Calvinism makes God Insincere of His Word

Based on the error that is called "Limited Atonement", and that of "Unconditional Election", Calvinists teach that the "offer of the Gospel" is made to all without exception. That is, for the whole world, every single person.

Frist of all we have to establisg what the Gospel consists of. The apostle Paul informs us, that "the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God resulting in Salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Then, at the start of His Ministry, Jesus Himself says: "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). And in chapter 16 in Mark, Jesus says that we are to "preach the Gospel to every creature" (verse 15).

Now, the "Gospel", or "Good News" that we are commanded to preach to "every creature", that is, "every human being without exception", must consist of the Good News that Jesus Christ has died for our sins, thereby making it possible for anyone to believe in this great Truth, and thereby have eternal life. We cannot say that the Good News that we are to preach, is that the majority of the world are damned and going to hell. This is NOT Good News. It is true, and must be included as a warning to those who will reject the Good News of Salvation.

What do the Calvinist make of this universal offer of the Gospel? I will quote from two "heavy-weights"

Dr Loraine Boettner:

"The Gospel is, nevertheless, to be offered to all men, with the assurance that it is exactly adapted to the needs of all men, and that God has decreed that all who place their faith in Christ shall be saved by Him. No man is lost because of any deficiency in the objective atonement, or because God has placed any barrier in his way, but only because of subjective difficulties, specifically, because his own evil disposition and his freely exercised wicked will prevent his believing and accepting that atonement" (Studies in Theology, pp.323-324)

What Dr Boettner is here saying, that because the offer of the Gospel is to be made to all men, and that if they were to place their trust in Jesus, they will be saved. Thus far I can agree with. He then goes on to say, that God has not placed any barrier in the way of those who have the offer of the Gospel, but, it is because of their wicked will, that they reject this offer. This is incorrect, and contarary to Calvinsitic dogma.

Now, if the above statement were true, and I believe that it is, then there remains a problem with the Calvinistic system. That the offer of the Gospel for Salvation is freely made to one and all, is not doubted, as Boettner has shown, and that all who place their trust in Jesus will be saved. Amen to that. However, herein lies that problem. "Limited Atonement" means, that the death of Jesus Christ is not for "everyone without exception", but, "everyone without distinction", as the Calvinists prefer. That Jesus only died "for His elect". For the sake of argument, let us assume that this is correct. This then is the barrier that God has placed in the way of all those who have the Gospel freely preached to. If the Atonement is "Limited", that is, only for a certain few, then how can God offer the Gospel of Salvation to "everyone without exception", if He had not made provision in the Atonement for "everyone without exception"? ONLY on the basis of an "UNlimited Atonement", can there be any sincere offer of the Gospel made to "everyone without exception".

Dr Robert Dabney has this to say:

"that there are passages which imply that Christ died for all sinners in some sense, as Dr Ch. Hodge has so expressly admitted. Certainly the expiation made by Christ is so related to all. irrespective of election, that God can sincerely invite all to enjoy its benefits, that every soul in the world who desires salvation is warranted to appropriate it; and that even a Judas, had he come in earnest, would not have been cast out" (Systematic Theology, p.527)

Again, with the Atonement being "Limited", the offer of the Gospel to "every soul in the world who desires salvation is warranted to appropriate it", is but a mere hoax. It cannot be sincere to say that God desires all to be saved, but in actual fact, as only made provision in the Atonment for the "elect". This is double-standards.

This is NOT what the God of the Bible is like. He has indeed made the offer of Salvation in the Gospel to "everyone without exception", beuacse He has made provision for "everyone without exception", in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Anything else is making God to be insincere of what He has actually said in His Word.

 

Most Calvinist would agree with you, including Boettner and Dabney, I believe. The issue is not provision, but application or intention. Did God intend the atonement to save everyone? Is the atonement applied to everyone? The answer is No. God made a provision that all could be saved, and man is kept from salvation only by his own willful sin. God is not forcing anyone to go to hell and reject Christ. They do that naturally.

Understanding Calvinism actually will help you avoid these kind of error filled posts. Unfortunately, these posts come all too often. </font>[/QUOTE]Hi Pastor Larry, I think that you, like all the Calvinists that I know, do not understand what the Bible teaches regarding the doctrines of the Atonement, and the Savlation that is abailable in Jesus.

The premise of Calvinism on the Atonement is wrong. The death of Jesus Christ did NOT actually save anyone, but makes it possible for anyone who believes in His finished work to be saved. If you would care to read Romans 3:25-26, you will learn this truth there:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say , at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"

"Set forth" from the Greek means, "to offer". Jesus has been offered to the world as their propitiation for sins, through faith in His blood. Those who believe on the finished work of Christ, will be justified.

To say that the death of Jesus actually saved the elect, then why would they need to repent and believe the gospel, as they would be saved without doing this. If "elect" equals "saved", by the assumption that Jesus' death had actually saved them, then they are saved regardless of whether they were to believe or not. How can you say that God is willing for all to hear the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus, when you know that Jesus has not died for all without exception? How, then can those He has not died for ever be saved, since only the death of Jesus can save anyone? How can you hold out the offer of salvation to everyone, knowing that everyone CANNOT be saved, even if they wanted to, since Christ has not, according to the error of Calvinism, died for them all?

Why just you calvinists just admit that your "system" is at odds with the teaching of Scripture?

 

Why don't you then answer my post, instead of arguing about something you know is not from the Bible? Make it simple. If the offer of the Gospel of salvation is for everyone, then Christ would have had to died for everyone. Prove me wrong from Scripture, and don't hide behind what Pastor Larry might say, as he is very clearly wrong.

 

Actually real understanding will help you know Calvinism is false.
May Christ Shine His Light On Us All;
Mike </font>[/QUOTE]AMEN, BROTHER!

 

Forget trying to understand what Calvinism teaches, as it is full of contradictions to what the Bible teaches; and rather spend your time seeing what the Bible says!

 

Larry, you say "Anyone who believes will be saved. The elect are who will believe"

Who is the "anyone" referring to? Read 1 Timothy 4:10.

"God is the Saviour of all men, especially those that believe"

"all men" must mean the whole world without exception, or else the part, "especially those that believe" is meaningless.