Can We Really Exercise Free Will?
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The Biblical View of Favoritism
Perhaps the favorite rebuttal to the Doctrines of Grace is that Arminians, Pelagians or FWers use is the charge against God of playing favorites if God predestines, elects and empowers belief in the elect by His own Sovereign irresistible grace.
But the FWers are divided on how to interpret Irresistible Grace. Some say that such activity would be tantamount to God's will being capricious and arbitrary in nature, while others charge what I just stated above that would make God unfair and unjust, making the two views themselves contradictory, which comes as no surprise to me. But these two different views are not the focus of this post -- just the charge of "favoritism", since this particular subject is discussed in scripture. This post, then, will be restricted to looking at the biblical view of favoritism. And here's the text which I'll use as the springboard:
Acts 10:34-35
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
NIV
The larger context to this passage, of course, is the vision Peter had and the gentile Cornelius' encounter with an angel sent by God, and how the vision and angelic encounter resulted in Peter being sent to Cornelius to preach the gospel.
So...in one breath Peter proclaims that God does not discriminate. He does not play favorites. But in the very next breath Peter went on to say "but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right". Verse 35 very clearly qualifies v. 34! For God accepts/approves/receives/welcomes only a particular kind of men -- men who Fear Him and do what is right (in this logical order). God clearly does not accept/approve/receive/welcome all men w/o exception. God's benevolence/favor/affection/compassion/LOVE is propitious to God-Fearers! No surprises here since God loves and has compasion on those who Fear Him (Ps 103:11, 13, 17) Therefore, in Peter's mind, God's impartiality is qualitative in nature, and not quantitative as FWers would have us believe. Rather, any elect sinner in any nation on any continent anywhere on this green earth, no matter what race or ethnicity (Rom 2:9; 9:8), what social standing, what economic status, who has had the precious gift of God's New Covenant promised grace (Jer 32:36-41) that instills this godly, life-transforming disposition into his heart is loved by God, sought by Him, approved by Him, accepted by Him and are welcomed to Him. Such elect sinners invariably possess this attribute, quality or virtue that scripture calls the Fear of the Lord.
Therefore, in the above biblical sense, this is what is meant when scripture teaches the impartiality of God! All other sinners -- sinners who do not belong to God are not accepted, approved, received or welcomed by God are a priori rejected by Him (Rom 9:7-13, 16-18)! God, after all, is not the God of the dead but of the living (Mat 22:32), and He, through Christ, sovereignly chooses to whom He gives life (Jn 5:21) and to whom he will not (Rom 9:15-18).
For this writer, these truths are exceedingly precious because my God is not just a potential savior or a possible savior but is an ACTUAL Savior, and I take great comfort in the fact that I did not contribute a scintilla of desire or effort to my salvation; therefore, I know my salvation is perfect and guaranteed because it depends solely on the Rock on which I stand, and that my being in Christ is NOT of my own doing (1Cor 1:30). All I did when God rescued me was respond favorably to a Good, Holy and Righteous God's effectual call -- both the inner and outward. Therefore, all I can do is boast in the Lord (1Cor 1:31).
Thank you for posting this.
Perhaps the favorite rebuttal to the Doctrines of Grace is that Arminians, Pelagians or FWers use is the charge against God of playing favorites if God predestines, elects and empowers belief in the elect by His own Sovereign irresistible grace.
But the FWers are divided on how to interpret Irresistible Grace. Some say that such activity would be tantamount to God's will being capricious and arbitrary in nature, while others charge what I just stated above that would make God unfair and unjust, making the two views themselves contradictory, which comes as no surprise to me. But these two different views are not the focus of this post -- just the charge of "favoritism", since this particular subject is discussed in scripture. This post, then, will be restricted to looking at the biblical view of favoritism. And here's the text which I'll use as the springboard:
Acts 10:34-35
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
NIV
The larger context to this passage, of course, is the vision Peter had and the gentile Cornelius' encounter with an angel sent by God, and how the vision and angelic encounter resulted in Peter being sent to Cornelius to preach the gospel.
