Is unconditional election biblical?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Is unconditional election biblical?

  • Yes, unconditional election is biblical.

    Votes: 23 43.4%
  • No , unconditional election is not biblical.

    Votes: 27 50.9%
  • I don't know.

    Votes: 3 5.7%

  • Total voters
    53
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
i looked at the context in which the choice meats thing was said by leighton flowers surprise james whitelie clipped that really well. same with the other accusation. if you listen to leighton flowers order of salvation sermon you will get it.

but calvinists never will.

absolutely right

just like what they do right here

I noticed that right off but have not had the time to post about it

are you surprised? nope. me either
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
We are not robots or puppets my friend. But in our lost state, we were God-hating, rebellious sinners.

Romans 8:5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those who are according to the flesh are lost folk. They, as Paul described, have their minds centered upon the flesh, their mind centered on the flesh is death, are hostile with God, and it does not subject itself to the Law if God, and is unable to do so, even if they tried, and these in the flesh can not please God. Why not? Without faith, it’s impossible to please God[Hebrews 11:6]

Those who are according to the Spirit, are the saved folk. They have their minds upon the Spirit, they have life and peace, they have their minds upon the Law of God, and can please Him, seeing they have faith, which does please God.

at 5 years old, when I accepted Christ, I did not hate God. In fact, I had never heard about Him

everyone does not hate God. Many have never heard...which the Bible clearly indicates

I remember one young man who had never heard and when he learned...and I needed a translator cause at the time my French was not that good...he accepted Jesus and even spoke in tongues. He stood at the altar with tears streaming down his face and hands upraised praising God. He had never heard before

like the Bible says...How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? Romans 10:14

everyone does not hate God. actually, they would have to know about Him in order to hate Him

that total depravity thing just does not fly
 
U

UnderGrace

Guest
Yes so I was assuming that if your definition came from scripture then equally your unbelief in free will was from scripture. Just trying to understand because it is one thing to deny free will and usually the alternative is God's absolute control. Self will was a new term so I was trying to understand either the human is free or not. Cannot be both.

Very true. The choice to respond is mankind's responsibility.
Free will apart form all constraints/determinants only existed prior to the fall.
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
John Calvin quote, “The fall of Adam and Eve and all it’s consequences was the admirable council of God at work.”

This is the man they follow. A man who believed that God is the author of sin.

isn't that absolutely horrible?

and then they deny believing it

I guess they need to take it up with Calvin :cautious:
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
But no one can know the Christ but via the word of God. That’s the thrust of Paul’s writing in Romans 10:14-17.

if I could have put a dozen x's on this particular post I would have

then again, you guys are cessationists after all so what would I expect

if you have the Holy Spirit indwelling, and when a person accepts Christ they are sealed with the Spirit of God, how can you possibly assert that God is only outside of you in a book?
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
Well that's not what God says:
Genesis 2:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you[a] shall surely die.”

Adam and Eve spiritually died on that day. They weren't sick, or marred, or disfigured. God said THEY DIED.

Again. It's the WHOLE reason Jesus Christ had to come and die for us. This is important stuff that we realize we are of the fallen, spiritually dead seed of Adam. We are NOT His Children UNTIL we are born again.

we are still a tripartite being

we are cut off from the realtionship God wishes for His creation, but still as we were

death...spiritual and physical...consequences of the fall

saying they died does not mean they were somehow now devoid of a spirit

how does God send a person to eternal punishment if they have no spirit?

ummm...no one said that we are belonging to God prior to salvation...at least I didn't see that if they did
 

PennEd

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
12,956
8,671
113
we are still a tripartite being

we are cut off from the realtionship God wishes for His creation, but still as we were

death...spiritual and physical...consequences of the fall

saying they died does not mean they were somehow now devoid of a spirit

how does God send a person to eternal punishment if they have no spirit?

ummm...no one said that we are belonging to God prior to salvation...at least I didn't see that if they did
These are good and fair points. I will consider them.

My first thought without digging too deep is that I agree, even the lost are not spiritless. But of what spirit? You rightly point out that we will die physically. But we will also die spiritually if we are not born again. So the million dollar question remains. How can a fallen, sinful, spirit, that is born in ADAM'S image, be able to choose for themselves to be born again. I respect that some think they can. I just don't see it.

From God's perspective Adam and Eve died the day they disobeyed. He views 1 day as a thousand yrs, and neither made it quite to 1000 yrs old. So we either have to say God didn't really mean they die, He just means their hearts were sick, or we accept that they died that day.

