Some Disagreements with Calvin

By Bobby Long

From time to time, discussions will ensue either in general conversation or in an appointed bible study which in some form or fashion, end up in a discussion dealing with mans free will (or lack of), predestination, etc Since this seems to be a point of interest, I have determined to set my views on paper. These are my views alone and in no way would I want any to accept them without first seeking the answers themselves. Some points made will be general observations while others will be more critical. This does not mean I am right; it just means this is where my views land theologically. There are good scholars on both

sides of the debate. Be a Berean and search things out for your self and see where an objective understanding of scripture leads.

I will focus the beginning of this paper on the first point of 5 point Calvinism; Total Depravity and the Total Inability of mankind. After this, a summary of

disagreement on the remaining points of Calvinism will be made. It is with the first point that all the other points of Calvinism hinge and stand. Understand, I am not denying predestination, I am denying what I believe is a warped unbiblical concept of predestination. We will look at this not as a distant theological point, but ramifications on the basic need of the Christian: THE CONVERSTION AND SALVATION OF THE SOUL.

I once heard a wise teacher say that it is detrimental to take the Bible literally at all times; and it is just as unwise to allegorize the Bible at all times. The wise student takes the Bible seriously, interpreting under the guidance of Holy Spirit and the testimony of the entire Word of God in the original language and in line with Gods nature, character, and attributes.

depravity Total depravity does NOT mean total inability. Total depravity states that man has sunk so low because of the fall of Adam that he is incapable of believing the gospel. Some would say that he can no more repent and believe than a dead man can rise and walk. Calvin attributes all this to the sin of Adam who communicated and transferred this absolute inability to all those who would be born of men. Because he is incapable of doing anything

good or even desiring it, he cannot obey or even acknowledge any spiritual command even the invitation to receive Christ. Boettner says,

in matters pertaining to his salvation, the unregenerate man is not at liberty to choose between greater and lesser evil, which is not properly free will..
The reformed individual will say that the depraved sinner is dead. (Eph. 2:1). He says that he can no more respond to the gospel as a dead man can respond to a call to dinner. A dead corpse cannot do anything. However, Paul is taking a physical reality to make a spiritual point. To be dogmatic in the comparison is to miss the point and wind up in a pickle. A person who is physically dead cannot speak, breath, get mad, laugh, walk, shower, eat Even the Calvinist would

agree that a spiritually dead person can do all these things and to disagree is contentiously avoiding the obvious.

The sinner does not come to Christ because he cant but because he wont. John 5:40 says, [40]And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (Jhn 5:40

KJV)

It doesnt say, you cant come to me.. It says, you will not come to

Me. It literally means, and you are not willing to come to Me, that you might

have life.

John 12:32 quotes Jesus as saying, [32]And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will

draw all [men] unto me. (Jhn 12:32 KJV) . First thing to notice is that the word (Jhn
[men] is in brackets meaning that it is not in the original language. To take this to mean all people groups and not all people in general is presumptuous at best. Reading the text without the bracketed word we find that Jesus will draw or call ALL to him. The word draw is helko metaphorically means to to draw or lead

by an inward power, to compel. The word all is pas and its main meaning is
each, every, all, the whole, everything in an individual sense.

In essence, this means that Jesus was lifted up taking on the sins of all mankind as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. This act that can heal the

disease of the soul will compel every man to examine the offer of healing this sin disease and thereby be granted eternal life. As with Moses and the Israelites, the offer of healing went out to everyone, not just a few. As with the serpent in the desert, the cure was readily available to all who would come. Every man contemplated the cure; each man made their own decision concerning it.

Calvin will hold that men are unable to comprehend or acknowledge spiritual truth, yet the Hebraic backdrop to John 12:32 and John 3 which is found in Numbers 21:6-9, relay not only on the provision for the deadly bite of the serpent, but as Dr. Doug Wheeler states, was the force necessary to cause people to stop viewing life from the physical rather than from the spiritual. In other words, a change (healing) in how we view life was established I just dont see this shift in the Calvinists. In Numbers 21:8 we find this phrase,

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live." Num. 21:8
The word in particular that is of great significance is

ra'ah Look. It has a

Strongs # 7200 - TWOT of 2095. It not only carries with it the sense of seeing with the eyes in the physical senses but also a deeper perception and internal understanding as seen in the TWOT definition; The extended and metaphorical senses in the Qal include to regard, perceive, feel, understand, learn, enjoy; Here we find that the brazen serpent was not only for healing but as Dr. Wheeler points out, it was a paradigm shift from understanding events in not only the physical but also the spiritual. In other words, God intended the lesson of the brazen serpent to be more than just a snake on a pole that, when looked upon, would heal a snake bite. Within the historical account of the serpent raised up in the desert, God is teaching Israel to see with spiritual eyes and not just the physical. This lesson was grasped by every one that was healed. All who were bitten that raahed on the serpent or saw not only with their eyes but perceived and understood spiritually, were healed.

I find it also interesting that the word enjoy is used as part of the metaphorical essence of the meaning of the word. At first the people wanted God to take

away the serpent. Instead, God offered a cure for those that were bitten. Had God granted the request to immediately remove the serpents, there would have been no cure. Sin is ever present with all men. While mankind breathes, sin will be ever at the door ready to devour, kill, steal, and destroy at every opportunity. All mankind will experience the pains of sin. But God has made a way to

overcome that sin that so easily entangles everyone. The enjoyment comes as one realizes that in obedience to God as the stronger partner in the covenant relationship, we can be at peace and in right relationship with God; even in the

midst of a sinful world. The Calvinist can not deny that this spiritual meaning was received and understood by the Israelites that were healed from the bite of the serpents. This healing ONLY came after one would raah upon the serpent.

This spiritual understanding is at the very heart of John 3. In this text, we find the exchange between Nicodemus and Christ. In this conversation, it is very

apparent that Jesus EXPECTS lost Nicodemus to make the spiritual connection between being born of water and of the spirit (John 3: 5,10). Nicodemus in vs. 11 that, Jesus tells

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of] heavenly things? Jo. 3:11 things?
The word receive means to be accepted. It is not that Nicodemus could not accept the testimony that the Messiah was at hand; they just didnt accept it because it would disrupt their way of life. Jesus was not the deliverer they

expected because Christs mission reached farther than a break from Roman tyranny but a means to completely sever and reverse the effects of the bondage and eternal repercussions of sin itself.

Verse 12 is an observation made in reference to vs. 11 and should be read and understood in context of the next several verses. John 3:14-18 then takes the

whole context of the conversation to the events of Numbers 21:6-8. Just as God gave life to those who physically looked after spiritually understanding the meaning of the brazen serpent, so God gives life to all who spiritually comprehend the cross and receive that work of Christ as propitiation for sin. As a result, they are born again spiritually, and physically declare with their mouth, Jesus as Lord.

Numbers 21 sets in stone the precedence that God gives man the ability to see spiritual matters in a sinful state. He taught them to do so and Christ expected Nichodemus to have that capability based on His reference to Numbers 21. This capability is NECESSARY for understanding to take place while under the death sentence of sin for it is only by this understanding that salvation can be accepted by one who desires a cure if one has already been cleansed of the disease.

John 3 confirms this.

Christ expected Nicodemus to comprehend the spiritual

nature of the new birth thereby negating the Calvinistic premise that man is

incapable of comprehending the means to real life while in an unregenerate state.

Jesus observed and pointed out that Nicodemus was a teacher of the law yet didnt get it and he should have; not that he couldnt; but he wouldnt accept it.

These passages also declare and confirm that salvation is not only effective for all look upon Christ as the only means of salvation but that it was available to

whosoever was bitten. The two categories (1) those of whom it was effective
and (2) those of whom are the whosoever) are mutually inclusive for all have incurred the fatal death bite of sin. In Hebrew, the wording indicates that Christ makes this

ANYONE who looked (raah) on the serpent shall live.

connection and it is in the context of that very thought we remember the words of John 3:16 declaring that the whosoever and the world are indicative of ANYONE not just a chosen few or a people group as a whole. If God has

determined that there are some that cannot be saved then salvation is not open to everyone and the raah meaning of Numbers 21 is ignored and the parallel connection Christ makes in John 3 must be disregarded. In the Words of the Apostle Paul; May it never be. Maybe its not that the Calvinist cannot see the connection but, as was the case with Nichodemus, he or she doesnt want to accept the truth that is so glaringly evident.

