Continued
Unconditional Election
The Calvinist Position ( Quoating from WCF but Dort and Calvin say the exact same thing)
“By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death. IV. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it can not be either increased or diminished. V. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of his free grace and love alone, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace. VI. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only. VII. The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice” (Westminster Confession, 3:III-VII).
(Note - I have quoted a bit more than needed to try and show no bias - e.g the popular foresight/faith view held by many who do not even know what Arminianism is.)
Angels are predestined to eternal life - Where does the Bible assert that?
Their number can be neither increased or diminished -Upon what Biblical basis?
The problem with the standard Reformed texts is not just in the conclusion of double predestination (that God elected believers to salvation and unbelievers to damnation). But also is in arriving at these conclusions the Reformed texts go further than what the Bible actually says.
E.g Canon of Dort, Rejection of Errors, First Head, Paragraph 8 quotes:
Matthew 13:11 (“not revealed to them”).
The content of the what was hidden in Matthew 13:11 was the mysteries of the kingdom – the things Jesus was sharing with the disciples in private – the things of the kingdom, not of individual salvation.
Matthew 11:25-26 (“you have hidden these things from the wise”).
Are we to understand Matthew 11:25 as restricting saving knowledge from the wise and intelligent? If so then Paul is wrong, because he admits there are some wise who are saved (1 Cor 1:26).
Romans 9:18 (“he hardens whom he wants to harden”),
The hardening of Romans 9 has nothing to do with predestination. In fact, the first Biblical instance of hardening is done with Pharaoh after the fact (Ex 4:21). We cannot say whether Pharaoh was ever a believer or not, because the Bible doesn’t reveal it.
While double predestination seems logically necessary to some, it is not exegetically provable. It may even be probable ( to some), but it cannot be justified as Biblical fact.
Which may explain why those who call themselves Calvinist often do not believe it.
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