Ephesians 2:1-7--Can a dead person respond to the gospel? (Why I am not a Calvinist, Part 1)

Does Ephesians 2:1-7 teach that a person cannot respond to God until they are regenerated? That is one of the results of the teaching of total depravity in Calvinism.

Calvinists see an unsaved person as dead--a spiritual corpse. They cannot respond until God regenerates them and gives them faith. However, I do not believe that is what this passage teaches. At the very least, we can interpret it in a different way.

Here are my four responses:

1. Spiritual death is different than physical death

2. Death does not mean the inability to do anything good

3. Death is separation (not inability to do anything)

4. Believers are also dead (and they can do things)

#WhyIAmNotaCalvinist #SpiritualCorpse #Ephesians 2 #Calvinism #TotalDepravity #Soteriology #ReformedTheology

Don't forget to subscribe!

[EnHacore]

Very well explained how Calvinists try to twist Ephesians to claim their TULIP doctrine. Thank you for bringing light and showing that Calvinism has no verses to stand on.

[erixxu]

Your video is very good👍
point out the key point that Calvinism misleading people.👍😊

[jeffrohm]

Ben, great stuff to dig into and refreshing that this can be a civil discussion. Love you tone and insight and even the sarcasm at times is great! I'll be interested to hear more from you in subsequent vids. A couple random questions/thoughts coming from someone who is more "calvinist" if I had to be tagged as such.

* Would you subscribe to the phrase "God helps those how help themselves?" -- another cliche but that feels like the road you could go down by saying a person brings their faith or belief to God and then He says ok now this person shows the capacity to follow Christ. What level of willingness or faith would one need to ensure God would in turn regenerate that person. I can see where being rendered powerless or "dead" puts everyone on the same plain (foot of the cross) with the Calvinist position and would seem less chaotic.

*This also brings in Free Will vs. Divine Sovereignty at some level. No doubt we have a level of free will because we make choices and are not robots. However, if we are enslaved to sin or blinded in sin, are we giving ourselves too much credit to "make the first move" or is it really on God completely?

*Anothre part I struggle with the non-Calvinist view is that is seems a little harder to understand or reconcile that salvation is by Grace, alone. period. I know you would say you can't earn your way to salvation of course and works can't get us there as you stated clearly. But where do you draw the line on a gift unsolicted or solicted? If it's clear in other place all of us are undeserving then would it be up God to choose as he pleases as a gift he initiates? (as in he initiates regeneration and then gives us the faith to believe/receive). If we can avail to anything we muster up ourselves first (faith) do we actually really need the gospel? That's one that I've heard said that I have a hard time disagreeing with.

* I like you pointing out places it shows "Believers are dead in Christ or hidden in Christ" in Colossians and in Revelation but could that mean "secure in Christ"...that would allow for us to still be told to go and do things and have the ability to choose right and wrong after salvation...which we know as believers we still sin.

Sorry to ramble but always great stuff to understand and talk through theological matters :) thanks!

[lmorter]

If dead is always to be taken as literal that means dead unbelievers are going to die again in the second death even though they are already dead. 😏

[aletheia]

No a dead person can’t respond to God.