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Calvinists declare their God to be a liar!
The God of the Bible gave man free will when He created him, and gave him dominion over the earth with the command to subdue it. Then how can calvinists say that their God created man with dominion over the earth, commanding man to subdue it, yet declare that their God never gave man the free will to enable him to do so? This deception makes the calvinist God a liar!
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” So commences the Biblical record of creation. On the sixth day God created man, an event that went far beyond any other act of creation, for man was created in the image of God. This is a stupendous statement that focuses upon man as something quite different from anything else that God created. For, to be created in the image of God meant that in man we could be able to see something of the nature of God Himself.
Of course, when Adam sinned, this image of God was broken down, corrupted and subverted by satan who took over the rule of earth on man’s behalf. Man, by sinning, had obeyed satan rather than God, and now satan had somehow taken charge of mankind. Man was now sold out to satan, and it was to take the sacrificial death of Christ – God as the perfect man – to buy back – redeem – man from the power of satan. God’s special creation in His own image had been alienated from God by one single act of rebellion from man who was made in God’s image. Of course, God knew (by His perfect knowledge of the future – “foreknowledge”) that Adam would sin, despite being created the perfect man in God’s image. Therefore, before Adam was created, the plan of redemption was already in place to buy back (redeem) man from the bondage of satan.
But man was indeed created perfect, in the image of God, in fact. As part of man’s special place in God’s creation, he was given dominion (rulership) over the earth and its animal-life. And, not only was man given the rule over the earth, but he was also to subdue it, something that would require the taking of control of the earth, by force if necessary, for this is what that word “subdue” involves.
Genesis 1:26 – And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:28 – And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
have dominion – to have dominion; rule; subjugate. That is, Adam (as the first man) was to be ruler over all creatures, plant life and the earth in general, and through Adam, all mankind (“and let them have dominion”) were to be rulers.
let them have dominion – and let them be rulers over. This in itself is a statement of free will, for how may anyone govern without the freedom to make decisions for that which he then is to take responsibility? Is it even possible to rule over something yet have no freedom of will to make decisions? We have a word for a ruler who can’t make free will decisions concerning his rule: we call him a puppet ruler; puppet king; puppet government etc.
subdue – kabash (to bring into bondage; make subservient; subdue; force; violate; dominate; tread down)
If one is to subdue anything, it requires the ability to consider the options. “subdue” has to firstly assume that an opposing force or will is being applied. “subdue” also has to assume that this opposing force or will is not under your control and that it is required (by you, of course) to be under your control. The word involves bringing something or someone under bondage, by force if necessary. You do not need to subdue that which is already under your control. You subdue in order to bring something under your control. Control involves the ability to manipulate that which is controlled, like a puppet is controlled by its strings. Control therefore means having the strings to pull on whatever you are controlling. The puppet dances to the tune of the puppeteer. Likewise, all creation on earth was to dance to the tune of man the puppeteer. And, a puppeteer is the will of the puppet! What a ridiculous idea to consider that man, the puppeteer, is likewise manipulated by strings attached to him by God, that man himself is both puppeteer and the puppet of God!
And God said (Vs 26 & Vs 28 above) – That word “said” is ‘amar (to say; to answer; to say in one’s heart; to think; to command; to promise; to intend). The term “emir” (ruler; leader; commander) appears to be a related word derived from the same root word as ‘amar.
An emir, sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is an aristocratic or noble and military title of high office used in a variety of places in the Arab countries. (Wikipedia).
Here in Genesis, ‘amar demonstrates that God, as sovereign of all, said it as an order that could not be disobeyed. The speaking of the order is the same as the action being carried out.
God said to man: subdue the earth! That is, God commanded it with every expectation that it would be carried out without question. This is an order that cannot be countermanded. Man is ordered to subdue the earth, and therefore man is to be given the authority to do so. You don’t order a puppet to do anything; you just make it do it and it will do it. There can be no suggestion at all that the puppet could ever oppose the will of the puppeteer. The order itself clearly demonstrates that man is not a puppet, that he does have a choice to obey or not to obey.
In the same way, God said “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) If man is merely a puppet, then God would have to pull the strings that prevent man from eating of that tree (or else He lied). Anything that is a puppet cannot oppose the puppeteer. But man opposed God and ate of that forbidden tree. It is ridiculous to assume that God in some way made man sin, because that also assumes that God pulled the “sin” string on man to make man sin. God is not a puppeteer who just pulls the strings and man moves accordingly. And a puppet itself can never be blamed for any of the alleged “crimes’ it commits, for, like Punch and Judy, the puppet just does what it is manipulated to do. Likewise, man, if merely a puppet, can only do that which he is manipulated to do, without any option of his own will being imposed, ever. (A puppet has no will at all.)
