John Calvin - Calvinism TULIP Theory

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INTRODUCTION
John Calvin is the author of the so-called "TULIP" doctrine. He lived A.D.1509-1564. Before the rise of this man, there were already some men who were influenced by Augustine in the unconditional election belief, but the TULIP belief had not been founded yet. However the doctrine of election has been taught even in the old times since it is found in the Bible, but not as the Calvinist teaches. Those who were influenced by the teaching of John Calvin were called "Calvinists" regardless of whatever identity of a church they bring. Thus, there are Baptists who are called Calvinists. Adhering to the principles taught by Calvin is "Calvinism". Take Calvin out of Calvinism", then there will be nothing left. How did the theory now known as Calvinism come into existence? According to D.N. Jackson, LL. D.

Augustine of hippo, who thrived A.D.354-430, was the father of the theory now known as Calvinism, and Calvin himself acknowledge his indebtedness to Augustine for the doctrine."(The Doctrine of Divine Election, p.85).

John S. Banks, D. D. (Edinburg) says:

"The blessing of the atonement is universal. Although Austins doctrine was never adopted by the church as a whole, it led to fierce controversy and much division... The schoolmen only adopted portions of Augustine's system... It was Calvin who first worked out Augustine's doctrine to its final issues, and made it the cardinal point of a theological system." (A Manual of Christian Doctrine, pp.188-189).

Therefore, the teachings of Calvinism started only with John Calvin who developed and arranged his ideas that he got from the theory of Augustine of Hippo. Despite this fact, there are many Christians, even Baptists, who hailed John Calvin like a hero of faith and attached their identity with him. Who is John Calvin anyway? Dr. I .K. cross, one of the well known writers among Missionary Baptist stated in his letter to the brethren in the Philippines:

"As for John Calvin, he received his ordination in a Catholic Church, was baptized by a Catholic Church, and lived and died only a reformed Catholic, never denouncing his ordination or baptism. He killed many Baptists, and divided them in England and much of the rest of the world, and his teaching continue to cause division among them to this day."

John Calvin became famous for his doctrine of election, which is called the TULIP Theory". The theory stands for the following:

T= Total Inability or Depravity
U= Unconditional Election
L =Limited Atonement
I = Irresistible Grace
P= Perseverance of the Saints.

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TOTAL INABILITY THEORY

The real Calvinistic teaching concerning Total Depravity is Total Inability. What the Calvinists meant by this is that an unsaved person is totally incapable of hearing God's word and exercising faith in Jesus except the Holy Spirit regenerates him. According to their reasoning, an unsaved is spiritually dead and one who is dead cannot hear, repent, and believe. Furthermore, they say that the unsaved or spiritually dead does not have a freewill to exercise faith in God, thus he needs to be regenerated first in order to do so. Since a dead person cannot hear, he must become spiritually alive first in order for him to have the ability to hear and exercise faith in Christ. Therefore, real Calvinists believe that regeneration comes first before one can come, hear, repent and believe in God. They also believe that the gift of faith is given to the regenerated. Thus the Calvinist believes one must be regenerated first before he can exercise the gift of faith.

I. CONTRADICTIONS OF THE TOTAL INABILITY TO SCRIPTURES

A. The Bible teaches that one must believe first in order to be regenerated (John1: 12; Gal.3: 26).

B. The Bible teaches that one must believe before he possesses salvation or eternal life (John 3:16,36; 5:24; 6:47).

C. The Bible teaches Salvation is by faith (Eph.2: 8-9).

D. The Bible teaches that before faith comes, hearing of the Gospel is requisite (Rom.10: 14-17). Since regeneration is a result of exercising faith, and faith comes by hearing, therefore, a spiritually dead can hear God's word, and under the Spirits call to avail of the free salvation, the sinner has the freedom to exercise faith and become spiritually alive (Rev. 22:17).

E. The Bible teaches that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom.1: 16; 1Pet.1: 23). This means that hearing of the Gospel is a must for a spiritually dead to obtain spiritual life.

F. The Bible teaches that the Gospel must be preached to every creature (Mark16: 15). What is the use of preaching the Gospel to the unsaved if they cannot hear?

G. The Bible teaches that one receives the Holy Spirit after hearing the word and exercising faith ( Eph. 1:13; Acts 10:43-44). Since it is only the spiritually alive, children of God, who possess the Holy Spirit, therefore, faith comes first before regeneration (obtaining life and becoming a child of God), Rom. 8:9.

II. PROBLEMS OF THE TOTAL INABILITY THEORY

A. It teaches that one must be regenerated first in order for him to exercise the freewill to repent and believe.

B. Since they teach that unsaved or spiritually dead cannot hear, therefore, they must preach only to the regenerated or else their preaching would fall to deaf ears.

C. It reduces the value of God's word, making it powerless to salvation by their belief that only the Spirit is the factor that causes regeneration hence the word is effective only after the quickening (giving life) of the Spirit.

D. It discourages preachers to preach the Gospel to the lost because the lost is dead and cannot hear. It makes the Gospel unnecessary for a spiritual dead to obtain spiritual life.

E. It makes liar preachers hence they preach that one must repent and have faith in Jesus in order to be saved; yet, inside their hearts, they believe that a person who is unsaved cannot repent and believe unless regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Quickened or made alive by the Spirit). If they are to be honest, they should preach this way, "Be regenerated and you will have the power to exercise faith". However, such would be contrary to John 1:12 Which says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God".

F. It is deceptive as it teaches that repentance follows after regeneration. Regeneration means quickened or made alive by the Spirit, thus a regenerated person is a saved person. Yet, a Calvinist Pastor may tell a convicted sinner to repent of his sin and believe in Christ in order to be saved. Why repent to be saved if a person is already saved before he can repent?

G. It makes praying to God for salvation unnecessary: The Bible tells us of the simple prayer of the publican. (Luke 18:13 KJV) And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. Why was he asking for Gods mercy for his sins if he was already justified before he can pray. Convicted sinners may expressed their prayers in a similar manner, "Lord, be merciful to me a great sinner and forgive me for the sake of Christ who died on the cross of Calvary for my sins. Save me right now. I trust in the power of Christ blood to cleanse me of all my sins....". What is the use of praying to God for salvation if a person got saved before he can pray? (Note: One need not pray a memorized prayer nor read a prayer booklet nor repeat the prayers of others. When a person understands the gospel and is under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, he repents and expresses his faith in his heart by his mind or mouth and calls on the Lord, Rom.10: 9-10, 13).

III THE BIBLICAL BELIEF CONCERNING TOTAL DEPRAVITY.

A The Meaning of Total Depravity --- It means that man is indeed sinful, corrupt, and defiled in his heart and mind, (Rom.3:23; 2 Tim. 3:8; Titus 1:15); that man is lost, has no love for God, and does not seek after God (1 Jn.4:19). There is no goodness nor righteousness found in man (Rom.3:10-18; Isa.64:6). The depraved sinner is Spiritually Dead (Eph.2:1; I Tim.5:6).

1 The Meaning of Death---The Bible says, (Rom.6: 23 KJV) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Death means separation. When a person physically dies, his spirit will separate from his body. James 2:26 KJV says For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Spiritual death means spiritual separation from God. If in his lifetime, he will not be reconciled to God and he physically dies, he will be eternally separated from God in hell. Eternal separation from God is called Eternal Death or Second Death (Rev.21. Cool .

2 The Depraved Sinner is Spiritually Dead --A person who physically lives but is not in union with God is spiritually dead (I Tim.5.6; Eph.2.1). A spiritually dead person does not mean that he cannot talk, nor hear, nor decide, nor read, nor pray. Based on the meaning of the word death which is separation, a spiritually dead person is separated from God. However, it does not mean that he cannot be reproved by the Spirit nor hear Gods word preached. It does not mean that he cannot understand nor decide when under the influence of the Spirit and the Gospel. For example, a woman is separated from her husband and their relationship is dead but when the man calls her and pleads for reconciliation, it does not mean that she cannot hear. Spiritual death is not physical death. When Adam and Eve sinned against God and they died spiritually and both were driven away from the Garden of Eden, it did not mean that they could no longer hear God. (Heb.3: 7-11; Jn.5.25, Ezek.37.4).

