Irresistable Grace

While saving grace comes from the Lord as a free gift, [Ephesians 2:8-9] faith in Him brings about our salvation. [Galatians 3:26] Grace can be resisted. [Isaiah 63:10; Jeremiah 19:15; John 5:40; Acts 7:51; Malachi 1:9e,f]

 

1) The John 3:16 argument: the "whosoever" in "whosoever believes" means it MUST be offered to everyone.

The obvious problem with this logic: I'd love to see the free will in "whosoever is 6' 3" tall or taller".

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2) The Acts 17:30b argument: "now commands all men everywhere to repent" implies the ability of all to repent.

The obvious problem with the logic: Well, everyone OUGHT TO repent, and it is within God's rights to command everyone to do so. It is also within God's rights to enable one person to repent over another, according to His good pleasure. Whether or not God elects or uses free will has nothing to do with telling everyone they should repent. You must add your own opinion to the statement, and that's only an opinion, not scriptural support.

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3) The 2 Peter 3:9 argument: The argument is that "all/any" means "all/any" in -- The Lord [...] [is] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The obvious problem with the logic: The Arminian neglects to address the question, "all/any of whom?" And he/she avoids the issue by failing to quote the full verse: 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any [of us] should perish...

Now the question is, who is "us" (or "you" in the NU Text)? The answer is Peter's audience, the elect. Look at the WHOLE context:

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any [of us, beloved] should perish but that all should come to repentance.

 

And I repeat...
I've never said that its about him knowing in advance those who would choose him, but more about the fact that he knew those because they chose him and spend an eternity with him. They are saved through faith and as a result of their faith they spend an eternity with God and are foreknown, as in intimate relationship, by Him.

More later

 

You said, 'It is also within God's rights to enable one person to repent over another, according to His good pleasure.'

Ray: The above statement is a Divine impossibility because this action would destroy forever His Divine justice. Let me explain.

The above could only be a fact if the Lord God magnifies His sovereignty over all the other Divine attributes. A good theologian knows that no human--can justify--one attribute over all the others. For example, He is God of love but not to the exclusion of His justice and vengeance. All of the Divine attributes have to be in perfect balance.

The Triune Godhead's Divine justice will always prevent Him from favoring on sinner over another, in matters of eternal salvation. He is not an unjust God! Unconditional Election makes God an unthinkable Tyrant that He should damn the relative majority and just save the relative few in all of human history. [Matthew 7:13-14]

The Lord makes the individual accountable in relation to his God. [John 1:12] By making man the captain of his own destiny, He can remain a God of love, and of Divine justice and also the Divine Being who can minister His own vengeance, while keeping intact His sovereignty.

In the theory of Unconditional Election, God becomes the Divine, oppressive Ruler who autocratically selects some for Heaven and ordaining the rest of humanity to the flames of Hell. This theory elevates His alleged sovereignty far above that of His Divine love, justice and mercy, thus making the Godhead totally not God of Divine justice.

Free-will allows Him to remain God of Divine justice.

Arminians have it correct when they say, that Election is both conditioned and determined by faith in Jesus. In Galatians 3:26 God speaking through the Apostle Paul has said,

'For ye are all the children of God {How?} by faith in Christ Jesus.'

 

So you say. Let God be true and every man a liar, so rather than trust in YOUR wisdom, I will trust in scripture, as you shall see momentarily (or not see, but it's there).

It seems to me that it would be indefensible to claim that faith is not necessary for salvation. But you cannot demonstrate that election follows faith from scripture. Instead, you keep quoting the obvious - that whosoever believes shall not perish. This does not even begin to address the question of whether or not we choose to have faith of our own free will, or whether we receive faith according to God's election.

Now let's look once again at the chronological progression described in Romans...

foreknew -> predestined -> called -> justified -> glorified

Nowhere is faith mentioned, but we know that faith is necessary. Now - if we look at a single verse, we can imagine that faith comes from ourselves...

1 Cor 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

It sounds a lot like God is pleased to save those who believe (perhaps of their own free will) the foolish message, right? But let's keep reading...

22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Aha, now suddenly we see a whole new perspective on the process -- the one described in Romans.

Why does one believe? Why is the message NOT foolishness or a stumbling block to some? Because to THOSE who are CALLED, both Jews and Greeks, [the message is] Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

So they believe because they are called. As opposed to whom? As opposed to those who are NOT called, to whom the message is foolishness.

Why can't you reconcile this with your vision of divine justice? Because it is your own idea of what God must be...

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Is it possible that God might choose to call one person over another? You say this is impossible, but scripture says this very thing...

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- 31 that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."

And why does it work this way and not according to our own free will?

that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."

 

We don't have to. God elected the NATION of Israel before Abraham had faith. Election can precede the faith of men if you understand election within its correct context. God elected the Nations of the World (Gentiles) before one of them had faith.

Election has to do with God choice of a particular people for a particular purpose at a particular time. Granted, on the individual level Jews were sometimes refered to as "elect" in the same way that John was refered to as the one Jesus loved. That is the characteristic that Jews were known for...being chosen by God first, thus they are refered to as "the elect" at times. (BTW, this is seen in extrabiblicial works as well). One of the major points of the NT message is that God has elected or chosen other nations besides Israel. This concept was being fought tooth and nail which is the context our scripture is written in and Calvinists seem to miss that vital point.