Answering Calvinism: Why Did You Choose God and Your Neighbor Didn't?

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[jessepreston]

The way that I approached this question is faith and works are not the same thing. The Bible says that those who are justified by works are obligated to keep the whole law. So if faith is a work then the only people who could be justified by it are those who have kept the whole law. If that is the case the only people that can access it don't need it, because they have kept the whole law.

[jeffreybomba]

God states multiple time that He seeks the humble and contrite. Unless God’s judgment can fail, then it eliminates bragging.

[kirilspasov]

Nowhere in the Bible is written that you can brag with your faith... Biblical faith means that you're trusting someone else. When you trust in someone else, you can brag with the one you trust in. You can't brag with yourself. If you brag with your faith, you'll only praise God.

[apilkey]

How ‘bout you just ask my neighbor why they didn’t.

[TheRomansGuy]

Another way to look at this question of whether humbling yourself shows wisdom or not is this: from the outside we can say that the one who chooses to humble himself is wiser than the one who doesn’t. But it’s not true that the one who chooses to humble himself has wisdom in mind in that choice. In fact it’s the opposite. To choose to humble yourself you’re affirming you’re not wise, you’re not good, you’re not holy, only God is. So we can describe that choice as “wise” from the outside, but from the inside it’s surrender, not boasting on our own merit.

[pascalpowers]

The argument is question begging as it assumes there is some cause outside of the will of the person choosing. If someone is free to choose, if they are the first cause of their actions and choices, then they choose to accept or reject Jesus because that is what they chose. To insist there must be something outside of their will to cause them to choose assumes they cannot be the first cause of their decision.

[bobbymichaels]

I THINK THAT hardcore Arminians and Provisionists are obsessed with Calvinism, and that hardline Calvinists are obsessed with Arminianism and Provisionism. Both negatively obsessed with each other’s soteriology.

Instead of edifying one another as we are commanded to do, we constantly mock, judge, belittle, slander, provoke one another to towards what seems like hate. Definitely not motivated by love. Which is sin against God

This is obviously clear from these YouTube channel’s comment sections. Are we not called to grow up in Christ, to mature, to be Christ-like, to be a testimony to an unbelieving world, to grow in holiness? Sanctification is hard work.

But it’s so much easier to go on social media and constantly find fault with brothers and sisters in Christ that do not agree on soteriology. And it’s more fun to pick on one another. Kinda reminds me of middle school behavior. My dad is bigger than your dad. My dad can kick your dad’s butt.

For Christ’s sake, for his glory and the good of the church, don’t let these YouTube channels promote, provoke and foster ungodliness in God’s people.

God hates disunity. Division and disunity is sin against the God who redeemed us. This is becoming a waste of time. And this obsession has become idolatry for some of us. Be obsessed with Christ. Love the brethren. Be happy in Jesus. And spread that Joy to others, even those you don’t agree with.😊

[heavymetalmusichead]

My uncle hounded me with this question for years until I used the analogy of a drowning person: "two people are drowning. A life guard jumps in and saves them, at the cost of his own life. But he's not really the hero of the story because the drowning swimmers trusted in him to save them. Therefore they are taking glory away from the life guard."

When I phrased it like that, I realized how absolutely stupid the argument is. And he did as well. He's never used that argument against me again and now says it was a "weak argument" to begin with.

[rogue]

I’m unsure of the first few things said about someone who didn’t believe but their life looked right getting pardoned but a believer who isn’t doing enough being cast out… that really does sound like a works based faith. Surely the scandal is that no matter what the unbeliever is doing, they didn’t put their faith in Christ. And no matter how shaky and fruitless the believer’s walk, the Father sees Jesus because they put their faith in Him.

[ip]

I love that question. I also love to ask the following back.