3 The Depraved Sinner is Spiritually Sick --The Bible says, (Mat 9:12 KJV) But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. A sick person does not decided to be cured if he is already well and cured. The Calvinists idea is that a person must be cured first before he decides to be cured. The depraved sinner is compared to a sick woman who is paralyzed and is on the wheelchair and that she needs to go to the US by plane for medication. After she decided to go abroad and to ride a plane, the nurse or attendant will help her get to the airport by a vehicle and to the plane by using the wheelchair, and then carrying her to her assigned seat. She needs not tell the pilot where to go or how to drive the plane, but she just have to trust the pilot. She need not cooperate with the pilot in driving the plane, but all she has to do is to sit. She need not push the plane to help it fly, nor paddle in the wind. Though she may not be able to explain how the engine works but she just have to trust the plane. In my illustration, Jesus is the pilot. The plane is the blood of Christ that saves us. The attendant or nurse is the Holy Spirit that aids the sinner to place her trust in Christ. The paralytic woman on the wheelchair is the depraved sinner who cannot do anything but hear, speaks, and decides. Biblical proofs that a person can decide in order to be saved (Acts 16:30-31, John 1:12; Eph.1: 13; Acts 10:43-44)
B The Cause Total Depravity -- Man was created in the image of God (Gen.1:26-27); Thus, he was created sinless in order to have direct fellowship with the Holy God. However, God did not create man like a robot. He gave him a freewill to obey or disobey His covenant. God's covenant with the first man, Adam & his wife, Eve, is that they were forbidden to eat the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden. The Lord said, "Lest ye die" (Gen. 3:3). Adam's disobedience to God's command caused spiritual death to all human race (Rom.5: 12, 17-1 Cool . Therefore, all human beings have inherited a sinful and corrupt nature from Adam. Man's inherent sinful nature and his captivity to sin and Satan made him totally depraved (Jn.8: 33, 34).
C Some Misconceptions of Total Depravity Clarified -- DN Jackson gave a good illustration, Total Depravity does not mean that man is as bad as Satan, for sin can be added more just like a glass of water with a pinch of sugar can be added more sugar. Total Depravity means that his mind, soul, and body are affected by sin. It does not mean that he has no consciousness of what is right and wrong, for even the rich man in hell has consciousness of what is right (Lk.16: 27-2 Cool . It does not mean that he has no freedom of choice to do right or wrong and perform some moral deeds and exercise them (Acts.10: 1-6; Lk.18: 18-21). Even today, there are many good and moral men. Total Depravity does not mean inability to make a personal choice between accepting and rejecting the salvation offered by the Lord through the Gospel.

D The Means of the Salvation of a Totally Depraved Man -- Salvation is the work of God, not man, as the scripture says, "Salvation belongeth unto Lord" (Psa.3: Cool . It is true that man cannot save himself by his own efforts or good works; however it doesn't mean that he can no longer decide to received the gift of salvation. God provided salvation for man by means of Christ dying on the cross of Calvary (Jn.3: 16). God is offering salvation to all freely as a gift. Without the gift of salvation, man cannot make a choice either to receive the gift of salvation or to continue to be under the influence of his corrupt nature unto destruction. Just like a man will have no choice to get a life insurance plan until an insurance agent dealt with him and offered it, so without God's gift, he will have nothing to accept and reject. A person under the influence of the Holy Spirit and the word of God has the freedom to exercise faith in Christ. A person cannot obtain the gift of salvation unless he exercises faith first. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Rom.10: 17). A person must hear the word of God first so that he can call upon God for his salvation (Acts.10: 43-44; Rom.10:13-17). Indeed, God's word is the power to salvation (Rom.1: 16).

IV QUESTIONS ON THE INABILITY THEORY:

A Calvinism teaches that spiritually dead is incapable of hearing, repenting and believing.

1 In Ezekiel 37: 4, did the Lord command the prophet to preach to the dead "dry bones" or to the living? Did God base his action of giving life to the dry bones by allowing them to hear the word of God? Why did God command the dead to hear if he cannot hear? If so, the dead must hear the word of God before they are given spiritual life.

2 In Luke 13: 3, who were told to repent, the spiritually dead or spiritually alive? If the dead cannot hear, there is no need of telling the dead (spiritually) to repent. Anyway, they can't hear. And, what's the use of the telling the spiritually alive to repent, anyway, he is already alive, that means saved.

3 In Acts 10:43-44, did Peter preach to those who have the Spirit or those who do not have yet? Did these people receive the Holy Spirit after hearing the word or before hearing the word? Did these people exercise belief before their sins were forgiven?

4 In John 5:24, what was the prerequisite of Christ in order for one to pass from death unto life? If a spiritually dead cannot hear, how can he believe? If he cannot believe, how can he call on God? If he cannot hear, believe and call on God, how can he be saved? Rom.10:13-14.

B Calvinism teaches that the unsaved elect is sanctified by the Spirit unto salvation.

1 Does Acts 26:18 tell us that sanctification if by faith? If so, how can the unsaved be sanctified unless he exercises faith?

2 Does Acts 20: 32 tell us that only believers (the brethren) are sanctified and heirs of God? If there are unsaved who are sanctified, then, such unsaved men can already be called brethren before they got saved.

3 Is the sanctification of a person possible only IN CHRIST? (I Cor.1: 2). Are unsaved men already in Christ? Does 2 Cor.5:17 teach that only the believers are in Christ? According to I Cor.1: 2, those who are sanctified are called saints. If there are sanctified unsaved men, then, there are unsaved saints.

4 In I Cor.6: 11, who were called as washed, sanctified, and justified, the saved or unsaved? If there is an unsaved who is sanctified, then, there will also be a justified unsaved. Such two words are contradicting each other.

5 In Heb.2:11, did Christ call brethren those whom He sanctified? Is Christ united with those that are sanctified? Therefore, only believers are sanctified.

C Calvinism teaches that a person is quickened (made alive) by the Spirit in order that he can hear, repent, and believe.

1 What do you mean by the word "quicken"? It means the giving of life to a spiritually dead person. "Quickened" means regenerated or made alive. The question is, does God give life to a person before repentance and faith in Christ? See John 5:24 and Eph.1: 13, Rom.8:14, & John 1:12.

2 Is there a person who is quickened and not yet saved? Should a person exercise repentance and faith to be saved? If at the moment of the quickening of the Spirit, he is already saved, then what is the use of repentance and faith? What is the use of praying for salvation if he is already saved?

3 Is regeneration by means of the word of God? See I Peter 1: 23, James 1:18. Since regeneration is by means of the power of God's word, is it necessary that a person hear the word of God to be regenerated? Rom.10: 14,17. In what sense will the word of God be the power to salvation if only those who are regenerated or saved can hear it?

4 Do the following passages teach that a person must be regenerated first in order to hear and believe or it teaches that he must believe first in order to be regenerated (obtain new life)? John 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 1:12; Acts 17:30 & 2 Pet.3: 9; Acts16:30-31; Rom.5:1.

D Calvinism teaches that unsaved has no freewill to exercise repentance and faith, therefore, he must be regenerated first in order to have a freewill to repent and believe.

1 If the unsaved has no freewill, is it only the saved that has a freewill? If unsaved does not have a freewill to accept what is right, does it mean that the saved has no freewill to choose what is wrong? Could you prove that the saved has no freewill to do what is wrong? What if after getting saved and obtaining a freewill, a person chooses to do wrong by rejecting Christ as Savior?

2 In Acts 16:30, the Jailor said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? At the very moment he said these words, was he saved or unsaved? Did he express the desire to be saved? Did he express the willingness to follow instructions on how to be saved? If an unsaved man can have a desire and willingness to be saved, why do you think it is impossible for him to follow that simple instruction on salvation, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ & thou shalt be saved... (Acts 16:31). If you think that an unsaved man does not have a freewill to repent and believe, then this man shouldnt have realized his need of salvation and wouldnt have believed in Christ. If you think unsaved cannot hear, then, he wouldn't have followed Paul's instruction to believe in Jesus. If you think he is already saved because he showed interest on how to be saved, then, he shouldn't have said, "... what must I do to be saved?"

3 In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus condemned some cities, particularly, the unbelieving people living in those cities. The question is why would Christ condemn unbelieving people in such cities if they do not have the freewill to repent? Why would Christ require something that they are unable to do? Was Christ sincere or just making an insincere show to the public.

4 In Acts 17: 30, it says, "Godcommands all men everywhere to repent". Who were commanded to repent, the saved or unsaved? See: Luke 13: 3; 2 Pet. 3:9. Why would God command the unsaved to repent if they are unable to repent? The verse does not say that certain ones only should repent, but it says, "all men". Take note that it is God himself who makes the command, not the preacher. Is God really sincere in his desire that ALL MEN everywhere will repent? If God does not desire that all men will repent, then, He desires that others will not repent. If he desires that others will not repent, then He takes pleasure in their evil works. But God has no pleasure in wickedness, therefore God wants all men to repent.

E Calvinism teaches that in order for one to exercise faith, he first must be born-again to receive the gift of faith from the Spirit.

1 Are all good things that men receive in this world come from God? Jam.1:17

2 Can a spiritually dead, depraved sinner, exercise humility and faith under the reproofs of the Spirit and the influence of the gospel? Acts 16:30-31.

3 If a sinner humbles before God under the reproofs of the Spirit, will God give him more grace and gift? Jam.4:6

4 In Acts 10:43-45, did these people believe first before they receive the Holy Spirit or they receive the Spirit first so that they can believe?

5 In Romans 6:23 it says,"the gift of God is eternal life." If somebody is offering you a gift, must that gift be already in your hand before you believe, or you believe first, and then receive that gift because you believe.

6 Should a person receive the Holy Spirit first before he can exercise faith? Try to see Ephesians 1:13 which says,"...after you heard the word of truth... after ye believe, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise". See also Acts 10:44.

