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Fault indicates error.Perhaps you personally don't hold to a truly Calvinistic view.
Here's what the Westminster Confession says, and it makes my point for me:
The Westminster Confession of Faith states, "God has predestined and foreordained some men and angels to everlasting life out of His free grace and love without any foresight of faith or works in man or perseverance in either of them, and others are foreordained to everlasting death and the number of either is so certain and definite that it cannot be increased or diminished." (Chap. III, art. 3,4 &5; Chap. X, art. 2)
If this is your dogma, then clearly it is God's fault that a man goes to Hell.
From last to first:You were chosen to be holy and blameless in His sight. Have you reached that pinnacle? Whose fault is it that you haven't reached it yet? Is God's hand so short that He can't do that? Have you done anything to reach that pinnacle? How will you reach that pinnacle if you do nothing? If you do nothing, you will stay in your sins and be a servant to sin. A servant to sin will never be holy and blameless. So, you were chosen to do something.
We read in Ephesians 4, what we need to do to obtain holiness and blamelessness. Let's not stop at chapter one, thinking this is the total picture.
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
First, we should no longer walk in the futility of our mind. For this darkens our understanding, and alienates us from the life of God. This also causes blindness of our hearts, and we give ourselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness and greed. Until a man does no longer walks in the futility of his mind, he is alienated from the life of God.
Second, we have not learned Christ to live this way, that is, if you have heard Him and taught by Him.
Third, the truth in Jesus is that we put off the old man, which is our former way of life. The old man grows corrupt by its deceitful lusts.
Fourth, we need to be renewed in the spirit of our minds.
Fifth, we should put on the new man, which was created by God in true righteousness and holiness. These are the things we are predestined to do.
From this we see how a man obtains holiness and blamelessness. Just believing will not bring these things to pass. Man must put off the old man and put on the new man, or he walks in darkness and is ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD. I ask, how many people who are alienated from the life of God possess eternal life?
In conclusion, if you do nothing for your salvation (that is, put off the old man), you will stay alienated from the life of God. If you do nothing (that is, put on the new man), you will not reach righteousness and holiness, for which you were predestined. Putting off the old man, and putting on the new man is the God's plan for all of us.
You put off the old man and put on the new man.
I love God by keeping His commandments.
From last to first:
You love God BY keeping His commandments, sure...
You love God BECAUSE He loved you first.
Your middle three points all address sanctification. Correct. It's hard work. And only available after rebirth and salvation, which are the work of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit of God only indwells believers, or how else could we ever hope to please God? By your own efforts? Right. No future in that according to scripture. (Romans 8:8)
Your first point requires the utmost clarity and the most precise language that I can muster:
I am only blameless before the Father because of the work of the Son on my behalf. Because of His perfect and complete work on the cross of Calvary, I have faith, my faith is counted as righteousness (Romans 4:22).
Here is where I must be especially clear: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Second Person of the Trinity took MY place on the cross, and bore the full weight of the Father's wrath for MY sins. He is my personal savior. And because of His work, I am a new creature.
Do I still struggle with the world and the flesh? Yep. Every day!
But each day I work to be more like Him, empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit that only the redeemed children of God--all of US--have been given.
"Reached the pinnacle..." Brother, if I were an unbeliever or even someone that you knew personally who was visibly struggling with some theological question, would your words be as laced with sarcasm and ill-will?
I have attempted as best I can to explain with scriptural evidence every aspect of Reformed theology, and in return, you twist concepts to create straw-men, belittle and accuse, and justify it by saying that you seek the truth.
How do you love God? Just by lip service?
How do you say after salvation, when no one will see the Lord without holiness? (Hebrews 12:14)
Whose effort do you use? Is someone else casting away your transgressions? Of course it is by your own effort.
Why is sanctification frowned upon as salvation? Paul said you should no longer walk as the Gentiles do. If you walk that way, your understanding is darkened, and you are alienated from the life of God. Your heart is also blind.
Is there salvation if one is alienated from the life of God?
What do you mean He took your place on the cross? Jesus said to take up your own cross and follow Him. Because of His work, you are now able to be a new creature. The choice is ours. You can either walk as the old man (unsaved), or you can put off the old man, and put on the new man (created in true righteousness and holiness).
Better to present the truth, than a half-truth. If Paul's words are sarcasm and ill-will, then why would not present them? People only want the good things he mentions, but have no use for the harsh, bitter words concerning the old man.
Sounds like Paul twisted them your theology's words. If you haven't put off the old man, your understanding is darkened, your heart is blinded, and you are separated from the life of God. If you have put off the old man, and also put on the new man, then you are in Christ, and a new creation.
Answered that and gave the reason WHY we love God.
Your example is yet another sermon to believers. He's preaching sanctification.
I use my effort made possible ONLY by the Holy Spirit.
Is there alienation after God has made you a new creature?
Substitutionary atonement. Or do you not believe that Christ died to pay the penalty for sin?
