The Calvinism Debate - Way of Life Literature

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Calvinism assigns preset definitions to theological termsinstead of allowing the context to define them.God’s omnipotence means God’s will cannot be resisted byman.Election means man has no choice.Total depravity means man is unable to respond to Godand cannot even believe.Let’s consider the doctrine of Total Depravity morecarefully. According to this doctrine, man is so dead intrespasses and sins in such a sense that he cannot even believeon Christ for salvation, that he cannot make any choice inregard to salvation. I have challenged Calvinists to give meeven one Scripture that teaches this, and I have examinedbooks by Calvinists for such a proof text, but in vain. eScriptures they quote do not teach their doctrine. ey cite,for example, Ephesians 2:1-4, but that passage says nothingabout the sinner not being able to believe. It says the sinner isdead in trespasses and sin, walks according to the course ofthis world, according to the prince of the power of the air, is achild of disobedience, and is by nature the child of wrath. Butthat is not the same as the Calvinist doctrine of totaldepravity which goes beyond the actual words of Scriptureand adds the business about the sinner not being able tobelieve. ey also cite Genesis 6:5 and Jeremiah 17:9 andIsaiah 64:6-7 and Romans 3:10-18, but again there is nothingin these verses about the Calvinist doctrine that the sinner isunable to believe, that he cannot exercise his will in receivingor rejecting salvation.Aer citing the previously mentioned Scriptures, Dr. JeffreyKhoo of the Far Eastern Bible College concludes: “Man’sfreedom of choice has been forfeited since the Fall. ... eB i b l e t e a c h e s h u m a n i n a b i l i t y a n d t o t a ldepravity” (Arminianism Examined, p. 4). Yes, the Bibledefinitely teaches that man is totally depraved in the sensethat the sinner is corrupt and there is nothing good in himthat would warrant or earn salvation, but Calvinism goes22
eyond this and adds its own unique twist that is notsupported by Scripture.Consider the doctrine of Limited Atonement, that Christdied only to save the elect and that He did not die for thenon-elect.“He died in order to procure and secure the salvation ofthe elect only. ... the atonement is limited or particular inits design and intention.”Dr. Khoo quotes Augustine, who said that Christ’s deathwas “sufficient for all, efficient for the elect.” In other words,though Christ somehow made it possible for all sinners to besaved in this age, only the elect can actually be saved, becauseonly they are effectively drawn and regenerated. ere is notone Scripture to support this doctrine.Dr. Khoo quotes Matthew 1:21, which says Jesus will “saveHis people from their sins,” but this does not say that Jesusdied for the elect only. “His people” here refers to the Jews,and we know that Jesus did not die only for the Jews.e Calvinist quotes Ephesians 5:25, that Christ loved thechurch and gave Himself for it, but this does not say thatChrist died only for the elect. at Christ gave Himself forthe church is not to say that Christ gave Himself ONLY forthe church or any other such Calvinistic twist. e Calvinistquotes John 6:38-39, where Christ said, “And this is theFather’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hathgiven Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again atthe last day.” Again, this does not support the Calvinistdoctrine of Limited Atonement. In fact, it says nothingwhatsoever about the extent of the atonement.e Calvinist must support his doctrine, every point of it,from the Scripture alone interpreted properly by the plainmeaning of the words and by context. is he cannot do. If heis not allowed to read his doctrine into the Scripture, he is notable to support his doctrine from Scripture.5. Calvinism mis-states what non-Calvinists believe.23
Page 2 and 3: e Calvinism DebateCopyright 2006 by
Page 4 and 5: ..it [Calvinism] must be faced beca
Page 6 and 7: A Summary of TULIP TheologyTotal De
Page 8 and 9: Irresistible GraceGod’s call to t
Page 10 and 11: either of them on Calvinism (or on
Page 12 and 13: that it is man’s duty to believe
Page 14 and 15: I am convinced that John Calvin has
Page 16 and 17: Central Errors of Calvinism1. Calvi
Page 18 and 19: objective grace and subjective grac
Page 20 and 21: How can these seemingly contradicto
Page 22 and 23: the truth.’ Note that ‘sanctifi
Page 24 and 25: God spoke to Cain and urged him not
Page 28 and 29: ere are many straw man arguments th
Page 30 and 31: he is totally depraved...” (p. 13
Page 32 and 33: 18 erefore hath he mercy on whom he
Page 34 and 35: e order is clear. God calls men to
Page 36 and 37: as it is written, Behold, I lay in
Page 38 and 39: THEIR EYES HAVE THEY CLOSED; lest t
Page 40 and 41: sinners to repent and believe or pe
Page 42 and 43: Let us labour therefore to enter in
Page 44 and 45: Prayer can even change God’s mind
Page 46 and 47: “What takes the greater power (om
Page 48 and 49: Spurgeon warned about creating theo
Page 50 and 51: I am in strong disagreement with su
Page 52 and 53: “But shewed first unto them of Da
Page 54 and 55: Calvin’s Camels“Ye blind guides
Page 57 and 58: the plain teaching of God’s Word.
Page 59 and 60: JESUS WOULD BUT ISRAEL WOULD NOT --
Page 61 and 62: According to this passage, the Jews
Page 63 and 64: Jesus did not deal with men on the
Page 65 and 66: First, the universality of this pas
Page 67 and 68: 3:16), that he agrees that salvatio
Page 69 and 70: elieveth in him should not perish
Page 71 and 72: What does this verse mean? ere is n
Page 73 and 74: e “all” must be defined in cont
Page 75 and 76: disease, he describes the normal pr
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and catcheth away that which was so
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might be saved. And for this cause
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enter into that rest, lest any man
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elieved. Whatever divine election m
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and search “the scriptures daily,
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We definitely believe that God does
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Isaiah 14:27--“For the LORD of ho
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GOES BEYOND THIS AND ADDS ITS OWN U
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Genesis 6:5--“And GOD saw that th
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the unsaved sinner could do exactly
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and believing on His name. To belie
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lessings in heavenly places in Chri
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that he might be the firstborn amon
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26 And it shall come to pass, that
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e phrase “vessels of wrath fitted
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have ears to hear, and hear not: fo
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not say that they refused to bow th
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dispose” (Strong). It is used eig
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e verse, though, does not say that
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to his own purpose and grace, which
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Again, that God purchased the churc
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day” (Jn. 6:40). (Of course the C
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gospel is to be preached to all men
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What about Hyper-Calvinism?Hyper-Ca
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inward teacher. ... e Gospel is ind
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About Way of Life’s eBooksSince J
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in spite of its prevailing skeptici
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influential people. Nearly 60 video
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lessons are thorough, meaty, and ve
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the Bible. Meet the challenge of fa
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