Hi, brothers and sisters.
Because I have to respond all the time to strange caricatures of Calvinism or reformed faith, I will try to summarize it here.
First I apologize for my English.
Second, I am not an "American Calvinist", so my views can be mixed somehow with the central European influences of theology and views. Sorry for that. But still, I think that my points will be agreed by most of the other Calvinists here on CC.
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1. We are not saying we do not have a choice
- if God will judge us for our deeds (both good and evil), we must have a choice
- we are only saying that, we, as a fallen human race, incline towards evil [choices]
2. When we say we do not have a free will, we are not saying we do not have any will at all.
- we are only saying that our will is not perfect enough to be called "free"
- we, as any created beings, are subjected to countless influences we have no control over and they make us "freely" decide this or that way
3. We are not saying that the elect ones will be saved no matter what they do
- we are saying that they will do everything what is needed to be done
- because God's predestination is not just about the end, it is also about the whole journey from the Big Bang -> every predestined end has its predestined chain of reactions
4. When we say that we do not have a free will, we are not saying that we are robots
- no inclination equals pre-programming
- predestination makes events certain, but not necessary
- we are making our own choices base on our desires, inclinations, experiences etc -> without a grace of God, we are making worldly choices
5. So why to preach the Gospel?
- for the elect ones so they can hear it and respond positively and be saved
- for the non-elect ones it is a preaching of the coming judgement
6. "But Calvin did this or that, his opinions were... and he killed several people"
- by "Calvinism" we just distinguish our theological view from the other ones, mainly the "Arminian" one
- most of us have no idea about the life and teaching of Calvin (yeah, I have, but it does not influence my "Calvinism" much)
7. John 3:16 says nothing relevant to Calvinism/free will debate
- it only says that who believes, will be saved, which is what we accept fully
- read also context - about a need to be born from above, then the real faith comes
------
If you have any other questions, I will try to respond shortly and simply, without a load of theology and verses.
Because I have to respond all the time to strange caricatures of Calvinism or reformed faith, I will try to summarize it here.
First I apologize for my English.
Second, I am not an "American Calvinist", so my views can be mixed somehow with the central European influences of theology and views. Sorry for that. But still, I think that my points will be agreed by most of the other Calvinists here on CC.
=============================
1. We are not saying we do not have a choice
- if God will judge us for our deeds (both good and evil), we must have a choice
- we are only saying that, we, as a fallen human race, incline towards evil [choices]
2. When we say we do not have a free will, we are not saying we do not have any will at all.
- we are only saying that our will is not perfect enough to be called "free"
- we, as any created beings, are subjected to countless influences we have no control over and they make us "freely" decide this or that way
3. We are not saying that the elect ones will be saved no matter what they do
- we are saying that they will do everything what is needed to be done
- because God's predestination is not just about the end, it is also about the whole journey from the Big Bang -> every predestined end has its predestined chain of reactions
4. When we say that we do not have a free will, we are not saying that we are robots
- no inclination equals pre-programming
- predestination makes events certain, but not necessary
- we are making our own choices base on our desires, inclinations, experiences etc -> without a grace of God, we are making worldly choices
5. So why to preach the Gospel?
- for the elect ones so they can hear it and respond positively and be saved
- for the non-elect ones it is a preaching of the coming judgement
6. "But Calvin did this or that, his opinions were... and he killed several people"
- by "Calvinism" we just distinguish our theological view from the other ones, mainly the "Arminian" one
- most of us have no idea about the life and teaching of Calvin (yeah, I have, but it does not influence my "Calvinism" much)
7. John 3:16 says nothing relevant to Calvinism/free will debate
- it only says that who believes, will be saved, which is what we accept fully
- read also context - about a need to be born from above, then the real faith comes
------
If you have any other questions, I will try to respond shortly and simply, without a load of theology and verses.
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