God doesn't have to determine both sides of the chessboard to get his end result. He's that good. Think about how many people are disillusioned or discouraged because of the belief they think “well, everybody is already in the category they're determined to be in, whether it's to be saved or lost, it can't be changed, and those who are born without God electing them to salvation have got no hope. Jesus didn't even die for them. So, they got no hope. There’s nothing they can do. They're born with a God-hating nature that doesn't even allow them to want to do anything different. They are helpless. Helpless to do anythingdifferently. And they will be condemned for all eternity for what they had no human power to do anything differently. That is extremely upsetting to a lot of people. You can say, "Well, it's what the Bible says if you're Calvinist." No, I disagree. But still that's the practicality of it. What is assumed often by Calvinists is that you can't choose to do one or the other. Well, tell that to Peter when Jesus said, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." But yet Peter was able to go back and stop doing that.
According to Calvinism, God must have eternally decreed all decisions that man will make and choose in order for Him to be sovereign and retain ultimate sovereignty. However, that presupposes that granting man free will somehow renders Him incapable of exercising sovereignty. But a truly sovereign God does not need to do such order to accomplish His purposes. Is God not still all sovereign, all-powerful, etc etc without having to eternally decree both sides of the chessboard? If not, why not?