While we are in John, lets turn our attention to passages later in the text. Later in John 6:35 40 we read,

Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.
In the Calvinist perspective, these passages teach irresistible grace and, to a lesser extent, the eternity past concept of predestination in that God is the giver of all that will come to Christ. Yet as we examine these passages further, this is not at all the teaching in this text for these passages are not about drawing or even giving unbelievers, but believers to Christ. We see this in the way that Jesus turned over those that believed or His own to Holy Spirit upon His ascension. There were a great number of those in Israel that not only longed

for but anticipated the Messiah and many of these accepted Johns baptism and in turn were followers of Jesus. Jesus is saying that those that accepted the

Fathers message through John accepted Jesus openly.

Those that didnt accept Jesus words left him and those that were left were those that had really accepted the Father. For example, when Jesus stated that He was the bread of life in John 6:35, those that rejected that message departed from Christ thus bringing to light their hard hearts toward God. Those whom have accepted God and His word will accept Christ and His words when in all essence Christ is the Word that became flesh.

Jesus then goes on to say that those that whom God has turned over to Him, He will not cast out nor will He loose any. In essence, this passages speaks more to the security of the believer, which I have no argument understanding that security of the believer and assurance of the believer are two totally different things, but which is not the topic of this paper.

In Mark 3:1-5 we have a man whose paralyzed and withered hand was healed. Christ gave the command to stretch out his hand; the man did something he was not physically able to do because God enabled him to do so.

[1]And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. [2]And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. [3]And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. [4]And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. [5]And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved about for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched [it] out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. (Mar 3:13:15 KJV)
Had the man refused to obey, his unwillingness to stretch out his hand does not negate the fact that God still enabled him to do so. If the sinner fails to take

advantage of the faith given to him (and to every man) he cannot use the excuse that he was totally powerless and was unable to believe for God gave him the ability yet did not over ride the mans responsibility to make that decision. I

attest and proclaim that scripture sets the free will of men firmly and securely within the sovereignty of God. The Calvinistic Soteriology rests on a pre-suppositional assumption that total depravity means total inability. Even though this wording is denied by many

Calvinist, the conclusions of their arguments leave little room to see it any other way. John 1:9 says, [9][That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that which

cometh into the world. (Jhn 1:9 KJV). There is absolutely no way to say that this world.
exclusively means every people group or a select portion of mankind of whom

God calls to salvation while not calling others. ALL sinful men will be illumined with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ EVERY man that comes into the world.

The Calvinist will argue that Adam was created morally impeccable. He lost this perfection through sin. This sin caused God to declare upon him and his

posterity a nature so totally corrupt and totally debilitated that to respond to any spiritual command is IMPOSSIBLE. The logic is that 1) God made man morally

perfect; 2) Adams sin immediately corrupted him and rendered him UNABLE to respond to God; 3) God transmitted this total inability to all his descendants. Free moral agency is rejected by Calvinist yet plainly taught in scripture. Charles Finney states this concerning the sovereignty of God and the will of God.

The sovereignty of God consists in the independence of his will, in consulting only his own intelligence and discretion, in the selection of his end, and the means of accomplishing it. In other words, the sovereignty of God is nothing else than infinite benevolence directed by infinite knowledge. (Finney. Systematic Theology. Pg. 823)
He goes on to note,

"He works all things after the counsel of his own will," in the sense that he formed and executes his own designs independently; in the sense that he consults only his own infinite discretion; that is, he acts according to his own views of propriety and fitness. This he does, be it distinctly understood, without at all setting aside the freedom of moral agents. His infinite knowledge enabled him to select an end and means that should consist with and include the perfect freedom of moral agents. The subjects of his moral government are free to obey or disobey, and take the consequences. But foreseeing precisely in all cases how they would act, he has laid his plan accordingly, so as to bring out the contemplated and desired results. In all his plans he consulted none but himself. (ibid)
As we will see later, what was predestined was the plan of redemption; not mans individual actions; or even Gods call to some and rejection of others. . An

unstoppable force led by and propagated through the 2nd person of the Trinity: Jesus Christ.

This point is well understood in the word used in Genesis 2:7 translated as breath. God blew into Adam the nvshama which is more than the ability to walk and talk. It is the ability to understand the spiritual and to have a conscious that animals do not have. This is given to all mankind. To deny this meaning of breath is to deny the life that also animates. The spiritual discernment afforded by the nyshama cannot die for it is of God. thing as the walking corpse Calvin describes. In other words, there is no such

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.Gen.2:7 life; being.Gen.2:7 The Hebrew word ( nshamah, breath) is used for God and for the life imparted to humans, not animals (see T. C. Mitchell, The Old Testament Usage of Nshama, VT 11 [1961]: 177-87). Its usage in the Bible conveys more than a breathing living organism ( , nefesh khayyah). Whatever is given this breath of life becomes animated with the life from God, has spiritual understanding (Job 32:8), and has a functioning conscience (Prov 20:27). Human life is described here as consisting of a body (made from soil from the ground) and breath (given by God). Both animals and humans are called a living being (

) but humankind became that in a different and more significant way.

- (http://net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Gen&chapter=2&verse=7# )
There is total depravity in that any good a man thinks himself accomplished is lacking any righteousness in the eyes of God. There is total depravity in the

sense that man is incapable of saving himself from the penalty of sin. Yes, the thoughts of men are wicked from youth due to sin. At the same time, God gave Adam and every descendent of Adam a moral conscious that includes physical breath and a spiritual understanding. For this spiritual understanding to die He would become unanimated.

would be to kill the physically breathing man.

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When looking at the verse in Hebrew we find in Genesis 2:17 that the death God is referencing is a surety of the physical reality once disobedience or sin has occurred. The fruit of the tree was not the culprit or cause of death; nor was the commandment to not eat of that tree; disobedience and rebellion was. Had Adam and Eve been made morally impeccable there would have been no temptation to sin. Adam, prior to the fall was sinless, but was not morally impeccable and

apparently had the same weakness as we all. Sin did not begin with Adam. It is true that through one man sin entered the world, yet this sin was already present; sin became evident in Satan who is the Father of all lies or the origin of all sin.

This Hebrew word for die used in Genesis 2:17 means,

Heb dying you will die. The imperfect verb form here has the nuance of the specific future because it is introduced with the temporal clause, when you eatyou will die. That certainty is underscored with the infinitive absolute, you will surely die. sn The Hebrew text (dying you will die) does not refer to two aspects of death (dying spiritually, you will then die physically). The construction simply emphasizes the certainty of death, however it is defined. Death is death essentially separation. To die physically means separation from the land of the living, but not extinction. To die spiritually means to be separated from God. Both occur with sin, although the physical alienation is more gradual than instant, and the spiritual is immediate, although the effects of it continue the separation. - http://net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Gen&chapter=2&verse=17
This spiritual separation from God does not nor should it be rendered to mean that man is incapable of spiritual understand for as we have found, spiritual understanding (however much subdued) cannot die as Calvin portrays without severing the physical life as well. This separation of the relationship between God and man is what is severed, not the spiritual being of the man for had the spiritual being of the man died, the physical would have followed suit. The

spiritual nature of man cannot die in the sense Calvinist require for it is has the eternal nature of God.

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What can be severed and must be resurrected is the spiritual relationship between God and man. Man, either unregenerate or regenerate, has an eternal spirit that cannot die. This is the truth: To say mans spirit is dead is to say that

man is separated from God. It should not indicate that man no longer has the capacity to make choices of a spiritual nature.

There are several curses that God placed upon mankind; physical death, spiritual death in that he was separated from communion with God, their innocence was gone in that they realized their nakedness, thorns and thistles covering the ground, pain in child birth, etc. Rabbinical teaching lists 10 curses that fell upon Eve as a result of sin.

In the B version of Avot De Rabbi Nathans midrashic collection, these curses are listed in Anthony J. Sadarini translation, The Fathers According to Rabbi

Nathan (Abbot De Rabi Nathan) Version B: A Translation and Commentary,

(Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1975) pp. 251-2. These curses could be categorized as

biological, psychological, social, and ritualistic in nature. Yet not one mention of the death that would render one incapable of spiritual understanding. The eternal spiritual nature of men cannot die for to say that would be to indicate that the spirit of the God whom gave that eternal nature could suffer the same fate.

Nowhere in scripture does it say that Adam was made morally perfect without the capacity to exercise free will true worship demands the existence of free will, for what value is worship if it is not freely given or, if by some means forced? Adam and Eve were originally made and placed in the garden without sinning prior to their creation. However, given the opportunity to disobey Gods rule, Adam and Eve chose to violate the one restriction they had. To assume

that Adam was morally perfect without the capacity to exercise free will and choose good or bad is premature and places sin directly on the shoulders of God.