So...in one breath Peter proclaims that God does not discriminate. He does not play favorites. But in the very next breath Peter went on to say "but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right". Verse 35 very clearly qualifies v. 34! For God accepts/approves/receives/welcomes only a particular kind of men -- men who Fear Him and do what is right (in this logical order). God clearly does not accept/approve/receive/welcome all men w/o exception. God's benevolence/favor/affection/compassion/LOVE is propitious to God-Fearers! No surprises here since God loves and has compasion on those who Fear Him (Ps 103:11, 13, 17) Therefore, in Peter's mind, God's impartiality is qualitative in nature, and not quantitative as FWers would have us believe. Rather, any elect sinner in any nation on any continent anywhere on this green earth, no matter what race or ethnicity (Rom 2:9; 9:8), what social standing, what economic status, who has had the precious gift of God's New Covenant promised grace (Jer 32:36-41) that instills this godly, life-transforming disposition into his heart is loved by God, sought by Him, approved by Him, accepted by Him and are welcomed to Him. Such elect sinners invariably possess this attribute, quality or virtue that scripture calls the Fear of the Lord.
Therefore, in the above biblical sense, this is what is meant when scripture teaches the impartiality of God! All other sinners -- sinners who do not belong to God are not accepted, approved, received or welcomed by God are a priori rejected by Him (Rom 9:7-13, 16-18)! God, after all, is not the God of the dead but of the living (Mat 22:32), and He, through Christ, sovereignly chooses to whom He gives life (Jn 5:21) and to whom he will not (Rom 9:15-18).
For this writer, these truths are exceedingly precious because my God is not just a potential savior or a possible savior but is an ACTUAL Savior, and I take great comfort in the fact that I did not contribute a scintilla of desire or effort to my salvation; therefore, I know my salvation is perfect and guaranteed because it depends solely on the Rock on which I stand, and that my being in Christ is NOT of my own doing (1Cor 1:30). All I did when God rescued me was respond favorably to a Good, Holy and Righteous God's effectual call -- both the inner and outward. Therefore, all I can do is boast in the Lord (1Cor 1:31).
Thank you for posting this.
No, they have the choice to place their confidence in what they have been persuaded is true.
Your belief system regarding the nature of spiritual conversion is outside of scripture from start to finish, so yes it is my focus and I make no apologizes for that!
The system places an exo-skelton on the scripture, which are not the "doctrines of grace" and as @Kroogz
and @cv5 and myself and perhaps others have stated over and over again, it is NOT freeing but a prison of very bad ideas about God.
GOD's allowing and giving, the freedom within our will, to respond either positively or negatively to HIS Good News makes HIS sovereignty true.
Wrong! While the true saints of God are not in "any real danger of perishing" from a eternal covenant standpoint, nevertheless they must persevere in the faith in the midst of numerous false teachers and false prophets who were always trying to lead believers astray.
Moreover, it makes absolutely no sense that God would be patient or longsuffering toward the elect if it wasn't the elect whom God was willing should not perish. Why isn't God patient toward "ALL people" who he wants to "come to repentance"? Peter concludes his remarks in 2Pet 3 with:
2 Peter 3:17-18
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
NIV
Chapter 3 is a call and warning to the elect to persevere and mature in the faith.
No, it makes very good sense. Your premise that God loves each and every person in the world is unbliblical. There are numerous verses that teach otherwise. So, yes, God's "method of salvation" (a/k/a the unilateral New Covenant promises) are indeed all on Him! And why is this bad? The only way you could this is is bad is if you don't believe that God is holy, righteous, good and wise. OR...if you thought God locked people out of his kingdom who desired to enter.
couldn't agree more with this sis.
Again tho you will be met with denial.
And in just a few posts the will of there flesh will be there folly again.
And if you go against there will , they will say your being forceful and if you say God needs to controls this type of behaviour, they will call it training.
Which ever way go with them, the will of there flesh is above Themselves.
Currently sis I've held onto my heart since I awoke, currently sis I've taking every thought captive to my heart.
And waited for a way to deal with it.
They talk about you being inflicted now as to there excuse to mock curse and insult what they desperately need to do for themselves.
Which ever way you go the will of there flesh is out of control sis
Oh...you mean like how the postdiluvians knowingly and deliberately disobeyed the Creation Mandate to disperse throughout the whole earth? They clearly rejected God, which is precisely what the evil desires of the sin nature do!
Why do these Calvinists degrade Gods created beings by reducing them to mere corrupt flesh? They do the same with animals.
Could it be that they revel gleefully in its inherently nihilistic fatalistic hopeless doomer message?
Question to the Calvinists:
What has the exhortation of the Spirit to "come" and "overcome" have to do with Calvinism? Absolutely nothing.
What has Jesus' earthly teaching ministry have to do with Calvinism? Absolutely nothing.
Rhetorical question....
I don't have a system. I merely let scripture be true. You, on the other hand, deny scripture after scripture. Come back after answering some of the panels of questions @Magenta posts.
