He explains why! They have sinned, and willfully refuse to repent. Their will --once again-- THEIR WILL is enslaved to sin. THEY WILL NOT, and so they cannot.
If they cannot repent then why do they not have an excuse for not repenting? Your answer here does not explain that whatsoever. If they couldn't repent, wouldn't that be a great excuse for not repenting? Sure, it would! How could it not? How do you explain this?
Of course that makes no sense, because you have misrepresented what Calvinism teaches. Do you not know what Total Depravity means? As a result of the fall, they WILL not to believe --where do you get that they have no choice in the matter? Calvinism teaches that they CHOOSE to sin, CHOOSE to reject the obvious fact displayed in nature that the Creator does indeed exist, CHOOSE not to submit to him. Total Depravity says they always will not submit, and so they cannot, because they are [willing] slaves to sin. The only way out of their self-willed predicament is the work of God in them.
Could they have chosen not to reject Him and to submit to Him instead? If not, then what kind of "choice" are you talking about? A "choice" with only one option? How does that make any sense?
You answered it yourself. "They knew God" from his general revelation --his invisible qualities, and his eternal power and divine nature known by what is visible --yet they WILL not believe. Again --they are SLAVES to sin.
Then why are they without excuse? Your doctrine has no answer for that. If they can't help but to reject God rather than glorify Him and be thankful to Him then that would be an excuse. But they do not have an excuse. Please address this.
You could answer it yourself, but you won't, because it would destroy your thesis. Calvinism blames THEM. They WILL NOT TO COME. Again, they are slaves to sin. What is so hard to understand about that?
What is hard to understand is how it could be possible for God to offer them salvation if they are not able to accept it? Why would He do that? Is He just cruelly teasing them?
Not to cut you too short, but where does it say they were not born futile, foolish etc? It does say that what they did makes them that --and increasingly so, actually. If scripture says that they have inherited a sinful nature from Adam, then it is so. Can you acknowledge they are born with a sinful nature?
Everyone is born with a sinful nature, but it also says that "they knew God". They BECAME futile and BECAME fools. That clearly implies that they were not already futile in their thinking and not already fools until they decided to rebel against God despite their knowledge of Him instead of glorifying Him and being thankful to Him. That is why they have no excuse. Being inclined to sin does not equate to being incapable of acknowledging God's authority and acknowledging your sin and confessing it to God while asking for Him to have mercy on you.
It does not contradict Calvinism at all. It apparently contradicts your notion of Calvinism, because you have been getting Calvinism wrong consistently.
If you're honest, you get my view wrong as well. And, of course, not all Calvinists believe exactly the same and not all who believe in free will believe everything the same way. I understand that.
Calvinism give nobody any excuse. You do! While you gnaw your fists against Calvinism, go to a Reformed Theology site and do a good study on the meaning of "Total Depravity". You've got it wrong.
Are you unable to explain what you believe yourself? Tell me how Calvinism doesn't give anyone an excuse. If you are unable to repent then that is an excuse to repent. Are you able to lift a million pounds? No, right? Why? Because you weren't made strong enough to do so. Isn't that a valid excuse?
And while you are at it, consider the depth of difference between the rights of Creator and created. Whatever else you may think of Calvinism, and regardless of what Calvinism says, God has the absolute right to do as he pleases with his creation. He owes us NOTHING. We have no right to demand anything --not even that his ways make sense to us. I note, for example, our presupposition that "the command implies the ability to obey." God is not like us.
Show me where I ever said otherwise. I'll wait.
God can do whatever He wants. I'm pretty sure all of us here believe that. But, what does He want to do? That's what we disagree on. I believe scripture very clearly teaches that God wants all people to repent and to be saved and He made a way for that to happen, by sending His Son to die for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2). But God is love. Love cannot be forced. Love comes from a willing heart.
Of course that makes no sense, because you have misrepresented what Calvinism teaches. Do you not know what Total Depravity means? As a result of the fall, they WILL not to believe --where do you get that they have no choice in the matter?
Could they have made any other "choice"? If not, then what kind of "choice is that? What nonsense.
Calvinism teaches that they CHOOSE to sin, CHOOSE to reject the obvious fact displayed in nature that the Creator does indeed exist, CHOOSE not to submit to him. Total Depravity says they always will not submit, and so they cannot, because they are [willing] slaves to sin. The only way out of their self-willed predicament is the work of God in them.
Then that is not choosing at all because they have no other "choice". Your definition of choosing does not exist. To choose implies that there are at least 2 viable options to choose from with the possibility of choosing either option.
You answered it yourself. "They knew God" from his general revelation --his invisible qualities, and his eternal power and divine nature known by what is visible --yet they WILL not believe. Again --they are SLAVES to sin.
Show me where Paul said that. If they can't help but reject God then that would be an excuse, but Paul said they have no excuse.
