Define what you call sovereign. Earthly kings can be sovereign over their earthly kingdom. God is far above that. He is almighty God.
Calvinism is Gospel !
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Sounds to me like the light of the gospel can penetrate the darkness of the lost and loosen the grip of Satan.
“Absolute Predestination” by Jerome Zanchius (1516-1590) - This large book is admittedly not for quick, superficial reading!
I.—With respect to THE DIVINE WISDOM AND FOREKNOWLEDGE, I shall lay down the following positions:—
POSITION 1.—God is, and always was so perfectly wise, that nothing ever did, or does, or can elude His knowledge. He knew, from all eternity, not only what He Himself intended to do, but also what He would incline and permit others to do. "Known unto God are all His works (ap aiwnoV) from eternity" (Acts 15.18).
POSITION 2.—Consequently, God knows nothing now, nor will know anything hereafter, which He did not know and foresee from everlasting, His foreknowledge being co-eternal with Himself, and extending to everything that is or shall be done (Heb. 4.13). All things, which comprises past, present and future, are naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
POSITION 3.—This foreknowledge of God is not conjectural and uncertain (for then it would not be foreknowledge), but most sure and infallible, so that whatever He foreknows to be future shall necessarily and undoubtedly come to pass. For His knowledge can no more be frustrated, or His wisdom be deceived, than He can cease to be God. Nay, could either of these be the case, He actually would cease to be God, all mistake and disappointment being absolutely incompatible with the Divine nature.
POSITION 4.—The influence which the Divine foreknowledge has on the certain futurition of the things foreknown does not render the intervention of second causes needless, nor destroy the nature of the things themselves.
My meaning is, that the prescience of God does not lay any coercive necessity on the wills of beings naturally free. For instance, man, even in his fallen state, is endued with a natural freedom of will, yet he acts, from the first to the last moment of his life, in absolute subserviency (though, perhaps, he does not know it nor design it) to the purposes and decrees of God concerning him, notwithstanding which, he is sensible of no compulsion, but acts as freely and voluntarily as if he was sui juris, subject to no control and absolutely lord of himself. This made Luther, after he had shown how all things necessarily and inevitably come to pass, in consequence of the sovereign will and infallible foreknowledge of God, say that "we should carefully distinguish between a necessity of infallibility and a necessity of coaction, since both good and evil men, though by their actions they fulfill the decree and appointment of God, yet are not forcibly constrained to do any thing, but act willingly."
POSITION 5.—God's foreknowledge, taken abstractedly, is not the sole cause of beings and events, but His will and foreknowledge together. Hence we find (Acts 2.23) that His determinate counsel and foreknowledge act in concert, the latter resulting from and being founded on the former.
TrueCovenanter.com: The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination
Using “Find on Page” you can find 32 mentions and quotes of Augustine in this book, and 31 mentions and quotes from Luther. Calvin is NOT quoted, but this statement is made:
“Christian predestinarians are for keeping together what God hath joined. He who is for attaining the end without going to it through the means is a self-deluding enthusiast. He, on the other hand, who carefully and conscientiously uses the means of salvation as steps to the end is the true Calvinist.”
I.—With respect to THE DIVINE WISDOM AND FOREKNOWLEDGE, I shall lay down the following positions:—
POSITION 1.—God is, and always was so perfectly wise, that nothing ever did, or does, or can elude His knowledge. He knew, from all eternity, not only what He Himself intended to do, but also what He would incline and permit others to do. "Known unto God are all His works (ap aiwnoV) from eternity" (Acts 15.18).
POSITION 2.—Consequently, God knows nothing now, nor will know anything hereafter, which He did not know and foresee from everlasting, His foreknowledge being co-eternal with Himself, and extending to everything that is or shall be done (Heb. 4.13). All things, which comprises past, present and future, are naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
POSITION 3.—This foreknowledge of God is not conjectural and uncertain (for then it would not be foreknowledge), but most sure and infallible, so that whatever He foreknows to be future shall necessarily and undoubtedly come to pass. For His knowledge can no more be frustrated, or His wisdom be deceived, than He can cease to be God. Nay, could either of these be the case, He actually would cease to be God, all mistake and disappointment being absolutely incompatible with the Divine nature.
POSITION 4.—The influence which the Divine foreknowledge has on the certain futurition of the things foreknown does not render the intervention of second causes needless, nor destroy the nature of the things themselves.
