1. Do you believe that God forces some to be not saved against their will?
2. Do you believe Jesus died for all people or just for the Elect or the saved?
3. Did God directly create evil?
4. Does God force regenerate (i.e. to be born again) the Elect before they make a free will choice to accept Christ?
5. Does God choose the saved or unsaved based upon what He knew they were going to do?
6. Once God saves somebody, is there no possible chance they can become unsaved?
7. Are God's Elect saved even while they abide in unrepentant sin sometimes?
8. Which of the 5 points of Calvinism do you believe in and can you explain them?
9. Is there such a thing called "free will"?
10. If there is a thing called "free will", does it always exist for the entire lifespan of a man who he is alive, mentally healthy, and conscious?
11. If you believe God predetermines some to be saved and some to not be saved, then what is the purpose of the Judgment?
Please provide Scripture as a part of your answers (if you can).
Thank you.
1.
John 6:44 King James Version
44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
Since no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him, no one will come to Christ only to find that they are rejected by God for salvation, because they couldn't have turned to Christ unless the Father drew him in the first place. And everyone who does come are received into God's kingdom.
John 6:37
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
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:"
So no one comes to Christ unless they are drawn by God, and when they are drawn by God, they do come to Him, and when they do come to Him, they are in no wise cast out, but become sons of God.
2.
John 10
14 "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep."
So Jesus lays down His life for the sheep. And the sheep aren't just those who already believe in Him, but those who will believe in Him later.
16 "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
So Jesus' sheep are those who believe in Him and those who will believe in Him. And those who don't believe in Him, and never will believe in Him, are not His sheep.
John 10
24 "Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
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.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."
Notice Jesus didn't say, "But ye are not of My sheep, because ye believe Me not." He said, "Ye believe Me not, because ye are not of My sheep."
So Jesus died for His sheep, and everyone who is of His sheep either believes in Him or will believe in Him. Everyone who will never believe in Him is not of His sheep. So Jesus didn't die for the sins of those who are not His sheep.
3.
Isaiah 45:6-8
6 "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.
7
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it."
God is declaring His sovereignty over all things: light, darkness, peace, evil, righteousness, salvation.
Jesus is sovereign over all things as well.
Colossians 1:13-17
13 "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
4.
Again, John 6:44 answers this, by saying that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him. So even though we have a will, and we make decisions, the decision to come to Christ cannot be made by someone unless the Father draws him to Christ first. The drawing itself is not the regeneration, but it leads to it. You still need to ask Jesus to save you from your sins.
Luke 18:13-15
13 "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
John 14:6
6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
So yes, Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, to God, to eternal life, and you must believe on Him in order to be saved.
Acts 16:29-31
29 "Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
So while no one is able to come to Christ on their own, when they are drawn by God, they do come to Christ, and believe on Him, and are saved.
5.
Romans 9
9 "For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11 (
For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth )
12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
So it isn't about anything we might do. It is all determined by God who shows mercy. If God were to make a decision about our salvation based solely on what we do, we would all be damned. No one is, nor can be good enough for salvation. If it weren't for God choosing us, drawing us, and regenerating us, no one would be saved, because no one can come to Christ on his own.
6.
If someone is truly saved, they cannot be unsaved at any time.
John 10
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.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."
If someone does seem to leave the faith, it means that they were never in the faith in the first place.
1 John 2:19
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
That's why we are told to examine ourselves, to see if we are in the faith.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
One thing to ask, when examining ourselves, is, "What do we believe about Jesus? Who is He?" Because as Hebrews says,
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
And we have to believe that Jesus is who He said He is.
John 8:24
"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
But those who do believe in Him have eternal life.
John 6:47
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me
hath everlasting life."
So someone who seems to have lost his salvation is shown to never have been in the faith in the first place, but someone who is truly saved, and has become a son of God by having received the Lord Jesus, is saved forever.
7.
Jesus spoke a parable that has been called "The Prodigal Son". (Luke 15:11-32)
If someone who is truly saved, lives in sin temporarily, like the prodigal son did, he will always be brought to repentance, and turn back to God, like the prodigal son did. Someone who doesn't do that shows himself to not have been a son. Of course it's no excuse to live in sin. When someone is living in unrepentant sin, that's a REALLY good time for them to examine themselves, to see if they're in the faith.
8.
A. Total Depravity of man.
Jeremiah 17:9
"The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
Romans 3:10
"As it is written, There is
none righteous, no, not one:"
23 "
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Mark 10:18
"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good?
there is none good but one, that is, God."
And there are many other verses which show our utterly sinful state. It even says that we are dead in our trespasses and sins. It isn't that some people are good, and some are bad. We are all bad. And we would all be condemned if it weren't for Jesus paying the penalty of our sins.
B. Unconditional Election.
This was addressed earlier in Romans 9. It isn't by him that willeth, or him that runneth, but by God that sheweth mercy. Also in 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."
C. Limited Atonement. That Jesus only died for His sheep.
John 10 addresses this when Jesus says that the Pharisees didn't believe Him because they were not of His sheep. Jesus said that He laid His life down for His sheep, and that not all were of his sheep. So then, Jesus did not lay down His life for everyone, because not everyone is of His sheep. So His atonement on the cross, though it is a ransom for many, is not a ransom for all.
D. Irresistible Grace. That when God draws a sinner to Christ, he will come to Him without refusal.
John 6:37
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
So Jesus says that everyone the Father gives Him SHALL come to Him. They won't maybe come to Him. It's not just a possibility, it's definite that they will. And all who do are never cast out.
This doesn't mean that someone who hears the gospel will definitely believe it and receive Jesus. Plenty of people hear the gospel and don't believe it. But when the time comes that God draws them to Christ they definitely will. Not everyone who hears the gospel believes it, but everyone who is drawn by God to Christ will believe it.
Acts 13
46 "Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
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."
E. Perseverance of the Saints. That a true believer who has been saved will persevere unto the end of his life.
1 John 2:19
"They went out from us, but they were not of us;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
This is only one verse but it serves as a good proof text. If they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. Someone who is truly saved will continue in the faith. They will persevere to the end.
9.
We all have a will, but we are born in sin, and under condemnation (John 3:18), and are slaves to sin (John 8:34). So our will is not free even though we have one. Our will is enslaved to sin, so that all we can do is sin. God says that even the plowing of the wicked is sin. The plowing is their work, the supposedly "good" things they do. And in Isaiah God says that even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
Isaiah 64:6
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
We don't have the ability to choose Christ while we are in this condition. Neither would we want to anyway. Before we are saved, we are at enmity with God.
A dead man can't save himself, even if he could conjure up some sort of will to be saved. But it isn't by our will anyway, it's by God's will.
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."
11.
All sin will be dealt with. Everyone has sinned, and everyone who has not had their sins forgiven will be judged for their sins. The world is condemned already, and will be judged. If God didn't ordain people to be saved, and draw us to Christ, and cause us to believe on Him we wouldn't. No one would. As Jesus said, No one even CAN.
Romans 9 again address this:
18 "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"
The whole point is that everyone is born in sin and condemned ALREADY. We aren't born with a blank slate, having the ability to choose good or evil, God or the devil, Heaven or Hell. We are all born enemies of God, and God didn't cause us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, we wouldn't. So it shows the unfathomable love and mercy and grace of God that He saves ANYONE, because no one deserves it, and no one would choose it if it weren't for God.