7 In Rev. 3:20, it says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him..." Should Christ enter into his life before he can hear and believe, or he must believe first? The Calvinist's view is that a person must have life first so that he can invite the Son of God in his heart, but the Bible says, "... this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:11-12). Is there a person who is condemned yet having eternal Spiritual life? The Calvinists teach that a person who is regenerated is spiritually alive but not yet saved, or is quickened and is spiritually alive yet condemned at the same time.

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NCONDITIONAL ELECTION THEORY

What do the Calvinists meant when they say "Unconditional Election"? According to them, Unconditional Election means: 1) that there is no condition, whatsoever, in God's election to salvation; 2) that faith foreseen by God in men is not God's condition to His election; 3) that men in his state of a totally depraved nature cannot hear, repent, and exercise faith, and has lost his freewill; 4) that from among the totally depraved men, God has chosen certain ones to be saved despite the fact that they cannot believe or exercise faith; 5) that because of their inability to believe, God elected them to salvation before the foundation of the world, without any condition at all, that is apart from faith known in them; 6) that those elected to salvation even though they cannot exercise faith because of their depraved nature, will be quickened by the Spirit to whom the gift of faith will be given to them to be exercised; 7) that freewill is obtained after salvation; Cool that it is God's will and purpose that certain ones will be saved while others will be certainly damned; 9) that God displays his sovereignty by predestinating certain ones to eternal life and others to eternal damnation; and 10) that God delights in such events seeing the elect go to heaven and the non-elect go to hell, because that is the counsel of his secret will. John Calvin, who invented these doctrines of Calvinism, taught that God in eternity ordained "whatsoever comes to pass". D.N. Jackson, LL.D., quoted John Calvin's saying:

"Every man therefore, being created for one or other of these ends (eternal life or eternal damnation), we say, he is predestinated either to life or death". (The Doctrines of Divine Election, p.7 Cool .
Mason, a Calvinistic Baptist writer and debater said:

"Those who don't believe in God's absolute predeterminism of all things, dont really know how things are going to come out". (Baptist Examiner, p.8, April 22,1967).
Thus we see what Calvinism teaches. Those who hold to Calvinistic theory or the T-U-L-I-P theory, but would not agree with the things mentioned above, are ignorant of what Calvinism really is.
I ITS CONTRADICTIONS TO THE SCRIPTURES.

A The Bible teaches that God's election to salvation is conditional and its condition is faith:

1. 2 Thess.2:13 says, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation THROUGH sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth".

a Only the believers are sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
b The condition is belief of the truth.
c It emphasizes, "elect... through... belief".
2. I Peter 1: 2 says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father, THROUGH sanctification of the Spirit...and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ".

a It says, "Elect... through sanctification".
b Its condition is sanctification.
c Sanctification is by faith, Acts 26:18.
d It also says, "Elect... through... the blood of Jesus."
e Only believers are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
3 Titus 1:1 says, "Paul a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness".
a Paul is a servant of God according to the FAITH of God's elect. Without faith, Paul wouldn't be a servant of God.
b Every saved person is servant of God. God elected a person to become His servant in accordance with the faith of such person.
c God elected to salvation those who will exercise faith, and every saved person has exercised faith in his life.
d Therefore, God's election is conditioned on man's faith.
e It also says that Paul is a servant of God according to "the acknowledging of the truth which leads to godliness".
f Without acknowledging the truth, Paul would not become a godly man. Thus, hearing and accepting the word of God are essential to salvation -- a dead must hear to live.
g Paul became a servant according to his acknowledging of the truth. Without believing first the truth, he would not become a child of God.
h Therefore, God's election is conditioned on faith, which comes by hearing God's word.
4 Election is conditional as the Scripture says, (James 2:5 KJV) Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
5 Read 1 Cor.1: 26-29 and it tells us that God's election is conditioned on man's humility. Verse 27 says, "God hath chosen the weak things of the world". It is at the point of helplessness, due to weaknesses, that man realizes the need of a Savior. Humility leads to faith.

B The Bible teaches that God's election is based upon His foreknowledge.

1 1 Peter 1:2 says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father".

a God knew from the beginning of time who will believe or not.
2 Rom.8: 29 says, "For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son ".
a God did foreknow who will believe in Christ.
b Only believers will be conformed to the image of His Son.
C The Bible teaches that God's election is IN Christ before the foundation of the world.
1 Eph.1:4 says, (KJV) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

a God's election is in Christ. It requires belief in Christ. Unbelievers are not in Christ, therefore, God did not elect unbelievers.
b If you read the whole context, it says: "Chosen us in Him... being predestinated ( v.12)... who first trusted IN Christ".
c God's election is IN Christ before the foundation of the world. Therefore, God knows who will believe in Christ before the foundation of the world. God's election is based upon His foreknowledge of man's faith in Christ, Jam.2: 5.
II PROBLEMS OF UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION THEORY
A It teaches that God elects men to salvation without their repentance & faith but James 2:5 says, "God has chosen...the rich in faith".

B It teaches that man has no freewill (freedom of choice) unless regenerated by the Spirit, but the Bible teaches that one must choose Christ first before being regenerated by God (Jn.1: 12). Some unsaved people choose to reject Christ (Jn.12: 47-4 Cool while others choose to receive Him.

C It contradicts with the teaching of the Bible that God is no respector of persons, but what pleases the Lord is that a person must exercise faith (Heb.11:6; Acts.10:34-35). Verse 35 of Acts 10 is related to John 6:29.

D It contradicts with the sound Biblical teachings as interpretation of a certain passage is taken out of context.

E It teaches that God's desire and will for some men is that they perish in hell and that He delights to see such men going to hell. However, such contradicts with Psalm.116:15 and 2 Peter 3: 9.

F It shows that man has no personal accountability because he has no freewill, and the reason why many go to eternal fire is because God chose them to be there. On the other hand, those who are in heaven are there, not because they believe in Christ, but because God chose them without their faith.

G It makes God the author of evil because such teaching shows that it is God's will and purpose for some men to remain unsaved for evil works and eternal destruction.

H It teaches that God hates the non-elect, not because of their evil choices or works, but because He did not choose them for He designed them for such purpose.

I It makes God responsible for all the wickedness since He elected some for good works but others were elected or predestinated for evil works and eternal doom. If God chose to save men unconditionally, why won't He save all; therefore, such teaching makes God Savior only of limited men.

III QUESTIONS FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION THEORY

A Calvinism teaches that God elects men to salvation, without any condition at all, that is apart from faith foreseen in them.

1 In James 2: 5, Did God choose those who have faith?

2 Does 2 Thess.2: 13 tell us that God has from the beginning chosen to save men "through...belief of the truth?

3 Did God choose men who realized their human weaknesses and helplessness to save themselves, which realization leads them to repentance and acceptance of God's free gift of salvation? 1 Cor.1: 27- 29. Does this verses also teaches conditional election? Should a person be saved because he exercises humility or should he be saved in order to exercise humility? Is humility essential to salvation and Christian living or it is essential only to Christian living? According to the teaching of Calvinism, humility follows after salvation, hence there is no condition to God's election. However, such contradicts with the following passages:

a Prov.22:4 says, "By humility...are...honor and life"
b Prov.15: 33, "Before honor is humility".
c Jam.4: 7-10 tells us of humility in coming to the Lord to obtain salvation.
4 Did God choose men according to His foreknowledge? 1 Peter.1: 2.
a In Rom.11: 2, it says, "God hath not cast away His people whom He foreknew".
b Rom.8:29 also says, "For whom He did foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son....". What did God foreknow in them? What did He foreknow that caused Him to choose them? Is it not humility? (I Cor.1:27-29 & James 4:6). Is it not faith? James 2:5.
B Calvinism teaches that it is God's will and purpose to save certain ones and not to save others so that they go to hell.
1 In 2 Peter 3:9, it says, "...not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance". Is God willing that any should perish in hell? Does God wants all to come to repentance? Is the word "any" here refers only to the elect? Is the word "all" here refers also to the elect only? If God is not willing that the elect will perish, is it God's will that others will perish? If the word "all" here refers only to the elect, does it mean that God does not want others to repent? If God does not want others to repent, is it His will that they reject Christ? Is it His will that some will not repent so that they go on doing wickedness? Is it His will and pleasure that some people will go to hell?
2 In Matthew 7:21 it says, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but, he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven". Is the non-elect doing Gods will when he rejects Christ? If the non-elect is doing the will of the Father by rejecting Jesus Christ, then, he will go to heaven because Matt.7:21 says that those who do the will of the Father can enter into the kingdom of heaven. Such teaching is not in harmony with the teachings of the Bible.

3 In Mark 16:15, Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature". Isn't Jesus concerned with everyone to have an opportunity to hear the Gospel, repent and believe? Why did He command the church to preach the gospel to every creature if the gospel is not intended for every person who hears it? Why did He condemn some for not repenting? Mt.11: 20-24.

