Quote:
Originally Posted by mfblume
God chooses who will be saved and who will not before anyone is born.
|
No, what Calvinism teaches is that God has chosen before the foundation of the world those who would be saved. Keep in mind that all humans are born dead in trespasses and sins - being bound for the lake of fire is the default condition of every human. If God did not choose to intervene on behalf of some, no one would be saved.
Quote:
|
All people are predetermined as to who will be saved despite their will or volition.
|
Humans will never, on their own, want to be saved. God changes the will of the elect and causes them to want to be saved.
Quote:
|
Redemption is a sham since God does not allow us to choose to be saved.
|
Redemption is not a sham because redemption refers to the action of the redeemer and not the redeemed. God PURCHASED His elect. We are God's creation and, as such, we have NO RIGHTS in the matter. So-called "free will" cannot mean we have the RIGHT to choose because then God would have no right to punish us for exercising our right to choose against Him. Humans do indeed have the capacity (capability) to choose against God (we're all born doing exactly that) but not the right to choose. Further, if God did not specifically interfere with human will, no human would ever choose God.
Quote:
|
Because God does not allow us to choose salvation, He is a monster.
|
Humans will NEVER, on their own, WANT to choose salvation. Who do you think you are to claim that you have the RIGHT to choose whether or not you want to ACCEPT (something a superior does to an inferior) God?
Quote:
|
Anyone who is predestined to be saved alone can be saved.
|
Only those predestined to be saved will even want to be saved. Jesus said that all those whom the Father has given to Him WILL come to Him. Those who do not come to Jesus are those whom the Father has not given to Jesus.
Quote:
|
God chooses that certain folks will go to hell without their input whatsoever.
|
No, God only chooses those whom He is going to save and that choice has nothing to do with the particular individuals involved. All humans, if left to themselves, if God does not specifically interfere with their will, would go to that eternal lake of fire. NO HUMAN ON HIS OWN WILL EVER CHOOSE GOD.
Quote:
|
Everyone is really only a robot, since we are programmed for damnation or salvation.
|
Everyone is BORN bound for that eternal lake of fire, BORN dead in trespasses and sins. If God did not choose to interfere with the will of some humans, no one would ever be saved. In a sense, we are just robots because we're all born with a sinful nature and born slaves to sin. Because of Adam's sin, we're all born "programmed" to sin.
VERSUS....
Quote:
|
The Word teaches that God wills that all men be saved, making it impossible for there to be a predetermined election of the individual.
|
Does He will that all men be saved or that all of His elect be saved? The "any" in that passage in Peter's epistle ("God is not willing that any should perish") applies only to the "you" in that passage. If it was God's WILL that all men be saved then all men WOULD be saved, since God said He would accomplish ALL His purpose. Since there are those who are going to be cast into the lake of fire, it is clear that God does not WILL that all men be saved. Also, if God WILLED all men to be saved, Jesus would have no basis for saying "All those whom the Father has given Me WILL come to Me" (emphasis mine). Then, of course, there are the vessels God has fitted for destruction.
Quote:
|
Redemption is offered to everyone, and anyone can be saved accordingto their own choice.
|
God does indeed command all men everywhere to repent. But the only ones who will ever CHOOSE to be saved are the elect, those with whose wills God has specifically chosen to interfere so that they will want to be saved. Left to themselves, no human being will ever want to be saved.
Quote:
|
Under no circumstances can anyone continue in sin after salvation and maintain their salvation.
|
The Calvinist would agree with this statement.
Quote:
|
The Bible teaches that nations, and not individuals, were predestined. Any individuals noted were representative of their NATION or the progenitors of a nation that actually experienced controlled events by God. In Romans 9, Esau never served Jacob, but Esau's descendents served Jacob's descendents, showing the issue is NATIONAL. Pharaoh stood for Egypt, not for himself.
|
Are you so sure predestination is for nations and not individuals? Further, aren't WE a "holy nation" according to Peter?
Quote:
|
However many people decide to serve God can do so outside any thought that they were not allowed to choose it themselves.
|
No one will EVER decide to serve God on their own because it is their WILL to sin, their WILL to rebel against God.
Your doctrine makes man sovereign over God and says that man has the power to thwart God!