Scripture doesn't talk about fixing our dead fleshly heart. It says we will be given a NEW heart. Made a NEW creation.
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
16,658
3,540
113
How can a fallen, sinful, spirit, that is born in ADAM'S image, be able to choose for themselves to be born again.
That’s exactly why one would repent and call upon the Lord for salvation.
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
16,658
3,540
113
Do Calvinists believe in repentance?
 

PennEd

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
12,956
8,671
113
Do Calvinists believe in repentance?
If you are referring to me, I have never considered myself a calvinist, and of course you must repent.

But I believe the repentance we must have is of dead works to earn Salvation. Recognizing that there is NOTHING a person can do to save themselves.

Once we are born again, the Holy Spirit will empower us to repent of every other sin. But of course we know that this process of sanctification lasts until we receive our incorruptible bodies.
 

PennEd

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
12,956
8,671
113
That’s exactly why one would repent and call upon the Lord for salvation.
Well that's just what all the hub bub is about. Why do YOU believe, and Joe Schmo down the street doesn't?


Because you are so smart and full of wisdom, or because God gifted you the faith to believe?

(BOTH BTW, would be gifts from God, so that no man could boast)
 

Melach

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2019
2,026
1,512
113
that total depravity thing just does not fly
i will disprove not only total depravity, but also the misusing of ephesians 2:1 (etc). they say these verses proof that man is just spiritually dead and cant do anything, God needs to resurrect them before they can hear and believe gospel. but this is not what bible means with dead spiritually, that they cant think anymore.

the parable of the prodigal son he went to the world wasted his fortune was in there with the pigs.

Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.


the father says "my son was dead and is alive again". when the son was "dead" he wasnt incapable of thinking or feeling remose, look in the story where i posted, "he came to himself" and then made up his mind said "i will arise and go to my father" and he was humble to say I have sinned against heaven and before thee. so then he goes back and Father forgives him, this is what Jesus also means when Jesus says God gives grace to the humble.


so we see being "dead" spiritually doesnt mean yo cant feel bad for your sins, repent and turn to God and be forgiven freely.
we dont even need bible to see this like seasrekeyed said. many people dont hate God they never even heard of Jesus
 

Whispered

Well-known member
Aug 17, 2019
4,551
2,229
113
www.christiancourier.com
He was using that analogy in how God elects ppl. That flies in the face of Deuteronomy 7: 7 "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. There was nothing special in those that God chose from before the creation of the world[Ephesians 1:4] that was missing in those He justly left in their sins to stand before Him on the day of judgment. What Professor Flowers was stating was that 'choice' meat draws us to them because they are the choicest of meats. He then tries to fit that analogy into how God elected those who are saved. That is not how God did it. The elect were no more 'choice' than the non-elect. God elected His ppl based upon Himself, not ourselves.
Are you not aware that the passage you cite from Deuteronomy pertains to Moses speaking to the Israelites as pertains to their future in the promised land?
 

Whispered

Well-known member
Aug 17, 2019
4,551
2,229
113
www.christiancourier.com
i will disprove not only total depravity, but also the misusing of ephesians 2:1 (etc). they say these verses proof that man is just spiritually dead and cant do anything, God needs to resurrect them before they can hear and believe gospel. but this is not what bible means with dead spiritually, that they cant think anymore.

the parable of the prodigal son he went to the world wasted his fortune was in there with the pigs.

Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,


Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.


the father says "my son was dead and is alive again". when the son was "dead" he wasnt incapable of thinking or feeling remose, look in the story where i posted, "he came to himself" and then made up his mind said "i will arise and go to my father" and he was humble to say I have sinned against heaven and before thee. so then he goes back and Father forgives him, this is what Jesus also means when Jesus says God gives grace to the humble.

so we see being "dead" spiritually doesnt mean yo cant feel bad for your sins, repent and turn to God and be forgiven freely.
we dont even need bible to see this like seasrekeyed said. many people dont hate God they never even heard of Jesus
It's easy to disprove Total Depravity. Firstly, it cannot pertain to an Omni-Benevolent Omniscient God that created man in His image and likeness.
But also, Total Depravity, as has been said by those far wiser than myself, is a new doctrine reworking old Gnosticism.
Therefore, it is not of God at all.
But think of the sin of pride the entire TULIP formula bolsters in those who are devout to it.
Calvin had people killed for disagreeing with his theology. That's some example of the Elect of God who would appear, by John's example at the very least, to remain totally depraved while thinking himself chosen.