You clearly cannot be reading anything that I post.
I said YOU are sarcastic and bear ill-will.
Your examples fail. Your logic is NOT logical. Your theology is unsound and boastful.
I do not only accept the "good" things that Paul mentions, speak of the hard work of sanctification while you boast of your works based righteousness, which Paul (and everyone else in both Testaments) condemns!
Every word uttered by every saint, all the prophets and Lord Jesus Himself declare your theology to be a lie.
God bless.
I know why; how do you show you love God?
Is anyone alienated if he walks in the old man?
What is the penalty of sin, and show me where Jesus paid that penalty.
Personal attacks do not substantiate your beliefs. But I understand why you have to attack me personally; you cannot for a second attack the truth of the word. The word is a sword, and as such, will cut to the heart of the matter. Those who suffer cuts are those who are in a corner, and will attack anything close to them. Cut me all you want; it doesn't change the truth which will be the victor in the fight.
Where have I boasted?
Ephesians 4
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
It's a lie to say you can walk in your old man, and still have the life of God. If you have heard Jesus, and have been taught by Him, THAT YOU PUT OFF THE OLD MAN, that is, your former conduct. This is what Jesus teaches. To walk in the old man is to walk in the futility of your mind, having your understanding darkened, having your heart blinded, to give yourself to lewdness, to grow corrupt according to your lusts, and most importantly, separated from the life of God. Is this the salvation of which you speak?
If this is a lie, then it's because your understanding is darkened, having not put off the old man.
We could look at it that way, but we do generally think of the afterlife when we speak of "life eternal" I think. to be sure, eternity does not start there (or else it wouldn't be eternal), but I think that's the usual way of thinking of the term.
Not a lie, friend, another straw-man.
No one here has said that we are not changed. How many times have we referenced being born again? Sanctified? Remade in the image of Christ?
You argue against a position that no one here holds.
Which tells me that you are literally out of cogent arguments.
But hold up...you DON'T believe that Christ died for our sins?
See, if you'd led with that, you could've saved us both a lot of time!
Later.
Do you always answer a question with a question? You first....What is the penalty for sin, where did Jesus pay for that?
The possible source of confusion could be that there are different compatible "theories" about salvation."Substitutionary atonement. Or do you not believe that Christ died to pay the penalty for sin?"
What is the penalty of sin, and show me where Jesus paid that penalty.
If Messiah did not die for our sins that we may be free then why was he here?
Were I to make a critique:God has a plan.
It would be strange to say in one sentence that God, having infinite wisdom and power, would create all things and have no definite and perfect plan for those things. Even a man, who is subject to all kinds of errors, develops a plan or idea before he acts; and a man who starts a housing project without design or purpose we'd consider foolish. If this is true of men, how much more is it true of God? And since we believe that God is infinite, His plan must extend to every single detail for ALL these things. We cannot conceive of God bringing into existence a universe without a plan which would extend to all that would happen and all things in that universe.
Fixed it.The Scriptures teach that God's providential [potential] control extends to everything, therefore His [hypothetical all-encompassing] plan too must [in Calvin's view] be equally comprehensive.
Here is a big mistake. I get the idea that God pre-destined and fore-knew events.God has the best possible plan for this world, and Calvinists hold strongly to the understanding of His ruling power and trust in Him. The Calvinist recognizes that God is God, and He is free from all human limitations. Nothing, however small, occurs without His ordering or design for its place in the working out of His purposes; and the end of all shall be the manifestation of His glory. The sinful acts of men are included in this plan, even the fall itself. These acts are foreseen, permitted and have their exact place in the Divine design. Just look at the crucifixion of Christ for the example, being both a horrible sinful crime and the saving event for His people, it had its exact and necessary place in the plan as told by the prophets.
History in all its details and the smallest actions of men is but the unfolding of the eternal purposes of God. His decrees are not successively formed as the emergency arises, but are all parts of one all-comprehending plan, and we should never think of God suddenly evolving a new plan or changing something in order to react to the will of men.
What God "wills" include the actions of men? How about their bad actions? Are those God's will?God is sovereign.
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exerts not merely a general influence, but actually rules in the world in which He has created. All things without exception are disposed by Him, and His will is the ultimate account of all that occurs. He permits all that He wills, including the actions of men, so that what He has ordained will come to pass. Individual personalities and second causes are fully recognized, not as independent of God, but as having their proper place in His plan.
Because there is a sense in which that tendency is correct.The tendency is to set aside God's sovereignty in order to make room for the autocracy of the human will.
Did he die? Was it for our sins? These aren't tough questions; please don't respond with a question just an answer.....then I will answer yours.What do you mean by dying for our sins? It has been mentioned He paid the penalty for sins. Is this what you mean?
Never an answer, only another question....must be how you were taught to respond when your beliefs are challenged......Do you mean the wages of sin is temporal or eternal death?
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