As I mentioned in my last post, this is my 2nd least favorite point of the 5-point Calvinists. My least favorite is Limited Atonement. I think it flies in the face of Scripture more than the rest. However, this one is a close 2nd for me.
Irresistible grace is the idea that God chooses the elect, and, as God, He has enough power to save them...even against their will. There is nothing they can do to be chosen as the elect and there is nothing they can do to NOT be chosen as the elect. I know that we are anti-will kind of people. If it has to do with my will, then it's all about me! Right?
The first problem is that if God did this, why would He only choose some? Yes, He is all-just, I get it. But if He chose to apply salvation this way, by force, why would He only force some and not everyone? From last time: He could force everyone to get out of the pond instead of letting some people die.
Here is the analogy that was given that helped me articulate my problem with this doctrine.
A man is in love. He goes to the woman and say, "I love you. I love you so much, I want you to marry me." She says, "You are a nice guy and I enjoy your company, but I don't want to marry you." He thinks and then, after a pause, he says, "but I love you SO much. I really, really want you to marry me. Please marry me." To which she replies, "Listen. You asked once and I told you then that I didn't want to marry you. I am telling you again...I will NOT marry you." Finally, the man says, "I love you so much.., I am going to FORCE you to love me." ...what?
See. When put that way, no one will like it. But, when we apply it to our Creator and God, the Calvinist says this is OK. An all-knowing, all-loving, all-just, all-powerful God...and He will force us to believe in Him if we would not believe otherwise....really??
Now, I will be fair and say that any Calvinist (4-point or 5-point) that I've ever talked to will soften this by saying, "Yes, but God will make you want to by changing your desires so it won't be forced because you will want to."
....that's a cheap answer as far as I'm concerned. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a backlash to the fear of looking like they believe in works-based salvation. they have such a fear of "Well, I believed and that is why God saved me..which makes me awesome in my own right because of what I did."
Let me put that to rest. We don't have the faith to believe without God giving it to us. It's like the analogy of the pond in my last post. We would all drown without God intervening in our lives. However, what I don't believe is that he not only chooses who will not drown (thereby choosing who will be left to drown) but he also doesn't then force them to take the rope and get out of the water. He allows us to choose.
OK. enough from me. let's look at 3 verses.
Acts 7:51: we can resist the grace of God.
Matt 23:37 - Jesus is crying out to Jerusalem and say that He often wanted to gather them to Himself...but they were not willing. So, the Calvinist says that God did not elect them and force them to His salvation...then why is Christ mourning over their unwillingness to come to Him?
2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Now, we don't believe in Universalism (the idea that EVERYONE will go to heaven because God is love and He would never send someone to hell). So, either Peter lied (and God lied through Peter) when he said that God was not willing that any should perish, or the Calvinist limits the power of God that He is only able to save some. Because, if He can force anyone to believe...but He doesn't force everyone, then 2 Peter 3:9 is wrong.
Remember my caveat. I am very opinionated about this, but it doesn't make me right or wrong. This isn't a black and white issue or it wouldn't still be an issue hundreds of years later.
To GOD be the glory in all of this!
The first problem is that if God did this, why would He only choose some? Yes, He is all-just, I get it. But if He chose to apply salvation this way, by force, why would He only force some and not everyone? From last time: He could force everyone to get out of the pond instead of letting some people die.
Here is the analogy that was given that helped me articulate my problem with this doctrine.
A man is in love. He goes to the woman and say, "I love you. I love you so much, I want you to marry me." She says, "You are a nice guy and I enjoy your company, but I don't want to marry you." He thinks and then, after a pause, he says, "but I love you SO much. I really, really want you to marry me. Please marry me." To which she replies, "Listen. You asked once and I told you then that I didn't want to marry you. I am telling you again...I will NOT marry you." Finally, the man says, "I love you so much.., I am going to FORCE you to love me." ...what?
See. When put that way, no one will like it. But, when we apply it to our Creator and God, the Calvinist says this is OK. An all-knowing, all-loving, all-just, all-powerful God...and He will force us to believe in Him if we would not believe otherwise....really??
Now, I will be fair and say that any Calvinist (4-point or 5-point) that I've ever talked to will soften this by saying, "Yes, but God will make you want to by changing your desires so it won't be forced because you will want to."
....that's a cheap answer as far as I'm concerned. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a backlash to the fear of looking like they believe in works-based salvation. they have such a fear of "Well, I believed and that is why God saved me..which makes me awesome in my own right because of what I did."
Let me put that to rest. We don't have the faith to believe without God giving it to us. It's like the analogy of the pond in my last post. We would all drown without God intervening in our lives. However, what I don't believe is that he not only chooses who will not drown (thereby choosing who will be left to drown) but he also doesn't then force them to take the rope and get out of the water. He allows us to choose.
OK. enough from me. let's look at 3 verses.
Acts 7:51: we can resist the grace of God.
Matt 23:37 - Jesus is crying out to Jerusalem and say that He often wanted to gather them to Himself...but they were not willing. So, the Calvinist says that God did not elect them and force them to His salvation...then why is Christ mourning over their unwillingness to come to Him?
2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Now, we don't believe in Universalism (the idea that EVERYONE will go to heaven because God is love and He would never send someone to hell). So, either Peter lied (and God lied through Peter) when he said that God was not willing that any should perish, or the Calvinist limits the power of God that He is only able to save some. Because, if He can force anyone to believe...but He doesn't force everyone, then 2 Peter 3:9 is wrong.
To GOD be the glory in all of this!
No comments:
Post a Comment