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The Jews have a precept that is know as building a fence around Torah. Gods commandment was not to eat of the tree. Eve stated that she was not to eat of the tree or to even touch it (Gen. 3:3). It is taught that the hundreds of other

precepts taught by the rabbis are there only to protect the essence of the written law. As Torah is seen as a garden, one builds a fence to protect the garden. As a result, this keeps the unwanted out and the accepted in. In other words, the oral law is there as a means of protection for the precepts of the written law yet the actual construction of the wall is not ordained nor demanded by God it is in all essence and in every sense of the word, mans construction.

Calvinism, in essence, does the same thing yet the reasoning is to protect a system of theology which supposedly protects the sovereignty of God by erecting precepts cast in skewed definitions. This is done by constructing, assigning or removing attributes of Adam and his posterity that are not dictated by scripture. Calvinism seeks to protect the sovereignty and holiness of God by building a theology that diminishes the very purpose of God in the suffering and death of Christ i.e. the salvation and reconciliation of a severed relationship of

all who would come anyone who would come whosoever will come.

I will agree that man is ravaged by sin; than men left alone to their own devises will sin. None are righteous. No man seeks God. I also will affirm that God seeks all men. Unregenerate man can know right from wrong and can choose life over death or reject it as God draws him by Holy Spirit- who is by definition; the GRACE of God. Grace is not a thing we received from God; Grace is the enabling

power of God as seen and experienced by every human in the person of Holy
Spirit. Grace is not the CONTROLLING power of God but the ENABLING power of God. God seeks men through the testimony of Holy Spirit and men respond via the faith of Christ.

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Scripture says that Gods creation is good; even very good, but this does not indicate moral perfection. In Acts 11:24 we see that Barnabas was a good man but he was not morally perfect. [24]For he was a good man, and full of the Holy

Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. (Act 11:24 KJV) much
Noah was perfect in his generations yet we can assume that since he was born of woman, he was not morally impeccable.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 says that God made man upright. [29]Lo, this only have I

found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. found, (Ecc 7:29 KJV)
The word upright is yashar in Hebrew. The Theological

Word Dictionary of the Old Testament gives this meaning to the word;

Thus the fact that God has made man upright (Ecc 7:29) is probably to be interpreted as granting him the ability to recognize the divine law, rather than some inborn character as honest or straightforward - http://net.bible.org/strong.php?id=03474#
Within the parameters of how God made man is the human ability to recognize

divine law. This fits perfectly with the essence of the breath of life which
God gave man in Genesis and is applicable to all humans. Man has the ability to recognize divine law. This ability was not lost in garden nor has it ever escaped mans capacity. This has absolutely nothing to do with the interpretation of an obscure passage of scripture but has everything to do with the exact meaning of the words of scripture. It does not indicate that man is basically good. This does not indicate that man is basically honest or has some inbred, God given ability to bend toward good. It does mean that when Holy Spirit draws men and convicts him of sin, that in the unregenerate state, man recognizes this law as true and truly divine and worthy of consideration. Man understands the stakes of rejection and acceptance and turns or rejects the offer. We see this in the

church today in that 80% of all who are born again, are saved prior to the age of eighteen.

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God places within every man with the same breath. This breath carries with it an eternal nature that never looses the ability to recognize divine law no matter how steeped in sin. He can choose to rebel against it, but it is never outside his

capability to know it and accept it as he exercises the faith of Christ given to each man as Holy Spirit enables him to believe. This is what the text says and it is detrimental if not destructive to the Calvinistic precept that man is incapable of recognizing spiritual law outside a regenerative state. words prohibit such. The meanings of these

Man is fearfully and wonderfully made says Psalms 139:14. sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Yet all have

The word of concern in this ya-da. Its

passage is knoweth or know. It is the Hebrew word, - Strongs # is 03045 and TWOT # of 848.

[14]I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. (Psa 139:14 KJV); KJV);
The seat of Davids emotions (his soul) was acutely aware of the amazing work of Jehovah in the creation of humanity and in the world around him. This

awareness caused David to praise the Lord. This is the same word as used in Genesis 3:5;

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Gen. 3:5
This word yada has the sense of perception deeper than commonly taken. It is stronger than just an intellectual assent; it is discernment within perception. Adam and Eve, in that day of disobedience, became intimately attuned in perceiving, recognizing, and distinguishing good and evil. This result of the fall has been passed down to all humanity. The TWOT definition adds, Its closest

synonyms are bin "to discern" and nakar "to recognize."- It goes on to say, In certain contexts it means "to distinguish." "To know good and evil" (Gen 3:5, Gen 3:22) is the result of disobeying God.

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Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve did not recognize nor where they able to perceive what were beneficial or damaging to them; they were as children in this sense. When they sinned, their eyes were opened both physically and in a spiritually metaphoric sense to the recognition and discernment of good and evil; beneficial and harmful. They were not as children any longer. By eating its fruit man came to know in a way comparable to the knowledge of God (see above). This important reference may also be taken as the figure of speech known as merism to indicate objective awareness of all things both good and bad. - http://net.bible.org/strong.php?id=03045 In essence, the Calvinist has postulated a theology that says men lost the ability to discern good from evil at the fall when scripture plainly teaches that it wasnt until the fall that man became acutely aware of good and evil. The effects of the fall robbed Adam and Eve and all their posterity of their childlike innocent and exchanged it with the monstrous ability to perceive good and evil. It is this

debilitating ability to perceive right and wrong, to contemplate divine law, and to be acutely aware of disobedience to God and the divine law that makes man morally responsible, and subject to the consequences of rebellion or submission to Christ. To remove this ability is the remove the very essence of

responsibility.

This Calvinistic idea of the total impossibility of men to comply with the command of God and to believe in Christ makes the gospel an unreasonable necessity; For the Calvinist,

God must save the person first before the

In Acts 17:30, Paul is reasoning with the

predestined can accept salvation.

people of Mars Hill and he states that God now commands men everywhere to repent. [30]And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth

all men every where to repent: (Act 17:30 KJV)

He goes on in vs. 31 to state

that assurance of the truth of the resurrection of Christ was given to ALL.

(men is not in the original text).

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[31]Because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Act 17:31 KJV)
Acts 17:31 gives a clear statement that assurance of the truth of the gospel has been given to ALL. This assurance is given because God pleads to ALL MEN EVERYWHERE to repent. The word for men in the Greek is 'n-thr-pos meaning human beings whether male or female rather individually or corporately.

Spurgeon says this,

The words "world" and "all" are used in some seven or eight senses in Scripture, and it is very rarely the "all" means all persons, taken individually. The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts -- some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted His redemption to either Jew or Gentile ... (C.H. Spurgeon from a sermon on Particular Redemption)
It is true that God does not redeem all men for all men do not come. It is a far stretch to reach the conclusion that because all men do not come, not all men are drawn, or that all men are not convicted by Holy Spirit of the assurance of the truth of the Gospel. To say that is to deny the very scriptures being expounded upon.

It is very interesting that if we take Spurgeons own rationale and apply it to the scripture then we could come to the conclusion that if the world does not mean all men but only some of all sorts then we are left with an application that would indicate that not all the world will be judged nor will all men be judged which is not true.

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We know Gods desire is for all to come to repentance for in 2 Peter 3:9 we read,

The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is longlongsuffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should (extraordinarily perish, but that all should turn to repentance. repentance.
This is the reason and purpose for the Holy Spirit working conviction in the lives of men. The Holy Spirit draws the lost to the truth of the gospel because it is Gods desire that all be saved and come to repentance. The call goes out to ALL MEN. Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown comments on the word any and says,

any--not desiring that any, yea, even that the scoffers, should perish, any--not -which would be the result if He did not give space for repentance.
The Calvinist would argue that just because a command is given to someone doesnt mean they are able to keep it. Yet, even an earthly jury would not

condemn the total invalid barley able to breathe because he or she was told to get up and walk, or die. A condemning jury in this matter would rightly be seen as cruel and indecent. The Calvinist portrays man so corrupt that he cannot

obey, nor understand or appreciate the slightest spiritual command. God orders him to believe; then punishes him for not believing, which is something that, from birth, Calvin says he CANNOT do.

In no way do I want to water down the corruption of man or the sinfulness of man - at the same time, we must understand that God gives man the ability to recognize his corruption by revealing to him the righteousness of Christ and the way to life. rejects it. God gives saving faith to men as a gift; man utilizes this gift or

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1 John 4:8b says that God is love. Romans 5:8 says this about Gods love, But

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8). To cast one from the foundation of the world to 5:8)
salvation is to, at the same time; cast the one who is deprived the love of God to hell. I firmly believe this view skews the love of God. This would mean that God NEVER loved those whom He predestined for wrath. Is the elect ever really

under condemnation? This is further exemplified in the way Calvinist stated that His love was toward us. The belief is that Gods love was ONLY toward those who were predestined to believe; This is a premise that I reject.