Why do you think you're among the elect?
How do you know both God's prescriptive will and his secret will for your final destination? (They don't lol)

What I find interesting is Calvinists like Vodie Baucum for example, are on record to not just say "I have faith that Christianity is true", but rather to say with preparation... that you trust in the testimony of the eyewitness, the potent historicity of the existence of Christ, and so on. Whenever someone asks you (presumably, a non-Christian) why you believe.

BUT don't you dare ACTUALLY say you BELIEVE any of that to a Calvinist. Without some sort of divine gnosis entering you from above.

They'll tell a non believer xyz, and then go onto say abc to someone else. Ironically perpetuating the very deceptions they attribute to God, by withholding the truth of the matter-- that is, instead of placebo "means" to "arrive" at their "decision"-- the regeneration as a result of being picked from before the foundation of the world.

I.e. the evidence has no bearing on whether or not they believed, thereby producing the deceptions to the unbelievers that there exists such evidence that certainly is convincing to them.

The truth of the matter, is the Calvinist really believes they would never believe "evidence" without the divine gnosis. But lying about it is much easier.

Now obviously, there are a few Calvinists that will tell xyz to everyone. They don't hide from it, they own it even if in the most absurd ways. And yes.. there are other Calvinists who arent lying necessarily, they just havent scrutinized their own beliefs much.

[primeobjective]

"WHY did you believe in Jesus, & not your neighbor?"

In Calvinism, the CAUSE of your faith in Jesus is what saves, instead of your faith in Jesus.

They should be asking, "DO you believe in Jesus?", since "faith is plessing to God" not, "The CAUSE of your faith, is pleasing to God."

If you wish to silence them by answering their question, you can refute them Biblically.

Let me show you:

Calvinist: WHY did you believe when others did not?

You: Because I had a WILLINGNESS to do what was right.

Calvinist: The makes you better & gives you a reason to BOAST because having a willingness to do what is right is GOOD.

You: Not so. Paul writes, "NOTHING GOOD dwells IN ME, that is in my flesh. For I have a WILLINGNESS to do what is right, but NOT the ABILITY to carry it out... Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Having a willingness to do what is right, is part of the "Nothing good" dwelling in Paul., it is God alone who saves you as a "wretched man, " through Jesus Christ.

[claytonhill]

As someone who believes that God elects some and not others, I watched this video to see what y'all proposed as an answer for the question being addressed as it's a big question for me.

It seems like the approach was to nullify the question rather than provide an answer to it (other than the answer of some believe because they self-determined to and others didn't, for various reasons), which isn't necessarily a bad approach! However, there were several things that I think either seriously misrepresented Calvinism (which I'm not a complete Calvinist, just for the record, so maybe I'm a one-off from the main line of thinking about these things) and/or the Bible, so it ultimately helped solidify my belief as it currently stands. I'm listing some of them below in the hopes that it is helpful to those who read it, or if there is a reply, to myself. I'll try to be brief - I'm not a fan of long YouTube comments. 😅

-- "To have their faculties restored when everybody else's was created unable...that is a ground to boast because I am now ontologically superior than the unregenerate. 'God chose me rather than you.'...therein is a ground for boasting."
This seemed to be the main point communicated through the video. However, it's not true and it really twists the Calvinist's understanding and biblical explanation for why God chooses some and not others to be His people. No good Christian will boast in the fact that God chose them. Scripture gives no reason whatsoever for boasting in our own ability, but instead opposes it as I'm sure you'd agree (Dueteronomy 9:5). That was Israel's whole problem! They were so proud God chose THEM rather than the other nations. Instead, God chose to save me (or to use these verses specifically in their context, God chose Israel) because He chose to. It wasn't because of anything good or special about Israel (Romans 9:10-12, 16). Instead, our proper response should be one of humility and gratitude at the recognition of God's unconditional grace!

