Unfortunately you cant see how the truths of Tulip are Gospel Truths that Glorify God and His Grace.Its exactly what you represent. You can't see it or you and your theory is more important than GOD.
Unfortunately you cant see how the truths of Tulip are Gospel Truths that Glorify God and His Grace.Its exactly what you represent. You can't see it or you and your theory is more important than GOD.
No, I mean you have not given reasons for what you believe. So far, I'm not expecting you to agree with me. It is obvious that you disagree with me, but for some reason you can't say why.Right. You mean rational according to your interpretation of scripture ie: those who do not see what my obviously (cough cough) superior ability to teach everyone here can lead to.
I understand that the opponents of Calvinism accuse it of being fatalistic. If God's choice is prenatal. then it doesn't matter what a person does. Thus, it is fatalistic. But the teachers of the Reformed doctrine do not argue that it doesn't matter. They argue the opposite. It DOES matter what they do.It does. And I hope and pray you are blind to it and not willingly pushing it.
The problem here is not disagreement but the refusal to participate in an actual theological conversation. If you want to offer sound reasons for your view of John 3:16, you are welcome to do so. But yelling down from the peanut gallery contributes nothing edifying or clarifying. Reformed theology does not deny that Christ is the Savior of the world; it explains how His saving work is applied. If you have arguments, you can present them. If you prefer mockery, then you have chosen not to be a participant in the discussion at all.John 3:16 @Roger316 .
You paint a cartoonish picture of God........John 3:16 pictures a Savior of the WORLD......
But NOOOOOO says the calvie, He can't cover all sin and offer salvation to all......Just you and your special ones.
Give me a break, God is shaking His head at you "special ones." And we will teach you the truth in the eternal state.
There’s no question you're clever — that much is obvious from the way you frame your jabs. What’s unfortunate is seeing that cleverness spent in ways that add nothing of value to the discussion. Mockery may feel satisfying in the moment, but it never produces clarity, never advances understanding, and never helps anyone think more carefully about John 3:16 or the nature of salvation. If you want to bring that sharp mind into the conversation with actual reasons, arguments, and biblical engagement, you’d be a welcome participant. But as long as you choose to fire clever insults from the sidelines, your contributions remain non‑productive and ultimately empty.It's only mockery for calvies.
John 3:16, Acts 16:31.
The fatalistic fog IS CALVIE/REFORMED theory.
How can you guys not see this?..........Some of your kids are screwed in calvie theory.
In Bible truth they all have equal Privilege and equal opportunity At HIS salvation.
The Poor kids of calvie theory parents!
Thanks for your thoughtful answers.I see both sets of terminology as synonymous: offer = call; general call = permissive will; effectual call = cooperation;
initiative = invitation.
On the other hand: grace/gift and effectual calling are NOT forcing or programming. Nowhere does the NT frame God as forcing folks to believe against their will or as programming robots so they have no volition.
How can being condemned without having had the opportunity/offer/invitation to repent/be saved be just?!
I understand that the opponents of Calvinism accuse it of being fatalistic. If God's choice is prenatal. then it doesn't matter what a person does. Thus, it is fatalistic. But the teachers of the Reformed doctrine do not argue that it doesn't matter. They argue the opposite. It DOES matter what they do.
Let's look at Peter's Second Epistle. After listing a series of qualities and behaviors, he concludes:
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. 2 Peter 1:10-11Peter’s exhortation to “make certain about his calling” carries an unavoidable implication: if the qualities he has just listed are absent from my life, then I may not be among the called. For Peter, diligence, moral earnestness, and growth in virtue are not optional accessories to the Christian life; they are the visible markers of God’s saving work. What I do actually matters, because my conduct becomes the public evidence of God’s inward call. In Peter’s view, the Spirit‑produced traits he names—faith, virtue, knowledge, self‑control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love—function as identifiers. They distinguish those whom God is saving from those who merely claim to belong to Him. This is why Peter insists on effort: not because our works cause salvation, but because they confirm it. A life devoid of these markers should not presume upon election; it should reconsider its condition before God.
Did I say that God's choice was fatalistic? I don't think I did. Remember, the Bible teaches that God creates stories. Every event in a person's life is logically connected to every other event in his life. And the choices we make along the way matter within our personal story. To suggest that God saves us despite our decisions isn't fatalistic.Believing that God's choice is fatalistic and that it DOES matter what they do illustrates the curse/illogic of double-think
instead of the gift/logic of both-and/harmonization.
