Ask a Calvinist!

[Ryft]

Well, do all have this opportunity.

[align=justify]All have this opportunity insofar as the gospel is preached unto all men, elect and non-elect alike.

But a distinction begins to manifest itself the moment we take into account the nature of man. Namely, as a result of the Fall and subsequent corruption of spiritual death to Adam and his progeny into which all men are born (Gen 5:3; Acts 17:26; Psa 51:5; Job 14:4; 15:14), all mankind are totally depraved (in other words, no part of man is uneffected by the corruption of sin) and wholly unable to do any spiritual good (or put another way, "Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation" [WCF IX; III]). As Gordon Clark put it:

"From [Adam onwards] man could not chose to will 'any spiritual good accompanying salvation.' True, a man might will to be honest, to support his family, to discharge most of his obligations as a citizen. In colloquial language these things are called good. But they are not spiritual goods, and they have nothing to do with salvation. Furthermore, a man cannot will to be saved. He cannot convert himself, nor even make preparations for conversion. The simple reason is that he is dead in sin" (Clark, 109).​

As a result of the corruption of spiritual death into which all men are born, mankind in his nature is spiritually dead. He is not sick, he is not handicapped, he is not simply impaired—he is dead, he is a spiritual corpse (Gen 2:17; 6:5; Jer 17:9; Mat 15:19; Rom 2:15; 3:9-19; 7:18; Eph 2:1-5; Col 1:21; Titus 1:15; etc). "[T]he mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: and they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom 8:7-8). "In the whole passage we have the biblical basis for the doctrines of total depravity and total inability" (Murray, 1:287), for 'enmity against God' is none other than total depravity and 'cannot please God' is nothing less than total inability. "If a man is dead spiritually, therefore, it is surely equally as evident that he is unable to perform any spiritual actions, and thus the doctrine of man’s moral [or spiritual] inability rests upon strong Scriptural evidence" (Warburton, 48).

Total depravity and total inability have profound consequences. Unregenerate man cannot even repent, in and of himself (Jer 13:23; 2 Pet 2:13-14, 22; Acts 11:18), nor does he even seek God (Psa 14:2-3; Rom. 3:11; Rom. 1:21-28; Rom. 10:20, cf. Isa. 65:1), nor understand or receive spiritual truth (John 3:3; 1 Cor. 2:14; 3:20-21); they are under the power of Satan (2 Cor. 4:3-4; Acts 26:17-18; 2 Tim 2:26), dwell in darkness (John 1:4-5; 3:19-20; Rom. 1:21, 28), they are deaf and blind to spiritual truth (Isa 6:9-10; cf. Mk. 4:12, Lk. 8:10; John 8:43-44, 47; Pr. 20:12), and are helpless (Rom 5:6; Ezek. 16:6) and have uncircumcised hearts of stone (Acts 7:51; Ezek. 11:19; 36:26). A spiritual life that does not exist cannot bring itself about. A spiritual corpse is capable of nothing. "That which is of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit' (John 3:6). "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual" (1 Cor 15:46). "A new creature, therefore, cannot be the product of natural power" (Best, 14). To reject this teaching from God's Word, to believe that man—somewhere, somehow within himself—has the ability to discern and will to choose and do spiritual good, is to echo the very first lie every told on this planet. God told our first parents not to eat of that certain true, lest they die. "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen 3:1-5).

Usually the offer of salvation, as told by Arminian/Wesleyan evangelicals, is allegorically illustrated by the idea that man is drowning in a sea of sin and corruption, and that salvation is a life preserver tossed to us by Jesus that we need only reach out and grab hold of. This allegory, however, perpetuates the Adversary's lie. We are not drowning and reaching out for rescue; according to scriptures, we are stone-cold dead, a corpse laying on the ocean floor. Pastor Brian Schwertley commented, "The common evangelical's view is that Christ, by His death, made salvation possible for all men; that forgiveness is there waiting for men to receive; that the Holy Spirit may gently urge men to change, but cannot interfere with man's free will. . . . Men don't need a gentle push; they need a spiritual resurrection." Salvation is entirely the grace and mercy of God who dives to the ocean floor to bring us back to life! Where is boasting? We can boast of nothing but the unsearchable riches of God's mercy and grace. All the praise and glory belongs to God, and it is little wonder we are so in love with him!

All do have this opportunity only insofar as the gospel is preached unto all men, elect and non-elect alike; but God must regenerate the heart of the listener, otherwise "while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand" (Mat 13:13). Consider Lydia (Acts 16:14).[/align]

Again, how do you, others , or myself know that we are part of the elect. Your answer didnt seem to answer my question directly, thats why I asked again. I dont mean to be thick.