4 In John 7:17, it says, "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine....". Is there a verse in the Bible that teaches that it is God's will for some men not to repent so that they go to hell?

5 In Psalm 116:15, it says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints". Is it God's will and desire that some men will die without salvation? Is it pleasurable in God's sight when unsaved men die? Why would God predestinate some to hell if He did not desire it? Should God contradict with His desire?

C Calvinism teaches that you will believe because God elected you to believe according to their interpretation of Acts 13:48 and they oppose the belief that God elected you because He knows you will believe.

1 ACTS.13:48 says, "as many as were ordained to eternal life, believe". There are two events in the passage or phrase above: 1) God's act of ordaining, and 2) the faith of many to Christ. The word "ordain" is the same as decree. The question to the Calvinist is, which is first, foreknowledge or decree? Did God decree a thing apart from his knowledge or foreknowledge? Will the President of our country decree something without his knowledge? Of course not! So the order of sequence is, Foreknowledge, Decree, then the actual event in time, which is believing in or faith in Christ. Since God's decree was based upon his foreknowledge, so we can conclude that God decreed or ordained to eternal life those whom he foreknew would believe in his Son, Jesus Christ. God in eternity knew who would believe in Jesus, so he elected them before the foundation of the world. The time came that those whom God foreknew would believe really did believe. God's foreknowledge does not fail. If God knew they will believe, and they did not believe until they died, then something' is wrong with His foreknowledge. God did not elect men so that they will believe, rather, He elected those whom he foreknew would believe, and the time came that those whom He elected according to his foreknowledge really did believe.

Example: Mr. Cruz is the manager of a big company and there was a vacancy in the supervisory position. Being the manager for a long time, Mr. Cruz knew well his men -- who are those submissive to his leadership and those who are not. There were two qualified men for the position, Mr. Santos and Mr. de Leon and both were invited to apply the position but one of them seemed unwilling because of pride. Mr. Cruz, the manager, knowing the characters of these two men, Mr. de Leon who is critical and proud while Mr. Santos is humble and submissive, choose Mr. Santos to be in the supervisory position. Mr. Cruz choose Mr. Santos he knew well this man that he is humble, submissive, and he won't refuse the offer. Mr. Cruz was right in his knowledge about Mr. Santos that when he offered him the supervisory position, Mr. Santos did not refuse. When Mr. Santos received the promotion and their fellow employees heard of it, they commented: "The man chosen by the manager accepted the position". Does it sound as if the manager chooses Mr. Santos in order that he will accept the offer, or it tells us that Mr. Cruz chose Mr. Santos because he knew Mr. Santos is humble and won't refuse the offer? Such statement is similar to Acts13: 48. The verse Acts 13:48 does not contradict with election according to God's foreknowledge, but, the Calvinists theory of election which also uses this passage contradicts to many Biblical passages. It says, "Those who were ordained to eternal life believe". It is true that those who were elected to salvation believe. The question is, how were they elected to salvation? The answer is -- God foresaw that they are going to respond to His grace by faith. Thus, you can see the value of faith in obtaining eternal life. God has decreed that no one can obtain eternal life without belief of the truth. We believe that God requires faith in order for a person to obtain eternal life (John 3: 16, 36).

M©+square SG

LIMITED ATONEMENT

In this chapter, we will deal with the subject called, "limited atonement", a theory propagated by Calvin and his followers. When the Calvinists say, "limited atonement", they mean that the sacrificial substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross is limited only for the elect. The Calvinists believe that Christ did not die for all men but only for the elect. They believe that Jesus is the Savior only of the elect or as they say world of the elect; and that the ability of Jesus to save is limited only to the elect.

What is meant by the word atonement? According to JR Alexander in his book TULIP:

There are three words that are of particular importance to this subject. They are closely related in meanings and are used in the Bible synonymously. The words are:
Atonement -- It is used one time in the New Testament and is found in Rom.5: 11. It is an Old Testament word, which means "a covering". The word is found in Lev.16:2 and is the mercy seat which was the covering on the ark of the testimony.
Reconciliation -- The word means "restoration to favor".
Propitiation -- The word comes from the verb that means, "to appease; to render propitious; to expiate, make atonement or expiation for; be gracious, show mercy, pardon".

In Luke 18:13, we can find an example where a form of the word above was used. The publican who was so burdened with guilt and condemnation, cried out, "God be merciful to me a sinner". He was literally asking for the forgiveness of sin on the grounds of the blood atonement made at the mercy seat. When he did that, God saved him.
There are abundant proofs in the Scriptures that prove that the death of Jesus Christ was on behalf of all men.

I THE TEACHING OF THE SCRIPTURES.

A John 1: 29, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Rom.5: 12 says, "...sin entered into the world by one man". This refers to the Adamic sin, which has affected all mankind. Thus, all have become sinful in nature. The world means "all mankind" because all mankind was affected by Adamic sin. If the "world" refers to the elect only, then only the elect were affected by that SIN. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice of God for the SIN of the world.

B In John 3:16-19 it says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son....". The "world" refers to the aggregate of mankind or all people in the world. It is evident in verse 19, that "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light". If the world refers only to the elect, then there were elect who had the opportunity to receive the light but refused it and chose darkness.

C God's covenant with Abraham is through his seed, (Jesus Christ) "...shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed", Acts 3:25. In verse 26 it says, "God...sent him (Jesus) to bless in turning away everyone of you from his iniquities". This means that there is forgiveness of sins for all people in the earth through the Lord Jesus, Abraham's seed. However, forgiveness is possible only on the basis of Jesus death on the cross. If Christ did not die for all men, forgiveness is impossible for all men even if they repent.

D In Gal.4: 4-5 it says, "God sent forth his son...to redeem them that were under the law (Gal. 3:10-13). All men are under the curse of the law; therefore, Christ died to redeem all men who are under the curse of the law. A person is redeemed from the curse of the law and obtains the blessing of salvation through faith (Gal. 3: 13-18; 3: 9).

E In Hebrews 2:9, it says, "...that Christ by the grace of God should taste death for every man"

F In John 11: 51, it says that Christ died for the nation Israel. But some Israelites rejected him. Therefore, Christ died for the all the people of Israel, including those who rejected him. See Jn.1: 11. The same is applicable to John 3:16-19. Jesus died for the world, but some rejected Him.

G I John 2:2 says, And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

H I John 4: 14 says, "...the Father sent the son to be a saviour of the world". Jesus could either be the Savior of limited men only or he is the Savior of the world.

I I Tim. 4:10 says, For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. The blood of Jesus and its saving power is sufficient for all men, but is efficient only for those who believe.

J Heb.7: 25 tells us that ...he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

K I Tim.1: 5 says, "Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief". Even the worst sinner who responds to the Holy Spirit's call by repentance and faith can be saved. Jesus came to save sinners. All men are sinners. Therefore, Jesus came to save all men. However, God requires faith for salvation. Not all men respond to Gods grace by faith. Thus, not all sinners will be saved but only those who believe.

L II Corinthians 5:14 says, "...one died for all, then we're all dead". Rom.6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death". Christ took the punishment for the sins of all the men unto himself so that salvation can be provided for everyone who would recognize Him as Savior, repent of his sins and receive Jesus by faith.

M Roman 5:12-18, "By one man sin entered into the world...so death passed upon all men ...For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore, by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so, by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."

1 By one man's offense, all men were condemned.
2 The word "even so" tells us that if all were condemned by the offense of one man, all can be justified by the righteous act & free gift of one man.
3 "The free gift came upon all men". Not all men are justified but justification is possible to all men because the free gift came upon all men. Justification is obtained by a man when he receives the free gift as the Scripture say, "they which receive the gift of righteousness shall reign in life" (v:17). The gift is "unto justification of life", v.18.
N 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, "...God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself". In verse 18, it says, "God...hath given us the ministry of reconciliation ". Verse 19 says, "...we are ambassadors of Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
a "Reconciling"--- the form of the verb indicates that Christ has started and continues the work of reconciliation.
b There is reconciliation between God and man on the basis of Christ's death on the cross.
c Some people in the past (Old & New Testament) who believed Christ were already reconciled. At present, some are reconciled but some are not.
d The ministry of reconciliation was given by the Lord because of the fact that others in the present and future, have not heard yet of the message of reconciliation
e The purpose of this ministry is that people in the world will believe the Gospel and will be reconciled to God. God uses his preachers to speak to the lost with the message, "...be ye reconciled to God", --2 Cor.5: 20.
f The members of the church at Colosse had a period in their lives in which they were not yet reconciled to God although Christ death happened already. It was at the moment of faith that they were reconciled (Col. 1: 4, 21, 23).
O John 4:42 says, "...Christ, the saviour of the world". "Light has come into the world", John 3:19. Jesus said, "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call righteous but sinners to repentance", Mark 2:17.
1 Illustration: In a certain ship there is a physician. He is called the Physician of the ship. It happened that many got sick due to a bad weather and conditions. The doctor had the medicines for all sorts of sickness. The doctors medicines are sufficient for all the passengers, yet, not all trusted and went to the doctor. In the same way, Jesus came to be the physician of the spiritually sick. All men in the world are spiritually sick. Thus, Jesus came to be a physician or Savior of all men. The blood of Jesus is sufficient for all men but efficient only to those who believe. However, not all men trusted Jesus, therefore not all men will be saved but only those who believed in him.
P In Titus 2:11, it says, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men".
Q 1 Tim.2:1-6. This verses say, "...prayers be made for all men... that we may lead a quite and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty". What should be our prayers for all men? In verse 3, "...all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth". Secondly, all men to live a godly, quite and peaceable life. Does God really desire for all men to live a godly, honest, quiet, and peaceable life? How can a person live a godly, honest, and peaceable life? Is there another way apart from knowing the truth and obtaining the gift of salvation? On the other hand, if God does not want all men to know the truth and be saved, then he wants some men to live in wickedness, dishonesty and sin. Since God wants all men to turn away from evil ways, therefore He has salvation offered for them. Verse 6 says, "Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for ALL". If God does not want all men to turn away from sin and believe on Jesus, then why pray for all men?

