Question about Monergism and Total Depravity

[steamforthis]

Within monergism and Calvinism, and total depravity especially, isn`t it contradictory to say God predestines and elects, and humans cannot and wi not choose and believe in God and that God alone changes them and makes them choose and believe in Him, yet the Bible gives emphasis for the person to choose and believe in God on their own but also emphasizes predestination? So doesn't it say you should believe in God yet it says you can't and it says you can and it says you don't, etc., etc.? Isnt it all contradictory?

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

Within monergism and Calvinism, and total depravity especially, isn`t it contradictory to say God predestines and elects, and humans cannot and wi not choose and believe in God and that God alone changes them and makes them choose and believe in Him, yet the Bible gives emphasis for the person to choose and believe in God on their own but also emphasizes predestination? So doesn't it say you should believe in God yet it says you can't and it says you can and it says you don't, etc., etc.? Isnt it all contradictory?

I do not think many Calvinists would agree with the assumption in bold, in fact, I am certain. Let's look over a few Scriptures...

Verses pertaining directly to Regeneration​

"And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." - Deuteronomy 30:6

“Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’ “And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, “that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. - Ezekiel 11:17-20

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.. - Ezekiel 36:27

"And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live...Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD." - Ezekiel 37:14

"The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both." - Proverbs 20:12 [also see Matt 5:8, Matt 13:13-23, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, Luke 10:24, John 5:37, John 12:40]

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. - John 1:12-13

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” - John 3:3-8

"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will" - John 5:21

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me [i.e. believe in me] unless it is granted him by the Father." - John 6:63-65 [All of God's operations in the economy of salvation proceed from the Father, are through the Son, and are executed by the Spirit. No one believes unless God grants it]

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. - 1 Corinthians 2:12

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive [quickened us] with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:4-5

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God."- 1 John 5:1

"not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior," - Titus 3:5-6

A few indirectly related verses​

"...it [election] depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." - Rom 9:16

At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one... knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. - Matt 11:25-27

"All that the Father gives to me will come to me" (i.e. believe in me) - John 6:37 [all whom God grants to the Son, believes]

"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction." - 1 Thess 1:4-5

"Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction." - 1 Thessalonians 1:5

Then He [Jesus] spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. “But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ - Luke 5:36-39 [Matt 9:16-17, Mark 2:21-22] (such is the desires of dead faith of the unregenerate non-Christian, which cannot come before regeneration, because it wills not)

Finally an argument from perhaps a not so obvious Scripture:​

Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:3

According to this verse, assuming the born again believer alone is sealed by the Holy Spirit, regeneration (though not stated using the terminology) is required to (honestly, sincerely from the heart with conviction) say that Jesus is Lord. Often the non-Christian is bagered to confess, to accept, to trust Jesus as Lord, and if faith comes before regeneration, how is it they can have faith that Jesus is Lord, but cannot say it? How is it they can confess, accept, and trust Jesus as Lord, except that they have FIRST been regenerated and sealed by the Holy Spirit? How can the unregenerate without eyes to see and ears to hear, say in faith that Jesus is Lord?

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. - 1 Corinthians 2:11

 

[Foghorn]

Within monergism and Calvinism, and total depravity especially, isn`t it contradictory to say God predestines and elects, and humans cannot and wi not choose and believe in God and that God alone changes them and makes them choose and believe in Him, yet the Bible gives emphasis for the person to choose and believe in God on their own but also emphasizes predestination? So doesn't it say you should believe in God yet it says you can't and it says you can and it says you don't, etc., etc.? Isnt it all contradictory?

If you consider how salvation takes place, is it by man and his choice or is it the cause of God?

I believe scripture teaches God causes salvation. In other words, the Holy Spirit regenerates (quickens) a dead sinner, mystically uniting them to Christ, and it is from Christ alone that all blessing flow. These blessing, faith being one, hope, love, self control etc.. see 2 Peter 1, these are given unto us through Christ, yes faith (belief) being one. Jesus said in John 3:3, unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God, and how can one believe in something they cannot see?

Those who are not regenerated cannot believe, and of their own free will reject the Christ of the bible. The bible does not teach synergism.

 

[Skala]

Within monergism and Calvinism, and total depravity especially, isn`t it contradictory to say God predestines and elects, and humans cannot and wi not choose and believe in God and that God alone changes them and makes them choose and believe in Him, yet the Bible gives emphasis for the person to choose and believe in God on their own but also emphasizes predestination? So doesn't it say you should believe in God yet it says you can't and it says you can and it says you don't, etc., etc.? Isnt it all contradictory?

It's not contradictory to say that a person should obey the gospel, but yet is not willing to.

When Calvinists say that a person "can't" believe, what he means is that the person is unwilling to believe, and therefore he can't. The reason for this is because a person has to be willing to do something before it is within his ability to do is. So a person's inability is directly related to and caused by his unwillingness.

Jonathan Edwards talked about this in Freedom of the Will. Luther talked about this in Bondage of the Will. They taught that the inability a person has to believe is a moral inability, not a physical or natural inability.

A person's unwillingness is responsible for his inability to believe. For one has to first be willing before he can be able to do something. Thus, it's the person's fault, not God's, for his inability to believe the gospel.