Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2014 6:29:22 GMT -8
One of the most prominent figures in modern church history, John Calvin, is strongly associated with a belief that is repugnant to most of Christendom, i.e., predestination. Most biblicists believe that God knows what will occur prior to the event but leaves man free to make the choice. In other words, men are free to choose what God already knows will happen. Calvin, on the other hand, stressed biblical pronouncements to the contrary. God doesn't just know ahead of time; he determines it; he fixes it; he plans it; it's his idea. In reality, Calvin viewed free will as myth. In so doing he highlighted one of the most serious, most prominent contradictions in biblical theology--free will versus determinism. His opponents rightly observed that the abolishment of free will destroys moral responsibility. But unfortunately for them literally scores of verses substantiate his position.
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9),
"He will carry out what he has planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful" (Job 23:14 Mod. Lang),
"Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him" (1 Cor. 7:17 RSV),
"...your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16 NIV),
"Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Prov. 20:24),
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Prov. 19:21 NIV),
"Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed" (Job 14:5 NIV),
"From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts 17:26 NIV),
("...for that that is determined shall be done" (Dan. 11:36),
"Therefore I endure all things for the elects' sakes that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ...." (2 Tim. 2:10),
"And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed" (1 Peter 2:8),
(27) "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,...." (Jude 4),
(28) "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts" (Psalm 65:4),
(29) "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,...chosen and destined by God the Father...." (1 Peter 1:1-2 RSV),
(30) "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9),
(31) "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47),
(32) "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...." (Psalm 37:23),
(33) "Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34 RSV),
(34) "...but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19),
(35) "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the Devil.) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8),
(36) "Jesus said to them, 'You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father'" (Matt. 20:23 NIV),
(37) "They (Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Israel) did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:28 NIV),
(38) "He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen...." (Acts 10:41 NIV),
(39) "Who (Jesus) verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" ((1 Peter 1:20), and
(40) "Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jer. 1:4-5).
One of the most prominent figures in modern church history, John Calvin, is strongly associated with a belief that is repugnant to most of Christendom, i.e., predestination. Most biblicists believe that God knows what will occur prior to the event but leaves man free to make the choice. In other words, men are free to choose what God already knows will happen. Calvin, on the other hand, stressed biblical pronouncements to the contrary. God doesn't just know ahead of time; he determines it; he fixes it; he plans it; it's his idea. In reality, Calvin viewed free will as myth. In so doing he highlighted one of the most serious, most prominent contradictions in biblical theology--free will versus determinism. His opponents rightly observed that the abolishment of free will destroys moral responsibility. But unfortunately for them literally scores of verses substantiate his position. An exhaustive list in descending order of strength would include the following:
(1) "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,.... Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will" (Eph. 1:4-5),
(2) "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,.... Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called...." (Rom. 8:28-30),
(3) "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48),
(4) "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13),
(5) "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his (not our) own will" (Eph. 1:11),
(6) "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10),
(7) "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you" (John 15:16),
(8) "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9 RSV),
(9) "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9),
(10) "He will carry out what he has planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful" (Job 23:14 Mod. Lang),
(11) "Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him" (1 Cor. 7:17 RSV),
(12) "...your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16 NIV),
(13) "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Prov. 20:24),
(14) "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matt. 24:3l), (15) "...whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,...." (Rev. 17:8),
(16) "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15),
(17) "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44),
(18) "...no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father" (John 6:65),
(19) "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39),
To be continued:
Continued:
(20) "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Prov. 19:21 NIV),
(21) "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord" (Prov. 16:33),
(22) "Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed" (Job 14:5 NIV),
(23) "From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts 17:26 NIV),
(24) "...for that that is determined shall be done" (Dan. 11:36),
(25) "Therefore I endure all things for the elects' sakes that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ...." (2 Tim. 2:10), (26) "And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed" (1 Peter 2:8),
(27) "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,...." (Jude 4),
(28) "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts" (Psalm 65:4),
(29) "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,...chosen and destined by God the Father...." (1 Peter 1:1-2 RSV),
(30) "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9),
(31) "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47),
(32) "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...." (Psalm 37:23),
(33) "Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34 RSV),
(34) "...but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19),
(35) "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the Devil.) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8),
(36) "Jesus said to them, 'You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father'" (Matt. 20:23 NIV),
(37) "They (Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Israel) did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:28 NIV),
(38) "He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen...." (Acts 10:41 NIV),
(39) "Who (Jesus) verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" ((1 Peter 1:20), and
(40) "Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jer. 1:4-5).