R In Psalm 49: 8, it says, For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:

S Psalm 116:15 KJV says, Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. God does not rejoice when men die in their sins. It does not say "precious is the death of the wicked". Does it please God when unsaved men die in their sins? If God is not pleased when wicked men die in their sins, why did He allow them to die in their condemned state? Is it because it's God's pleasure for them to die in their sins, or because they refuse the gift of salvation? Ezek 33:11 KJV, Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

T Christ substitutionary death for all is evident in the fact that God is commanding the Gospel and remission of sins to be preach to every creature (Mt. 28:19;Mk. 16:15; Lk.24:47). "God...commandeth all men everywhere to repent", Acts 17:30. Is God sincere in his command that all men must repent? Is there really forgiveness of sins when a man repents? Why would God command his servants in His church to preach forgiveness of sins to every creature if Christ did not die for all men? Is forgiveness of sins possible without Christ's atonement? Of course not!

II QUESTIONS OF THE CALVINISTS ANSWERED

A Did Christ die for all men? Did he die for Paul as well as for Judas Iscariot? Since Judas went to hell, and Paul went to heaven, what did Paul do that Judas did not do to make the atonement of Christ successful? -- Ans. Paul received the atonement of Christ by faith but Judas did not. The atonement of Christ was provisional but beneficial to those who believe. Rom.5:11 tells us about receiving the atonement.

B If Christ died for some who went to hell, then the blood of Jesus shed for man's atonement was wasted? -- Answer: The blood of Jesus is sufficient for all men but efficient only to those who believe.

1 Example 1: The sun gives light to the world sufficiently and it is not wasted if some people do not want to avail of the light. John 3:19-20 says that Jesus is the light of the world but some men choose darkness rather than light.
2 Example 2: The rock in Horeb, which Moses struck, provided water first to all Israelites in the wilderness, yet only those who will come and drink will be satisfied. Jesus Christ, the living water, is sufficient for all men and the Spirit's invitation is extended to everyone, yet only those who will come and drink by faith will be satisfied spiritually. Rev.22:17 says, ...whosoever will let him take the water of freely" . (Isa 55:1 KJV) Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

3 When the Lord send fiery serpents among Israelites in the wilderness. Moses was commanded by the Lord to make a serpent of brass. Any man bitten by a snake got healed and lived by looking upon the brazen serpent. The brazen serpent was provided for the healing of all Israelites who were bitten by snakes, but only those who looked upon it got healed, (Num. 21:6-9). Jesus Christ is Gods provision for the sins of all sinners. His atonement is sufficient for all, but only those who look upon Him by faith obtains salvation from God. The Lord said, "Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth" (Isa.45:22).

C What actually gets a man to heaven, the atonement of Jesus Christ or the faith of man? Is the blood of Jesus sufficient to save man or it needs the cooperation of man? If it involves the cooperation of man, then it is salvation by works.
Answer:
1 It is the work of atonement of Jesus Christ that gets a man to heaven, and such atonement is sufficient to save him yet he cannot be benefited of the atonement unless he receives Christ by faith.

a Example 1. --A trustworthy plane can get you to America from the Philippines, yet you cannot be in America unless you rely on the plane and ride in that plane. It is not your belief or faith that carried you to America, it is the plane. But the trustworthiness and capability of the plane to carry you was realized when you believe. The Calvinist might say, Riding in a plane requires amount of work such as climbing in the stairs. Now lets compare the depraved sinner to a sick person on a wheel chair. All he has to do is decide and some attendants are taking care of him and bringing him to board the plane. The plane is the fact. The pilot is Jesus. The attendant is the Holy Spirit aiding the sinner to trust Jesus. All the sick sinner has to do is to humble himself and believe and he founds himself safe and saved.
b Example 2.--An effective pain killer capsule provided by the doctor to a patient can relieve him of the pain, yet he will not be relieved unless he takes it. In the same way, Gods provision for our sins, which is the blood of Jesus, is sufficient for all but is efficient only to those who appropriate it by faith. Atonement must be received (Rom.5:11).

c Example 3 -- A man sentenced to die was offered pardon by the president, but he refused the pardon so death was executed to him. A pardon is a deed and without acceptance it cannot be yours. God's pardon is based upon Christ's death and it is offered to all sinners but it can only obtained by those who repent and believe. During the period of Pres. Cory Aquino, (former President of the Philippines) she offered a pardon for all rebels. However, only those who surrendered and returned to the Government were forgiven.

2 The blood of Jesus Christ is able to and will save man without his (man's) cooperation or works. The only thing God requires a man in order for the Holy Spirit to perform the operation of regeneration and salvation is humility and faith. The saving power of the blood is sufficient for all but beneficial to those who receive it. The atonement of Christ is for all; but the application of the atonement is limited to those who believe.
a When you ride in an airplane as a passenger you don't contribute anything to make the air plane fly. The plane itself with its machine & good pilot makes it fly. (Jesus is our pilot). However, you boarded in that plane because you believe it is trustworthy. In the same way, Christ is sufficient to save you, but you'll never be saved unless you believe and trust Him (Jn.3:16, 18, 36; 5: 24).
b Faith cannot be classified as works. In the Bible it is contrasted with works. Faith is in harmony with God's grace according to the passages -- Eph.2: 8-9; Rom.11:6;4:4-5.

D Since you say that Christ died for all men's sins, did he die for the sin of unbelief? If Christ died for the sin of unbelief of all men, then all men will go to heaven.---- The answer to the first question is yes; the latter is no! Though Christ died for the atonement of all men, it cannot be obtained unless a person recognizes and receives it. Christ atonement is provisional but effectual to those who believe.
1 Our Lord Jesus made atonement for sins when he died on the cross almost 2,000 years ago, but it takes effect to an individual at the moment of faith.

a Example 1 -- Arthur Doe was not born when Christ died on the cross almost 2,000 years ago, yet, Christ died for the sins of all men including Arthur Doe. So, when Arthur was born, and grew old , he could receive God's forgiveness on the basis of Christ death at the moment he believed.
2 Our Lord Jesus made Atonement for sins when he died on the cross after the Old Testament period, yet the efficacy of the blood and God's forgiveness were obtained by Old Testament believers who lived before Christ and his death.
a It is evident in the Bible that Old Testament believers were not saved by the animal sacrifices. Such were "shadow of things to come or types of Christ sacrificial death on the cross, but it cannot take away sins but were only symbolical of the reality. The blood of Jesus is the only atonement for the sins of man. Heb.10:1 says, For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.. Verse 4 says, For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
3 If the efficacy of the atonement was absolutely applied to an individual when Christ died on the cross for all elect without necessity of their (elect's) faith, the consequence will be:
a When Christ died on the cross almost 2,000 years ago, Arthur was not yet born, yet Christ died for all the sins of Arthur in a way that all his sins were already forgiven before he existed. So, when Arthur was born, he was born forgiven already and need not repent to be forgiven.
b The Old Testament believers who lived and died before Christ's death were not redeemed, hence, redemption of the elect, according to the Calvinists, took place only at the point of Christ's death almost 2,000 years ago. If the people in the Old Testament were saved by trusting upon God's provisions for their sins -Jesus Christ, whose death had not occur yet at that time, why couldn't be the people who live after Christ's be saved at the very moment of their faith?

E If Christ died for the sin of unbelief, why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which he died?
1 Answer: Though Christ died for your sins, you cannot receive His forgiveness of all your sins unless you believe. All your sins will be a hindrance for you to go to heaven, unless you receive God's offer of forgiveness by repentance and faith. Repentance and faith are God's requisites for a person to obtain salvation and forgiveness. God does not forgive just a part but all our sins. However, Gods salvation is conditional and it is conditioned on mans faith.

III CALVINIST'S BELIEFS QUESTIONED.

A Calvinists believe that Christ died only for the elect and that the word "world" in John 3:16 refers only to the elect.

