Felix, I am glad you are willing to discuss the Word of God.

I wanted to mention something I read in a previous post:

Sonnie asked you, "Do you believe that God by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass?"

You said, "Yes, I believe this."

You then said something different when you said, "He ordained and/permits all things. This is my answer."

Felix, there is a MAJOR difference between God ordaining something (issuing an order), and permitting something (allowing something to take place). There is a difference between:

a) God issuing an order for Cain to slay Abel, and
b) God permitting Cain to have the freedom of choice to do good or evil.

If you believe that God does not foreordain everything, but merely permits some things, then you yourself are in disagreement with the doctrine of Calvinism -- a doctrine that it seemed as if you were defending. It is redundant to say that God permits what He ordains, so for the sake of clarity, please answer this question with a simple yes or no answer:

Does God freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass?

I have another question.. Does man have free will to do what he chooses? If not, how would true love be possible? Does not God want us to love Him? Is not love the greatest of all commandments that we are to obey? How can we truly love if we do not have free will? Can your computer love you? If you program it to audibly say "I love you" ten times a day, does that mean that your computer really loves you? Again, is it not an accurate statement to say that true love is impossible without free will?

In regards to your last post:
The "without" phrases that you gave after each of the above verses are obviously an attempt to disarm anyone who would disagree with Calvinistic doctrine. I am more concerned about closely examining these verses, the context of these verses, and rightly dividing the sum of God's Word than I am concerned about tip-toeing around your personal criteria for exegesis. Now, with that being said, let us notice these verses you mentioned in a loving, honest way:

John 1:12, 13 – "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12, 13).

Verse 12 clearly states that God gave those who receive Him the power to become the sons of God.

Verse 13 mentions being born of God, and the New Testament teaches us that the new birth happens when a person is baptized into Christ, being raised up to walk in new life (new birth): "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection" (Romans 6:3-5). Who is it that walks in newness of life, but someone who has just been born again? Who is it that walks in newness of life, but someone who has just entered into new life after baptism into Christ? Notice also the condition "if" in that last verse, which tells us that we must be planted together in the likeness of Christ's death (baptized into His death) to be in the likeness of His resurrection. The new birth is also described in Titus 3:5, in which it is called the "washing [baptism] of regeneration [new birth];" and in Ephesians 5:26 it is called the sanctification and cleansing of the "washing of water [baptism]," which we are repeatedly instructed to do by the Word.


John 6:44 – Why do you all never mention the following verse? =)

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me" (John 6:44, 45).

Felix, it seems that you have failed to examine the context of John 6:44, which tells us exactly how a person is drawn to Christ! The power to produce faith does not lie in a direct operation of the Holy Spirit upon the sinner (as Calvinism teaches), but rather the power is in the Word of God: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). "So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Paul said we are called to God by the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14).

You said (…without providing a new meaning to the understanding of “NO ONE” and the Father’s “DRAWING”)… Let it be known that I did not provide a new meaning; I merely closely examined the context, and rightly divided the Word. "The sum of [God's] word is truth," not just bits and pieces of it (Psalm 119:160).

Please continue to my next post...

Jason Hilburn