The Still Small Voice

by James P. Needham via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 One of the cardinal doctrines of Calvinism is “effectual calling.” Its basis is another cardinal doctrine of Calvin, namely, hereditary total depravity, that is, that every person is born guilty of Adam’s sin, which is so spiritually debilitating that one can’t…

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Dead in Trespasses

by Terry Wane Benton “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in…

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Calvinism and the Great Commission

by Wayne Jackson John Calvin (1509-64) was a religious reformer and theologian. The basic premise of his theology was the absolute sovereignty (right to reign) of God, out of which evolved his misguided theory of “predestination.” The Swiss reformer believed that human “free will” was destroyed by man’s “original sin”; thus, the innate power to…

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Questions about unconditional election

Question: Hi, Your website has been very helpful to me in understanding the Bible throughout the past. I have a little issue concerning free will and salvation. I would greatly appreciate the wisdom you have to offer. My brother and I are part of a local Bible study. A couple of people there hold to…

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Does “draw” means God pulls people in with an irresistible force?

Question: In John 6:44, the Greek word for “draw” is elko which means “to compel by an irresistible force.” This sounds, to me, like God’s intervention. Answer: The Greek word for “draw” in John 6:44 is helkuse the third person, singular, subjunctive, aorist, active form of the word helkuo or helko. It is used to refer to drawing a sword from…

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Unconditional Election

by Terry W. Benton Understanding Purposeful and Temporal Election versus Unconditional Salvation Election The second point of Calvinism in the TULIP acrostic is “Unconditional Election”. It means to Calvinists that God picked Randy and not Bob, Suzie, and not Janet for salvation and that His election of Randy and Suzie was “unconditional”. That means that…

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Predetermined Destiny

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Many people in this world believe in fate or destiny. They feel there is a specific role chosen for them which they must play, whatever their personal choice. John Calvin taught that God predestines some people to be Christians and, if so chosen by God, there is nothing that a person…

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Predetermined Destinies

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.         Many in the world believe in fates and destinies             A.        They believe there is a specific role they must play, which they cannot avoid.             B.        Calvanists call it Unconditional Election. Some people are predestined to become Christians and there is nothing they can do to avoid it.                         1.         They also claim the opposite. That…

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