One way to know is by answering the following question: "Why do you want to know?"


-----
Gordon Clark, What Do Presbyterians Believe? (Philadelphia, PA: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1965)
Warburton, Calvinism (as quoted in Loraine Boettner, Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, pg. 66)
John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959)
W. E. Best, Regeneration and Conversion (Grand Rapids: Guardian)

 

[JM]

Since y'all like to ask us questions I thought I would post in kind.

1. It is often said by Calvinists that dead men can't respond. As you say, "you are dead in your trespasses & sins." Eph. 2:1.

In Romans 6, it says that "in the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

If being dead in sin means one can't respond to God then does being dead to sin mean that the Christian cannot respond to sin?

2. Even though God does perfectly know all human thoughts, can man have thoughts that have never been thought before (i.e. ex-nihilo thoughts)?

If these thoughts are not free (e.g., they are determined) then has God caused all thoughts, including evil ones, which would make God the author of sin and evil and man not responsible?

If, on the other hand, these thoughts are free, then how can God remain sovereign according to the Calvinist definition of sovereignty?

3. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 2:4, "God our Savior wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth."

It also states that God wants all men to be saved in 2 Peter 3:9, Matthew 23:37 and in Ezekiel 33:11 and 18:30. Obviously not all men are saved.

How does Calvinism explain this? Does the God of Calvinism have two wills that are in direct contradiction and hence have a multiple personality disorder?

4. Calvinism excludes individual faith from the salvation process, classifying such faith as a work.

How can Calvinists classify faith as a work when Paul specifically excludes faith from works in Romans 3:27-28 and 4:5?

5. Jonah 2:8 says that "those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

If, as Calvinism teaches, God determined before time began who would be reprobates, and therefore does not extend the grace to them by which they could be saved, how logically can we understand this verse's statement that these reprobates, "forfeited the grace that could be theirs.?"

6. The Bible says in John 6:44, "no one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." The same word "draw" is used in John 12:32 which says, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto myself." Matthew 23:37 says that men can resist God's will.

How do you answer this problem in Calvinism?

7. You say that even the "good" acts of sinners are "bad" because they come from a completely depraved nature. Is it a "bad" act to rationally apprehend the truthfulness of apologetics?

If so, why has God commanded us to practice apologetics to sinners, which causes them to do a bad act? Doesn't that mean that God causes sinners' bad acts?

If you say "yes," doesn't that make God a bad guy?

8. When Calvinism is shown to have logical contradictions, Calvinists usually reply that God's thoughts are unsearchable, and therefore the logical problems that Calvinism has, for example divine election and human responsibility, exhaustive sovereignty and human free will, and God's having two contradictory wills, are solved by invoking the phrase, "well that's a mystery."

If you can solve your logic problems by copping out with the term mystery, why can't the Arminian types, atheists and others pull the same move?

9. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 that reprobates "perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."

From your Calvinistic worldview, how can it logically be said that a reprobate refuses to love the truth and so be saved, when your God determines that the reprobate can't love the truth, can't be saved, and therefore doesn't refuse God at all?

10. You have said that nothing thwarts the will of God, and you also have said that a man's will cannot be free or else God would not be absolutely sovereign.

Doesn't this mean that God determines (or is the cause of) evil and the evil acts of men for his sovereign pleasure?

11. In Romans 9 where God says, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" why do you automatically assume that God does not want to have mercy on all but only have mercy on the select few when God clearly tells us in Romans 11:32 that, "God has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all?"

If you say that all means all classes of men, but not all men in every class, then why does it not mean all classes of men but not all men in every class in Romans 3:23 where it says, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God?" Does this mean some have not sinned? Perhaps, for instance, the Virgin Mary?

©Answers in Action, 1996 http://www.answers.org/theology/calvinism.html

This was asked in the Baptist forum...well?

Peace

 

[rnmomof7]

This was asked in the Baptist forum...well?

Peace

Are you looking for answers of that post here?

i will take the 1st one.
The poster is misreading the intent of the Romans passage.

1. It is often said by Calvinists that dead men can't respond. As you say, "you are dead in your trespasses & sins." Eph. 2:1.

In Romans 6, it says that "in the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

If being dead in sin means one can't respond to God then does being dead to sin mean that the Christian cannot respond to sin?

The SAVED are dead to sin in that we hate it . When we sin we have no joy of life in it.
We carry that body of death around until we come to the Lord and repent .

The unsaved are not dead to sin, they love their sin and it is the joy of their life.

They are spiritually dead to God the direct opposite to being dead to sin .


Rom 6:2
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?



Rom 6:6
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Sin no longer has dominion over us, we are no longer the slaves of sin, We no longer HAVE to sin .


Col 3:3
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.