-- "Because they're not identical, and they're not all having the same experiences."
That is a partial explanation I agree with. When I ask myself or anyone else the question addressed in the video, I'm wanting to dive deeper than the surface level stuff - hence why the question relating to the twins assumes they have the same experience. That's kind of the point, is to eliminate surface level things that aren't foundational in order to get to the root of the issue. "Because I heard and they didn't." "Because I'm more open-minded." "Because the other listened to too many atheists on YouTube." Those don't get to the heart of the disagreement. They're true, but they don't fully explain what's going on. Calvinism says, fundamentally at the foundation, "Because God chose me", but I'm not aware of a credible Arminian answer to the question that goes below the surface.

-- "God made me more wise than you were. He gave me an ability that you never had...In what world is that less grounds for boasting than the non-calvinist?"
See the first quote I addressed. Romans 11:22 also addresses pride in relation to God choosing (context again is Israel and Gentiles, but the principle of God's choice and the lack of warrant for pride still certainly applies). God gives the believer an ability the unbeliever never has. First, regeneration makes us free from the enslaving bondage of sin, and second, sanctification makes us more like Jesus Christ - it's a process of growing. When we're set free, we're free indeed (John 8:34, 36, Romans 6:6, 2 Peter 2:19). It's okay for some to have a God-given ability that others don't and yet remain humble. "For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" (1 Corinthians 4:7)

So much for brief...*sigh* 😅 I hope it makes sense and is helpful for y'all as well as anyone who happens to take the time to read it.

[John.]

Calvinism itself is truly a form of worldliness. It is basically elevation of man's wisdom against God's word. It is love of the world, which in this case is man's wisdom in the form of theology over and above scriptures.

[sethmcmullen]

"Not by works so that no man can boast, but by God's special choice so that Calvinists may boast."

[cecilspurlockjr.]

It seems that the arrogant brag of the calvinist is that they're wiser or better than those who reject CHRIST or even calvinism, simply because they've been predestined to be better and wiser from before creation. And that's literally the case if calvinism were true . Thank GOD calvinism isn't true .

[shay-car]

After a great famine two starving men walk together through an orchard full of fruit. One man reaches up, grabs a fruit, and fills his stomach. The other looks at him glaringly and says, "Do you think you're better than me?" The Lord provides and the Calvinist question begs.

[thomasfryxelius]

At the root of this discussion is the phrase
"it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
I would ask us all to consider the reasoning of Paul before using our own reasoning. Paul says in Rom 4:4-5
"Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" That is why Paul claims we may not boast, because we didn´t work and earn, but believe and receive.

I believe that I myself chose Jesus. I believe in the Son, and God who justifies the ungodly gave me righteousness as a gift.
According to Paul, I cannot boast, because I didn´t work.
According to calvinists, I can, because the faith came from me.

It seems to me calvinists in this case is using a biblical phrase to support an unbiblical idea.

[jeffcarlson]

and I would point you guys to Jude 4....

"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."

I would ask you what you think this phrase "who were before of old ordained to this condemnation"... means to you....

that is telling me that there ARE some who are pre ordained to condemnation... hence... Not accepting Christ... which were chosen by God... even before they were born...

[ReformedlyGuy]

The entire video completely misses the Calvinist argument. The most salient version of this argument is that what is the origin of that holy impulse? How is it that one comes to this non-meritorious holy decision?

However, Captain non-sequitur Mcgrew equivocated around 11 minutes in starting to address the origin of the decision with what God does ex post facto..

That a non-Calvinist does not boast does absolutely nothing to allay the fact that you do have grounds to boast that you chose more wisely then others. If the ground of your decision is not the sovereignty of God then the decision, part of salvation (ordo salutis), is of you wholly. God has done what he can do, but faith is up to you in the final analysis.

[richardjames]

You are not a better human being that's why God saved you,
We are all sinners, we all can have faith if we chose to, despite all the influences to our free will, we still can, by God's grace.
Faith is nothing, it didn't even move a rock for God.
However we must accept that God chooses to show mercy on whom He will have mercy.
And He shows mercy to those who have faith in the Son.
John 3:16.
He shows mercy to whosever will believe