Calvinism and Context?

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cv5

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Yeah, he stated that very poorly. I don't think they understand that believing and accepting the gift of salvation is not saving yourself.

But I'm with you if what he stated was true....I'm definitely not 1ofthem kind of "freewillers"...lol

But I'm pretty sure no one believes that they can or did some how save themselves and God don't matter.....that's just a spin and a false argument that Calvinist use.
Lol. I for one am thrilled that we have some common ground to agree upon.

By the way I'm not a Calvinist. I am plainly a Christian. I'm not following some Pied Piper.
 
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pottersclay

Guest
Starting with a few of the popular verses Calvinsm teaches in support of the T.U.L.I.P i thought it would help to show if they can be supported, not by the TULIP but with context. Often the 'keep reading principle ' reveals the issue with some of the 'proof texts 'Calvinists use that they believe supports reformed doctrines .
The ' keep reading principle ' is of course as it sounds . Often a verse or passage is read in isolation to the bigger picture.
For example Romans 9 is read without including Romans 10 and 11 .Ephesians 1 without Ephesians 2 .
And many more like this which i hope we can discuss .
The other hermeneutic is asking the observation questions . Like what is the Author trying to convey? who's the audience? what's the central theme ? is it past ,present or future focused ? Who , when , why and what questions .
And finally the observation method . What does the verses say ? not what they are presumed to teach . One method I see being used often by Calvinists is 'deductive reasoning ' . An example of this would be . An 8 year old boy is seen doing 20 back flips in a row at the park therefore all 8 year old boys can do 20 back flips in a row . The observation of course should be we observe that this is not the case and that this boy is probably trained at gymnastics from a young age . This is done with the bible in that for example God opens Lydia's heart that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. This does not necessarily mean God always does this to everyone in the same way all the time. Other examples could be David numbering Israel , The drawing in John 6.44 ; Paul's conversion experience ect .

Ok starting with 2 thes 2.13 no prizes as to how this may be used to support Calvinsm. But let's see .
13¶But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Thoughts ?
I take this as Paul is trying to relate more on a personal level.....not as the church as a whole but more Mano amano. Something to consider like in jobs comment "why is God mindful of man" (lose paraphrase).
 

1ofthem

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Amen!!...neither can I.
Agreed no one save themselves. Salvation is a gift from God. He sent his Son so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish. He already made the way and paid the price so all we have to do is accept or not. Scripture says that whosoever shall call upon him shall be saved.

Romans 10: 13
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
 

cv5

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And this is clearly refuted...

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

No need to suppress truth if one cannot be affected by it and have the ability to believe it.
A yes or no answer would would suffice. Let me limit the question further and make it more simple for you:

1) Yes an unsaved person does possess sufficient faith to apprehend the gospel and subsequently salvation.
2) No an unsaved person does not process sufficient faith........(and so on and so forth)

A simple yes or no answer will suffice thank you.
 
May 19, 2020
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Agreed no one save themselves. Salvation is a gift from God. He sent his Son so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish. He already made the way and paid the price so all we have to do is accept or not. Scripture says that whosoever shall call upon him shall be saved.

Romans 10: 13
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Ephesians 1:4

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be Holy and blameless in his sight.In love.


Romans 8:16

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s s Children.

God brought me to belief..I did not bring myself....I could never believe in my own strength....only in God’ s strength.......I have no strength to believe.he chose and drew me.
 

1ofthem

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Lol. I for one am thrilled that we have some common ground to agree upon.

By the way I'm not a Calvinist. I am plainly a Christian. I'm not following some Pied Piper.
Lol...Ok, that is good to know...still somethings we don't agree on. I don't have a lot of time to post, but I am following some of the conversation. Maybe if time permits we can discuss more later.
 

cv5

Well-known member
Nov 20, 2018
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I take this as Paul is trying to relate more on a personal level.....not as the church as a whole but more Mano amano. Something to consider like in jobs comment "why is God mindful of man" (lose paraphrase).
Speaking of Job, he and his friends went through many many chapters making assumptions about the character of God, presuming to know His will and so on and so forth.

Of course all of this didn't amount to a hill of beans. God did not agree with any of them and He certainly did not offer any explanations or excuses. God's response was in part was I know what I'm doing......don't even bother asking.

You may or may not get the connection but that's one of the reasons I tend toward the
election-foreordination-predestination line of thinking.
 
E

EleventhHour

Guest
A yes or no answer would would suffice. Let me limit the question further and make it more simple for you:

1) Yes an unsaved person does possess sufficient faith to apprehend the gospel and subsequently salvation.
2) No an unsaved person does not process sufficient faith........(and so on and so forth)

A simple yes or no answer will suffice thank you.
Perhaps you can just deal with this scripture...and how it refutes total inability.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

No need to suppress truth if one cannot be affected by it and have the ability to believe it.
 

cv5

Well-known member
Nov 20, 2018
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Perhaps you can just deal with this scripture...and how it refutes total inability.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

No need to suppress truth if one cannot be affected by it and have the ability to believe it.
Sorry that Scripture really doesn't fit into what I am trying to establish.

