Reformed theology- Only Calvinists are going to heaven?

[Glorthac]

What do you believe is the correct interpretation of 1 Cor 2:14?

[apologeticsman]

"But the natural man does not welcome what comes from God's Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to know it since it is evaluated spiritually." Seems pretty elementary, people who reject God's spirit remain unchanged, but those who welcome Him have their understanding opened. You have to understand that the Holy Spirit is drawing ALL men unto Jesus, therefore if some refuse the Holy Spirit, it is not God's fault, but man's

[RedBeetle]

Calvinism is Christianity!

If you don't believe the Gospel (Justification By Faith Alone), then you are not a Christian.

Now, I'm a Calvinist.

You speak of "weak," "strong," and even "hyper-Calvinists," but how do you define these terms?

You either believe Calvinism or you don't: There's no middle ground.

So, what is Calvinism?

Simply this: It's the literal, grammatical, contextual, and logical interpretation of the Bible Alone.

See my channel page for more vids on Calvinism!

[apologeticsman]

You prove the point of my video, and with the level of arrogance I am quite used to from Calvinists. The Bible is God's word, not Calvin's or James Arminius, and not yours. God is sovereign and holy, but He is also merciful and loving. Your theology is unbalanced because you place the election in front of foreknowledge and negate the love and sacrificial nature of Christ. Part of God's sovereignty is His ability to know everything, even the future & still allow us to choose Him.

[RedBeetle]

I'm afraid your assertion of human free-will is not found in the Bible.

Can you show me a declarative verse in the Bible that teaches human free-will?

If you cannot, then you have no right to teach human free-will.

[apologeticsman]

if you mean can I find a verse that says, "I have given all my creations a free will" then no, but the evidence for it is overwhelming. Galatians 5:1. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

[RedBeetle]

You appeal to Galatians 5:1 to establish the metaphysical claim of human free-will.

This is a contextual mistake. The verse is not claiming man's will is free from God's determination, but it is stating that those justified are free from the condemnation of God's Moral Law.

The justified are free from the Law's condemnation, but no one, not even the devil, is free from God's determinate council (Ephesians 1:11).

Would you like to try again?

Calvinism is Christianity!

Red Beetle

[apologeticsman]

You are a Hyper Calvinist, because you completely discount the free will of man and make God responsible for sin and all evil. God created evil people, but those people are not "determined" to be evil, they are evil because of their choices. "Whosoever" in John 3:16 can't be talking about just the elect, because if it is, then that would mean that some of the elect will not believe in Jesus! The folly of your CHOSEN theology is abundantly clear.

[RedBeetle]

apologeticsman wrote:

"You are a Hyper Calvinist... "

I will be happy to discuss your allegations with you, but you are changing the topic.

Remember, you are trying to find a declarative verse which teaches human free-will.

[apologeticsman]

And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15, NKJV.

[RedBeetle]

apologeticsman offers Joshua 24:15 as evidence of man's free-will.

The verse, "choose for yourselves...," is a command. It's not a declarative statment. You cannot deduce free-will from a command, for you can't deduce anything from a command. Find a declarative verse which teaches man's free-will.

Examples: Proverbs 16:1 is a declarative verse which teaches that God determines all the thoughts of man.

Proverbs 16:33 declares that God determines the outcome of even games of "chance."

[apologeticsman]

Yes, the command if it was indeed a command was to CHOOSE this day who it is you will serve. Geez man, try a little contextual criticism... :)

[RedBeetle]

It was a command. But if you can't tell the difference between a command and an indicative remark, then what makes you think you can interpret the Bible correctly? This is basic English.

Look, only declarative statements imply other propositions. Commands do not imply anything. "Ought" does not imply "Can." Learning what one should do is quite different from learning what one can do. This is why I said you need to find an indicative statement which implies free-will.

Do you understand?

[apologeticsman]

If I am commanded to make a choice, then by that very definition I have to chose. God told them that SINCE it seemed evil to serve the Lord (i.e. they were exercising free will to think of God as evil) then they had to choose another god. But, Joshuah says, "me and my house will serve the Lord" thus showing that he was exercising his free will and choosing to serve the Lord rather than the false gods. Why offer a choice to people at all, if they are determined beforehand to make a choice?

[RedBeetle]

@apologeticsman,

After eleven months, you still do not understand basic English grammar. You should have spent that time in study. Your pathetic attempt to smuggle in free will simply doesn't work. The verse is in the imperative mood, and so it tells us ONLY what a man SHOULD do, not what a man CAN do. Ephesians 1:11 logically implies that man's will is determined.

Hey, Erasmus could never show Luther a single verse that implied human free will either--and that was about 500 years ago.

[apologeticsman]

thanks for that love "brother". You completely miss the point. If man could not choose who to serve, there would be NO POINT in making the statement. Also, the Bible was not written in English, it was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and I seriously doubt you know as much about any of those languages as I do. You still have not addressed the points in THIS video, and you obviously can not. Your assertion is like me saying to a man painted into a corner, "choose to not walk on the paint"

[RedBeetle]

You are merely assuming human free will, but at no point have you ever demonstrated this from Scripture. Your human philosophy is not part of the Bible's teaching. You don't seem smart enought to realize that the question is not "Do people choose?"

The question is "Are the choices people make determined by God?"

Ephesians 1:11 asserts that they are, but you unBiblical philosophy will not have any of that.

[apologeticsman]

@RedBeetle Did you choose to write this comment? The Bible I read says that God is incapable of lying, so that at least in one way is proof that God is not 100% sovereign in every possible way. The issue of free will or free choice is paramount to the existence of man. In what way is man set apart from the animals? Is it just that we are capable of understanding more, or is it something else? What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Is it a physical image, or something else? cont-

[apologeticsman]

If we are created in God's image, & that is not a physical image, then it must be either an emotional or spiritual image. If God as our creator made a being in His image, then we must share some of the basic attributes of God. I would say that because of the fall, we do not share His holiness or perfection, we are not omnipresent, omnipotent or omniscient, so what is left? I would say that as God is capable of anger, so are we; of joy, so are we, of sadness, so are we, of choices, so are we, etc

[apologeticsman]

you ignored the point I was making in this video, i.e. that since you say Calvinism is Christianity, i.e. the truth, & that is is the "things of God" & since the natural man ( the man that is unregenerate) can not receive (understand, perceive) the things of God, that means that only Calvinists are saved. If I view Calvinism as foolishness, as I do, then I am a natural man, and since Calvinism is true, I am lost. The only way for me to be saved then would be for God to show me that it is true

[apologeticsman]

he falls away who forsakes the word of God, who extinguishes its light, who deprives himself of the taste of the heavens or gift, who relinquishes the participation of the Spirit. Now this is wholly to renounce God. We now see whom he excluded from the hope of pardon, even the apostates who alienated themselves from the Gospel of Christ, which they had previously embraced, and from the grace of God; and this happens to no one but to him who sins against the Holy Spirit