Canons of Dort No-Straw-Man Challenge

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FreeGrace2

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You equated salvation with justification. So yes, we are made righteous by faith. See Romans 4.
This is what I said:
"Now, would you please address posts 31 and 32?"

Are you going to cooperate or not. At present, you are merely trying to change the issue by your irrelevant comment.

You have now admitted that "election is to salvation". So deal with that. That statement MEANS that salvation is by election.

So, what words games will be used to try to make it mean something else.

Here's the facts. Those elected to savlation will surely be saved. So wherre does faith fit in that? It doesn't, other than as a side effect or by product of election.

That is the point that I'm making. So, IF IF IF election is to salvation, WHERE are the verses that actually SAY SO?

And IF IF FI election is to salvation, we ARE saved by election. Faith is a mere by product or side effect of election.

So you've got a lot of explaining to do.
 
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FreeGrace2

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I said:
"God chooses who He will save, and that choice (election) is unconditional. So faith doesn't play any part of salvation. it's reduced to a mere side effect or by product of being chosen."
Dort would disagree.
I really don't care what Dort thinks. This isn't about him. It's about the Calvinist doctrine of election, which I say removes faith being THE condition for salvation, and replaces it with election.

THIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 11. But when God accomplishes His good pleasure in the elect, or works in them true conversion, He not only causes the gospel to be externally preached to them, and powerfully illuminates their minds by His Holy Spirit, that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God; but by the efficacy of the same regenerating Spirit He pervades the inmost recesses of man; He opens the closed and softens the hardened heart, and circumcises that which was uncircumcised; infuses new qualities into the will, which, though heretofore dead, He quickens; from being evil, disobedient, and refractory, He renders it good, obedient, and pliable; actuates and strengthens it, that like a good tree, it may bring forth the fruits of good actions.
This, like most if not all of the Canons, is just a big old word salad.

I asked for verses that support the claim that "election is to salvation", which you have noted. I didn't see any in the Dort. So, where are they? Don't you have some tucked away under your hat?

Word salads are merely a lot of words, without any evidence. Just words. Anyone can produce words.

What I'v asking for is evidence FROM Scripture, not Dort's word salad, that says that election is to salvation.

Either you can produce evidence or you can't. Dort didn't produce anything or than his salad.
 
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Hammster

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You have now admitted that "election is to salvation". So deal with that. That statement MEANS that salvation is by election.
No, it doesn’t. I don’t know how many ways I can say it. Just because you keep repeating it doesn’t make it true. I know what I mean when I say that, and it’s not what you are saying that I mean.
 
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Hammster

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I said:
"God chooses who He will save, and that choice (election) is unconditional. So faith doesn't play any part of salvation. it's reduced to a mere side effect or by product of being chosen."

I really don't care what Dort thinks. This isn't about him. It's about the Calvinist doctrine of election, which I say removes faith being THE condition for salvation, and replaces it with election.


This, like most if not all of the Canons, is just a big old word salad.

I asked for verses that support the claim that "election is to salvation", which you have noted. I didn't see any in the Dort. So, where are they? Don't you have some tucked away under your hat?

Word salads are merely a lot of words, without any evidence. Just words. Anyone can produce words.

What I'v asking for is evidence FROM Scripture, not Dort's word salad, that says that election is to salvation.

Either you can produce evidence or you can't. Dort didn't produce anything or than his salad.
You made a statement about what’s meant in the the article in your first post. You keep making the same claim. So I showed you what the Canons actually say about the subject.
 
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FreeGrace2

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FreeGrace2 said:
You have now admitted that "election is to salvation". So deal with that. That statement MEANS that salvation is by election.
No, it doesn’t. I don’t know how many ways I can say it. Just because you keep repeating it doesn’t make it true.
This is just a flat denial of reality.

I know what I mean when I say that, and it’s not what you are saying that I mean.
Then you have to prove to others that "election is TO salvation" doesn't mean that salvation is by election.

