Thread: Calvinist Tactics Exposed

Originally Posted by Colonel

I think that's a misuse of the term offered. Just because I don't receive something doesn't mean that it wasn't offered to me.

Some definitions of offer:

- to ask someone if they would like to have something or if they would like you to do something (OFFER | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary)
- to present for acceptance or rejection (Offer | Definition of Offer by Merriam-Webster)
- present or proffer (something) for (someone) to accept or reject as desired (meaning offer - Google Search)

Is that what you mean?, and if so do we have examples of this in the NT where people are presented with the Gospel and "offered" the choice of accepting or rejecting it as desired? Looking through Acts a while back I came across the following:

		"Message"	Repentance	Belief	Baptism
Acts 2	Conversion of 3000	Jesus death and resurrection	Told to Repent		Told to be Baptised
Acts 8	Conversion of the Samaritans	the good news of the kingdom of God		They Believed	They were being Baptized
Acts 8	Ethiopian Eunuch	Philip preached Jesus to him,		Said he believed	Asked to be Baptised
Acts 9/22	Conversion of Saul	you are persecuting me, Jesus			Was Baptised
Acts 10	Cornelius	the good news of peace through Jesus Christ			Ordered to be Baptised
Acts 13	Proconsul	Paul makes Elymas blind		The Proconsul Believed
Acts 13	Gentiles	Paul turning to the Gentiles		As many as had been appointed to Eternal Life Believed
Acts 16	Lydia	we're not told what was said		The Lord opened her heart to Respond	Was Baptised
Acts 16	Jailer	Praying and Singing Hymns of Praise to God		Told to Believe	Was Baptised
Acts 17	Dionysius, Damaris	Sermon on "The Unknown God"	Told All should Repent	Believed

Originally Posted by WMBillPrice

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned. But he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18 (MEV)

God loves the world, and offers salvation through Christ to ALL, not some select few. The entire world. We came to believe because:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sound judgment, according to the measure of faith God has distributed to every man. Romans 12:3 (MEV)

All men have been given the measure of faith. Not a few. Not some selected special individuals, but to all men. All means all. World means world. Calvinism is wrong in limited atonement and their view of predestination. In all honesty, the Calvinists I was once part of were good saints, but wrong on this. Some... well many declare we are not brethren because we are continuationists, but that too is a fallacy.

John 3:16 YLT "for God did so love the world, that His Son -- the only begotten -- He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during"
This verse says that those who believe will not perish. It does not say that everyone can believe.

Rom 12:3 YLT "For I say, through the grace that was given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think above what it behoveth to think; but to think so as to think wisely, as to each God did deal a measure of faith". The "each" refers to the people Paul is talking to, "every one who is among you".

Originally Posted by Nikos

What happened to free will?

Originally Posted by Nikos

What happened to free will?

and here is a presentation (with transcript for those that prefer to read) on the the subject:

What Is Free Will? by R.C. Sproul from Chosen by God

Originally Posted by WMBillPrice

I am actually sickened by Reformed theology.

Then you don't understand Reformed Theology. [more tomorrow, it's quite late now]

A quick Google produced this:

Broadly speaking, Reformed theology includes any system of belief that traces its roots back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century. Of course, the Reformers themselves traced their doctrine to Scripture, as indicated by their credo of "sola scriptura," so Reformed theology is not a "new" belief system but one that seeks to continue apostolic doctrine.

Generally, Reformed theology holds to the authority of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, salvation by grace through Christ, and the necessity of evangelism. It is sometimes called Covenant theology because of its emphases on the covenant God made with Adam and the new covenant which came through Jesus Christ (What is Reformed Theology? | GotQuestions.org)

Originally Posted by WMBillPrice

I am actually sickened by Reformed theology.

Originally Posted by FunFromOz

Then you don't understand Reformed Theology.

Originally Posted by WMBillPrice

Reformed theology has a stake through it's cold heart.

Wise words

Does Spurgeon contradict the below quote in what he says in the link
WHY DID SPURGEON FINALLY STOP SMOKING CIGARS? | Soldiers of Christ Enduring Hardness

Originally Posted by FunFromOz