Post by Dr James Ach on Aug 14, 2013 5:22:01 GMT 3
According to Calvinists, "God predestines all things whatsoever, both animate and inanimate. His decree includes all angels, both good and evil" David West, Baptist Examiner, 1989.
"Nothing comes to pass contrary to his decree. Nothing happens by chance. Even moral evil, which he abhors and forbids, occurs 'by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God'"-Shedd, Calvinism, pg 87
"All things turn out according to divine predestination; not only the works we do outwardly, but the thoughts we think inwardly". Philip Melanchthon.
"God has appointed where each person shall reside: the particular country in which he should be born, and the very city , town, village, and house in which we shall dwell, and how long he shall remain there. Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Joshua (1964), pg 338.
Although there are many many implications that can be derived from this, one simple one is marriage and divorce. Does God ordain and determined the divorce of people that He specifically said that He joined together and commanded not to separate? Matthew 19:6 "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
Furthermore, does God decree what He hates? Mal 2:16. How can God be said to determine all things according to His own pleasure, and at the same time decree what He hates? John Piper says in a sermon The Pleasure of God In His Creation, "And so all that he does, he does, not under constraint, but according to his own good pleasure. He is free, and he takes pleasure in all that he does." This would imply that hate is pleasurable to God if He decrees what He hates. Yet if hate is pleasurable to God, then How does one determine whether or not God's love is greater to or equal to His hate? James 2:13 says that mercy rejoices against judgment, but is this really true? Ezekiel says that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but according to Calvinism, He does.
These are obvious conundrums that should cause any honest Calvinist to think twice about such a warped view of the character of God.
"Nothing comes to pass contrary to his decree. Nothing happens by chance. Even moral evil, which he abhors and forbids, occurs 'by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God'"-Shedd, Calvinism, pg 87
"All things turn out according to divine predestination; not only the works we do outwardly, but the thoughts we think inwardly". Philip Melanchthon.
"God has appointed where each person shall reside: the particular country in which he should be born, and the very city , town, village, and house in which we shall dwell, and how long he shall remain there. Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Joshua (1964), pg 338.
Although there are many many implications that can be derived from this, one simple one is marriage and divorce. Does God ordain and determined the divorce of people that He specifically said that He joined together and commanded not to separate? Matthew 19:6 "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
Furthermore, does God decree what He hates? Mal 2:16. How can God be said to determine all things according to His own pleasure, and at the same time decree what He hates? John Piper says in a sermon The Pleasure of God In His Creation, "And so all that he does, he does, not under constraint, but according to his own good pleasure. He is free, and he takes pleasure in all that he does." This would imply that hate is pleasurable to God if He decrees what He hates. Yet if hate is pleasurable to God, then How does one determine whether or not God's love is greater to or equal to His hate? James 2:13 says that mercy rejoices against judgment, but is this really true? Ezekiel says that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but according to Calvinism, He does.
These are obvious conundrums that should cause any honest Calvinist to think twice about such a warped view of the character of God.