I really don't know how anyone could claim otherwise.
 
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FreeGrace2

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You made a statement about what’s meant in the the article in your first post. You keep making the same claim. So I showed you what the Canons actually say about the subject.
Actually, I quoted directly from the Canons. And YOU said "election is to salvation", but now you deny the reality of what that means.

Of course you have to deny what it really means, for then you'd have to admit that reformed theology is faulty.

Yes, I keep repeating my claim. Which is that we are saved by faith, NOT by election.

But YOUR claim is "election is TO salvation".

And you can't explain or show where in Scripture this is taught. And the Canons aren't helpful one bit. No Scripture at all regarding "election is to salvation".

If you are correct, there WOULD be Scripture that clearly makes that point. But neither YOU nor the Canons have provided any Scripture that teaches what you claim.

The reality is that salvation is CONDITIONED upon faith in Christ. Eph 2:8 says we are saved by grace THROUGH FAITH. That clearly indicates the single condition for salvation; which is faith.

So, from that alone, the "U" in TULIP is unbiblical, because it says that election is unconditional, and to the reformed mind, "election is TO salvation".

So, maybe you can't connect the dots here, but the dots are very close together and are very easily connected.

IF "election (unconditional) is to salvation", then there aren't any conditions for salvation. But the Bible is clear that there is a single condition for salvation.

The Bible has the phrase, "he who has an ear, let him hear". It means those who are positive to truth WILL hear.

In the face of truth, you are not hearing. You have NO verses that support your claims, and when Scriptural truth is presented, you can't refute it. You say you agree with Eph 2:8, but that verse tells us that salvation is conditoned upon faith.

So, you and your theology are in contradiction.
 
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Hammster

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FreeGrace2 said:
You have now admitted that "election is to salvation". So deal with that. That statement MEANS that salvation is by election.

This is just a flat denial of reality.


Then you have to prove to others that "election is TO salvation" doesn't mean that salvation is by election.

I really don't know how anyone could claim otherwise.
I’ll make I simple summary statement. If God chooses someone to be saved, His choice isn’t what saves them. They are still in need of regeneration, justification, sanctification, etc. There are things that need to happen in order for them to be saved. Election is just another way of saying that God chooses.
 
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Hammster

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Actually, I quoted directly from the Canons. And YOU said "election is to salvation", but now you deny the reality of what that means.

Of course you have to deny what it really means, for then you'd have to admit that reformed theology is faulty.

Yes, I keep repeating my claim. Which is that we are saved by faith, NOT by election.

But YOUR claim is "election is TO salvation".

And you can't explain or show where in Scripture this is taught. And the Canons aren't helpful one bit. No Scripture at all regarding "election is to salvation".

If you are correct, there WOULD be Scripture that clearly makes that point. But neither YOU nor the Canons have provided any Scripture that teaches what you claim.

The reality is that salvation is CONDITIONED upon faith in Christ. Eph 2:8 says we are saved by grace THROUGH FAITH. That clearly indicates the single condition for salvation; which is faith.

So, from that alone, the "U" in TULIP is unbiblical, because it says that election is unconditional, and to the reformed mind, "election is TO salvation".

So, maybe you can't connect the dots here, but the dots are very close together and are very easily connected.

IF "election (unconditional) is to salvation", then there aren't any conditions for salvation. But the Bible is clear that there is a single condition for salvation.

The Bible has the phrase, "he who has an ear, let him hear". It means those who are positive to truth WILL hear.

In the face of truth, you are not hearing. You have NO verses that support your claims, and when Scriptural truth is presented, you can't refute it. You say you agree with Eph 2:8, but that verse tells us that salvation is conditoned upon faith.

So, you and your theology are in contradiction.
The reason I posted from the third and fourth heads is because you seem to stuck o the idea that only the first head is talking about salvation, and you cannot get past article 15. The Canons have much more to say. To I quoted another section that went into more details about faith. You are not addressing that. You just keep stopping at 1:15 and even with that, your misunderstanding is causing you to be in error.
 
