Monday, April 28, 2014

DOES CALVINISM BELIEVE PEOPLE WERE CREATED UNEQUALLY?

By: John Hendryx. Original post here

Visitor: It seems that Calvinism believes that all were not created equally but that some were preordained to eternal life and some to eternal damnation. Aren't there some moral problems with this view point?
Response: First I think it is important to note that the Bible teaches that ALL men are EQUALLY guilty of sin so it would be just if God saved no one. If anyone is saved it is pure unconditional mercy. If anyone is damned it is justice. God is not a respecter of persons so He does not choose people based on ANY advantage, merit, good will or virtue He sees in them. And he did not damn them apart from the fact that they were sinners.
In what may seem ironic to some, it is actually the non-Augustinian/non-Calvinist who believes NOT ALL were created EQUALLY .. since in such views they must ascribe their repenting and believing to their own wisdom, humility, sound judgement or good sense (at least partly) and not to Christ alone. In other words, synergists have to concede that they believe in Jesus and their neighbor doesn't because of some native wisdom they have that their neighbor doesn't. This means that skeptics of 'grace alone' believe God's love is CONDITIONAL... we must meet a condition if we are to trigger God's love toward us so that He will save us. But the Bible does not teach grace is a reward for faith but the cause of it.
In Calvinism God's love for his people is unconditional. He determines to save a people for Himself (which he has predestined in love Eph. 1:4-5) out of the mass of ill-deserving sinners in spite of our rebellion and hardened will. In Christ he does for us what we were unwilling to do for ourselves and He gives us everything we need for salvation, including a new heart to believe (Deut 29:4, 30:6; John 6:63-65). We believe BECAUSE of grace, not in order to obtain grace.
In this view no one is chosen because they are better but because of His sovereign good pleasure. There is no better reason in the universe than that. Can you think of any?

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