Assuming Arminians agree that God knew before creation precisely which people wouldnt use their free will to choose him, then their view would cast God in at least the same negative light as their Calvinist caricature, if not worse. You can show them that by asking if the God of Arminian theology could have done anything to convince the Hell-bound person to choose differently, such as putting top-notch apologists, more loving Christians, etc. in their lives. If they say yes, then ask them how a good God of love would let someone go to Hell just because He chose not to re-order things for their benefit. And if He chose not to do those things, how is that different from the Reformed view of election with respect to Gods goodness and love? If they say no, then ask them how it differs from Reformed theology to say that God created someone who wouldnt have used his free will to choose him under any circumstances. In other words, if God created people knowing that they would go to Hell because they either wouldnt believe under any set of circumstances or that He wouldnt re-order circumstances to cause them to choose to believe. So why are they criticizing the God they claim to worship? I think the one thing that people find hard about Reformed doctrine is the idea that God would allow people to be created knowing that He wouldnt elect them, do anything to save them, and then they would spend eternity in hell. I would say are you claiming that in Arminian doctrine, before God created a person, He did NOT know with certainty they would spend eternity in hell? If God has exhaustive foreknowledge of all things, and He does, then you could ask the same question of the Arminian? Why did God create someone, He knew with certainty, before time, would never choose him? If God already knows what they will do before they choose, indeed before He created them, then the end result cannot be otherwise. So why would God bother trying to save someone he knew would never be saved? If they are to be consistent, Arminians might want to realize they dont really believe in free will, but rather, a form of fatalism. If God did not choose them, and their choice was certain, it is neither Gods mercy nor free will which determined the end result but something else. The difference is that those who have a Reformed understanding of Scripture reject such fatalism and affirm that Scripture teaches personal determinism. In Christ, the God of Scripture sets His affection on, and saves a multitude of ill-deserving sinners out of the mass of ill-deserving sinners. So some get justice for their sins and the others get mercy, but no one gets injustice. This is the very definition of fair, since, apart from Gods intervening grace to awaken sinners, all men reject Gods offer of clemency in Christ. So if God were to be fair, we would all get hell. What we should hope for, rather, is Gods mercy (Ephesians 2:4, 5; 1 Peter 1:3; Titus 3:5; Hosea 2:23; Psalms 103:4,8; John 6:63, 65, Rom 9:15, 16). The gospel message is a triune message guys. There is no dissension in the Godhead. As Mr. Pink says. Each of the three Persons in the blessed Trinity is concerned with our salvation: with the Father it is predestination; with the Son propitiation; with the Spirit regeneration. The Father chose us; the Son died for us; the Spirit quickens us. The Father was concerned about us; the Son shed His blood for us, the Spirit performs His work within us. And GREAT is the number of the elect that no one can measure and is like the sand of the sea! (Hosea 1:10) And they are all peoples, many peoples who are rich and poor, jews and gentiles of all races, colors, tribes, tongues. (Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9) Someone might say total depravity is not true because free will. I would say free from what? From sin? No.. The will is captive to sin until Christ sets him free. He may be free from coercion but that does not mean it is free from necessity. Most importantly we should define freedom the way the Bible does... Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:35-36) Those who are slaves to sin are not free. They make voluntary choices... but their choice is not free, but in bondage to their master. The grace of Christ sets us free that we might, at last, see the beauty, truth and excellency of Christ and when he disarms our hostility, breaks our chains and opens our eyes we believe (Deut 29:4, 30:6; John 6:63, 65; Rom 9:16) The statement about free will is just an assertion without an argument. Can it be demonstrated from the Bible?. I would challenge anyone to provide biblical evidence for the concept of free will. Does a person have a free will to believe in Jesus apart from the work of the Holy Spirit? The need for grace does away with free will altogether. Someone might say irresistible grace makes men into a robots. I would say I never heard the Bible make this argument. In fact, it makes the opposite argument, that is a great act of love to help people who cannot help themselves.(Isaiah 42:7; Rom 9:16-21). Its called mercy. It no more makes people into robots than parents who save their disobedient children from danger makes their children into robots. You dont leave your children to themselves. And whether your children want your help at the time or not, you know better than your children what is good for them. Most people call this love. How much more does God know what is good for his children? Grace is irresistible because the Scripture says of sinners that God turns their heart of stone to a heart of flesh (Ezek 36:26) before they follow Him. No one believes while his heart is still stone, and no one with a heart of stone would even want a heart of flesh (or it would already be flesh) - so this heart of flesh is not self-generated. but when God takes away the stony heart and makes it flesh, all barriers of resistance have been disarmed and we then see the unsurpassed beauty, truth and excellency of Jesus Christ. The new heart cannot but want to follow Him. Just as a matter of clarification, total depravity is the condition of man who does not have the Holy Spirit, it is NOT the condition of man whom the Holy Spirit joins to Christ. The regenerate man is no longer totally depraved, else he would have no moral ability whatsoever to come to Christ. (Rom 8:2, 9; 1 Jn 3:9, 5:1). The purpose of Christs becoming incarnate is to set us free from from sins captivity. (John 8:36). Not only that, does the Arminian want God to leave Him to His own devices? Has he/she not realized his depravity, wicked heart, and sinfulness? Or do you really think you are a good person? The Spirits work is always resisted until God circumcises the heart. Notice that the verse which speaks of this itself says the following “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. (Acts 7:51) So of course they are going to resist all of the Spirits promptings. Their heart is unregenerate, carnal, unspiritual, uncircumcised ... which, everywhere this is mentioned it in Scripture, describes a person which, by nature, cannot understand spiritual truth and thinks it is folly... (1 Cor 2:14; John 6:63) But look what God says about the heart which He circumcises: And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. Deut 30:6 And in the same context what does God say to those whose heart is not circumcised? But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. (Deut 29:4) Only those whose hearts opens will believe ... Only those who God FIRST turns their heart of stone to a heart of flesh will believe (Ezek 36:26). No one believes while their heart is still stone. And if a heart is no longer stone then their is nothing left of resistance in it because God has already softened it and given it understanding. https://youtube/watch?v=LKJgC1_6NN0
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 02:30:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015