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FreeGrace2

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I’ll make I simple summary statement. If God chooses someone to be saved, His choice isn’t what saves them.
That is just a very confused statement. I am totally surprised that you aren't seeing it.

They are still in need of regeneration, justification, sanctification, etc.
But...all of these are mere by products or side effects of the election.

The point remains that IF IF IF election is to salvation, then everything else is a by product/side effect of election.

Denying this is futile.

There are things that need to happen in order for them to be saved.
Doesn't matter. The FACT that the person was chosen to be saved, that THAT unconditionally, PROVES that everything else; regeneration, justification, sanctification, and salvation itself, is mere by product/side effects of the election.

Election is just another way of saying that God chooses.
Here's the huge problem that you aren't seeing.

Calvinism claims that election is unconditional. That means NO conditions.

Yet, the Bible clearly states that salvation is by grace, THROUGH FAITH. So faith IS a condition.

How come you don't see this?

So, basically, Calvinists are talking out of both sides of their mouths. And all the while, contradicting themselves.

YOU have said that (unconditional) election is to salvation, and that we are saved by grace through faith. So you are contradicting yourself.

The fact of reality is that God's election IS IS IS unconditional. But...it's NOT NOT NOT to salvation.

God's election is to service. In EVERY case. If salvation was by election, there would be at least one clear verse, but no Calvinist ever has found any such verse.

I can prove my claim from Scripture. I have studied the Greek word for election in the noun, verb, and adjective forms. All of them.

What I found was that in EVERY case, none of the verses said or even suggested that the election was to salvation.

In the OT, the Messiah was seen as the "suffering SERVANT". And Isaiah described the Messiah as the Chosen One several times. Jesus was chosen for service.

In the OT the Jewish people were God's chosen people. Were they chosen to salvation? No, they were chosen for service; to preserve the Word of God, and His commandments, of which they failed over and over.

Angels are described as "elect" in 1 Tim 5:23. The angel who revealed things to John in the 3rd heaven wouldn't let John bow before him, and he told John that he was a "fellow servant with him (John)" in Rev 19:10 and 22:9.

Heb 1:14 says it all about elect angels: Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Even Paul's election on the road to Damascus was for service. Consider Acts 9:15 - But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.

The 12 disciples were also chosen for service:

John 6:70,71
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the TwelveH? Yet one of you is a devil!”
71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

So, there you have it. Election IS unconditional, in that EVERY person chosen, is chosen for service, including Judas.

Eph 1:4 says, For he chose us (who believe) in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

You may balk at the parenthesis, but that is exactly how "us" is defined in 1:19a - and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

There is no reason to argue that the "us" in v.4 is somehow a different group than the "us" in v.19.

So, Eph 1:4 states that EVERY believer is chosen, which is FOR service.
 
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FreeGrace2

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The reason I posted from the third and fourth heads is because you seem to stuck o the idea that only the first head is talking about salvation, and you cannot get past article 15.
There is no need to move past article 15. I've proven my point. No straw men involved.

You gave a challenge, and I met it. And you cannot refute what I have posted. You have offered zero verses in support of your claims, and I have offered verses that support my claims.

The Canons have much more to say.
And I addressed that fact. In fact, "much more to say" is just a bigger word salad. Lots of words, but very little in the way of evidence that supports the claims.

Where are the verses that actually support the points made in that very large word salad? I didn't see any.

I quoted another section that went into more details about faith. You are not addressing that.
Once again, I don't need to. I'm not here to argue against word salads. I'm here to meet your challenge, and I have done that. Even though you are in denial of that.

You just keep stopping at 1:15 and even with that, your misunderstanding is causing you to be in error.
yeah, right. What have you proved? Nothing. I asked for verses that support your claim that election is to salvation, and all you did was direct me to your very large word salad, that had zero "calories".

There was no meat. No verses. Just a bunch of claims and statements.