Here is where I’m confused by what you are saying. You describe Cameron as believing that God regenerates a person first, and then the person will inevitably believe. If that is the case, then there is no real choice taking place at any point. The decision is already determined by the regeneration.
Calvinists use the word “choice,” but it is not an actual ability to accept or reject the gospel. It is simply the automatic outcome of a nature that God has already changed. That is why I keep saying that Calvinism removes any genuine option to believe or not believe.
So if Cameron teaches that faith only happens after regeneration and cannot be resisted, he is teaching classic Calvinism. If he truly believes a person is still able to go either way even after God’s intervention, then he has departed from Calvinism. Both cannot be true at the same time.
….
The Valentinian gnostics believed grace was joined to them in a mysterious union, through which grace became their special possession. Special in the sense that only the knowing elect possessed it. Unenlightened Christians merely received temporary grace through which they could do good works to perhaps reach the intermediate heaven.
Agree, and who knows Calvin's motives to for requesting a beheading over burning at the stake, there was politics and power at play behind the scenes.
Years before, the death of Servetus John Calvin also sent information to the Catholic Inquisition in Vienne where Servetus could be found knowing full well the Inquisition burned people at the stake, however Servetus was able to escape by breaking out of prison.
So yes Calvin had a murderous heart, statement of fact not judgement.
That is a lie! Total misrepresentation. All God's elect freely choose to believe the gospel and repent due to God's effectual resurrection power working within them. Once made alive, they see themselves and God in a totally different light than what they were able to see when dead in darkness.
I would say it's the beginning of confidence, but if someone is fully persuaded they will order their lives to be inline with that reality they are persuaded of.
I hear you saying that God does not love every person and that He never desired all to be saved. My friend, that is not what Scripture shows us at all.
God’s universal love and desire to save all people:
1 Timothy 2:3–4
“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world…”
Jesus did not say “the elect.” The same word “world” is used just two verses later where Jesus contrasts believers and unbelievers. The world includes unbelievers.
Romans 5:18
“By the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
Titus 2:11
“The grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men.”
God’s love and provision is universal. The gift is for all. The deciding factor is whether a person receives it.
Isaiah 5:3–4
“What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?”
God literally asks what else He could have done. That makes no sense if God predetermined that most people would remain lost.
Your claim that Calvinism “makes good sense” only works if God has no true love for most humans, no desire for their salvation, and no genuine sorrow over their refusal to believe. Yet Jesus Himself wept over people who rejected Him.
Luke 19:41–42
“He beheld the city, and wept over it… thou knewest not the things which belong unto thy peace!”
Jesus desired their peace and reconciliation. They refused it. This is not a depiction of a God who eternally withheld saving grace from them.
The Logical Problem
You claim God could regenerate anyone at any moment without their cooperation and that this alone brings belief. If that were true, then every lost soul is lost only because God chose not to save them. This makes unbelief God’s choice, not theirs.
That leads to a problem no one should ignore:
• God commands everyone everywhere to repent
• God punishes them eternally for not doing what He refuses to enable them to do
Even human justice is more consistent than that. We don’t imprison a paralyzed man for failing to run a marathon.
Jesus explicitly refutes your point:
John 5:40
“You will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
He did not say “You cannot come because I never regenerated you.” He placed responsibility on their refusal, not on a secret decree.
Your statement: “God does not lock out those who desire to enter.”
Jesus says otherwise:
Luke 13:34
“How often would I have gathered thy children together…but ye would not!”
They would not enter. They desired their own way. The barrier is the will of man resisting God’s gracious call.
You are suggesting that Calvinism honors God’s holiness and goodness. Yet Calvinism demands you deny:
• God’s love for all humanity
• God’s stated desire for all to repent
• Human accountability rooted in genuine ability to respond
• The sincerity of God’s universal invitations to salvation
• The tears of Christ over the lost as real expressions of His heart
Calvinism collapses either on Scripture or on basic moral reason. It forces a view where God creates billions of souls, withholds the only possible means of salvation from them, and then punishes them eternally for fulfilling His decree. That is not holiness. That is not justice. That is not the heart of Jesus who died for the sins of the world.
I say this respectfully. If your theology requires you to shrink God’s love until it fits your system, it is time to question the system.
…..
Some pro-Calvin historian documented around 30 executions Calvin was either directly, or indirectly, responsible for. I posted a link to it earlier in some thread. Others say the figure was closer to 60.