Response to a Calvinist

I've linked to one of Helen Setterfield's articles here previously. Here's another good one:

A friend who is a Calvinist wrote to me that he was a little upset with my articles on Calvinism here. I asked him to show me where I was wrong. His points are in blue italics. My responses are in straight print.

The Apostle describes us as being dead in sin (Eph. 2:1,5). Picture Lazarus in the tomb—powerless to choose life. We’re all like that, but Jesus quickened Lazarus from the dead. John tells us that these were signs. Paul himself was in no mood to choose Jesus, but Jesus was in a mood to do a heart transplant on Paul (cf. Ezek. 36:26).

First, I think the problem is with the definition of ‘death.’ Death means separation, not unconsciousness. When a person dies physically, he is separated from his body. The body may not be able to respond, but the person himself is quite conscious (or hell would have no meaning). Spiritual death, or the second death, is separation from God. In John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God and the Son. That means eternal death is NOT knowing them. The ‘know’ in this context is not an intellectual acknowledgement, but rather an intimate relationship – along the lines of Adam knowing his wife and she becoming pregnant. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He caused his soul and spirit to re-enter his body and healed the body from the effects of what caused his death. Remember the story about the rich man and the other Lazarus after death (Luke 16:19-31)? Both were entirely conscious although their bodies were probably well-rotted by that time. So death is not unconsciousness.

In Isaiah 1:18, the Lord invites the sinner “Come, let us reason together…though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Who is the Lord talking to? Someone who is already saved? No. Someone who is deeply in sin, and the person is being offered a choice. This offer is totally meaningless if the person is not able to respond to the Lord.

In Jeremiah 29, the Lord tells the people of Israel, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.”

Remember Jesus saying, “Come to me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give your rest.” Are only those chosen from before the beginning of time those who labor and are heavy-laden? I sincerely doubt that.

About Paul. Paul was totally eager to protect the reputation and character of God. For THAT reason he was persecuting the Christians. Paul’s heart was totally for the God he knew from the Scriptures and had been taught in rabbinical school. He had also been taught that the Christian sect was heretical and therefore he was going to do his best to protect God’s holy reputation/name and stamp it out. God knew Paul’s heart and honored Paul’s devotion, even though it was involved in a misunderstanding about Jesus. So Jesus presented Paul with the truth of Himself and Paul responded 100%. The rest is history. There was no ‘mood’ about it, either way...read the article

Calvinism & John 3:16

Great article. I think the author nails it well....

In order to believe in Calvinistic theology, a person must explain why the normal text of a passage simply does not say what it appears to say. John 3:16 is probably the most popular Bible verse in all the world, and yes, by that I mean the entire world. I could be wrong, but needless to say, many people, even non-Christians, know this verse by heart. However, according to Calvinists, this verse does not really mean exactly what it says. To them, the word “world” does not mean the entire world.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

A Calvinist could probably spend over thirty minutes explaining to you why the word “world” in this sentence does not mean the whole world...keep reading