It is hard to support a claim that the Bible is 'crystal clear' on any issue where the church is divided about 50/50, and even harder to assert it without giving any scripture reference for it.
For topics like this, it is good to start from the point at which most Christians would agree.
For example, most Christians would agree that man cannot earn salvation or merit it via good works (Rom 3:20.) Most would agree that our flesh was corrupted by sin at the fall; that sin corrupts every aspect of our being, such as flesh, heart, mind, etc, (
Mark 7:21-23). We'd agree that all men sin (
Rom 3:10-23), and we'd agree that man cannot save himself (
Psalm 60:10-12,
Is 63:5-6).
We would also agree that man, of his own volition, would not have been able to achieve salvation nor come up with the idea of needing to have faith in Christ on His own.
Yet here is where many theories depart from each other.
Calvinism, for example, goes beyond these agreed upon points about the depravity of man to claim that man is so tainted by sin that he cannot even accept the offer of Christ’s salvation and receive Christ's deliverance from sin (contrary to scripture, which asks us to receive the message and believe:
Rom 10:9-13,
John 3:14-21,
Luke 11:5-13,
Heb 11:13-16,
Gal 3:24,
Deut 30:11-14, etc, and makes no claim that this is something man cannot do).
Because they take this philosophical stance, most Calvinists hold that something else needs to happen for a select few to have faith: Some believe it is spiritual regeneration that must occur *before* one believes to allow the person to believe (contrary to scripture which states we receive the Holy Spirit after we believe, not before:
Gal 3:2-3,
Gal 3:10-14,
Eph 1:11-14,
II Cor 5:17, etc). Others hold that Jesus just grants a select few faith (a misinterpretation of Eph 2:8 - see
What does it mean that it is by grace we have been saved, through faith, and that this is not of ourselves but is the gift of God?). Still others take the view that the Holy Spirit overwhelms a select few, basically convincing them by sight so they can't possibly doubt.
The Bible is not 'crystal clear' that any of these variant theories are true. The term 'special calling' is not used in scripture.
What scripture does say is that Christ came into the world to 'enlighten every man,' that God revealing salvation through Christ is an act of grace, that Jesus draws all things (including all people) to Himself via His death, that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, etc. All these things are acts of grace that man might turn from his sin and to Jesus in faith, so that he might be saved.
Here are just a few of the many specific acts of grace that God has given to all men:
Grace is Christ; the gift of God; God revealed. (
Heb 1:3,
I Cor 1:4-5,
John 4:10)
Grace is Jesus coming to enlighten every man (Jn 1:9)
Grace is salvation offered to all people in Christ: (
Titus 2:11,
John 12:3-33,
Matt 4:12-17,
Psalm 67:1-3)
Grace is salvation granted through faith (
Eph 2:8-10,
Rom 5:1-2,
Joel 2:32), not by works of law.
Grace is Christ delivered to death that we might live: (
Rom 4:25,
Gal 2:20-21,
Rom 5:6-8)
Grace is the conviction of the Holy Spirit in regards to sin and righteousness and judgement: (Jn 16:8)
Grace is the preaching of the gospel throughout the nations that some might hear and believe (Rom 10)
Grace is Jesus drawing all things to Himself by His death, that we might come to Him (Jn 12:32)
Grace is Jesus opening the door to any who seek Him
Etc.
And further graces are given to believers:
Grace is the gift of justification; being declared righteous; through Christ: (
Rom 5:12-19)
Grace is pardon from God's wrath, and reconciliation with God: (
Rom 5:6-11)
Grace is eternal life granted to those who believe: (
John 3:16-17,
Rom 6:23,
John 1:1-3)
Grace is the Holy Spirit dwelling with us: (
Acts 19:2,
Eph 4:30,
I Cor 6:19)
Grace is our transformation as a New Creation, growing up into the headship of Christ: (
Gal 6:16,
II Cor 5:17,
Col 3:5-11)
Grace is our adoption as sons: (
Gal 4:4-6,
Rom 8:15))
Etc.
We merit none of those graces. The promises God gives to believers for later fulfillment are His guarantee out of grace that He will make good on His Word - not because we merit it, but because it is the covenant He made in His wisdom and righteousness.
Related topics:
What is Calvinism and is it biblical? What are the five points of Calvinism?
What are the doctrines of grace?
Can natural, fallen man do anything that is spiritually good?
As posted above, God gave many graces to man (not by our merit or works, but for His own glory by His own will and purpose) which all men may respond to in faith. Just as any of the plagued Israelites could look upon the snake, by the grace of God, so any man can look upon Christ and receive the message, responding in faith so that he might be justified. That there are men who refuse to do this because they love their own sin or refuse to come into the light doesn't mean they weren't given the grace to do so. Christ fulfilled and gave everything necessary for our salvation by His death.
It's a huge difference between believing, as scripture teaches, that God is sovereign over all Creation and believing that God specifically picks and chooses everything that happens. (An idea which God specifically rejects in passages such as Jer 19:5, Jer 32:35, James 1:13, etc.)
Nor does accepting what the Bible teaches on God's sovereignty and predestination mean that one must logically accept what Calvinism or other theories of man interpret those terms to mean.
Here are some topics that dive into predestination and God's sovereignty in depth:
How does God's sovereignty and mankind's free will work together in salvation?
Is God sovereign or do we have a free will?
How are predestination and election connected with foreknowledge?
Are we predestined to know Christ?
To briefly summarize the crucial differences, however, 'predestination' in scripture is a Greek term that means to set limits or boundaries. It doesn't imply the connotations of the English term destiny. The laws of nature are a great example of this: God predestined that the sea could only move so far, that molecules are bound by His laws, etc. God's sovereignty is tied into this as the laws of nature are bound to His will, and He can supersede them if needed. Other tasks he might delegate to angels or men, who He created with the capacity (though not permission) to disobey, although they too are bounded by the limits of their nature and capabilities. While God often defers judgment when we disobey, that doesn't mean He allows our disobedience or caused it. [
Does God allow moral evil?]
Just as someone disobeying a king will face judgement for breaking the law, so will humans unless we take the offered pardon (faith in Christ, where God applies Jesus' righteousness to us.)
I would agree with this.
The last sentence was "receiving salvation? Is it faith or predestination?" That's not a false dichotomy, since scripture gives the answer:
Scripture says we receive salvation through faith. (Rom 3:25, Jn 3:16, Gal 3:2-5, Eph 2:8, etc.) Even Eph 1:1-15 clarifies that salvation is through hearing the gospel and believing and never says we are saved through being predestined.
Faith is made possible by grace as God predestined. Specifically, though, God predestined believers to be adopted as sons into His kingdom, and to be Holy and blameless, etc. since before time began. (Eph 1:1-15) He didn't predestine some to become believers and some not.
