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28950

“Calvinism”
by Sound the Trumpet
June 18th, 2016

H.A. Ironside said, "Turn to your Bible and read for yourself in the only two chapters in which this word predestinate or predestinated is found. The first is Romans 8:29-30, the other chapter is Ephesians 1:5 and 11. You will note that there is no reference in these four verses to either heaven or hell but to Christ-likeness eventually. Nowhere are we told in scripture that God predestinated one man to be saved and another to be lost. Men are to be saved or lost eternally because of their attitude towards the Lord Jesus Christ. Predestination means that someday all the redeemed shall become just like the Lord Jesus"

"D.L. Moody used to put it very simply the elect are the 'whosoever wills' the non-elect 'whosoever wont's'. This is exactly what scripture teaches, the invitation is to all, those who accept it are the elect. Remember, we are never told that Christ died for the elect".

"Whosoever means, whosoever." Only a biased theologian, with an axe to grind, could ever think that it meant only the elect."

Calvinism is often described by the letters T U L I P:

T- Total Depravity (so depraved as to not be able to even make a choice, total inability to believe. This ends up in teaching that man must be born again BEFORE he believes.)

U- Unconditional Election (they teach that God has chosen who will be saved and who will go to hell, because these latter have not been gifted to believe. This is supposedly to the glory of God. Faith gifted to the elect by the Spirit is said to bring true conversions while personal faith is considered a “work” that produces false conversions.)

L- Limited Atonement (Many Calvinists teach that Christ died only for those He chose to be saved, and that the Gospel is not for all.)

I- Irresistible Grace (God calls only some to be saved, and they cannot resist. They will be saved automatically regardless of whether they want to be or not while those whom He ‘reprobates’ have no chance of salvation.)

P- Perseverance of the Saints (those whom God chose will not be lost. However since they do not know who the elect are, there is the torment of uncertainty, which may result in a works/Lordship salvation in an attempt to prove to themselves they are indeed elect. Biblical Christianity teaches the Preservation of the saints, not the persevering--hanging on for dear life to convince yourself you are elect).

David Hunt said, “Giving man the power to make a genuine, independent choice need not diminish God’s control over His universe. Being omnipotent and omniscient, God can so arrange circumstances as to keep man’s rebellion from frustrating His purposes. In fact, God can and even does use man’s free will to help fulfill His own plans and thus be even more glorified.”

He continued, “Never did Christ or His apostles or the early church attempt to force anyone to believe the gospel. The tolerance the early church had for the ungodly around them was not an acceptance of their errors. It was recognition that no one could be forced against his will into the kingdom of God. They attempted to persuade the heathen to believe the gospel, but never did they attempt to force them to do so – nor did they believe in a God who could or would. The gospel is the good news of God’s love in Christ and can only be received willingly from the heart. Since Calvinism denies the necessity of choice, it was only natural that its adherents would seek to force their views on all dissenters.”

He went on to say, “The Bible presents evil as the result of man’s free will choosing for self instead of for God. The Calvinist, however, in denying human moral freedom, makes God the cause of all evil, insisting that He ‘creates the very thoughts and intents of the soul’.”.

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine" (John 17:9).

David Cloud says, Does this passage teach "sovereign election," meaning that God sovereignly chooses some sinners to be saved and does not choose others to be saved? If so, it would be a glaring contradiction to the teaching of the same Gospel book.

"That WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:15-16).

"I am come a light into the world, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH on me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46).

In Bible interpretation, the context generally clarifies all things. Context is not only the first rule of sound Bible
interpretation, it is the first, second, and third rule! This is the principle that we lay out in How to Study the Bible, which is one of the Way of Life Advanced Bible Studies Series courses. And in the context of John 17, Jesus is
praying a high priestly prayer for His people. Thus He is not praying for the world. He is praying for the saved. The
passage says nothing about the basis of election and salvation. Jesus speaks of those who have been given to
him by the Father (John 17:2, 6), but He does not tell us on what basis these are given.

For that, we need to go to an earlier part of the Gospel of John as we have already quoted. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The basis of election is faith in the gospel. It is a whosoever gospel. The offer of eternal salvation is genuinely made to all who hear the gospel, and it is Christ's express will that every sinner hear the gospel (Mark 16:15) and be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

God is not playing games with sinners. He is not offering eternal life to all but only giving it to the "elect." I once asked a Calvinist friend, a man that I hold in high regard for his love for Christ, this question: "Can any man be saved?" He wanted to go into an intricate theological explanation and did not answer with a clear and simple "yes.".

Any man who cannot answer the following question with an unequivocal and resounding "yes" has been led astray
by a theological system that is in error, because it is a theological system that is contrary to the plain and clear teaching of Scripture:

"Can any man be saved?"

Here are some verses that indicate the man has a free will.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD” (Leviticus 1:2-3).

“Now when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt offering or peace offerings voluntarily unto the LORD, one shall then open him the gate that looketh toward the east, and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, as he did on the sabbath day: then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate (Ezekiel 46:12).

“And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 7:16).

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely “(Revelation 22:17).

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16).

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).

“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:12).

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13