Calvinism

I am Calvinism more than I am an Arminianism. I used to be an Arminianism but over the years, the more I studied, the more I understand God's plan of Salvation and the works of the Holy Spirit, I tend to agree with Calvinism. As a calvinist, I do believe we have "free will" but only according to God's will. God will direct our lives as He sees fit. Bible clearly pointed out that God have directed our lives. In Ephesians 1:11, "He works all things according to the purpose of His own will." 'Providence" means God’s faithful, moment-by-moment control over everything He has made to ensure that everything He has created are going according to His will. He is active in every detail of it. He’s active at every moment. He doesn’t stand back and let things happen because He decides to intervene if something or someone is not going according to His will. He governs the world moment-by-moment through providence, so that everything that happens, every detail of our life occurs by God's divine providence or by God’s express permission. He is in control of everything. God constantly intervenes in our lives through His Providence. This also include the election of salvation. In my position, God will not hold me responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination, and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these is to look to God in deepest respect say, "0 Lord, You know all." These issues belong to God's omniscience. Romans 8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. I want to add that Calvinism believe in the Great Commission. We don't know who are elected to be saved. We just preach the Gospel to ALL and allow God handle the election part. Even though God is in control and He KNOWS who will accept and reject before the earth was even created. Jesus did die for ALL but the atonement is only for the elected (in other words, those who are convicted by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, repented and etc). However, I do want to share this by A.W. Tozer since he made an interesting comparision for us to "think" before believing either Calvinism or Arminianism or somewhere in between. I have a strong feeling that most people are unsure or the are in the "middle" between Calvinism and Arminianism.

Imagine two men reading the same passage of Scripture, one a Calvinist who has been brought up on Calvinistic theology from his youth, the other reared in the Arminian tradition and thoroughly indoctrinated in Arminianism. The passage they read is Hebrews 6:4-6, "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance". The impressions the Calvinist receives from these words will differ radically from those received by the Arminian, yet neither one will be conscious of adding to, subtracting from or otherwise altering the passage in any way. Each will understand the words to mean exactly what he has been taught that they mean. The meaning he sees there will appear to him so natural, so logical and right that he will wonder how anyone can see any other. (And sadly enough each will more than likely think the other a hypocrite who receives his teaching from the devil. But that is not pertinent to this particular argument.)" A.W. Tozer

Sovereign God is the absolute, infinite, unqualified ruler in all realms in heaven, earth and sea. God is to be Lord over all the creation, He is omnipotent, He is omniscient, He is omnipresent. He knows every little details and He has already planned out our tomorrows and He is holding the world in the palm of His hand. Sovereignty and omnipotence are together that one cannot exist without the other.

Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent.

J.I. Packer

In efficacious grace we are not merely passive, nor yet does God do some and we do the rest. But God does all, and we do all. God produces all, we act all. For that is what produces, viz. our own acts. God is the only proper author and fountain; we only are the proper actors. We are in different respects, wholly passive and wholly active.

Jonathan Edwards The Bible clearly teaches that no one has true "freewill" except God Himself. God is in control and He will allow us to have freewill only if its according to His will. God KNEW Adam and Eve will sin so He did gave them a free will to sin. We have to understand that God controls everything including our freewill. The "freewill" is always subject to God's sovereignty and His divine freewill. God let's each of us chose whether they will be obedient to Him or not according to His will. The key is that God is ALWAYS in control even in our own freewill. Those of us given the free gift of faith, we have escaped eternal punishment that we rightly deserved because of the mercy and grace of God, and we should be eternally grateful. Christ's atonement which is the actual work, for whoever believe. We believe this is limited to those who believe and were chosen by God, whereas the Arminian side of it would say that everybody’s sins have been paid for. To me Arminian believes that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of people who don’t believe. That’s the problem I am having because if your sins are paid for already by Jesus and you go to hell, then that’s double jeopardy. It is TRUE that Christ died on the Cross for EVERYONE !! The atonement basically means whoever Believe in Christ will not perish and those who do not believe in Christ will NOT get the benefit of Christ's atonement. Christ's purpose to die for everyone but the atonement is only limited to those who accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.