A BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF CALVINISM

Amen .....been saying that on here for a while and unbiased translators agree.

>>>God is just using his tools to make it happen in the way and in the time that is the right for the best interests of all creation. <<<

Gee, yeah, trying to figure out how Davids adulterous sin and later murder and the death of a child is right for the best interests of all creation." Yeah, . . . no . . . sorry, doesn't compute. And my 'wow, this really makes sense' needle is all the way over to the left.

Pretermined, predestinated, prewhatever . . . same things.

Its not on you to figure it out. You are not the architect of the Universe/Multiverse. That your small human brain cannot grasp the depths of God's wisdom, is not a proof of anything.

Neither are you the 'architect' but you sure seem to have it all figured out. It must be nice to have all that knowledge so straighten out us little people.

Neither are you the 'architect' but you sure seem to have it all figured out. It must be nice to have all that knowledge so straighten out us little people.

Of course God wants an intimate relationship with us. That is another very important aspect of prayer. However, our prayer doesn't change His Mind. Did it change His Mind in David's case?

Now I know the classic example of God changing His Mind over fasting, prayer and repentance is Jonah, but I think we need to look closely at the text.
Jonah 4:4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.

Jonah KNEW God was gonna spare Nineveh. That's exactly WHY he didn't want to deliver the message to them. The Assyrians were brutal and had destroyed the Northern Kingdom. Torturing and enslaving many Jews. THAT'S why Jonah didn't want to go.

God explained to him pretty well what He thought of Jonah's lack of desire to fulfill His Plan in the belly of a whale!

Of course God wants an intimate relationship with us. That is another very important aspect of prayer. However, our prayer doesn't change His Mind. Did it change His Mind in David's case?

God only wants us to pray for relationship sake? Why pray for the sick? Why pray for the salvation of a loved one?

Well, of course we can't pray for our lost loved ones if they are not in the Elect super club . . . won't do no good. God does not like them so neither should we. yea?

You cannot pray for your loved ones if you do not belive in that faith is a gift or in God's soveiregnity, because God cannot change their will or heart.

You can pray for your loved ones if you are a calvinist because you know that God heard your prayers before the world was created and took it into consideration of whom to elect.

You cannot pray for your loved ones if you do not belive in election or in God's soveiregnity, because God cannot change their will or heart.

You can pray for your loved ones if you are a calvinist because you know that God heard your prayers before the world was created and took it into consideration of whom to elect.

I pray that the gospel would penetrate their hearts

I pray that circumstances around them would show them their need for Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it's their choice. I can, however, pray for the proper seed to be laid and the watering of that seed.

Actually, Jonah knew that if he preached the message of destruction to Nineveh, that Nineveh might believe God and in turn cry out to Him to spare them of this destruction. Jonah knew this was a possibility, so he headed in the opposite direction.

God had every intention of destroying Nineveh. He declared it to be. God changed His mind and did not destroy them based upon their believing His word their repentance.

PS: Jonah spent three days in hell, but that's for another discussion.

God only wants us to pray for relationship sake? Why pray for the sick? Why pray for the salvation of a loved one?

You can pray for your loved ones if you are a calvinist because you know that God heard your prayers before the world was created

I read people say faith comes from hearing the Word, but not everybody believes that hears the Word. So why do some people have faith, and others don't?

WOW
Now where is THAT in the Bible?

I wanna get back to my main point in this thread. If God did not give you the faith to believe, even though that's exactly what the Bible says, where does that faith come from? Nobody answered that.

I read people say faith comes from hearing the Word, but not everybody believes that hears the Word. So why do some people have faith, and others don't?