So may I ask again: what is your response to that question?
Yes or no?
 

1ofthem

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2016
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Ephesians 1:4

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be Holy and blameless in his sight.In love.


Romans 8:16

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s s Children.

God brought me to belief..I did not bring myself....I could never believe in my own strength....only in God’ s strength.......I have no strength to believe.he chose and drew me.
I believe that he did choose us in Jesus Christ to be holy and blameless in his sight. They only way to be holy and blameless is through the blood of Jesus. I believe that Jesus died for us and that we have to believe and accept him. God knows the end from the beginning, though.

And yes the Spirit does testify to our spirit that we are God's children after we our saved.... all of that is scripture and is true.

I think where we differ, is that I believe that God draws everyone. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men to me. He also said the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of judgement and of righteousness. To me this is enabling the whole world to come to belief...if they will accept.

Hopefully this makes since. Anyhow like I said, I don't have a whole lot of time to discuss right now, though. Hopefully later.
 
May 19, 2020
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I believe that he did choose us in Jesus Christ to be holy and blameless in his sight. They only way to be holy and blameless is through the blood of Jesus. I believe that Jesus died for us and that we have to believe and accept him. God knows the end from the beginning, though.

And yes the Spirit does testify to our spirit that we are God's children after we our saved.... all of that is scripture and is true.

I think where we differ, is that I believe that God draws everyone. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men to me. He also said the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of judgement and of righteousness. To me this is enabling the whole world to come to belief...if they will accept.

Hopefully this makes since. Anyhow like I said, I don't have a whole lot of time to discuss right now, though. Hopefully later.


He testified to your spirit after you were saved?..how does that work?




He testified to my spirit,right on my saving,my spirit recognised the Holy Spirit instantly.adopted there and then.His Child.
 
Apr 2, 2020
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Speaking of Job, he and his friends went through many many chapters making assumptions about the character of God, presuming to know His will and so on and so forth.

Of course all of this didn't amount to a hill of beans. God did not agree with any of them and He certainly did not offer any explanations or excuses. God's response was in part was I know what I'm doing......don't even bother asking.

You may or may not get the connection but that's one of the reasons I tend toward the
election-foreordination-predestination line of thinking.
You're missing so much in Job. There certainly was a degree of ignorance being spoken, but God's answer to Job wasn't to deny accountability. In fact God coming to answer for Himself affirms our ability to hold God to His character.

One of the things that is easily missed about that book is it is structured like a ANE trial with Job's 3 friends in the role of prosecutor. Then Job makes a sworn declaration of innocence which requires God to make an accusation. In steps Elihu who declares that he is speaking for God and holds up God's majesty and Job's lowliness as grounds for God not answering Job and Elihu accuses Job of sinning.

So what does God do? He answers Job and doesn't accuse him. Instead God presents the manner in which He cares for creation and arranges grand and small details to demonstrate that nothing escapes His notice. God in essence affirms Job's statements of innocence, though censuring him for some of his speech that was done in ignorance. God's argument is not "you are too lowly to question me," but rather "do you think anything escapes my notice?"

Yet as I predicted earlier your view is more in line with Elihu than Job, as you presume to speak for God.
 
May 19, 2020
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I believe that he did choose us in Jesus Christ to be holy and blameless in his sight. They only way to be holy and blameless is through the blood of Jesus. I believe that Jesus died for us and that we have to believe and accept him. God knows the end from the beginning, though.

And yes the Spirit does testify to our spirit that we are God's children after we our saved.... all of that is scripture and is true.

I think where we differ, is that I believe that God draws everyone. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men to me. He also said the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of judgement and of righteousness. To me this is enabling the whole world to come to belief...if they will accept.

Hopefully this makes since. Anyhow like I said, I don't have a whole lot of time to discuss right now, though. Hopefully later.


Can you show me in scripture,where it says,God testifies to our Spirit that we are his children after we are saved?...that doesn’t make sense to me.
 
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EleventhHour

Guest
A yes or no answer would would suffice. Let me limit the question further and make it more simple for you:

1) Yes an unsaved person does possess sufficient faith to apprehend the gospel and subsequently salvation.
2) No an unsaved person does not process sufficient faith........(and so on and so forth)

A simple yes or no answer will suffice thank you.
I found this while looking up predestination on Google to have a good sense of this Calvinist dogma... I found this post
(from 2014 :)) which hits ALL points you raise.
Notice all men given a measure of faith>>> the ability to believe.

Used with permission I hope.:)

I agree and will add...the problem with the Calvinistic approach to predestination is five fold....

1. The grace of God that brings salvation has shined down upon all mankind
2. God has dealt to every man a measure of faith

3. God would have ALL men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth
4. Creation testifies...day unto day and night unto night and no language where their voice is not heard
5. The invisible things testify to the power of God and the Godhead

The above five cannot be true if some men had no choice in the matter.....ALL men have the same opportunity and MANY CALLED, but few are chosen.......!