Just as Calvin said: If God merely foresaw human events, and did not also arrange and dispose of them at his pleasure, there might be room for agitating the question, how far his foreknowledge amounts to necessity; but since he foresees the things which are to happen, simply because he has decreed that they are so to happen, it is vain to debate about prescience, while it is clear that all events take place by his sovereign appointment. (Institutes, Bk 3, Ch 23, Section 6) That is, God has no need for foreknowledge (= prescience) because He has already decreed everything that is to happen. All events for all time take place by God’s sovereign decree. Thus the calvinist God is the puppet-master, and man is the puppet!
A puppet may have no life and will of its own, unless God should give it life, and order it to have dominion over the earth, and to subdue the earth (by force if necessary). And, therefore, man has to have the freedom of will to make his own decisions, even if they oppose God’s will, for unless he can have the option of opposing God’s will, then man is merely a puppet in the hands of God.
Of course, if God is to remain absolutely sovereign, then ultimately His will cannot be denied. If He should permit man to have free will, then He must also demand a full accounting of man as to every free will decision man has made. And God does indeed demand that.
2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.
Calvinists do make such a song and dance about man having no free will (although some in an effort to placate those who know their Bibles well, will say that man has free will but not unto salvation, which is pointless, for unless a man has free will in salvation, there is no point in having free will otherwise!). But, if man has been given dominion over the earth, and is commanded by God to subdue the earth, then either man has free will to do so, or else he is a puppet who cannot be responsible for any of his decisions, for the puppeteer makes all decisions for him. And a puppet cannot be truthfully accused of disobeying his puppet-master (and therefore cannot be justly punished for such). And, if God is truth (like His word), then God will not unjustly accuse man of crimes that He, God, has made man do. For if God were to make man sin against Him, and then called such sin an abomination against His holy nature, then such a God himself is to be accused of the sin against himself! Either man sins by his own free will or God must be punished for the sin He makes man do.
However, the God of the Bible who created man did not demand to be puppet-master of man. He gave man some measure of free will to decide for himself, and to take responsibility for every one of his free will decisions. In this way, man has freedom of will to rule, yet God remains totally sovereign in requiring a complete accounting for all man’s free will choices. Man is held responsible for his decisions, and God justly and righteously punishes man for the wrong choices he (man) has made. (Even to the extent of sending His own Son to die in order that he might buy back mankind after mankind sold himself to satan.) God is sovereign.
Tozer wrote wisely when he said: God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, “What doest thou?” Man’s will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so. (Knowledge of the Holy, Tozer, P 76)
If man has free will to determine his eternal destiny, then God will honour all free will decisions by man: obedience to life, and rebellion to death.
Deuteronomy 30:15; 19 – See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; …..
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
If man is created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth and told to subdue it, then man can only do this with free will decision-making. If the calvinist God cannot permit man to have free will to choose between good and evil, then either man cannot be permitted to have dominion over the earth and to subdue it, or the calvinist God is deceiving man, promising dominion with one hand and taking it away with the other.
Any who believe that I have not stated Scriptural truth are welcome to challenge anything I have said, using the Bible alone as their authority (sola scriptura). Please attempt to keep your arguments consistent with all Biblical truth, and please do not resort to childish name-calling. Silence, name-calling, and derogatory statements are always taken to mean an inability to properly refute my statements. I present my views on Biblical grounds, both clearly and openly, but not one calvinist has yet been able to present his views likewise.
For example, when I stated to one calvinist that God chose His elect according to His foreknowledge based on 1 Peter 1:2 (Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father), he wrote back saying that this foreknowledge could not be defined as God’s perfect knowledge of the future, and that if I could present just one verse that clearly said that God chose His elect according to His perfect knowledge of the future, then he’d back down completely. You just can’t get through to some people!
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Eternal security? or Can you lose your salvation? Part 3
(Eternal security? or Can you lose your salvation? Part 1)
(Eternal security? or Can you lose your salvation? Part 2)
In Part 1 I looked at some of the more-quoted passages often used to demonstrate the eternal security of the believer. The question was raised as to whether or not the believer could still exercise freedom of will, not only to accept salvation, but to also reject it after accepting it.
In Part 2 I looked at the passages that are used to demonstrate that a person may lose his salvation. I decided that, while it appeared possible for a Christian to lose his salvation, it wasn’t a clear-cut conclusion. It did appear that it might be possible for new (or immature) Christians to be drawn back into the world which they may not have fully let go of.
In the Hebrews 6:4-6 passage it is clear that The Writer to the Hebrews considers it possible for them to lose their salvation through God not permitting them (Hebrews 6:3) to renew their repentance, after falling away from what clearly looks like a description of a born-again Christian. But The Writer also makes it clear that a certain type of Christian is at risk here: the new-born baby Christian (Hebrews 5:12-14). The Writer also teaches that going on toward perfection will probably remove or at least greatly minimise the risk of losing salvation (that is, apostatising).
