Even Calvinists admit that there is a general call of God through the gospel that goes out to all mankind.
But they teach that this call is ineffective and unpowerful without a second calling. This second call is inward, secret, spiritual, and irresistable.
The first call without the second call is useless to all who hear it. In fact, the first call of the gospel is powerless in Calvinism's system. The Bible clearly states that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation yet Calvinists make the gospel void of any power by teaching that the Holy Spirit must produce a second calling to go along with the first.
Can someone come to God without the gospel? No.
Would we have the gospel without the work of the Holy Spirit? No.
So we, as Arminians, can accurately say that it is the Holy Spirit's calling through the gospel message that enables us to come to him, but there is no need to say the the Holy Spirit produces this second irresisable calling to go along with His first call in order for man to be enabled, especially since scripture never teaches this. Calvinists just assume that it must be so because it supports their premise. They apply passages that refer to God's calling both Jewish and Gentiles believers and they assume this calling is unique only to those who respond to the call, which is absurd.
Lets say I was a black civil rights leader who historically only invited blacks to my rallies. One day I decided to call and invite all people both blacks and whites. 500 people show up (400 whites and only 100 blacks). This would be quite a shock and a huge change to what would have been expected, right?
When reporting on this one might say, "The people who attended the rally were called and invited, both the blacks and whites." But this in no way would negate the fact that I had invited everyone. It would just be emphasizing the fact that I had called and invited whites and blacks and not just blacks as would be expected. It would also be showing that the whites showing up at the rally was not unwelcomed as many may have thought.
The same is true in the 1st century church. Gentiles were unwelcome to being apart of the things of God, yet the Gentiles were responding to the gospel in droves while the Israelites, for the most part, were presecuting the church. This is backwards to what would have been expected. So, to validate the Gentiles coming to Christ while most Israel was rejecting him Paul often emphasized the fact that the Gentiles were chosen by God from before the foundation of the world. Called by God to repentance and faith. And that they too were 'predestined' to adoption as sons just as the Israelites were. Calvinists mistaken these passages as proof texts that individuals are chosen, called, predestined and elected to the neglect of others. The truth is all are chosen to hear the message and called by God through the gospel. All who believe that message have been predestined to be adopted as sons, even the Gentiles.
But they teach that this call is ineffective and unpowerful without a second calling. This second call is inward, secret, spiritual, and irresistable.
The first call without the second call is useless to all who hear it. In fact, the first call of the gospel is powerless in Calvinism's system. The Bible clearly states that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation yet Calvinists make the gospel void of any power by teaching that the Holy Spirit must produce a second calling to go along with the first.
Can someone come to God without the gospel? No.
Would we have the gospel without the work of the Holy Spirit? No.
So we, as Arminians, can accurately say that it is the Holy Spirit's calling through the gospel message that enables us to come to him, but there is no need to say the the Holy Spirit produces this second irresisable calling to go along with His first call in order for man to be enabled, especially since scripture never teaches this. Calvinists just assume that it must be so because it supports their premise. They apply passages that refer to God's calling both Jewish and Gentiles believers and they assume this calling is unique only to those who respond to the call, which is absurd.
Lets say I was a black civil rights leader who historically only invited blacks to my rallies. One day I decided to call and invite all people both blacks and whites. 500 people show up (400 whites and only 100 blacks). This would be quite a shock and a huge change to what would have been expected, right?
When reporting on this one might say, "The people who attended the rally were called and invited, both the blacks and whites." But this in no way would negate the fact that I had invited everyone. It would just be emphasizing the fact that I had called and invited whites and blacks and not just blacks as would be expected. It would also be showing that the whites showing up at the rally was not unwelcomed as many may have thought.
The same is true in the 1st century church. Gentiles were unwelcome to being apart of the things of God, yet the Gentiles were responding to the gospel in droves while the Israelites, for the most part, were presecuting the church. This is backwards to what would have been expected. So, to validate the Gentiles coming to Christ while most Israel was rejecting him Paul often emphasized the fact that the Gentiles were chosen by God from before the foundation of the world. Called by God to repentance and faith. And that they too were 'predestined' to adoption as sons just as the Israelites were. Calvinists mistaken these passages as proof texts that individuals are chosen, called, predestined and elected to the neglect of others. The truth is all are chosen to hear the message and called by God through the gospel. All who believe that message have been predestined to be adopted as sons, even the Gentiles.