1 In verse 19, Did Jesus come to give (offer) light to all people in the world or the elect only?
2 Did some men for whom light had come choose darkness?
3 Did the men who chose darkness had the opportunity to choose light?
4 If the word "world" refers only to the elect, then, the men who rejected the light and chose darkness refer only to the elect. Or else, the word, world refers to all men and not the elect only.
B Calvinists believe that the word "whosoever" in John 3:16 refers only the elect hence only the elect could believe.
1 Is God's plan of salvation "by faith" for all men? Is salvation by faith possible apart from Christ's death?
2 What is God's plan of salvation for people whom Christ did not die for? Did God intend them for hell? Will God save them by their faith if Christ did not die for their sins? Is Gods plan of salvation for man apart from faith?
3 Do you believe that salvation by faith is not for all men, but only for the elect? Do you mean that the phrase "whosoever believeth" is applicable only for the elect? If this means "whoso of the elect believes", then, there are some elect who will not believe. If it means the elect only, then it should have been specified in the passage since the word "whosoever" is too general. In the Webster's dictionary this means "no matter who". If it refers only to the elect, then it matters who should believe.
C Calvinists believe that when Christ died almost 2,000 years ago, all the elect including those who were not yet born were actually and absolutely redeemed. Concerning this, Lawrence Crawford said in a debate with Dr. J. R. Alexander: "When did the death of His Son take place? 2,000 years ago. Then we were reconciled to God 2,000 years ago. Col.1: 14 or 20...Redemption, Heb.9: 12. That took place when Jesus Christ died on the cross." (Crawford- Alexander Debate, 1979, p.167).
1 If an elect person were already reconciled to God almost 2000 years ago, why is it necessary for him to repent and believe in Christ? Is repentance a result of reconciliation, or reconciliation a result of repentance? If all elect of all ages were reconciled to God already at the time of Christ's death, why is the ministry of reconciliation necessary? Why did Paul say, "be ye reconciled to God" ( 2 Cor.5: 18-19). Can preachers today preach to the lost with the words. "be ye reconciled to God" or not?
2 If the elect were justified already when Christ died on the cross, does he need to exercise faith to be justified? Does not the Scripture teach that justification is by faith, Rom.5: 1? If the elect were justified already before he believes, why is it necessary for him to repent and believe?

3 Is the a person who is redeemed already but not yet regenerated? Is the "redeemed elect" who has not yet repented and believed condemned or not? Read John 3: 18, 36, Col.1:14. If reconciliation and redemption were received already by the elect before he repents and believe, then we have a redeemed elect who is under God's wrath and condemnation.

4 In Heb.9:12, it says, "...by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us". Does this passage mean that all elect of all ages were redeemed at one time or it means that Christ, by his blood, provided redemption at one time yet the application of the atonement or redemptive work of Christ is at the point when a person receives Christ? If it means that all the elect of all ages were redeemed absolutely 2000 years ago when Christ died on the cross without the necessary requirement of faith, then, what about the Old Testament believers who lived and died before the time of Christ and his death? Can you say that the people in the Old Testament died without the redemption of their souls? However, if people in the Old Testament were saved by faith on the basis of God's redemption provided once for all men of all time, then no contradiction will occur in the teachings of the Bible. If people in the Old Testament were saved by faith on the basis of God's future provision, why not the people who lived after Christ's death and who believed on the basis of Christs sacrifice which had already happened in the past. Though Christ died once, He died for all men of all time and the cleansing power of His blood is effective to all who believe?

D Calvinists believe that Jesus came to save not all sinners but some only, the elect, and that he is the savior of some men only.
1 Did Jesus come to save the lost according to Luke 19:10? Who are the lost, all men or the elect only? If the word "lost" refers only to the elect, then only the elect are lost. If only the elect are lost, then others are not lost.
2 In Matt.9: 12-13, Who needs a physician, the healthy or the sick? Is Jesus a Physician of the spiritually sick or the healthy? If the sick refers only to the elect, then the non-elect are not spiritually sick. Whom does Christ call to repentance, the sinners or the righteous? If the sinners refer only to the elect, then only the elect are sinners. Is Christ calling all men to repentance or some men only? If Christ is calling only some men to repentance, then he does not want others to repent. If Christ does not want other men to repent, then he wants them to continue in their evil deeds.

3 Read I John 4:14; John 4:42; Is Jesus the savior of the world or of some men only? Does He want all men to be reconciled to him or not? If He does not want all men to be reconciled to Him and be saved from their sins, is it His desire for some men to continue in their evil works? Since God is sovereign, what hinders him from saving others? Is it men's unbelief or His pleasure? Do you mean that it is God's will and pleasure for other men to reject Christ and live in wickedness, and die in their sins? Read Ezk.33: 11.

E Calvinists teach that it is God's desire and will for the elect to repent but not others according to their interpretation of II Pet.3: 9. According to them, the words, "us", "any" and "all" refers only to the elect, not all men.
1 Is it God's will for all men to repent or not? Is it God's will for some men to reject Christ, continue in their evil works, and end up in hell? Do some follow God's will in their lives when they do not repent and they continue in their evil ways? Is it God's pleasure to see the wickedness done in the face of the earth? If not, why won't He have all men regenerated unconditionally?
2 If God wants them to repent, but they could not repent because of their depraved nature, why won't God cause them to repent? If God wants them to repent and they would not repent, then, God is unable to fulfill his wants. Thus, the consequence of Calvinistic teaching is that God is taking pleasure in men's rejection of Christ. Such is contradictory to the Bibles teachings.

3 Another consequence of Calvinistic teaching is that those who do evil works are just doing Gods secret will. The Bible says, (Mat 7:21 KJV) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. If the non-elect persons are doing Gods will when they do evil, then they will enter heaven since only those who do Gods will can enter heaven. Such is contradictory to Gods word.

4 Is God sincere in commanding all men to repent? (Acts 17: 30). Does God sincerely want the wicked to forsake his evil ways? (Isa.55: 7). Why did God command all men to repent if He has no salvation offered for them? Is Christ sincere in offering eternal life even to those who rejected Him? (Jn.6: 47, 51; 5: 39-40). Why did Christ condemn the people of the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida who did not repent if He was not sincere? (Matt.11: 20-24). Why did Christ condemn them for the thing which they are unable to do? Was Christ sincere or he was just mocking them, "come on repent even if you are unable to do that".

5 Since God is sincerely commanding all men everywhere to repent, then He has salvation offered to all, including those who rejected him. In John 5:39-40, "Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me that YE MIGHT HAVE LIFE". Is this real, if they will come to Christ, they will have life? If Christ is not offering salvation to them, He should have said, "and you will not come to me because there is no life for you". Salvation and forgiveness is possible only on the grounds of Christ's death. If Christ did not die for all, including those who rejected him, then He has no salvation for them to offer.

F Calvinists teach that Jesus did not die for those who rejected him.
1 Did Christ die for the nation of Israel? (John 11:50-51). Did the majority of the people of Israel reject him? See John 1:11. If the majority of the Israelites for whom Jesus died rejected him, the same is the application of John 3:16-19. Christ died for the world, but some people in the world rejected him.
2 Can a person reject something that which is not offered to him? The fact that there are many passages in the Scriptures, which show there are people who rejected Christ, it is evident that Christ was offered to them as a Savior. (Mt.21: 42; Mk.8: 31; Lk.17: 25; John12: 4 Cool .

3 Jesus is both a Savior and a Judge. However, He was not offered to men as a judge but as a Savior. Thus, men cannot reject him as a judge but as a savior. When a man rejects Jesus, he rejects him as a Savior. If Christ is rejected, his offer of salvation on the basis of his death is rejected also. Christ cannot offer salvation apart from his death on the cross. Therefore, He died for all, including those who rejected him.

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IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

The Bible teaches that salvation is by God's grace through faith (Eph.2: 8-9). Grace means "unmerited favor". Nobody deserves to be saved because all the righteous works of man are filthy before the eyes of God. (Isa.64.6). Man is corrupt by nature (Rom.3: 10-11), yet, God who is rich in mercy and grace sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die in the stead of sinful men (Jn.3: 16; Rom.5: Cool . Such wonderful grace brings forgiveness of sins and Eternal life. It is the greatest gift that a man can receive from God through Jesus Christ. God is calling men to repentance and salvation because there is forgiveness of all sins on the basis of Christ's sacrificial death to those that repent and believe. Can a sinner reject God's offer of salvation? Can any person resist the call of the Holy Spirit to salvation?

The Calvinists believe in two kinds of call: One is the General call or the outward call and the other is the Effectual Call or the Inward Call. The General or Outward Call, according to the Calvinists, is the call of the preacher only and no one heeds to it. The Effectual Call is the call of the Holy Spirit and no one can resist it. They also call it the Inward Call because the Holy Spirit, as they say, will work in the heart of the elect to secure voluntary obedience. Dr. L. Crawford, a Calvinist, said in his debate with Dr. J. R. Alexander, The call and regeneration will be at the same time. Calvinists believe that repentance and faith are the results of regeneration. They also believe that man cannot choose to believe unless God grants to him the gift of faith and that the giving of faith is without any condition and that God bestows more grace to the proud God-hating sinners. Many Calvinists teach that the Holy Spirit regenerates the elect apart from hearing God's word and that the gospel is a requirement only after a person has been made spiritually alive. The Gospel is no longer intended for the spiritually dead but for those who are spiritually alive. They believe that one must be regenerated first before he can hear, repent, and believe. Some Calvinists vary in their belief concerning the purpose of the Gospel. However, whatever variations they hold in their doctrines, you can always find contradictions or inconsistencies.