What does it mean to be justified or that Jesus is just to forgive us our sin? Being justified is a legal term meaning that we have been deemed righteous. Jesus IS the Justifier. Romans states that,

Therefore, as through one man's offense [judgment] came to all men, resulting in men, condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act [the free gift came] to all men, resulting in justification of life. men,
God is justified or legally capable to forgive sin because Christ, as a kinsmen redeemer, became man to die for the sins of men. Just as Adam represented the human race; Christ in flesh represented all humanity not just a portion of it. Had the atonement only been limited to those who would be saved, then limited atonement must also demand limited justification. The atonement is the foundation that makes justification possible. The ramifications of limiting atonement to only those that would believe will lead to a place that should make any Calvinist tremble. For if Jesus only acted as a kinsmen redeemer for those that would believe, then that would make Jesus 1) NOT justified to forgive those that would NOT believe, and 2) a kinsmen to only a few reducing the humanity of Christ to a representative of only a small percentage of men.

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At that point, Jesus would NOT be legally ABLE of fulfilling His desire that every man NOT perish. For men not to perish, the atonement must be applicable and attainable to all men thereby rendering validation to the payer of Christ to forgive the transgressor and thus avoid perishing. It is IMPERATIVE that Christ

be a kinsman to all mankind to make justification available for all mankind in order for Christ to be legally righteous in extending forgiveness to all mankind.

Deut. 30:11 says, "For this commandment which I command you today is not too

difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. What exactly was the commandment that
God told them to do? Deut. 30:10 says,

If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, [and] if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all all thy soul. soul.
In verse 9 we see that the Lord states that He will bless the work of their hands, they will be blessed with children, their livestock will multiply and the produce of their land will increase if they will only shama or obey. Yet this word holds more meaning than just listening. It involves understanding what it being

conveyed by effective listening. There is more that a perception of an idea but a deeper understanding and contemplation that is implied.

We have looked at God telling Israel to shama. Not only should they sha-ma unto to the voice of the voice of the Lord to keep the commandments, but they should shuwb or turn unto the Lord. This idea of turning here implies and

cannot in anyway diminish mans responsibility in repentance.

All these expressions of man's penitential activity, however, are subsumed and summarized by this one verb shub. For better than any other verb it combines in itself the two requisites of repentance: to turn from evil and to turn to the good..

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The third important use of shub in the Qal, and theologically the most crucial, is in passages dealing with the covenant community's return to God (in the sense of repentance), or turning away from evil (in the sense of renouncing and disowning sin), or turning away from God (in the sense of becoming apostate). In such contexts shub in the Qal is used 129 times. - http://net.bible.org/strong.php?id=07725
Christ sums up the law and the prophet in that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Was God lying to them when he said it is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of your reach as we turn to the Lord and trust in Him? In verse 19, Moses adds, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that life, both thou and thy seed may live: He sets before them life or death as genuine options for choice. In Joshua, we

read where he admonishes the Israelites to choose for yourselves whom you will

serve. Joshua was calling on them to make the choice, repent, and throw away
the idols; yield your hearts to the Lord vs. 23.

The Hebrew word for choose is bachar. It means to take a close look at the proposition at hand. This is not a spur of the moment choice, nor is it indicative of a predetermined course in which the chooser has no real capacity to choose. It is the result of a well thought out contemplated thought process such is seen in Gen. 13:11 when Lot chose the plains. Abraham gave him the choice to go any direction he wished. Lot made the choice without any duress.

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In the New Testament, we find in Acts 2:40 that Peter was preaching under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit and tells the crowd to save themselves;

[40]And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (Act 2:40 KJV) in that they should repent and
believe the gospel. By the measure of faith given to every man, we are drawn TO confront the undeniable truth of the gospel. This gospel is rejected or

accepted by men. Those that accept, repent, and believe, find salvation in Christ. Those that reject it do so not because they cant (because the faith of Christ has been given to them to believe and the grace or enabling power of God is there giving them the ability to believe), but because they wont; leaving men without excuse.

Jesus would seem to have difficulty with total inability. In Mark 4:11 & 12 we read that the reason Jesus spoke in parables as a judgment against the peoples stiff-neckness was to hide the truth. truth or hide it. Here Jesus says this, Parables can be used to help explain a

And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.
If man is totally unable to even COMPREHEND a spiritual truth; why the need for parables? Jesus spoke in order to hide something that, if total inability is in Calvin would have us believe

place, they were unable to comprehend anyway.

that no one can turn and receive the forgiveness of sins with out first experiencing regeneration FIRST. Yet Jesus thought it necessary to hide the

truth to the unregenerate else they might believe. Yet, this only came after the representatives of the Nation of Israel attributed Jesus miracles to Satan on two different occasions.

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In scripture, Jesus marveled only two times that I can find.

Once was at the

unbelief of the Jews (Mark 6:6) and another at the faith of the Gentile Centurion. (Luke 7:9)

[6]And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the unbelief. villages, teaching. (Mar 6:6 KJV) [9]When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. (Luk 7:9 KJV)
Both are condemning to the proposition of total inability in the sense that if man is totally and unequivocally incapacitated to even take one step toward God without first being regenerated, then why did Jesus marvel at the inevitable? In the same sense, why did Jesus marvel at the faith of the Centurion in Luke 7:9 when this faith to believe must have been AFTER regeneration which was also inevitable if total inability is in action? Remember, the continual indwelling of Holy Spirit was yet a future event.

In Romans 1, Paul states that men are without excuse because God manifest Himself in the creation. Verse 21 says,

God, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was imaginations, darkened. Rom. 1:21
Here, men knew God and did not glorify Him. How can a dead man that has no capability to know anything but sin, know God? How do the deceased understand who God is, and know Him? The truth is that men knew God and chose not

glorify Him as God in an unregenerate state.

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Men also became vain; yet Calvin would have us believe that this condition was destined from eternity past when the passage clearly sets out a sense that this is a condition that progressed as they willingly continued to sin and reject God. As they did so, their foolish hearts were darkened. Not because of Adams sin, but because of their own rejection of God, they became vain. The result was that their hearts were darkened.

In Zech. 7:12, ..the people made their hearts as hard as flint and WOULD NOT ..the

listen to the law.

The Calvinist would have to rewrite this to read, the

peoples hearts were fashioned by God as hard as flint and COULD NOT comprehend the law yet this is not what it says. The word made in Hebrew

is suwm. This has the idea of something being placed or put somewhere. In other words, the people (not God) placed their own hearts in the condition of being hard as flint toward the law. This placement and hardening toward the law in that Israel would not shama to the law. This was done of their own choice.

In Romans we read where God hardened Pharaohs heart (Ex. 9:7 and 10:20).

[7]And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. (Exd 9:7 KJV) [20]But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go. (Exd 10:20 KJV)
Yet we read also that Pharaoh hardened his OWN heart toward God (Ex 8:15 and 32).

[15]But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hardened hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. [32]And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. (Exd 8:15, 32 KJV)

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As Pharaoh continued to reject God, his heart became ever increasingly hard. In essence, God hardened Pharaohs heart by being who He is, and Pharaoh didnt like it. So as God continue to act, Pharaoh grew more defiant toward God. It is in this way that God hardened Pharaohs heart as Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

All men have sinned; that is a fact. All men left to their own devices will fail in any pursuit to be God. All men are incapable to redeem themselves and make themselves righteous before God in their own abilities and works. It is one thing to acknowledge the above, but it is totally different to state that man is UNABLE to respond to God AT ALL; for isnt a reject a response? Inability is not a logical consequence of all men sinning.

The Calvinist would say that Romans 3:10-12 is proof in that there is no one who understands and no one that seeks God. They are right; none seek God and no

one understands God. God seeks all men. The issue lies in the ability of men to respond to the God who seeks all men.

[10]As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [11]There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. [12]They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Rom 3:10-12 KJV) 3:10This is a quote from Psalm 14 dealing with the FOOL. Is Paul trying to I

construct a doctrine concerning human nature as it relates to Soteriology?

think to understand what Paul is trying to do in interjecting a poetic prose from the Psalms should be understood in context of vs. 9 which says,

What then? are we better [than they]? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; vs. 9

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Paul is relating the fact that the Jews are not better than the Gentiles in that all are under the law of sin and death. Sin is not a peculiar state of the Gentiles David, in the Psalm, uses poetic

only, but of all men; Jew and Gentile alike.

extremes to get a point home more firmly. If David were to be taken literally, are we to take vs. 4 of Psalms 14 to describe a state of cannibalism? Why NO

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people [as] they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
A rhetorical question is always answered in the negative. These people have the yada of God meaning they have a perception and are acquainted with God. And yet, they do not cry out for mercy to God.