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9),
"He will carry out what he has planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful" (Job 23:14 Mod. Lang),
"Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him" (1 Cor. 7:17 RSV),
"...your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16 NIV),
"Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Prov. 20:24),
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Prov. 19:21 NIV),
"Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed" (Job 14:5 NIV),
"From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts 17:26 NIV),
("...for that that is determined shall be done" (Dan. 11:36),
"Therefore I endure all things for the elects' sakes that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ...." (2 Tim. 2:10),
"And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed" (1 Peter 2:8),
(27) "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,...." (Jude 4),
(28) "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts" (Psalm 65:4),
(29) "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,...chosen and destined by God the Father...." (1 Peter 1:1-2 RSV),
(30) "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9),
(31) "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47),
(32) "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...." (Psalm 37:23),
(33) "Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34 RSV),
(34) "...but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19),
(35) "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the Devil.) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8),
(36) "Jesus said to them, 'You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father'" (Matt. 20:23 NIV),
(37) "They (Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Israel) did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:28 NIV),
(38) "He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen...." (Acts 10:41 NIV),
(39) "Who (Jesus) verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" ((1 Peter 1:20), and
(40) "Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jer. 1:4-5).
One of the most prominent figures in modern church history, John Calvin, is strongly associated with a belief that is repugnant to most of Christendom, i.e., predestination. Most biblicists believe that God knows what will occur prior to the event but leaves man free to make the choice. In other words, men are free to choose what God already knows will happen. Calvin, on the other hand, stressed biblical pronouncements to the contrary. God doesn't just know ahead of time; he determines it; he fixes it; he plans it; it's his idea. In reality, Calvin viewed free will as myth. In so doing he highlighted one of the most serious, most prominent contradictions in biblical theology--free will versus determinism. His opponents rightly observed that the abolishment of free will destroys moral responsibility. But unfortunately for them literally scores of verses substantiate his position. An exhaustive list in descending order of strength would include the following:
(1) "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,.... Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will" (Eph. 1:4-5),
(2) "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,.... Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called...." (Rom. 8:28-30),
(3) "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48),
(4) "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13),
(5) "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his (not our) own will" (Eph. 1:11),
(6) "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10),
(7) "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you" (John 15:16),
(8) "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9 RSV),
(9) "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9),
(10) "He will carry out what he has planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful" (Job 23:14 Mod. Lang),
(11) "Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him" (1 Cor. 7:17 RSV),
(12) "...your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16 NIV),
(13) "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Prov. 20:24),
(14) "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matt. 24:3l), (15) "...whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,...." (Rev. 17:8),
(16) "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15),
(17) "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44),
(18) "...no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father" (John 6:65),
(19) "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39),
To be continued:
Continued:
(20) "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Prov. 19:21 NIV),
(21) "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord" (Prov. 16:33),
(22) "Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed" (Job 14:5 NIV),
(23) "From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts 17:26 NIV),
(24) "...for that that is determined shall be done" (Dan. 11:36),
(25) "Therefore I endure all things for the elects' sakes that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ...." (2 Tim. 2:10), (26) "And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed" (1 Peter 2:8),
(27) "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,...." (Jude 4),
(28) "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts" (Psalm 65:4),
(29) "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,...chosen and destined by God the Father...." (1 Peter 1:1-2 RSV),
(30) "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9),
(31) "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47),
(32) "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...." (Psalm 37:23),
(33) "Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34 RSV),
(34) "...but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19),
(35) "All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (the Devil.) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8),
(36) "Jesus said to them, 'You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father'" (Matt. 20:23 NIV),
(37) "They (Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Israel) did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:28 NIV),
(38) "He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen...." (Acts 10:41 NIV),
(39) "Who (Jesus) verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" ((1 Peter 1:20), and
(40) "Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jer. 1:4-5).