I THE TEACHING OF THE SCRIPTURES.

A Heb.12:25 - 26 - Is it possible for men to refuse the gracious God when He speaks to them for their good and salvation? According to Heb.12: 25, it is. In Exo.20: 18-26, God spoke and gave His commandments to the Israelite people, but some of them refused and did not obey God. It is evident that those who refuse never did get saved. The verse 25 in the book of Hebrews twelve says, (Heb 12:25 KJV) See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. It shows that refusing and turning away from God that speaks is possible, and those who do such will never escape His judgement.

B Prov.1: 23--33 - We must remember that God is the only wise God (I Tim. 1: 17). Christ was even called "the power of God and the wisdom of God", (I Cor.1: 24). In Prov.19: 10 it says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". The wise God is calling men to heed His word or counsel, to fear the Lord, and obtain wisdom; however, they refused and did not fear God, Prov.1: 23-33. Evidently, it is God calling because of the statements in the following verses: In verse 23, "my spirit ... my words", in v. 25, " my counsel"; In verse 28, "Then shall they call upon me ", and in verse 33, "whoso hearkeneth unto me". You don't call wisdom but you call God. You don't hear a thing that cannot speak, but you hear a person speaks. The passages have reference to God who speaks. It shows that there are people who refuse Gods call. It is Jesus in the personification of wisdom. The passage shows that there are people, to whom God sent His Spirit, stretch His hand and offered salvation but they refused. They rejected God's grace.

C Genesis 6: 3--- In this chapter, from verse 1-7, it tells us that God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. It is also in the context where the verse is found and where God said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet days shall be a hundred and twenty years "(v.3). This verse teaches that the Holy Spirit calls men to turn from wickedness, yet some did refused. The work of the Spirit is to reprove the world of sin (Jn.16: Cool . In Gen. 6: 6, God was grieved and it shows the fact that the people mentioned in Gen.6: 3&5 resisted the Holy Spirit.

D Acts.7: 51---- It says, "...ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye". Calvinists may reason this way, "For the meantime they resisted, but they were not able to successfully resist because later on, perhaps, they got saved". But Calvinist, look at the verse carefully it says, "...as your fathers did, so do ye". Their fathers died unsaved because they had always resisted the Holy Ghost. That is what the verse mean

E John 16: 8 - 11----The work of the Holy Spirit is to "...reprove the world of sin". The term "world" has reference to all people in the world because all men in the world are affected by sin and are sinful. Now, if the Holy Spirit reproves the sinner but did not extend salvation, it is mockery. The reason why the Spirit is reproving the world of sin is because He is calling men to repent and be saved by grace through faith. However, some people are not heeding the reproofs of the Holy Spirit and so they will die in their sins and go to hell.

F John 3:16- 20---- The word "whosoever" includes all men in the world. It means "no matter who". God does not save some people because they belong to a special class. He is no respector of persons (Rom.2:11). If the word "whosoever" refers only to the elect, then it means "whoso of the elect". If that is the case, then there are some elect who will not believe. The term "world" refers to all men and not to the elect only. In verse 19 it says, "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light". A person cannot have the opportunity to choose light and darkness if no light was extended or offered to him. The Scriptures show that Jesus came to be the light of the world, but some people in the world choose darkness rather than light (John 8:12; 12:46). If the "world" in John 3 refers only to the elect, then these verses will show that some elect in the "world of the elect" loved darkness rather than light. That's a big contradiction in the doctrine of Calvinism.

G John 1: 6-9--- Jesus is the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Christ's purpose of coming is that "...all men trough him might believe" (v.7). Since God wants all men to believe in Christ, therefore, He has salvation for them the moment they believe. Why would God want all men to believe in Christ if Christ cannot save them? Christ wouldn't have desired the faith of all men, if He is not offering them salvation. Since not all men believed on Jesus, therefore, some rejected God's gift of salvation.

H John 1: 11--- It says, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not". Who is referred to by the words "His own", 1) the elect, 2) the non-elect, or 3) the Israelites people which includes the elect & non-elect persons? If they are elect individuals, then, the elect individuals rejected Christ. If they are non-elect, then, the non-elect were owned by Christ. Since the words "His own" refers to the elect nation which composed of the personally elected individuals and non elected persons, thus we can conclude that some people for whom Christ came rejected him.

I. John 11: 50-51-- It says, "...one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not". The whole nation refers to all Israelites. The basis of salvation from suffering in hell is the death of Christ. Christ died for the Israelite people, yet some Israelites rejected him. If salvation was not extended or offered to all Israelites then the phrase "the whole nation perish not" has not been said. Some indeed will perish because they rejected the grace of God, the atonement provided through Christ sacrificial death.

J John 5: 39-40 -- In verse 40 it says, "...and ye will not come unto me that ye might have life". If there was no life offered to them, Christ should have said this way, "And ye will not come to me, because there is no life for you". There's life if they will come but they won't. They rejected the eternal life offered by Jesus. Was Christ sincere in telling them to search the scriptures, to come that they might have life?

K John.12:47-48--A person cannot reject something which is not offered to him. Since there are many people who rejected Christ, therefore Christ was offered to them. Jesus is both a Savior and judge. He was offered to us as a Savior but not as a judge, therefore, no one can reject him as a Judge because whether we like it or not, God is going to judge all men. God will judge men according to their response to the Gospel (Rom.2: 16; 2 Thes.1: 8-9).

L I Peter 4: 6; 2 Thess.1: 7-9-- Men will be judged by what they do with the Gospel. If the Gospel was not intended for some people, then, why should he be judged with the Gospel. If the Gospel is intended also for them, then, the message of the Gospel is for them too. The Gospel message is "Christ died for your sins, repent and believe on Jesus Christ". Since the Gospel is intended for them also, then eternal life is offered to them through the Gospel. The message of the gospel is for all and it is real, but they rejected the Gospel and the gift of eternal life. 1 Peter 4: 6 does not mean that the Gospel was preached to the dead, rather, it means that the dead had the opportunity to hear the preaching of the Gospel during their lifetime.

M Rom.1:16; I Cor.1:21; 15: 3-4 --God saves sinners by means of the Gospel preached. It is God's power unto salvation to those who believe. God calls a sinners to salvation by the Gospel (2 Thess.2: 14). Yet, some people wont believe. That's why God will not save them by his power. Salvation will not take effect unless a person understands and believe the true gospel (Gal. 5:4). The truth will set men free from sin, but some people resist the truth (John.8: 32; 2 Tim.3: Cool .

N Acts 26:27-29 -- King Agrippa rejected the grace of God preached by Paul. In the book of Acts 20: 24, the Gospel is called the Gospel of the grace of God. Therefore, men who reject the Gospel, reject the grace of God.

O Acts 17: 30-32 -- God commanded all men everywhere to repent. If God commands them to repent and He has no salvation for them, then, he is just mocking them. Repentance is unto salvation (II Cor.7: 10; Lk.13: 3). Many rejected God's grace by not repenting.

P Luke 24: 47-48; Mk.16: 15; Acts10: 43 -- Repentance and forgiveness is to be preached to every individual. There cannot be any forgiveness to every individual apart from the death of Christ. The purpose of preaching the Gospel is to open their eyes and turn men to Jesus Christ for salvation (Acts 26:1 Cool . The Holy Spirit calls and enlightens the minds of men through the Gospel. Those who reject the Gospel reject God's forgiveness and salvation.

Q Isaiah 45:22-- All people in the world are commanded to look to God for salvation. Why would God command all men to look to Him to be saved, if He does not have salvation for them? There is salvation in Jesus, but some rejected.

R Matthew 22:1--14--- In this passage, God uses men to call sinners. In verse 14, God chose men from among those whom He called. It says, "Many are called but few are chosen". There is one kind of call here for the many and for those who are chosen. It cannot be denied that God calls more than He chooses. If they say that this is the "General call" then we can find that God chooses men from the same call. If they say that this is the effectual call, then we can find some that did resist the call and were destroyed. There is one kind of call here, but God chose some because they responded to the call.

S Jeremiah 6: 19; 7: 13, 23-25-; 11: 7-8; 13:11; 15: 6; 19: 13-15--- The Calvinists believe that no one can reject God's word when it is God himself who speaks. However, in the verses shown above, it is clear that it is God who is speaking and yet His word was rejected. In verse 13 of ch. 7, the Lord said, "I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;" and verse 14, "therefore will I do unto this house which is called by my name, wherein ye trust. . .as I have done to Shiloh". In verse 27 it says, "This is the nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God". In Ch.9 verse 13 the Lord said, "...they have forsaken my Law...and not obeyed my voice".

