tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5624905277586087152.post1792039557175487171..comments2023-10-18T06:02:03.484-05:00Comments on Bible Teaching from Generation Word: Calvinism? Reasonable Doubt! (part one)Generation Word Bible Teaching Ministryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16337847520320908714noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5624905277586087152.post-88455531268256685742009-08-01T16:41:01.760-05:002009-08-01T16:41:01.760-05:00First of all, I'm not a Calvinist and I'm ...First of all, I'm not a Calvinist and I'm not an Armenianist, I think they are both wrong. And I agree with what Gayln has said in this blog on the points of<br />TULIP. A major problem with Calvinism is their denial of the free will of man in God's plan of salvation. One of the key questions that I have found in this debate is the question, "Is faith a gift or is faith a decision by man (using free will)?" For Calvinism to be true, faith has to be a gift (many denominations believe that, including mine). However, I have not found scripture to support that claim. The two scripture verses that come the closest are Ephesians 2:8-9, and 1 Corinthians 12:7-9, however, careful reading of those two verses will not support the claim that faith is a gift. On the contrary, The verse that I have found that best defines faith, Hebrews 11:1 makes the opposite claim. It says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped fore, the conviction of things unseen." Keying in on the word, "conviction", one thinks of a jury. When a jury makes a conviction, they have made a decision of whether the prosecution was telling the truth or whether the defense was telling the truth. They had to use their free will to make this decision. So the Biblical definition of faith supports faith as a decision.<br /><br />The common definition of faith leads to the same fact:<br />Faith is belief in the unknown<br />Belief is accepting something as true<br />Accepting means to willingly receive<br />Willingly means man uses his will, which has to be free to make the decision, the choice, which is what freedom is all about!<br /><br />i.e. no free will = no faith<br /><br />think about it:<br />no free will = no love (love has to be freely given, forced love is called rape!)<br />no free will = no accountability<br />no free will = no grace<br />no free will = no mercy<br />no free will = no forgiveness<br />no free will = no sin<br />no free will = no virtue<br />no free will = no faith<br /><br />That does not describe the reality of the world that God has made<br /><br />Another question: if you think faith (belief in the unknown) is a gift of God, how can God, who knows everything, give a gift of (belief in) the unknown?<br /><br />The bottom line is this: God's gift to us is His plan of salvation, which includes our being saved through faith in Jesus Christ, that faith which is the exercise of the free will of man to believe what is true. Much as a parent is sovereign over his children, but allows them free will to grow up and experience life, God is also sovereign but allows us free will in our lives, which includes the free will to believe in the truth of Christ or not. Faith involves the free will of man, salvation is totally dependent on the free will of God.Tomnoreply@blogger.com