1 Corinthians 2:14 says that the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that comes from the

Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand foolishness them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Taken in the context of 1:18 we read, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. It is the fool that hears the truth, undergoes the conviction of the Holy Spirit of the truth of the gospel and the indignation of their own sin, and understands the due penalty of this sin; yet dies rejecting it ANYWAY. It is this natural man that Paul speaks of in 1 Cor. 2:14; the man who looks at everything through physical eyes, going into eternity neglecting and rejecting the spiritual. Yet, the ability to neglect the spiritual is, in itself, a contradiction to the proposition of total inability in that to purposefully neglect it one must first be aware of it, which, in the doctrines of Calvin, is impossible.

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The ignorant are unaware and therefore cannot choose because they do not know of any other choices. The fool is aware of the choices and their

ramifications and purposefully embraces the destructive way. This is the man who relates to life only in the physical, rejecting the reality of the spiritual paradigm. Calvin assumes this condition is from birth, yet Barclay explains that this actually means,

.. the man who is psuchikos. This is the man who lives as if there was nothing beyond physical life and there were no needs other than material needs
To allow ones presuppositions to drive their explanation of scripture leads to error and such is the case with Calvin. We must take the Bible seriously, not necessarily 100% literally or else we find our selves with God having feathers and wings, Jesus being made of wood, and the every Cretan as always liars, evil

brutes, lazy gluttons as Paul states in Titus 1:12. Even though this allegation is
from a prophet of their own, Paul affirms it in vs. 13.

John 6:44 states, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

Calvinists say this teaches that man is unable to come unless a miracle happens first. Yet all this verse does is sets forth the fact that all who come, the Father draws. It does NOT indicate in any way those men must come if God draws

(Irresistible Grace) or that God only calls those whom He saves. This is not what the passage states. All who come are drawn of God. This does not mean that NO ONE ELSE IS CALLED. This flies in the face of the fact that

The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering conception long(extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance. And God now commandeth all men every where repentance. to repent: (Act 17:30b KJV) repent: 17:30b

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Calvinists will uphold that a miracle of regeneration must happen first prior to the person even having faith and believing; in essence, the person must be regenerated prior to having faith; he must be a child of the kingdom prior to repenting. This is a very interesting verse in many ways. To fully understand this passage, lets read vs 45,

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Here we have the sinner coming to Christ by listening AND learning from the Father. But Calvin would say the reason they came was due to the prior

regeneration of the heart and placement in the Kingdom of God making them able to listen and learn? Is it possible to hear and not obey? YES. hears and learns who comes to God. It is the one that

A dead man, as Calvin would have us

believe, would be incapable of either hearing or learning.

This word draw is one to look at. It is helko. Its primary meaning to draw or drag. This is contrary to the Calvinistic belief that once the regenerated heart hears, it will gladly and willingly come without reservation. wills to come, but it HAS NO OTHER CHOICE. He not only

As one would study the parable of the narrow gate and the narrow way, we see that men are called to strive to enter into the narrow door.

And he said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow door. Luke 13:24. This word Strive NT:75 means, agonizomai (ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee); to struggle, Strivefiguratively (to contend with an adversary), or genitive case (to endeavor to accomplish something). Yet Calvin would have us believe that after the heart has been regenerated, that men will come freely and gladly, yet here we find one agonizing to get through the gate.

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To understand this, we must realize that prior to conversion men hear the gospel. The Holy Spirit convicts them of sin and the truth of the gospel; men then agonize and count the cost; striving to break through the barriers Satan has lain in their path. We find those barriers in the parable of the soils and seed. As the faith OF Christ is exercised and the person believes in Christ, they have made it through the narrow gate, overcoming the obstacles of Satan by exercising the faith of Christ as God gives to every man without partiality.

If total inability was the case, then some of the seed that fell on shallow ground would have never taken root at all because to take root would mean the seed would have had to have been considered which is impossible under total inability. The seed that fell in the thorns and bushes would have never been choked out for the same reason. As a matter of fact, no seed that causes life would have

been spread other than that which fell upon the heart of the predestined saint. To Calvin, the call only goes out to those that will be saved, yet here in the parables of the seed; the gospel message is not only spread to all but heard and rejected.

I heard one Calvinist preacher state that, a man may struggle for days before

yielding to the call of God. Yet this same preacher will hold fast to the doctrine
that regeneration precedes faith and that the regenerated soul will gladly come to the Lord for they have no other choice in that they were already saved prior to even believing. This is heresy.

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If the sinner cant do anything then what must a sinner to do be saved? This
question was posed to a known Calvinist apologist and theologian with the following response:

SHEDD (A Calvinist) says,

because he the sinner cannot believe, he is instructed to perform the following duties: 1) Read and hear the divine Word, 2) Give serious application of the mind to the truth, and 3) Pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit for conviction and regeneration. [W.G.T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Vol. II, pages 472, 512 and 513].
ALDRICH responds in this way,

A doctrine of total depravity that excludes the possibility of faith must also exclude the possibilities of hearing the Word, giving serious application to divine truth and praying for the Holy Spirit for conviction and regeneration. The Calvinist deals with a rather lively spiritual corpse after all. [The Gift of God, Biblio-theca Sacra, July 1965, pg. 248-253]
It is the preaching of the gospel; it is the hearing of the gospel that produces faith not the inward miracle of regeneration for if that is what is needed then why faith at all; why the gospel? It is the word of God that is the agent of salvation that brings news of the Savior and tidings of the benevolent God who desires their fellowship. It is the Holy Spirit that is the catalyst with Christ as the

quintessence of the message. (1 Peter 1:23) Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of

incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
(James 1:18) Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we

should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Look at Ephesians 2:1

And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins; sins;

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First, [hath he quickened] is not in the text but added.

The Calvinists

reasoning goes that man is born spiritually dead (agreed). Yet they go beyond that and say he therefore cannot receive or acknowledge spiritual truth. He is, as Calvinists would like to say, a walking corpse. White makes this contribution in understanding that Paul is saying the soul in sin and transgression is as good

as dead. Gen 20:3, Exo. 12:33, and 2 Sam19:28 all refer to live men would were as good as dead in their present state of rebellion. [3]But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife. (Gen 20:3 KJV) [33]And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We [be] all dead [men]. (Exd 12:33 KJV) [28]For all [of] my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king? (2Sa 19:28 KJV) therefore
It is true that men who are in sin are as good as dead if they remain in that state. Eph. 2:5 says that even while we were dead, God made us alive in Christ. HERE is the point of Eph. 2; God took one that was dead in sin and transgressions and made us alive upon repentance and belief in Christ for at that moment of regeneration, we were placed in Christ. Notice that life only comes when one is found IN CHRIST. For the Calvinist point of view to be correct one must be alive or regenerated first before one can hear the gospel, come under conviction, repent and believe. In other words, before one repents and believes the gospel, that person must be saved and found IN Christ, yet we know that salvation comes AFTER repentance and belief in the Gospel. Calvinism truly does put the cart before the horse.

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Any doctrine that portrays God as enacting impossible demands on creation then punishes them to an everlasting hell for not complying to a remedy they have no ability to accept due to their total inability is debilitating to the declaration that God is good and in perfect equity with men. It is true that man deserves death. In all

The wages of sin either knowingly or ignorantly committed, is death. equity to all mankind, God made a way of escape for the whosoever.

To say that God did not die for the sins of all mankind is caressing a doctrinal position in one hand and strangling the plain teaching of scripture in the other. It is impossible for the Calvinist to stand in front of a congregation or any unsaved individual and tell them that God loves them. If the definition of love is one that entails God not providing the means to salvation to all thereby condemning them to Hell without any recourse for salvation is skewed and unrepresentative of the love of God.

Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16.
God shows

mankind His love by Christ dying for the sins of mankind on the cross. If the atonement by Christ is a declaration of Gods love toward men and this atonement is limited, then God only loves those He died for and not all men. This of course is not true and it not biblical. John states,

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only for but also for the whole world. world.
Here John squarely identifies that Christ was the propitiation for not only the sins of the little children but for the whole world. The atonement was applicable to all and effective for those who repent and believe. In Calvins economy, God

would seem to tell us to love our enemies when this rule would not apply to God who made it.

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The Calvinist will point to these verses and say that God didnt die for all mankind but only for those that He calls His own

To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. John 10:4 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which unto were in the world, he loved them unto the end. John 13:1
Yet we find that definitions are skewed and terminology is not consistent because in John 1:11 we read, He came unto his own, and his own received him own,

not. John 1:11. not.

