesus is the creator, and before the foundation of the world, the
Father chose that the creation Jesus made was to be “holy and without blame
before him in love.” And this would
have been true except for sin creating separation of us from God. God did not choose specific individuals
before the foundation of the world, but God chose these created beings to be
in a loving relationship with Him.
To conclude that God chose, before the
foundation of the world, who would and who would not be saved makes God a
liar so many times it would make Satan blush!
Every time Jesus answered the question, “What must I do to be saved?”
would be a lie (Matthew 10:22, Matthew 19:21, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13, Mark
16:16, Luke 13:23, John 3:16,17, John 10:9).
Every time God said, “Repent” would be a lie (knowing that they
couldn’t repent if they were not “elected” to do so). Every time God said
“If” in the Old Testament would be a lie!
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (KJV)
This flies in the face of the very
essence of repentance – A turning around.
If God predestines lives and outcomes as Calvinism requires, then
there is no guilt, there is no culpability, and punishment for sin is
unjust. A person could not do
differently from what God has predestined.
If such were true, the word IF should
not even be in God’s vocabulary, and yet it is:
Genesis 18:26 And the Lord said, If I find
in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for
their sakes. (KJV)
2
Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble
themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then
I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (NKJ)
2 Chronicles 30:9 For if ye turn again unto
the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them
that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the
Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from
you, if ye return unto him. (KJV)
Jeremiah 4:1 If thou wilt return, O Israel,
saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations
out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. (KJV)
“If” implies that God does not know the
outcome because it’s man’s choice. If
God knows the outcome, then God is just playing a game with man in that He
knows man can not make any choice He has not predestined man to make. The “if” becomes irrelevant.
Paul said in
1 Corinthians 9:19 For
though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I
might win the more; (NKJ)
If we are predestined, or chosen, how
can Paul say he might win more? He’s
not going be able to win ANYONE God has not already predestined, and he is
not going to have any negative impact on anyone God has NOT predestined!
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Romans 9:11 )
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In specific cases, God has chosen
individuals to do his specific will.
Paul is referring to one of these cases: Jacob. The plan God has for specific cases cannot
be applied to all. Paul is saying God
has the right to do with us as He chooses, and we should have no qualms about
it. To take this back to the original
subject of the text, he is addressing why God first chose Israel to receive
the Messiah (as opposed to the Gentiles), then after Israel rejected Him, he opened up the opportunity for Gentiles. He is battling two fronts here, neither of
them have anything to do with “Election of the
saints” or “predestination.” He is
addressing Jews who were resentful of Gentiles being included, as well as
addressing Gentiles who were feeling slighted for not being considered
first. He’s saying it’s God’s business
what he decides to do.
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without any consideration of merit
within the individual.
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And yet, on the other hand, God
sometimes does consider the merit of individuals:
Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and
he was not; for God took him. (KJV)
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. (KJV)
God Blessed David:
1Kings 15:5 Because David did that which was
right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded
him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the
Hittite. (KJV)
Psalms 112:2 His seed shall be mighty upon
earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. (KJV)
This does not mean that man can “earn”
salvation, but God does consider the merit of individuals at times. On the other hand, He offers salvation to
all.
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Nor does God look into the future to see
who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into
salvation, others are not (Romans 9:15, 21 ).
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This verse is used here completely out
of context. Paul’s point is not about “election” here, but about God’s
sovereignty to do as He sees fit. Some
are chosen to be especially directed by God unto “salvation” and others have to get there the usual way. Look at the “thief on the cross.” Jesus “elected” him to salvation. The rest of us had to wait until after
Jesus died!
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1 Peter 1:2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
(NKJ)
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The word “elect” here also means
“favorite” and the word “foreknowledge” here means forethought (according to
Strong’s). So
the verse is saying according to the forethought of God in that he prepared a
way to be reconciled to Him, you are “favorites” because you accepted His
gift.
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Limited
Atonement:
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Jesus died only for the elect. Though
Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all.
Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.