My meaning is, that the prescience of God does not lay any coercive necessity on the wills of beings naturally free. For instance, man, even in his fallen state, is endued with a natural freedom of will, yet he acts, from the first to the last moment of his life, in absolute subserviency (though, perhaps, he does not know it nor design it) to the purposes and decrees of God concerning him, notwithstanding which, he is sensible of no compulsion, but acts as freely and voluntarily as if he was sui juris, subject to no control and absolutely lord of himself. This made Luther, after he had shown how all things necessarily and inevitably come to pass, in consequence of the sovereign will and infallible foreknowledge of God, say that "we should carefully distinguish between a necessity of infallibility and a necessity of coaction, since both good and evil men, though by their actions they fulfill the decree and appointment of God, yet are not forcibly constrained to do any thing, but act willingly."
POSITION 5.—God's foreknowledge, taken abstractedly, is not the sole cause of beings and events, but His will and foreknowledge together. Hence we find (Acts 2.23) that His determinate counsel and foreknowledge act in concert, the latter resulting from and being founded on the former.
TrueCovenanter.com: The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination
Using “Find on Page” you can find 32 mentions and quotes of Augustine in this book, and 31 mentions and quotes from Luther. Calvin is NOT quoted, but this statement is made:
“Christian predestinarians are for keeping together what God hath joined. He who is for attaining the end without going to it through the means is a self-deluding enthusiast. He, on the other hand, who carefully and conscientiously uses the means of salvation as steps to the end is the true Calvinist.”
Of course He is. In the same way, God is a King, but He is far above any earthly king:
(Psa 10:16 NKJV) The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land.
I would define God's sovereignty as His absolute authority and power over all of His creation.
Do you have a scripture for this, we are talking about initial, saving, simple faith?
Thats regeneration/salvation. God commanded it and its an effectual work. How can someone stop God from commanding something to be done ? When God commanded in creation Let there be light, could the light not shined in the darkness dispelling the darkness, so thats a creation, God created light -Gen 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
So if God commands light into our heart, we believe ! All the more reason to give God and not freewill the credit for believing in Christ.
When does God know you according to Galatians 4?
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
There is a point in time when God knows someone. Obviously, it's not before the foundation of the world.
That's the same power the gospel can have on anyone who is in darkness. Anyone! Please do not limit the power of God to a few so called elect group.
Biblically, that's almighty. Calvin's sovereignty is defined as all things that are and that occur are ordained by God. He even stated that God is the author of sin. No thanks.
Let's stick with almighty.
Might have more to say later, will just say a few things now....
i feel grateful to the couple of Calvinists who so willingly answered many of my questions back in Spring '24, when absolute belief in God hit me like a bolt from the blue. Strongly leaned to Calvinism at the time, which i don't now but still see plenty of probable truth and logic too in it.
Thing is, i don't lean to any religion or belief system, 1st Century Christianity is what appeals to me. I don't go for all the dogma and rituals in what we call religions, to me it's about growing in knowledge and love of the LORD/encouraging each other in the LORD, particularly if someone is finding things tough etc. Think it's really important to help brothers and sisters in the LORD, who have problems which could cause discouragement, or worse!
Still think there are some real truths in Calvinism but it definitely isn't the Gospel. Personally certain many of Calvin's thoughts were reactions to the massive abuse of papal power he witnessed, there's much evidence demonstrating the will of powerful people being done during that time, not God's will. Being Christian is all that matters and it doesn't come in different flavours, the LORD provides all the information we need and can trust.
i feel grateful to the couple of Calvinists who so willingly answered many of my questions back in Spring '24, when absolute belief in God hit me like a bolt from the blue. Strongly leaned to Calvinism at the time, which i don't now but still see plenty of probable truth and logic too in it.
Thing is, i don't lean to any religion or belief system, 1st Century Christianity is what appeals to me. I don't go for all the dogma and rituals in what we call religions, to me it's about growing in knowledge and love of the LORD/encouraging each other in the LORD, particularly if someone is finding things tough etc. Think it's really important to help brothers and sisters in the LORD, who have problems which could cause discouragement, or worse!
Still think there are some real truths in Calvinism but it definitely isn't the Gospel. Personally certain many of Calvin's thoughts were reactions to the massive abuse of papal power he witnessed, there's much evidence demonstrating the will of powerful people being done during that time, not God's will. Being Christian is all that matters and it doesn't come in different flavours, the LORD provides all the information we need and can trust.
Dont worry about me. Worry about yourself. Do you understand post 1450 and what God did ?
God bless, I could believe every point of Calvinism and not call myself a Calvinist. That's man's religion.
Anyone God chooses. If a person never believes the Gospel, God never did that to them ! He left them in their blind lost condition 2 Cor 4:3-4
Tulip is the Gospel whether or not one calls them a calvinist or not.
Sorry to break it to you, but I'm to preach the cross. I know I was saved before I was born. God has revealed that, hence my signature. But I DON'T KNOW who belongs to him and we don't judge to the end. So we preach the cross. Should I preach the gospel of Calvinism? Never in a million years, I know who saved me.
1 Corinthians 3
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
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