Peter obviously was not a tulipist.
The issue isn't whether regeneration precedes faith or vice versa. According to Jesus, all kinds of people believe God's word. The question is whether what they heard will have a lasting effect.
In Ephesians, Paul does not invite us to dissect the mechanics of whether faith comes before regeneration or regeneration before faith. Instead, he directs our attention to the activity of the Holy Spirit. The Ephesians heard the gospel, believed, and were sealed with the Spirit as the earnest of their inheritance—and that sealing is the defining mark of the saints. Paul’s emphasis is not on the order of operations but on the reality that salvation is the Spirit’s work from beginning to end. The Spirit opens the heart to believe, grants the seal of sonship, and guarantees the future inheritance. When we focus on the Spirit’s role, the debate over sequencing becomes secondary; the central truth is that salvation is a divine act of the Spirit, not a human achievement.
We often divide salvation into justification, sanctification, and glorification, and while these categories are useful for teaching, they can mislead us into thinking of salvation as a series of disconnected mileposts—places where one could theoretically “exit” the process. But Scripture never treats them that way. For Paul, these are not separate stages but one unified work of God expressed in different dimensions. The same Spirit who justifies also sanctifies, and the same Spirit who sanctifies also guarantees glorification. They are not three roads but one road; not three acts but one movement of divine grace. When we see salvation as a single Spirit‑driven reality, the question of sequencing fades, and the unity of God’s saving work comes into view.
Did I say that God's choice was fatalistic? I don't think I did. Remember, the Bible teaches that God creates stories. Every event in a person's life is logically connected to every other event in his life. And the choices we make along the way matter within our personal story. To suggest that God saves us despite our decisions isn't fatalistic.
Last Thursday I gave my testimony to the men in my Bible study, and they gave theirs. We each traced our journey through a series of events, some negative and some positive, that led up to our conversion experience. Each of our stories had one thing in common: a Holy Spirit-guided perspective on the purpose and meaning of our experiences.
M – God’s requirement for salvation (GRFS) is a Moral condition called faith, which is manifested as seeking God’s righteousness or salvation (Matt. 4:17, 7:7), which presumes/implies sufficient human volition for sinners to make them morally accountable (Rom. 1:20, Deut. 30:19, Matt. 23:37), who may become totally depraved via committing apostasy/blasphemy against the HS (per Heb. 6:4- 6, Matt. 12:31).
F – God enables all morally accountable souls sufficient Freedom to satisfy GRFS—or not because His grace is resistible, which means sinners are accountable and justly condemned when they do not repent and accept Christ’s atonement for their sins (John 3:16-18, Rom. 3:21-5:1, Heb. 9:26-28).
W – Faith is almost synonymous with Will, but volition focuses on saving faith as God’s condition for forgiveness, and cooperating with God by accepting His grace through faith is NOT meritorious or working to earn heaven or salvation by obeying moral laws (John 6:29, Eph. 2:8-10).
As for me, I will believe the MFW option.
I don't know why you would see my posts as stealth. I'm trying my best to be clear, thoughtful, and respectful. I appreciate your posts, and I hoped you appreciated mine. I hope we can continue to dialogue on important issues.Yes the issue is completely about "regeneration preceding faith" or "God giving faith to some and not others" but since it cannot be supported by scripture the tactic is to side step and go somewhere else.
You are just changing the language>> "the spirit opens the heart to believe"
This has also been dealt with (the case of Lydia) scripture does not teach particular unconditional selection for salvation.
What I read in your posts is a type of stealth TULIPISM.
I don't know why you would see my posts as stealth. I'm trying my best to be clear, thoughtful, and respectful. I appreciate your posts, and I hoped you appreciated mine. I hope we can continue to dialogue on important issues.![]()
Very funny pictures I saved them lol
No, I mean you have not given reasons for what you believe. So far, I'm not expecting you to agree with me. It is obvious that you disagree with me, but for some reason you can't say why.
The above, does not do you any favors. This is not how you address people if you actually want to discuss. You do not seem to want to do that though. Your dismissive rhetoric does not really allow for discussion.I understand your emotional reaction to what I said and why you didn't present a rational rebuttal.