Your arguments and defenses are really weak. They hold no water.

You may be able to explain all the Calvinist talking points eloquently, but you have provided no evidence from Scripture that supports the talking points.
 
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Hammster

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Obviously, since you have no response that refutes my point.

And I did it without any straw men. Amen.
No, your whole argument is a straw man. You are taking what is said in article 15 and saying that it means something else. You can’t see that, so we are done.

Now, if you want to refute article 15, then okay. But it’s not a refutation to say that it’s saying something it’s not saying.
 
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5thKingdom

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Also, Christ's death is described as being effective for salvation. No verses are provided that say that Christ's death saves..


That is just hilarious.
Pretending that "effective for salvation" is different than "saves".
I could not even make that up if I tried.


.
 
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5thKingdom

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How is the “death”, discussed in Romans, punishment for the saved since they most likely will die physically and have dies spiritually by sinning?


When we compare Scripture to Scripture (as the ONLY measure
of Biblical Truth is harmony of ALL RELATED passages) we find
the "death" that results from sin is NOT a physical death but
the "Second Death" which no saint is subject to.


Jim
 
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5thKingdom

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By this description, God is only showing “mercy” on a few people and is totally lacking mercy for the other people, which shows an extreme lack of Love for people in general. We do not see this lack of Love in Christ nor are we to limit our Love for others, so is our Love to be greater then God’s Love?


Rom 9:20
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?


Rom 9:21
Hath not the potter power over the clay,
of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, [saved]
and another unto dishonour? [unsaved]


Rom 9:22-24
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: [non elect] And that he might make known the riches
of his glory on the vessels of mercy, [elect] which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?


Clearly, your argument is NOT with the Cannons of Dort
but with the Word of God.


Jim
 
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5thKingdom

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Maybe you could explain how they are materially different. If a person is chosen to be saved, why wouldn't they be saved by that choice?
Seems real obvious to me.


I actually agree with you (for once).
I would argue that we are elected for salvation.... BUT
we could argue we are SAVED when we are "chosen" or "elected"
because God cannot fail to accomplish His purpose.


And, of course, you cannot name (or show any Scripture noting)
someone who was saved... but NOT "chosen" or "elected" by God.


Jim
 
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5thKingdom

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Most in the Reformed camp do not believe unborn babies suffer eternal damnation. So if you want to disagree with that Article, I’m okay with that.


The question is never what "the Reformed camp" believes,
it is always and only what the Bible teaches. Does the Bible
teach unborn babies are saved? Does it teach they are all
unsaved? Or does it not offer a teaching on this subject?

If the Bible is silent on a subject... the saints should respect
that silence and not speculate one way or the other.

Jim
 
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Hammster

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The question is never what "the Reformed camp" believes,
it is always and only what the Bible teaches. Does the Bible
teach unborn babies are saved? Does it teach they are all
unsaved? Or does it not offer a teaching on this subject?

If the Bible is silent on a subject... the saints should respect
that silence and not speculate one way or the other.

Jim
The thread is about the reformed view. The death of the unborn has been discussed, and there are various understandings. I’m not ready to come down one way or the other.
 
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5thKingdom

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I didn't read the all of the Canons of Dort, but it was very interesting. I do have what are hope are two quick and easy to answer questions.
  1. Do we know or is it possible to know if you are one of the Elect?

Yes, the Bible says there are several ways that we can KNOW
when we are "indwelt" with the Holy Spirit (saved/born again)


It mentions that even Reprobates .." ought to continue diligently in the use of the means, to desire fervently a time of more abundant grace, and to wait for it in reverence and humility." (Article 16). Since it appears even those who are reprobates should aspire to live a good Christian life, does whether one is elected or not change our actions while we are here on earth? If not, from a practical standpoint, how does this understanding of salvation affect us as Christians?

Rom 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his.


If you are not "indwelt" with the Spirit you cannot be a saved
"wheat" in the church, you can only be an unsaved "tare" in the
church.

Jim
 
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