Of course, some will claim that an apostate is an unbeliever who has rejected the gospel, yet the word “apostasy” comes from the Greek word apostasia which is translated “a falling away” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. An apostate is someone who falls away from belief in the gospel and his salvation; it doesn’t define someone who never believed in the first place. You can’t fall away from where you never were in the first place!
The Writer to the Hebrews is teaching that in order to not fall away, one must grow as a Christian, and continue to grow, for it is the lack of growth that he associates with a falling away. On this basis, a more mature Christian should be better protected from falling away. But is this teaching consistent with other passages? In 2 Peter 2:18 it describes those who fall away as having firstly “clean escaped from those who live in error”. That word “clean” means clearly or obviously, yet some dispute this, claiming that the original word was “barely”. That is, those who have “barely escaped”. Either way, however, it is clearly talking about those who have escaped, either cleanly or barely. However, “barely” would be more consistent with Hebrews 5:12-14 which describes these people as new-born babes, ones who had barely escaped the world and its error.
But, are there passages that teach that less mature Christians are somehow more at risk than those of mature age? Look at Luke 9:23-25 – 23 And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? Look at the choice in Vs 25 which is clearly part of taking up your cross daily and following Jesus. This passage (similar to passages in Matthew 16:24-26 and Mark 8:34-37) does tie this choice to whether or not you take up your cross.
Jesus also said that if you didn’t take up your cross and follow Him, you were not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:38) nor could you be His disciple (Luke 14:27). It is clear that taking up your cross somehow takes you across some line drawn in the sand that commits you fully to the task. So, what does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus?
Tozer wrote some very thought-provoking words on this in Ch.10 (The Old Cross and the New) of his book “Man – The Dwelling Place of God”.
The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.
The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a human being. The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said goodbye to his friends. He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more.
It seems that there are two kinds of Christian: (a) those who take up their crosses (thus they can be Jesus’ disciple and are worthy of Him) and (b) those who don’t take up their crosses (thus they cannot be Jesus’ disciple, nor are they worthy of Him).
There’s a choice that all Christians must make in order to be a disciple of Jesus, and to be worthy of Him, and that is to take up their crosses and follow Him. For unless you take up your cross and follow Him, you are what I would call a de facto or P-plate Christian, one who still has significant desires for the world (1 John 2:15-17). Too many become Christians for the benefits to themselves: forgiveness for sins, eternal life, heaven forever, etc, but fail to do it for what they can give to God. (See Romans 12:1-2) They want their salvation, but aren’t yet ready to give up the world. They will continue to have conflict in their lives, between Christ and the world. At some point they’ll have to make up their minds which one they really want, Christ or the world. This is the choice associated with taking up your crosses and following Jesus. To take up your cross you must make a choice to forsake the world. If you cannot forsake the world, then you cannot take up your cross and eventually you are likely to succumb to the love of the world (that is, you will have traded your soul for the world). “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
People today want to have Christ without losing the world. But we may only be a true follower of Christ by taking up our crosses and turning our backs on the world. Until a Christian turns his back on the world, it will always be there, tempting him and demanding his return. Such a Christian is unworthy of Christ, and is always going to be at risk of returning to the world (at the expense of his soul). Such a Christian cannot be Christ’s disciple, for he loves the world too much. He might declare himself to be a Christian, having repented with godly sorrow, and prayed the sinner’s prayer for salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10a – For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of).
His name is written in the book of life. He is one of God’s children, having called upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13). But he still has friends and a social life in the world, and so he shares his Christian life with those of the world, not to win the world for Christ, but to keep those things of the world that which he cannot afford to let go of yet. Note what Hebrews 2:1 says – Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let [them] slip. That “let slip” has the idea of having hold of a boat rope in your hand, yet through being distracted by something else, we let it slip out of our grasp without realising that it has gone. We then look up and notice the boat is drifting down stream, already out of reach. Too late!
Many teach that this applies to those who have heard the gospel, yet let it slip through not giving it the importance it deserves. They then quote Hebrews 2:3a – How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation. But that word “neglect” refers more to a careless disregard of something already in your possession, something which is a responsibility of yours, rather than being careless of something you don’t have yet. You either neglect your responsibility, or you ignore something that is not your responsibility. You have hold of your salvation, your eternal life, your future in heaven – it’s in your grasp right now. Yet, your attention is drawn back to the world that you never really left, and you fail to notice that your grasp on your salvation is slipping. Your love for the world is strong and quenches your love for Christ, and, when faced with the decision to take up your cross and really follow Jesus, you decide that your love of the world is more important. Like Demas who loved this present world, you gain this present world, yet lose your eternal soul, your salvation. That which was once yours is no longer in your grasp.
