Calvinism Refutation...

(email response to a calvinist brother)

To be honest I have not studied the Calvinism issue much. I am certainly not a Calvinist. I hear that "The Other Side of Calvinism" by Laurence Vance is a good refute to the teaching. I did just order 2 dvd debates that Dr. Peter Ruckman had with a Calvinist and also a book he wrote called "why I am not a Calvinist"--so hopefully I will learn a little bit more about the issue. Of course the scriptures are my only authority on the matter.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21, 1 Timothy 2:1-6, 1 Timothy 4:10, Romans 5:6-19, Acts 17:30, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 10:13, and many more scriptures refute "limited atonement". My position is that Christ died for many, all, and every man.

We are predestinated according to the foreknowledge of God. God knew before the foundation of the world who would receive Christ's free gift that He made available to all men, according to His foreknowledge He predestinated these people. Predestination is according to foreknowledge--it is not God pre-deciding who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. It is not God deciding who He would die for and who He would not. (He died for all, many, and every man.)  

Romans 8:

[29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[30] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Those that were predestinated according to the foreknowledge of God are also called by Him. They are called by the gospel and it is up to the sinner to obey the gospel (believe it).

2 Thessalonians 2:

[13] But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
[14] Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we are called by the gospel and believe the truth, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and baptized into Christ (1 Cor. 12:13, Eph. 1:13). We go from being "in Adam" to being "in Christ" (1 Cor. 15:22). When we get out of Adam and into Christ we are said to be chosen before the foundation of the world ( that we should be holy and without blame before him in love)

Ephesians 1:

[4] According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
[5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Concerning the will.....

We have power over our own will and we can decree things in our own heart. (1 Corinthians 7:37)

We are to do the will of God from our own heart (Eph. 6:6).

The will of God gets overthrown by the will of man on occasion (1 Thes. 4:3, 5:18, Jer. 19:5).

Satan's will gets accomplished on occasion (2 Tim. 2:26)

Those are my thoughts (with scripture on why I believe it).

Have a happy Thanksgiving!