This is impossible if limited atonement is in force for it also

demands the concept of irresistible grace to be enforced. How can his own from eternity past receive Him not? In John 10:4 just because the sheep hear the voice doesnt mean everyone else does not. John 13:1 does not negate the fact that Christ loved the world. It says He loved His own (the Jews). I can say I love Greyson. Just because I do not mention Parker does not negate the fact that I love him as well. The world hated Christ and the Jews (His own) rejected Christ as a nation, it doesnt mean that Christ hated the world or the Jews; He died for it and them.

The implications of the Calvinist tenet that regeneration preceding faith.

To be born again one must first believe the gospel by faith which is followed by regeneration and repentance. Through faith, the believers experience the grace As

of God in salvation and as they live, move, and have their being IN Christ.

we have seen in other passages in Luke, as Christ confronts the Pharisees, they come to the point where they would not respond to Christ. This refusal to

respond when they could led to a place where they could not respond for had they responded they would have been condemning their own actions.

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The Bibles says Believe and Live.

The Calvinist says, Live and Believe.

The Calvinist has no other place to go but to adhere to this precept. To deny this is to deny the idea of total depravity resulting in total inability and thus the entire buttress of Calvinism crumbles. If this be true, then the gospel as heard

by all men cannot not, prior to conversion, induce humility but only produce hatred toward God. The gospel then becomes an agent not to persuade men to come to the truth, but to excite rage toward God in the carnal mind in all its self centered attributes. The gospel, according to Calvin, would only be effective and loved AFTER regeneration or AFTER the new birth occurs. Yet scripture teaches right the opposite. It is the gospel that has the power to save. In the Calvinistic Soteriology, faith does not come by hearing and hearing by the word of God, but it is the gospel that is heard AFTER faith is given and regeneration has occurred. This leads to a position in which the gospel has nothing to do with the regeneration of the soul it is in all senses of the word an after thought. Must we tell the lost soul to wait on the Lord to regenerate it and then we can declare the gospel as an after thought? To do otherwise would be to induce only anger if Calvins precept is held true. John 3:36 we read,

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. life;
The Calvinist would have us believe that one has been given life FIRST then they are capable of believing, yet John says that there is no life prior to belief. Who is right Calvin or John?

In the instance of Lazarus, we see Jesus calling to the dead corps to come. In this instance, Jesus was not calling to the corpse but to the spirit of the corpse to come from Abrahams bosom and reunite with the body. This is a totally

different picture of regeneration and cannot be compared to the salvation of the soul. At the time a person is saved, the soul and body are still united. In looking at the verb tenses in Ephesians 1:3, read,

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In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy holy Spirit of promise,

The word trusted is not in the original Greek. The construct in the first part would mean that these Ephesians trusted in Christ as Paul and others did. After

that you heard is an aortist verb which would render that to mean, Having heard, you also trusted Him.
It goes on to believed which is also in the

aortist tense which would render it literally to say, having believed, you were

sealed. We see the order of things quite clear. First is the hearing of the Word
of truth in the Gospel of Christ; they then believed. AFTER they believed, they were sealed which takes place AFTER faith is exercised. It would have been

just as easy for Paul to use the passive voice of the verbs to indicate regeneration first by saying, having been made to hear or having been made to believe; yet, he did not.

Faith causes the new birth; the new birth does not cause faith. To continue in this vain of thought is to continue in ludicrously. One would have to have a new heart, be regenerated to life (or born again), be seen as righteous in the sight of God, be placed into the family of God, given the right of an heir, be placed in the body of Christ, sealed by the Spirit, and enjoy the ALL the benefits of an heir: 1. BEFORE EVER coming under CONVICTION of sin, 2. BEFORE EVER exercising FAITH in the gospel, 3. BEFORE EVER BELIEVING in Christ, 4. BEFORE EVER REPENTING of sin, 5. BEFORE EVER RECEIVING forgiveness of sin.

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KUTILEK says this,

While the unsaved man is described by Paul as dead in trespasses and sin (Eph 2:1), I believe that this is a metaphor that is vastly overstressed by some of the Calvinistic writers of my acquaintance. Their typical justification of their regeneration before faith view (albeit, immediately before, which results inevitably and immediately in saving faith) is that a dead man cannot respond to anythinghe cannot hear, see, feel, think, touch, taste, act, or believe. And therefore, God MUST regenerate him/make him alive before he can believe. I see what to me is an insuperable problem with this view these very what Calvinists have no problem with a man being convicted of sin before regeneration, in some cases conviction enduring for many days, months, even years yet how can a dead man (as they understand the term) anymore come under conviction, feel guilt, sense a drawing to Christ, then he can believe? To be consistent, they would have to also teach regeneration before convictionbut then there would be no need for conviction!
No wonder the I in tulip is irresistible grace irresistible grace. IT HAS TO BE! First of all, to If Gods

resist would mean that the person would have a free will to resist.

foreknowledge is a product of His predestined course of all human events, as Calvin wrongly adheres to, then even the saved person doesnt have a free will and is bound to the actions of which God has ordained for him to walk. The

Calvinist would say that the man whom God wants to save will be saved in the same way the man whom God has preordained to be oblivious and unable to response to any call of God is damned. This thinking leads to the inescapable conclusion that if one didnt have a free will prior to salvation or after salvation, there is never a free will and ones entire existence is the predestined will of God. If this is the case, then

1. GOD ORDAINS THE CHRISTIANS TO SIN. 2. GOD PREDESTINED THE SAINT TO TRANSGRESS. 3. GOD CAUSES THE SAVED TO FAIL. 4. GOD INITIATES THE DISOBEDIENCE OF THE REGENERATED.

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Point #4 is interesting seeing the entirety of life as the predestined course of God. How can God call saved mens actions disobedient if He is the one that predestined all events and actions of not only the sinner but the saint? To the Calvinist, the scripture is true when it says that God tempts no man to sin. He DOES INFINITELY WORSE. HE ORDAINS SIN IN THEIR LIFE CAUSING IT TO HAPPEN!

Oh how R.C. Sproul would have responded to the jailer at Philli in Acts 16:30 when he asked, what must I do to be saved? The Calvinist, speaking honestly from his heart, would have said, You can do nothing to be saved absolutely nothing. You are a dead man

walking and dead men can do nothing. If God doesnt regenerate you then you are damned to hell.
Yet this is not the response Paul gives. He says, Believe on the Lord Jesus

Christ and you shall be saved! Paul didnt even say, be saved and you will believe but believe and be saved.

Charles Spurgeon writes,

If I am to preach faith in Christ to a man who is regenerated, then the man, being regenerated, is saved already, and it is an unnecessary and ridiculous thing for me to preach Christ to him, and bid him to believe in order to be saved when he is saved already, being regenerated. Am I only to preach faith to those who have it? Absurd, indeed! Is not this waiting till the man is cured and then bringing him the medicine? This is preaching Christ to the righteous and not to sinners.
Genesis 6:5; 8:21, Jeremiah 17:9, and Romans 3: 10-18 all speak to the degradation of men and their foolishness. unrighteousness of men. They speak to the wickedness and At the same time, to

Salvation is truly an act of God.

say that the wickedness of men leaves him incapable and unable of making a decision when under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit toward God is presumptuous at best.

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It is true that none seek God. God does seek men all men (Luke 19:10). God draws men All men (John 12:32). Just because none seek God doesnt mean that men cant respond to the invitation to believe as God shows grace to all men through the Holy Spirit whom gives a measure of faith to believe to every man (Rom. 12:3). elect. The invitation goes out to all humanity (Isa 45:22) not just the

Man CAN respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit at the preaching of The Calvinist must adhere to the proposition that God does not seek

the Word.

ALL men. For if God seeks all men for salvation then the Calvinist must say that Gods seeking is not in vain and that man must respond. This being the case, the Calvinist must also adhere to the proposition that God only seeks those that were predestined for salvation.

Luke 19:10 says that the Son of man came to seek and save the lost. (ESV) (YNG). The Calvinist will say that this verse means that all that are saved are lost (I agree). It does not indicate that God sought only those lost who would be saved. Why didnt Christ say that the Son of Man came to seek and save those who would believe? This thinking leads to the presumption that Christ failed in his mission to save the lost. saved were lost. This view is myopic at best. It is true that all who are

It is also true and unavoidable but to understand that all

mankind will not be among the saved. Yet the text cannot deny the implication of free will in that all are not saved. Free will in no way frustrates Christs purpose which is to save the lost.

To say that Christ did not come to all the lost is damaging to the meaning of the verse because it would indicate that Christ didnt come to ALL the lost. This falsity would leave a myriad of false presumptions namely the supposition that Christ did not come to all men because all men were not lost. The truth is that all men are lost. Christ first SEEKS then saves those that believe.

