Bill, let's look at your statement piece by piece and perhaps you'll see why you've loaded it up with so heavily with your own assumptions that it is difficult to dissect into something easily anwered:
I won't speak for Calvinists, but I don't think that's what the effectual call is at all, so it makes no sense to respond to your comment. Personally, I don't see it quite the way it is described below, but here's a quote I found on the web that supposedly explains what Calvinists believe (others here who are more educated in Calvinism can either affirm or deny that the quote is accurate):
Are you sure you know what Calvinists assume? I don't, and I'm more likely to agree with them.Calvinists assume
Revelation from what perspective? The outside whispering in? Or from the inside, indwelling the elect? The difference seems to be extremely important in scripture.that the Holy Spirit's revealation
Why do you seem to think that the presentation of the gospel is "the" revelation? The Holy Spirit does many things. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, for example, which may be part of the gospel but it isn't the whole gospel. And God does many things even without necessarily acting through the Holy Spirit. What parts do those things play, if any?through the presetation of the gospel
Calvinists talk about an effectual call. You seem to have already decided that the effectual call can be summed up as the "Holy Spirit revealing a presentation of the gospel," but since you have not established that as true, you cannot then proceed to say what Calvinists deny.must be effectual.
I won't speak for Calvinists, but I don't think that's what the effectual call is at all, so it makes no sense to respond to your comment. Personally, I don't see it quite the way it is described below, but here's a quote I found on the web that supposedly explains what Calvinists believe (others here who are more educated in Calvinism can either affirm or deny that the quote is accurate):
That doesn't fit your claim that "they deny the working of the Holy Spirit...to those who are not His elect" at all.Calvinists admit only two kinds of call from the gospel to man-the common and the effectual. [...] The common call consists of the preached word, addressed to men's ears and souls, together with (in most, at least), the common convincing operations of the Holy Spirit. This call is made generally to the whole human race in Scripture, and specifically to each adult to whom the gospel comes. The effectual call, we hold, consists of these elements, and also of a work of the Holy Spirit, "whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel."