The problem is that Calvinists only use a small portion of verses to fulfill their theology while, well, real Christians (not any particular denominations) use the whole Bible.
First off that is extremely elitist and borderline questioning of the salvation of calvinists.
Secondly you do not use the whole Bible, major passages such as Romans 8-9, Ephesians 1, John 6 + 10, and many others seem to be mysteriously missing from your Bible.
From the beginning to the end, I see God's love for all. He doesn't pick and choose whom has faith and whom doesn't.
Really? From begining to end? Did He choose the whole world or did He choose Abraham? Did He give His law to and have special relationship with all of the world or just with Israel? You see He
chose Israel. Look in Ephesians 2, it tells us that we were at that time "Without hope, and without God in the world". That doesn't seem like He chose everyone at that time now, does it?
How ridiculous what it be if God only gave some faith and others no faith? It contradicts God's nature to say something like that!
Show me from scripture rather than your off-handed comments, please.
Please, if you really believe in "absolute" Predestination (Calvinists view) then read the whole Bible before judging what a few verses say.
And, I say "absolute" because it means everything is predestined, which includes the decision we make.
I believe in Predestination, but it's obviously not the same interpretation as Calvinists or anybody else that believes in absolute Predestination.
You are extremely condescending here. I have read the entire Bible through several times. Do you think the great minds like Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, RC Sproul, Augustine, C.H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, on and on and on ... have never read our Bibles all the way through?
But you see you have a problem, because you have not read your Bible through apparently. Jesus says:
John 6:37 "
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will surely not cast out."
There is a progression there. The Father gives some group of people to Jesus. All who are given will come. All who come will not be cast out. SO ... either the Father has given ALL, as you say ... and then we must say that this verse proves universalism ... or else this verse means that the Father only gives some small sub-set of literally everyone.
Read and study this whole section, John 6:35-40.
John 6:44 "
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Again here we are told that the Father must draw in order for the person to come, but the one who comes WILL be raised up, WILL have eternal life. Again, this either teaches universalism or calvinism. You choose.
Let's consider another passage in John 10. Jesus has just shared the story of the Good Shepherd, and the sheep knowing his voice. He goes on and some Jews come and ask him for proof, ask him to tell them strait up if He is the Messiah. This is Jesus' answer:
John 10:25-26 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testif of Me.
But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep."
Notice that real carefully. If your view were correct you would expect Jesus to say "You are not of My sheep, because you do not believe." He did not say that. He said that the REASON they did not believe is because they were not of His sheep. They were not of the elect.
Ephesians 1:4-5 Just as He chose us in Him (Christ)
before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him, in love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
Ephesians 1:11 ... also we have obtained an inheritance,
having been predestined according to His purpose who works all thigns according to the counsel of His will.
Please explain those verses to me if Calvinism is not true my friend ...
Acts 13:48 "When the Gentiles heard this (the preaching of Paul), they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord,
and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Notice here it does not say that as many as believed were appointed to eternal life, but again, it is the other way around. The appointing preceedes the belief.
These are only a small selection of verses which you must deal with. Your argument is not with me, it is with the text of the Scripture.