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The Son of Man is a term of the Messiah inferred from Dan. 7:13-14 and from extracting the Messianic intent of 1 Chronicles 3:24. It indicates so much more that just being a human. It is indicative of Christs kin to the entire human race. The title Son of man is representative of the relationship Christ has with mankind and connects Himself as the Messiah.

Dr. Brad Young states this concerning the title Son of man,

in His self-awareness Jesus claims that He is so very much more. In fact, it is the highest term used in Jewish thought for the Messiah. The Son of man came to seek the lost. He came to heal hurting people. To Him all authority has been given. He is the Son of man who will come with the clouds of glory to judge the nations. He possesses all power and authority. - The Son of Man in the Teaching of Jesus Is He Human or Divine?
. The Jewish Encyclopedia states,

The rendering for the Hebrew "ben adam," applied to mankind in general, as opposed to and distinct from non-human relationship; expressing also the larger, unlimited implications of humanity as differentiated from limited (e.g., national) forms and aspects of human life.
- http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=965&letter=S#ixzz0ro2yD2SZ

The seeking and saving of Christ must also indicate the action is upon the entirety of mankind. The Messiah is the Savior of all man for He is a kinsman to

all men, yet not all men will heed the invitation to come and appropriate Christ as their only hope for salvation and resurrection from the dead to life.

As the king sent invitations to the feast, not all those who were invited came. The King of Kings has invited the entirety of all mankind to come and dine. He has provided His own Son as the price and has offered this freely. Many receive the invitation and reject it. This does not frustrate the purpose of God not one bit. It does, make mankind responsible.

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The fact of the matter is that God knows the end from the beginning (Isa 46:910). In His own council, God determined to create the world, knowing that man would disobey resulting in sin leading to death; not only physically, but spiritually positioned in a separated stated with God. He predestined a perfect remedy through which man could be reconciled with God. The fixed plan firmly established redemption and restoration only in Christ; In His life, death, and resurrection, the one who will believe has hope of a resurrection to life through faith via the enabling work of the Holy Spirit.

Since Gods foreknowledge of the future does not necessitate His predetermining every future event, all mankind is genuinely free to respond to His plan positively or negatively; they can accept the gift of God in Christ or reject it. No destiny of any individual is permanent from eternity on the basis of Gods decision (predestination) although the course and decisions one chooses are known by God. Therefore, predestination is not the cause of salvation; predestination is the context within which God has made salvation possible through the unfailing propitiatory Christ and graciously possible based on individual choices.

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Look at the scripture below. Gods predestined plan is that which provides the

way in which we are conformed to the image of Christ as we are found IN Christ.
It makes a way for our adoption as we are found IN Christ. God has made a way

for men to obtain an inheritance by being IN Christ. We can rejoice that it was the good pleasure of His will to make a way that would not fail for those who believe.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom. 8:29 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, Eph. 1:5 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, Eph. 1:11
The good pleasure of His will and the glory of God are not found in controlling every aspect of human actions although all human actions are known. It is found in the provision of reconciliation and restoration of humanity to God through Christ This is the predestination concept set forth in scripture. It is the will of

God to set forth an unstoppable plan for the redemption of mankind and the restoration of fellowship which was lost in the garden. One that was forged Within this

before time began and worked out in the course of time itself. predestined plan of redemption, God gives man a choice.

Although God does

know the choices man will make and is active in the lives of men and the circumstances that surround their lives, He allows man to make those choices thereby rendering him inexcusable. As long as breath remains in the lungs of men, it will be his choice to accept the gospel and live or reject it and die.

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Hitting briefly the other points of Calvinism as they pertain to Total Depravity leading to total inability, we will now look at the remaining points briefly. Unconditional Election: This is a consequence of total inability and sets up irresistible grace. Unconditional election to the Calvinist means, because of our

fallen nature we are born again not by our own will but Gods will (John 1:1213); Im going to back this up to vs. 11.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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: Which 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. 1:12This verse does not say that we were born again by the strict will of God. Taking out what we were NOT born of we are left with being born of God. John is making the case that Jesus came into the world and the world rejected Him. He came unto his own and his own rejected him. Yet those that did receive Him, He gave them the power to be adopted sons. This adoption and rebirth was not the product of a man knowing his wife nor was it the product of another mans desire for anothers salvation; it was of God. It is the desire of God to save those that receive Christ as their Savior. Yet God will not force Himself on people. He will draw them and seek them and will reveal the truth of the gospel to them. Man must however, receive this truth, repent and believe. To those who believe, he will give the power to become sons of God.

Calvinist View: God grants that we believe (Phil. 1:29) therefore ONLY those whom God grants belief will believe and must believe; For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
This grace that was bestowed upon us to believe and

continue believing is due to Christ. It is true that God gives grace and the faith to believe. This does not lead to the conclusion that God does not give the faith to believe to every man. All who believe are not only recipients of grace through the atonement of Christ but have accepted this grace in their lives.

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Calvinist view: Faith is the work of God (John 6:28-29) therefore ONLY those whom God grants faith will believe and ALL who God grants faith will believe; Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Gods enterprise is that we believe on His Son. Saving faith is the work of God.

This faith is not only available to those that would believe but it is available to every man and is given to every man. God can not say He loves us and withhold the mechanism of salvation; that being faith. For without the gift of faith, men cannot believe. If a man cannot believe then that man cannot be saved. If Gods desire is that all men who has ever or will ever walk on the earth repent and believe then God must give all men the ability to exercise a measure of faith that can save. To say otherwise would be to taint the benevolence of God.

God appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48)- therefore man has no choice either to believe or not believe;
We must look at this in context so lets take Acts 13:44-48:

Act 13:44-48 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to 13:44hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And Gentiles, when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
The eternity past concept is not put forth. This does not say foreordained or appointed previously. He speaks of what was done then as a result of the This word ordained is never used in scripture to

preaching of the Gospel.

indicate or express eternal predestination of any kind. That word would be an

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uncommon word to express predestination and in the 8 NT uses and the 65 OT uses (Septuagint) it is never used to convey eternal appointment.

The more appropriate word in the Greek to convey eternal appointment would be (proorizo). To better understand this, one must get a grasp on the Wesley points out.

differences between sovereignty and the decrees of God.

The sum is, all those and those only, who were now ordained, now believed. Not that God rejected the rest: it was his will that they also should have been saved: but they thrust salvation from them. Nor were they who then believed constrained to believe. But grace was then first copiously offered them. And they did not thrust it away, so that a great multitude even of Gentiles were converted. In a word, the expression properly implies, a present operation of Divine grace working faith in the hearers. - John Wesley
In this verse, we have an imperfect verb and a perfect participle indicating the timing is derived from the context. In other words, the Gentiles were ordained to eternal life when they heard the gospel and received it; the eternity past concept should not be ensued in this text and to do so is not being true to the original Greek. This passage is best understood as being Divine grace working faith in the hearers. Those that did not reject it but accepted it and believed it were (at the point of belief) ordained or appointed to eternal life.

The moral government of God everywhere assumes and implies the liberty of

the human will, and the natural ability of men to obey God. Every command, every threat, every expostulation and denunciation in the Bible implies and assumes this. (Finney)

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Calvinist View: God predestines (Eph. 1:1-11; Rom. 8:29; 9:9-23) therefore man is without the ability to choose to believe or not for God has predetermined who would be saved and who will not. God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into Him salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21). Calvinist Apologist [29]For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom 8:29 KJV)
There are a few points that I will hit on now. God predestines according to His foreknowledge. Yet that is not the thrust of the argument. Look at what we

believers are predestined to. We are predestined to be conformed to the image

of His Son. This speaks more to the result and infallibility of the plan of
redemption. God does predestine. He predestined a plan that included His Sons death, burial, and resurrection as the only means of redemption of mankind. This plan was destine to succeed. All who are found IN Christ WHO IS THE ELECT MAN, will find themselves participates and partakers of the benefits of this plan. These passages speak more to the character, purpose, and plan than the individual. We notice here in verse 29 the purpose of Predestination. It is that we might be conformed to the image of His Son. Now when will that take place? We read in Romans 8:23 that it takes place progressively in part on earth, and will be fully realized when the body is redeemed, and that is the time of my full adoption.

[4]According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that foundation we should be holy and without blame before him in love: [5]Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, [6]To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. [7]In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; [8]Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; (Eph 1:4-8 KJV) 1:4-

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This is the definite purpose of God in predestination A HOLY LIFE IN CHRIST. He has predestinated us unto the Adoption. Predestination is a divine act of God, whereby, God makes that goal which is A holy life adopted, certain for the believer. The purpose of God in Predestination then is a Holy Life adopted. When we are adopted we shall be Son-placed or conformed into the image of His Son as we are found In Him. When we are Son-placed we shall be like Him, we shall then be in the image of His Son.