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If Jesus’ sacrifice was not “efficacious
for all,” why would Peter say that God is not willing that any should perish
but that ALL should come to repentance?
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.” (KJV)
How does one reconcile John 3:16-17 with
this position?
John 3:16 For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV) John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(KJV)
Jesus himself said, “I am the door: by
me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (KJV) (John 10:9) (emphasis
added)
On the other hand, if Jesus’ sacrifice was only for the elect, why
would there be any question on God’s part about any of them perishing? In addition, Paul tells us it is good to
pray for those in authority
1Timothy 2:3-4 “For this
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.” (KJV)
This scripture indicates that through
our supplications the leaders might come to know the knowledge of the
truth. If Calvinism is true, if the
leader was one of the elect, then our prayers were
of no consequence. On the other hand,
if the leader was not one of the elect, then our prayers
cannot have any effect. In either
case, if Calvinism is true, Paul’s statement is a lie.
Jesus said, “…I will draw all men unto
me.” John 12:32 (KJV)
This does not mean he will save all men,
but that being drawn to Him (being made aware of Him), all who hear will be
forced to choose.
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Support for this position is drawn from
such scriptures as Matthew 26:28 where Jesus died for ‘many’; John 10:11,
15
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This is very weak support since the
passages are not addressing the distinction being made by the Calvinists of
“many - not all.” Jesus is making a
contrast between the Jewish ritual sacrifice of a lamb for the sins of one,
and Jesus’ sacrifice for the multitude.
The difficulty here is likely to be the result of the
translation. It does NOT mean “many,
but not all,” but instead it means a great host.
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which say that Jesus died for the sheep
(not the goats, per Matthew 25:32-33 );
Matthew 25:32:
And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: (KJV)
Matthew 25:33:
And he shall set the sheep on his right
hand, but the goats on the left. (KJV)
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The analogy here is simply that Jesus
will make a distinction between those who are his, and those who are
not.
It should be obvious this is a
METAPHOR.
The analogy takes place at the JUDGMENT,
not at CREATION.
I submit that under this analogy, ALL
are goats before we are saved. The
analogy doesn’t mean that some were born to be saved (sheep) and others were
born to be destroyed (goats). If we
are going to carry the analogy farther in the direction of Calvinists, we
could say that even the sheep will be killed and eaten some day. In reality, we are
neither goats nor sheep it’s an analogy to show that God will separate those
who are His from those who are not.
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John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the
ones given Him, not those of the entire world ;
John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not
for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
(KJV)
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Yes, Jesus is giving a special prayer
for his Disciples. This prayer is not
even inclusive of those who might be Christians YET. Have you never requested special guidance
for a specific few? This was an
endearing time for Jesus, and he was about to leave them. He was going to glory, they were being left
to face the world, and Jesus wanted them to be able to endure against the
world.
Right after that, however, he prayed for
those who believe the ones given him:
John 17:20 Neither pray I
for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word; (KJV)
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Acts 20:28 and
Acts 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to
all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to
shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
(NKJ)
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How does this reference relate to the
subject?
Paul is talking about the responsibility
the leaders have of shepherding the church.
It has nothing to do with limited atonement.
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Ephesians 5:25-27 which state that the
Church was purchased by Christ, not all people;
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (KJV)
Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (KJV)
Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it
to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish. (KJV)
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Christ purchased the church with His own
blood. Anyone who becomes a Christian
is part of his church. It does not say
the church was a known existing limited entity when Jesus purchased it.
(It also uses lower case C.)
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and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of
Jesus’ crucifixion where he would bore [sic]
the sins of many (not all).
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This was explained in the “many – not
all” discussion above.
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Irresistible
Grace:
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When God calls his elect into salvation,
they cannot resist.
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Why then, is there any rejoicing over
one sinner who repents?
Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be
in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just
persons, which need no repentance. (KJV)
If they cannot resist, then it is a
“ho-hum” event.
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God offers to all people the gospel
message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an
internal call and it cannot be resisted .
