I'm a Calvinist. Change My Mind.

But at least Hank, Jr is talented at his craft and was a very good artist until he became a parody of himself.

Seriously, just check out his albums in the period right after his accident through about 1984 (just be sure to ignore all the stupid novelty songs). His cover of Greg Allman's "Come and Go Blues", as well as his cover of Clapton's "Promises" were fantastic. "Habits Old And New" was a great album.

 

I know.

 

This makes me think that he is right!

 

Makes me think he needs to repent.

 

of what exactly?

 

I’ve got a cogent answer for you, if I’m going to hell the last thing I’d want is this numbscull following me there for eternity. This guys a provocateur.

 

Can God change you to not being one, if He so choosed?

 

I believe in the seven churches as ages / congregations...

Ephesus - Messianic - Beginning with the Apostle to the Circumcision, Peter
Smyrna - Martyr - Beginning with the Apostle to the Un-Circumcision, Paul
Pergamos - Orthodoxy formed in this time... Pergos is a tower... Needed in the dark ages
Thyatira - Catholicism formed in this time - The spirit of Jezebel is to control and to dominate.
Sardis - Protestantism formed in this time- A sardius is a gem - elegant yet hard and rigid
Philadelphia - Wesleyism formed in this time - To be sanctioned is to acquire it with love.
Laodicea - Charismatic movement formed in this time - Beginning with DL Moody, the first to make money off of ministry

And we are living in time referred to as the, "Fullness of the Gentiles"

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. - Luke 21:24

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. - Romans 11:25

John Calvin doctrine is Sardisean doctrine. Christian, yes.... But universal to the church, no. The Lord also has taken issue with the Sardisean doctrine by saying...

4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. - Revelation 3

I believe the Lord here refers to John Calvin Calvinism... Points to remember....

1. You can have your eternal security if you don't defile your garments
2. If you overcome you will be clothed in white raiment.

"He that overcometh." Therefore....

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. - Matthew 10:22
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. - Matthew 24:13
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. - Mark 13:13

 

As I said in the post above...again.

1. You have free will -- I cannot "change your mind".

The alternative to that - which is that someone is causing you to reject the Bible texts that disprove Calvinism - would still mean I cannot change your mind.. unless of course "I" was the one controlling your will.. which of course.. I am not.

2. In the mean time - God is apparently causing me to continue posting the Bible texts that refute Calvinism...

Fine - let's take just the first point raised in the post above..

Arminian “invitation model”
Rev 3 “I STAND at the door and knock” these alone without Christ “on the inside” must choose to “open the door” and then “I will come in”.
2 Cor 5 “We BEG you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God”
Rom 11:13-15 “I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.”
John 1:11 “He came to His OWN – and His OWN received Him not”
Isaiah 5:4 ““What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?”
Rom 10:9 “9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.


Matt 23
37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
38“Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

Luke 7
28 When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.
29 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

 

Romans 10 says nature speaks the Gospel to everyone.

Romans 2:13-16 says even the gentiles with no access to the Bible at all - will show in some cases the New Covenant work of the Holy Spirit -- writing God's Law on the heart and in the judgment they are accounted as the Children of God -

And it is also true that Christians WITH access to the Bible - will in some cases show that they are born again - and under the New Covenant. As Christ points out in Matt 7 -- that would be "the FEW"

John 16 says that instead of the Holy Spirit "just convicting Christians" -- He "convicts the WORLD" of sin and righteousness and judgment.

God is not limited by Calvinism.

 

Since free-will is a dominate theme in this discussion, consider the following:

Jhn 8:41-44 KJV - 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

"Ye do the deeds of your father.": "Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.".

These, children of he devil, did not have free-will.

 

Romans 10 says Nature itself is preaching the Gospel.

Rom 10
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:

“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”​

Quotes Ps 19:1-5
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Your argument is "with the text" -- read what was just quoted from Romans 10

God is not limited to missionaries nor can Calvinism limit God -- His Word remains true.

There is no such thing as "no Calvinist was sent so God could save no one"
There is no such thing as "no Christian was sent so God could save no one".

We cooperate with God - but we are "not God" nor is God limited by us. He is the great evangelist "I will draw ALL MANKIND unto ME" John 12:32

The missionary that says "I don't want to go to that area and evangelize unless God is helpless without me" is in the wrong business.

The Holy Spirit "convicts the WORLD of sin and righteousness and judgment" John 16.

===============================

Which brings us back to my answer to your question...



Romans 10 says nature speaks the Gospel to everyone.

Romans 2:13-16 says even the gentiles with no access to the Bible at all - will show in some cases the New Covenant work of the Holy Spirit -- writing God's Law on the heart and in the judgment they are accounted as the Children of God -

And it is also true that Christians WITH access to the Bible - will in some cases show that they are born again - and under the New Covenant. As Christ points out in Matt 7 -- that would be "the FEW"

John 16 says that instead of the Holy Spirit "just convicting Christians" -- He "convicts the WORLD" of sin and righteousness and judgment.

God is not limited by Calvinism.

 

Free will is promised even by Calvinist standards -- if you look at John 6.

Even Calvinism admits that the "Drawing of God" enables all the choice to accept the Gospel - that depravity disables.

And John 12:32 "I will DRAW ALL mankind unto me" - solves that problem resulting in the Arminian type Gospel that we find in scripture.

Your point that man who refuses that drawing and rejects the Gospel is enslaved to sin - is not being disputed.