T Psalms 95: 7-11; Hebrews 3: 7-13 ---In these verses, it is clear that the Spirits voice was rejected. The passage states, "Today if ye will hear voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness...Forty years long was I grieved with this generation ". This is not a voice of the preacher. It is the Spirit's voice, yet, the Israelites in the wilderness did harden their hearts. According to the Calvinists, if one is not an elect, God will subdue his heart and his will, despite his pride, and save him. But such doctrine of Calvinism is contradictory to the teaching of the Scriptures. If irresistible grace is true and the sinner has no freewill, then God wouldn't be grieved because no one can resist His calling. Heb.3: 10 shows that God was grieved because of their erring hearts. Thus, in verse 11, God swears in His wrath that they shall not enter into His rest.

U 2 Peter 2 : 1--- The verse says, "...there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction". The false Prophets and teachers mentioned here are unsaved. They denied the Lord that bought them and they refused the grace of God.

V Ezekiel 33:11(KJV) -- It says, Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? This was God's voice calling Israel to repent. Were all Israelites saved? If God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, then, He wants the wicked to repent and live righteously. If God's pleasure is that the wicked will repent, then, He will provide salvation for him. Since many people won't repent despite the fact that God's desire for them is to repent, thus, we conclude that God has given the sinners the freewill to receive or reject His grace.

W Matthew 23: 37--- Christ showed compassion to the Israelites and He desired to gather them just like how a hen gathers her chicks, yet many of the Israelites refused. Christ desire is for them to be saved but they refused Gods salvation.

II QUESTION ON IRRESISTIBLE GRACE THEORY.

A Calvinists believe that man cannot reject Gods gift of salvation.

1 Why were some people able to reject Christ as Savior? (John 12:47-4 Cool . Can a person reject something that which is not offered to him? How could they reject Christ as Savior if He was not offered to them as Savior?
2 2. Did Christ perform miracles in Chorazin and Bethsaida so that the people there would repent? (Matthew 11:20-21). Why did the Saviour condemn the people there for not repenting? Did Christ sincerely desire for them to repent?

3 Does God truly offers salvation through the Gospel message? If God did not intend the Gospel message for some men, why would He judge them for not receiving it? (John 12:47-48; 2 Thess.1:7-9).

B Calvinists believe that the Holy Spirit effectually calls the elect to salvation and such call cannot be resisted. The effectual call is also called the inward call.
1 Is the effectual call made to the elect before eternal spirit life is imparted or after? If the effectual call is made to the elect before eternal spirit life is imparted, then a spiritually dead can and must hear before eternal spirit life is obtained. If the effectual call is made after regeneration, then it is not a call to eternal life or salvation. If the call is made at the same time with regeneration, and it is as quick as regeneration, can the elect hear and immediately responds to it and repents before he hears the Gospel message? If not, then the elect cannot understand the call unless he hears the Gospel.
2 Does the Holy Spirit enter a persons life to make the "inward call"? If the Spirit enters a persons life to make the inward call, is he already a child of God when the Spirit made the call? Is it possible for a person to be a child of God before he hears the Gospel, repents and believes on the Lord? If that person is already God's child before he hears, repents, and believes, is he also forgiven before hearing the Gospel & repenting of sins? If the elect is already God's child and forgiven already, is it necessary for the Holy Spirit to reprove him of sins and convict him to repent? Why should the Spirit call him to salvation if he is already a regenerated, child of God?

3 Who is speaking in Jeremiah 11: 7-8; 6: 19; 7:13,23-25; 9: 13? Did the people to whom God is speaking obey His voice? Are the people mentioned here did answer God's call? If no one can refuse God's call, why were these people able to refuse His call? Why were some Jews able to resist the Holy Spirit? (Acts 7:51). Is it clear that just like their forefathers, they resisted the Holy Spirit.

C Calvinists believe that repentance and faith precede regeneration.
1 Does God call anyone to salvation apart and independent of the Gospel? Can a person be able to understand God's plan of salvation and know the Savior apart from hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ? Can a person be able to trust Christ without knowing about Him and without understanding God's message of salvation? Therefore we conclude that no one can exercise repentance without hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ (John 5: 24; Rom.10: 13-17).
2 To whom should the Gospel be preached, to the saved or unsaved? Does the Gospel of Christ teach men to repent and turn away from sin? (Titus 2:11-12). If the Gospel teaches men to repent, can a man repent and believe without hearing the Gospel? Is it possible for a person to be regenerated without hearing about God and understanding of the Gospel? If a person could not repent and believe on Jesus unless he hears the Gospel, then, he would not be saved except by hearing and understanding the Gospel? (1Cor.4: 15; James 1: 18, 21; 1 Peter 1:2 3; Rom.1: 16).

3 Can anyone understand the Gospel truth without having heard first about it? Can he understand the gospel without an explanation? Does it take more time to understand the gospel than to be regenerated by the Spirit? Is regeneration instantaneous or gradual process? If preaching and hearing the gospel takes more time, and one cannot repent unless he understand the gospel preached, then the Calvinistic theory that regeneration precedes hearing the gospel and that regeneration and repentance happen quickly at the same time, are both contradicting each other. Calvinists cannot say that the Spirit's inward call and regeneration happen at the same time and still believe that regeneration and repentance are at the same time.

4 Since it is impossible for regeneration and repentance to be at the same time if regeneration must precede hearing the gospel, the question that the Calvinists must face is: What is the spiritual condition or nature of a person who is regenerated and has not heard of the gospel yet? Is he a child of God or of the devil? Does he have the Holy Spirit or not? Is he forgiven or condemned?

D Calvinists believe that the "outward or general call" is the call of the preacher and no one heeds to it.
1 Is God commanding His servants (in the church) to preach the gospel to all men? If God is not intending the gospel for all men, why would He command it to be preached to all?
2 Is the gospel message true to every man? Do Calvinist preachers preach sincerely and honestly to every person whom they preach, that he must repent in order that he won't go to hell? If the message of the gospel is not real to every man, then it is a lie to some men. If Calvinist preachers would not be specific to their hearers who should repent, then they are preaching lies to some men. Isn't it more honest for Calvinist to preach this way, "If you are an elect, you must repent because God has a gift of salvation for you".

3 Is the gospel intended for the elect only? Why should others be judged for not obeying the gospel, if such gospel is not intended for them? (John 12: 47-48; 2 Thess.1:7-9)

4 Are those whom God called greater in number than those whom God has chosen? (Matt.22: 14). In Matt.22:14, What kind of calling is it? A general call or effectual call? If this is a general call, were there men who responded to that call? (22:1-14). If the kind of calling found in verse 14 is effectual call, were all those who were called by such a calling chosen by God? It is a fact that many are called but only few are chosen. Those chosen of God in Matt.22:14, were those who responded to that call.

III CALVINIST'S QUESTIONS ANSWERED
A If God's will can be resisted then He is not a Sovereign God?

1 Sovereignty means supreme power of authority. A king or president, for instance, may be sovereign but this does not prevent the people in his kingdom or country to disobey or rebel against him. God is sovereign (Ps.103: 19). He is the King of the universe and He rules over all His creations. However, this does not mean that He did not give His creatures particularly angels and men, the freedom to choose right and wrong, to obey or rebel. God was sovereign when the angel Lucifer and his company of angels rebelled against Him. He was sovereign when Adam fell to sin. Was it God's will that Lucifer rebelled against Him and that Adam fell to sin? God is sovereign and yet, Satan continues to deceive people and influence men to commit evil acts and uses wicked men to spread false doctrines. Are these wicked men resisting the will of God or Are they in harmony with the will of God? The Calvinists answer is that they are fulfilling the will of God.
2 God's sovereignty as the Bible teaches does not mean that men cannot resist His will. The Bible teaches that God's will is that all men will know the truth and be saved (I Tim.2: 3-4). It is not the will of God that any person will perish in hell (2 Peter 3:9). The gospel of grace teaches men to deny ungodliness.

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With Augustine the Geneva author professed to be at one.

"If they have all been taken from a corrupt mass," he argued, "no marvel that they are subject to condemnation."

But, his critics replied, "were they not antecedently predestined to that corruption?"

And "is not God unjust in treating His creatures with such cruel mystery?" To this Calvin answers, "I confess that all descendants of Adam fell by the Divine will," and that "we must return at last to God's sovereign determination, the cause of which is hidden" (Institutes, III, 23, 4).

"Therefore," he concludes, "some men are born devoted from the womb to certain death, that His name may be glorified in their destruction."

And the reason why such necessity is laid upon them? "Because," says Calvin "life and death are acts of God's will rather than of his foreknowledge,"

and "He foresees further events only in consequence of his decree that they shall happen."

Finally, "it is an awful decree, I confess [horribile decretum, fateor], but none can deny that God foreknew the future final fate of man before He created him -- and that He did foreknow it because it was appointed by His own ordinance."

Calvin, then, is a supralapsarian; the Fall was necessary; and our first parents, like ourselves, could not have avoided sinning.