At the risk of repeating myself I beg your patience. Thank-you very much for allowing me to clarify my position. I will try to use your gift wisely.You indicated that the tulipist belief that God's election was "prenatal" is fatalistic.
Now you indicate belief that suggesting God saves us despite our decisions isn't fatalistic.
Sounds fatal for those He doesn't save to me!
I’m not a tulipist, because I’m not grounding human inability in the classic doctrine of Total Depravity. My Romans work leads me to something different: Paul teaches that God has “given humanity over” to degrading passions and a depraved mind. That’s not a natural inability; it’s a judicial imprisonment. Humanity is trapped in the consequences of God’s wrath, and only God can undo that captivity. So my view isn’t the TULIP framework—it’s a Romans‑based account of divine imprisonment that requires God’s liberating action but doesn’t rely on the Calvinist categories.T – total depravity, meaning souls are unable to exercise sufficient MFW to seek salvation (contradicting Deut. 30:19, Matt. 7:7, 23:37).
I’m not a tulipist because I don’t affirm Unconditional Election in the classic Reformed sense. TULIP teaches that God chooses some for salvation without any conditions at all, including faith or repentance. But Paul’s argument in Romans 9 is different: election is grounded in God’s purpose for each life, not in the absence of conditions. The closest biblical parallel is Genesis 15, where God passes between the cuttings alone. That wasn’t “no conditions”—it was God meeting the covenant conditions Himself. So my view isn’t TULIP; it’s a Pauline, covenantal model where God fulfills the conditions required for His elect rather than eliminating conditions altogether.U – unconditional election, meaning that souls need not satisfy a divine requirement/condition such as faith or repentance, but God chooses to save some while damning the rest to hell (contradicting Eph. 2:8-10).
I’m not a tulipist because I don’t affirm TULIP’s theory of the atonement. TULIP treats the cross like a finite resource—like a gas tank that either has enough fuel for everyone or only enough for the elect. But the New Testament never depicts the cross as a resource. It depicts it as the revelation of God’s justice and the act that pleased the Father, granting Jesus the authority to advocate for whomever He chooses. The atonement isn’t a vending machine dispensing absolution; it’s the basis on which the Son intercedes. Because advocacy isn’t a limited resource, the atonement isn’t limited. That’s why my view is not TULIP’s L, and why calling me a tulipist misrepresents my actual position.L – limited atonement, meaning that Christ died to pay the penalty of sin only for elect souls (contra John 3:16, Rom. 3:21-5:1).
I’m not a tulipist because I don’t affirm Irresistible Grace. TULIP teaches that the elect cannot resist God’s saving will. But resistance to God isn’t a matter of “can’t”—it’s a matter of “won’t,” a willful rejection of God’s moral authority. When God brings someone to salvation, He doesn’t overpower their will; He re‑creates it. That’s why Paul can speak of some as “saints” and others as not—God’s election involves a creative transformation, not an irresistible force. So my view isn’t the TULIP model; it’s a narrative, Pauline model where God changes the will rather than bypassing it.I – irresistible grace, meaning that elect souls cannot resist or refuse God’s will for them to be saved (cf. Matt, 23:37, 2Thes. 2:10-13).
I’m not a tulipist because I don’t affirm Perseverance of the Saints in the TULIP sense. TULIP teaches that the elect cannot fall away because God prevents apostasy by overriding their will. But Paul doesn’t argue that the elect cannot fall away; he argues that they never will fall away. There’s a difference between inability and inevitability. Those in whom God has poured out His Spirit will not repudiate their salvation—not because they’re metaphysically incapable, but because the Spirit’s work produces a hope that “does not disappoint.” Perseverance is a matter of “won’t,” not “can’t,” and that puts my view outside the TULIP framework.P – perseverance of the saints, meaning that the elect cannot repudiate their salvation and commit apostasy/blasphemy, because God perseveres in keeping them saved (cf. Heb. 6:4-6, Matt. 12:31).
I know. But thank you again for providing me with this opportunity to clarify my position by contrasting TULIP with my beliefs. I believe in Moral Free Will, but I don't believe in autonomous free will. But I think we are on the same basic page.As for me, I will believe the MFW option.