Demas, that one who, along with Paul and Luke, sent greetings in Colossians 4:14. Demas, that one whom Paul called a fellow labourer (Philemon 1:24). Demas of whom Paul then declared “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). Demas, who had now regained the world he had forsaken when he accepted salvation in Christ. Demas who gained the world yet lost his soul! Demas who let slip his salvation because of his stronger grip on the world. Demas who could never come back again to Christ!
Becoming a Christian is easy! Just receive Christ into your life and all your problems are over, forever! Or are they? Are you growing in Christ or are you constantly going back to new-born status through your love of the world? Have you matured enough to be able to test all things, especially the lies of the false teachers? Do you suffer as a Christian, keeping in mind that this is what Christians are called to do (1 Peter 2:21)? Remember that those who live Godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Is the Christian life so tough that you would rather give it up?
Like the Hebrews who were hard-hit with persecution such that they desired to go back to the temple worship which they had left behind when they became Christians. In fact, this is a major theme of Hebrews, the need to fight on in spite of the persecution.
… let us run with patience the race that is set before us – Hebrews 12:1. Note that the word “race” actually means fight, conflict, contention, and is translated “fight” in 1 Timothy 6:12 and 2 Timothy 4:7.
Paul told the Romans, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2) Being a Christian means all or nothing. You don’t hand over a part of your life; you hand over all your life! You take up your cross daily (that is, take up the suffering to which you were called). You give God the right to choose what happens in your life, much like giving someone an Enduring Power of Attorney to control all your assets. No longer should you demand the right to have a say in your future; commit to God everything in your future. (You should be, after all, “a living sacrifice“.)
In particular, this means giving up the right to choose what you should do or say. God does not force Christians to hand this right over, but if you give Him this right willingly, then he will take control and you will then see the victory God has planned for you. You may (and will) fall at times, but you will always turn to God for help at those times, knowing that He is in total charge. And it is hard to see how you would ever be able to give up your salvation now. (I would say impossible. For such people their eternal salvation should indeed be secure.)
It’s like grasping your salvation with one hand while grasping the world with your other hand. It’s a tug of war, and sooner or later one side will win the battle. And the other side losing out. For the Christian, it should be the world that he lets go of, to then grasp his salvation with both hands. But, what if he should let go of his salvation to grasp the world with both hands? (Like Demas did!)
Thus, my conclusions on eternal security? I have already outlined them in this Part 3. If you want to hold onto the world, want to keep your options open, want to keep your worldly friends and social life, and don’t want to suffer as a true disciple of Jesus, then you are at risk of losing your salvation. And, if you gain salvation and then forsake it again, there can be no second option, for if Christ’s first and only sacrifice were perfect yet still insufficient for you, then no further sacrifice can ever achieve any more. Your repentance can never be renewed again. It would be better to have not known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turn away from it (2 Peter 2:21).
However, if you wish to be eternally secure in your salvation, to know beyond any doubt that you have a place in heaven because your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life, then you must take up your cross daily, follow the example of suffering set by Christ, forsake the world (that means burning all bridges that permit your return), and hand over to God all (that means all) your decision-making, that is, give to God an Enduring Power of Attorney. What you control, you can lose; what God controls, you can never lose!
Like the song (in part) says: I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, No turning back; Though none go with me, still I will follow; The world behind me, the cross before me.
Yes, you have free will to choose; sovereign God has given you that right. And it is as easy as believing in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9) and calling upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13). If you genuinely desire salvation in Christ and desire to fully serve Him, then you are saved from this point on. You may fall again and again, confessing your sins for God to restore you to fellowship with Him (and He will do so, again and again!). But if your desire is to be holy as God is holy (and this means turning your back on the world and its pleasures), then you will remain saved to the uttermost, eternally.
If you desire to keep hold of your salvation, you must hand over your right to free will here. That is, by your own free will decision you must choose to forego any further free will decisions on your eternal future. You must give this right back to sovereign God. Permit God to lock down every option that could cause you to let go of your salvation (or even to think about it). Instead, let go of the world and its pleasures forever! “No turning back, No turning back!”
And, with God’s guidance you must grow toward perfection. (Despite never being able to be perfect in this life, you must nevertheless still strive for that perfection, or rather, give God the decision-making to get you there, to be conformed to the image of Christ – Romans 8:29.)
It really comes down to who is making the decisions in your life, you or God? It comes down to what your life is built upon, your dreams and aspirations, or God’s will for your life?
What you choose you can fail in. What God chooses for you can never fail you.
What you build, you can lose. What God builds, you will never lose.
Psalm 127:1 – Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh [but] in vain.
Eternal security? or Can you lose your salvation? Part 1
Eternal security? or Can you lose your salvation? Part 2
List of all my posts on this site.
If you wish to read documents on the heresies of calvinism, please use this link.
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