The pre-determined will of God before the casting down of the world is evident....

1. All who come to him through Christ and in a biblical manner will be received
2. All who reject Jesus and or refuse to exercise faith will be rejected

Narrow is the door--->only thru Jesus and few will trust this path
Broad is the way to hell--->most will take this path

God knows who will believe and who will not believe and will call/harden according to the choice a man will make which is known before the man/woman comes into existence!
 
May 19, 2020
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You're missing so much in Job. There certainly was a degree of ignorance being spoken, but God's answer to Job wasn't to deny accountability. In fact God coming to answer for Himself affirms our ability to hold God to His character.

One of the things that is easily missed about that book is it is structured like a ANE trial with Job's 3 friends in the role of prosecutor. Then Job makes a sworn declaration of innocence which requires God to make an accusation. In steps Elihu who declares that he is speaking for God and holds up God's majesty and Job's lowliness as grounds for God not answering Job and Elihu accuses Job of sinning.

So what does God do? He answers Job and doesn't accuse him. Instead God presents the manner in which He cares for creation and arranges grand and small details to demonstrate that nothing escapes His notice. God in essence affirms Job's statements of innocence, though censuring him for some of his speech that was done in ignorance. God's argument is not "you are too lowly to question me," but rather "do you think anything escapes my notice?"

Yet as I predicted earlier your view is more in line with Elihu than Job, as you presume to speak for God.

I see nowhere where cv,said he speaks for God...can you show me where he said that....or have I misread your post?
 

cv5

Well-known member
Nov 20, 2018
23,004
8,373
113
I believe that he did choose us in Jesus Christ to be holy and blameless in his sight. They only way to be holy and blameless is through the blood of Jesus. I believe that Jesus died for us and that we have to believe and accept him. God knows the end from the beginning, though.

And yes the Spirit does testify to our spirit that we are God's children after we our saved.... all of that is scripture and is true.

I think where we differ, is that I believe that God draws everyone. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men to me. He also said the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of judgement and of righteousness. To me this is enabling the whole world to come to belief...if they will accept.

Hopefully this makes since. Anyhow like I said, I don't have a whole lot of time to discuss right now, though. Hopefully later.
We should endeavor to learn about John 12:32 "all men" far better than we do now.
That term "all" is one of the most open to misuse in all of scripture in my opinion.
Myself I have only the slipperiest of grips on the term "all". Still trying to learn more about that term.

https://biblehub.com/greek/3956.htm

3956 /pás ("each, every") means "all" in the sense of "each (every) part that applies." The emphasis of the total picture then is on "one piece at a time." 365 (ananeóō) then focuses on the part(s) making up the whole – viewing the whole in terms of the individual parts.


"This does away completely also with the Arminian argument where they point to John 12, where Jesus says "when I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself". While we already demonstrated that "draw him" (John6 v. 44) is parallel with "gives me" (John6v. 37) because it is spoken in the same context with multiple parallelisms so we concluded that ALL the Father gives (draws to) Christ come to him. But the Arminain must reach outside of this passage (out of context) to a completely different situation where Greeks approach Jesus. There is no indication that Jesus is referring to the same issue. In fact, when read in context, Jesus is telling them that he is fulfilling the promise to Abraham that he would become a father of many nations. Not only Jews but gentiles will be included, so Jesus is establishing that He will draw (not all men without exception) but all men without distinction (Jews and Gentiles). He is announcing that his coming coincides with the expansion of God's kingdom to include Gentiles, in large measure."
 
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EleventhHour

Guest
Can you show me in scripture,where it says,God testifies to our Spirit after we are saved?...that doesn’t make sense to me.
Being born again is regeneration/eternal life. The Holy Spirit does not indwell a non-believer ... that is plain wrong.

This occurs after belief, not before.

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus in John 3.
 
Apr 2, 2020
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I see nowhere where cv,said he speaks for God...can you show me where he said that....or have I misread your post?
He routinely tries to shut down conversation by challenging our right to question, placing himself and his doctrine in the position of God. The post I quoted has an underlying implication of that.
 
May 19, 2020
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Being born again is regeneration/eternal life. The Holy Spirit does not indwell a non-believer ... that is plain wrong.

This occurs after belief, not before.

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus in John 3.

Show me the scripture please....God testifies to our spirit that we are his child after we are saved..that is what he said.

Also,you don’t understand what it means,when God testifies to our Spirit that we are his child...how else would we know were his child....without testifying it to our Spirit.

Who said the Holy Spirit dwell a non believer?
.
 
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EleventhHour

Guest
Show me the scripture please....God testifies to our spirit that we are his child after we are saved..that is what he said.

Also,you don’t understand what it means,when God testifies to our Spirit that we are his child...how else would we know were his child....without testifying it to our Spirit.

.
I just showed you the sequence.
And please do not tell me what I do and do not understand.

The Holy Spirit does NOT indwell a non born again person ................and testifying to our spirit is about being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, which confirms our new birth.

This is does not happen prior to belief.
 
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