The last 3 chapters of Ephesians deal with the believers walk and work. Before the foundation of the world, God determined His Church and this church would walk and work as they are found In His Son.

Limited Atonement: Calvinism understands limited atonement in this way,

"Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, therefore guaranteeing their salvation." died
Yet Hebrews 2:9 says,

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. everyone.
Christs sacrifice was not just for certain specific sinners. He died for everyone. God calls ALL who are burdened and heavy laden.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light."

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God calls all, yet not all respond to the call.

This is not the act of God in

eternity past (which is truly an ambiguous term when time and eternity are contemplated) but a rejection of a call to believe in the gospel. This power of the gospel lies in the resurrection of Jesus for if Christ is not resurrected then we are still dead in our sin and our faith is futile and we should be pitied.

The Calvinist states that the atonement is effectual only for those that believe. Those that believe were determined by God before the foundation of the world. Yet this would make Gods foreknowledge a variable upon predestination, when we know that God predestines according to His foreknowledge. Calvin falsely says that every man that Christ paid for will be saved, thus we have the introduction to irresistible grace. I would say that every man who is saved;

Christ paid for. Just because that is true does not negate that Christ paid for all but all do not believe (Heb. 2:9).

Limited Atonement is supposed to answer the question of who is saved? The Calvinist will respond, Only the elect and not all men in general. This is

begging the question. Of course only those that accept the truth of the gospel, repent, and believe in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus will be saved. The more pertinent question is not who is saved, but who CAN be saved? To the Calvinist, ONLY the elect can be saved and therefore, Christ did not die for all sin but for the sins of the elect only.

If this be the case, then those outside of the elect not only wouldnt be saved but

couldnt be saved for the atonement was limited in scope.

Those who are

outside the elect are, as the Calvinist would believe, children of wrath not because of their own choice and refusal to believe the gospel, but because God predestined them to wrath, withheld the internal call, and refused saving faith to them. In Calvins economy, God, in essence, NEVER loved them.

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When I hear the term limited atonement I cringe at the prospect of telling a group of sinners that Christ loves them and died for them, for to the majority of them I would be telling a bold face lie from the Calvinists perspective.

I will give no argument to the truth that without the application of the gospel by grace through faith one cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Yet a Calvinist cannot truly hold to the prior statement without being at odds with his own doctrine. For to hold to the biblical truth that it is the power of the gospel that saves; this salvation by grace through faith brought by the hearing of the word is a denial of the premise of total depravity. Properly held to and which was

discussed prior, the unregenerate man, according to Calvin, MUST be regenerated first, and then he can respond to the gospel. If this the case; why the gospel the man is already saved and In Christ?

I give strict opposition to the premise that Christs sacrifice was SUFFICIENT for all, but not AVAILABLE to all. [16] 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. (Jhn 3:16 KJV) All will one day be reconciled to God.
This

reconciliation will find some lacking. Those that did not accept Christ, repent and believe will then find themselves trusting in their own righteousness and will then pay the penalty for eternity.

Please see the prior paragraphs on limiting the atonement and its effect on justification.

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Irresistible Grace: Calvinist Definition:

"In addition to the outward general call to salvation which is made to everyone who hears the gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. inevi
Here we have a quagmire. It seems as if a general call is given to everyone yet not everyone can hear because the Calvinist says that dead men do not hear; as a matter of fact, they can do nothing. Not everyone can respond because

dead men dont respond. Not everyone can have faith because saving faith is only given to those that believe. So here we have the general call to salvation going out for what reason? This special inward call is said to be a call brought by the grace of God which goes out only to the elect. Does that mean that the general call is not grace induced? If it is not a product of grace then FAITH is unattainable. If faith is unattainable, the salvation is IMPOSSIBLE. I reject that premise in totality.

Continued Calvinist thought: The external call (which is made to all without distinction) can be and often is rejected; rejected;
As is discussed earlier, the issue is not CAN BE or OFTEN IS. In the Calvinist economy, just as this gracious inner call can NOT be rejected, a call void of grace is a call void of the faith to believe, which is void of any power to save thus is a different call than the special inner call. Accepted or rejected, this general call is void of any power to save so why the general call? My question to the Calvinist apologist author of the above statement would be; if this external call is NOT rejected, what is the effect on the one that accepts this external call for it is void of grace, faith, and power to save the acceptance is uneventful and could be seen as even divisive and deceiving?

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Continued Calvinist thought: whereas the internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly conversion. Spirit draws sinners to Christ. He is not limited in His work of applying salvation by man's will, nor is He dependent upon man's cooperation for success. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ. God's grace, therefore, is invincible; it never fails to result in the salvation of those to whom it is extended."

In Acts 7:51 we find stiff-necked people resisting the Holy Ghost.

[51] Ye

stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye. (Act 7:51 KJV) If some of these people
are the elect, then why do they resist, for the Holy Spirit should cause them to freely come? If they are not and are apart of the un-elect then there is no chance for salvation. They have only heard the general call and have not

experienced this inner call.

This whole idea of special inner call to some and general call to all is TOTALLY ASSININE and extra-biblically made up and seems to me to be only a conjecture contrived to appease the conscious of those that have difficulty in the moral resting place of the statutes of limiting atonement. It seems to be a quite

demeaning God that would issue a call to salvation to those that have no means to respond. It would be a very down right mean God that would allow one to hear (if possible yet Calvin says it is impossible) a call to salvation that holds no grace or power to save then deny them the faith to believe and the means to respond.

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It would almost seem that God does this to sooth the conscious. In other words, why else would a general call to all go out to the predestined damned? They cannot hear; they cannot respond; they have not the ability to believe because it has not been given them. They cannot have saving faith for it has not been given them. They are not the recipients of grace for it has not been granted to them. The general call is in all essence useless and void of having any meaning. There is ONE call to salvation and ANY call to salvation give by God is one in which salvation is possible.

[24] Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; (Pro 1:24 KJV) God does call all men and most men refuse. God
stretches out his hand and men reject or accept. To say that God calls us

knowing that we are incapable of responding, then eternally condemn us for not responding is deceptive at best. The following verses show Israel's election and Israel's rejection of God's grace. These verses seem to contradict the Calvinistic doctrine of irresistible grace. Israel clearly rejected the call of God in the Old Testament, resisted the grace of the Lord Jesus, and resisted the call of the Spirit in the New Testament. Matthew 23:39 is in reference to Israel's acceptance of Jesus Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation at the Second Coming of the Lord.

Proverbs 1:22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. 23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely fools I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, 26 I would also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you."

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Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones Jerusalem, those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under [her] wings, but you were not willing! 38 "See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, `Blessed [is] He who comes in the name of the Lord!' "
God does call all men for it is Gods desire that all men are saved. The fact that all men are not saved is proof that men reject the invitation; not because they were made to reject due to their incapability of accepting, but because they rejected the invitation to come and dine. 1 Timothy 2:3 For this [is] good and

acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to saved come to the knowledge of the truth.

It would be a God in conflict with Himself to say that His desire is for all men to be saved and yet deprive them of the very faith and grace to be saved which denies Rom. 2:11. Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with God. The only option remaining is that Gods does desire for all to be saved and He has made that way available to all men; attainable for all men; accessible to all men and applicable to all men; yet accepted by few men. God gives all men the faith they need to believe yet God does not force any to come. Men reject or deny the call that can save. John Calvin taught a doctrine that God was partial in granting

salvation by "grace" to certain individuals whom he called the "elect" while rejecting others. This is quite unorthodox seeing that Calvin in the same book

Institutes went on and on about election and grace, yet taught that infants became saved by baptism in an act that could only be described as works.

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In summary, I would have to say that there are good scholars on both sides of this debate. I also feel that Calvinism contains truth in some respects yet

continues on to travel over bridges constructed of faulty presupposition, inaccurate and inconsistent definitions thereby leading the one on the bridge to a destination that causes great conflict with the character and nature of the one true benevolent God of whom the journey was in pursuit of. I firmly believe in

the depravity of men to save them selves; I reject the notion that depravity equals total inability rendering the free moral agency of men null. I believe the bible teaches election; I believe that this election is according to the foreknowledge of God and within the sovereignty of God rests the free agency of men thereby rejection the unconditional nature of election. I believe in the effect of the atonement as the foundation for justification yet I will reject the notion that the atonement is limited in scope and only available and attainable only to those that are saved. All men CAN be saved; All men are not saved. I believe in the saving grace of God to salvation; I reject the premise that this grace is only given to some and that this grace is irresistible.

Respectfully, Bobby Long, Th.D

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