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This apologist seems to be saying there
are two levels of calls: One to the elect which cannot be resisted, and one
to the rest of the world. Those who
are not the elect have free will, and can choose to
receive Jesus. The elect do not have free will and have no choice. Having two levels of “calls” contradicts
the previous Calvinistic doctrine of Unconditional Election and even lends
support to my response to Unconditional Election of God selecting various
individuals in special cases.
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This call is by the Holy Spirit who
works in the hearts and minds
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Why would there be any “work” involved
if they are predestined and cannot resist?
This makes no sense at all.
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of the elect to bring them to repentance
and regeneration whereby they willingly and freely come to God. Some of the verses used in support of this
teaching are Romans 9:16 where it says that "it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who has
mercy";
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Are there any “elect” who will not
succeed in coming to repentance?
The verse cited is saying that just
because someone wants salvation, or just because someone tries to achieve
salvation is irrelevant. Salvation is
the gift of God. Those efforts without
God’s mercy are fruitless. (And yet,
it doesn’t eliminate the need to “run.”)
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Philippians 2:12-13 where God is said to
be the one working salvation in the individual ;
Philippians 2:12-13
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (KJV)
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If Predestination is true, there is no
“working” of anything, it is complete.
It always has been complete.
This very reference seems to refute
Calvinism. It doesn’t say God is
working out your salvation, but you are working out your own salvation. Why would you have to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling if you are “elected?” Yes, God works in us, but it is still us.
God is not forcing anyone.
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John 6:28-29 where faith is declared to
be the work of God;
John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work
of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (KJV)
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This was addressed previously. Jesus is saying, “This is what God wants
you to do,” or, this is “the task before you.”
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Acts 13:48 where God appoints people to believe;
“And when the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed.”(KJV)
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This was addressed previously. The verse essentially says, as many of
those who were inclined, believed and were given eternal life. Another way to say it would be, “As many as
were convinced, received eternal life.”
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and John 1:12-13 where being born again
is not by man’s will, but by God’s.
John 1:12 But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (KJV)
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These passages go against Calvinism’s
premise of the “elect.” The concept of
“receiving Him” indicates the possibility of “rejecting Him.”
God is the one who established the plan
and ability to be “born again.”
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Perseverance
of the Saints:
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You cannot lose your salvation. Because
the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied
salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure
in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus
said His sheep will never perish;
John 10:27-28
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
(KJV)
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As long as we “remain” in Him, and endure to the end.
Matthew 24:13: But he that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (KJV))
But what about this?:
Hebrews 6:4-6: “For it is impossible for those who were
once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made
partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and
put him to an open shame.” (KJV)
This, at the very least, says it is possible for Christians (who are the very
subject of the sentence) to fall away.
Other verses make similar statements (see 1 Corinthians 10:12, & Philippians
2:12, Luke 8:13).
Yes, His sheep will never perish, and no
one shall pluck them out of His hand, but this does not prevent them from
turning and falling away, as a sheep can go astray and fall off a cliff.
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John 6:47 where salvation is described
as everlasting life ;
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Jesus said he that endures to the end shall be saved (Matthew
10:22). If Preservation of the Saints is true,
where is the necessity for any endurance?
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Romans 8:1 where it is said we have
passed out of judgment ;
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As long as we “remain” in Him, and endure to the end. (Matthew 24:13: But he that shall endure
unto the end, the same shall be saved. (KJV))
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1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises
to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle ;
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This point is moot, perhaps even absurd,
if predestination is true. Temptation
either will or will not be more than we can handle, and we either will, or we
will not be saved as was predestined from before the foundation of the
earth. The “promise” is pointless, and
the becomes a lie.
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and Philippians 1:6 where God is the one
being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus’ return.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ: (KJV)
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As long as we remain in Him.
Hebrews 10:38: Now the just shall live
by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
(KJV)
Hebrews 10:39:
But we are not of them who draw back
unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (KJV)
(Also see www.smgolden.com/documents/htm/Falling-Away.htm)
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