In Summary:
1. Although most of us would agree man is dead in sin, it is not to the point of not understanding the Law and the Gospel. They like to quote here 1 Cor 2:14 that says,
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The problem with using this verse is that you are ripping it out of it’s context. Look at verse 10. It is talking about the “deep things” of God, not the simple things, such as the Law and the Gospel.
If Total Depravity is true, Christ is an evil, wicked sinner and all of Christendom fails. If Christ is a sinner, then there is no salvation! Let me explain. The first words off of the lips of Christ at the start of His public ministry was, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now consider this (This is according to the beliefs of 5 point Calvinism): Jesus Christ being fully God, knew full well at the time of that proclamation that the men He commanded to repent could not do so unless He (Jesus) gave them the ability to do so. So He is commanding them to do something that is not logically possible for them to do. Was Christ an insincere bully on a power trip? Look, if I told you to fly, knowing full well that it is not a logical possibility, and still hold you accountable because you could not fly is EVIL! It is cruel, sinful and an atrocity! Dave Hunt said it best when he said, “To say that God commands men to do what they cannot do without His grace, then withholds the grace they need and punishes them eternally for failing to obey, is to make a mockery of God’s Word, of His mercy and love, and is to libel His character.”
In summary, MY GOD IS NOT EVIL OR A SINNER!
2. Although most of us believe that election is Biblical, it does have its conditions: faith and repentance. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) If He Unconditionally Elects and His will is that none should perish but all come to repentance, than why wouldn’t He just save them all? It is because He can’t. Yes, I said God can’t do certain things. He cannot lie, cheat, deceive, sin, and He cannot contradict His own nature. How would He contradict His nature by saving everyone, God is loving right? Yes, He is loving, in fact He is Love! (1 John 4:8) Although God is loving, He is also Just. You will get the Justice you rightfully deserve. It is the same with God’s Sovereignty. With 5 point Calvinism, this is a doctrine, not an attribute. They make God out to be more Sovereign than His very nature.
When we consider the character of God, we need to remember that God’s attributes are all fully functioning at the same time. None of His attributes are ever diminished or not functioning at full capacity. Therefore since God is loving; He loves completely all of the time. If God is just, He is always just. Since God is holy, He always acts in a manner completely consistent with His holiness. His attributes are working at full capacity and in complete harmony all of the time. The harmony and consistency of God’s attributes creates a dilemma for man, because in his fallen nature man perverts the definition of love. His idea of love might mean favoritism which might cause him to believe that God would wink at sin. Or man might think that God is unfair when judgment is prophesied because man wants God to abandon justice in his case. Man might understand God’s holiness to mean that He accepts all men rather than requiring belief in the truth from all men. Man might think love means ignoring the bad and focusing only on the good so that God would see that our good outweighs the bad in life.
Therefore in trying to make certain doctrines more acceptable, men will often view God in a way where His attributes are out of balance. For instance, the world insists that if God is loving, He should save all men regardless of their sin. In this case His love would be working at 100% but His justice would be operating at say 25%. Or in the case of the teaching that the promises to Israel have now been given to the church, God’s faithfulness would be working at say 50%. Or in the case of Calvinistic election, God’s love is working at say 25% and His justice at 100%. There are many other examples to show how the functioning of the attributes of God might be skewed, but these are given
merely for the sake of illustration. All of God’s attributes fully function in perfect harmony all of the time.
There is no perversion with the character of God. The balanced view of God’s character also helps us to interpret the scriptures correctly. On the other hand, when we see that the attributes of God are out of balance, this indicates the understanding or teaching of a particular doctrine is not quite right.
In examining the character of God, we need to remember that His attributes are all constantly working at 100%. They are never out of balance. At any given moment His justice and His love and His righteousness are all functioning fully in perfect harmony and balance. Never is one attribute at 75% and another at 50%. They are all working at 100% in perfect harmony. In considering 5 point Calvinism, God’s attributes aren’t working in balance at 100% if God has already sentenced men to hell without a possibility of believing the gospel? One asks how righteous, holy, loving and just is that? In this scenario, His love would be working at say 50% while His justice is working at 75%. So ask yourself, “Is it really the character of God to condemn a person without any honest chance to believe in Him?” Put yourself or someone you love in that situation? We cannot explain away the horrific abuse of His character by claiming divine mystery! Again, this IS NOT THE GOD OF THE BIBLE!
In summary: MY GOD DOES NOT PICK AND CHOOSE BUT RATHER WANTS ALL MEN EVERYWHERE TO REPENT AND COME TO HIM!
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