Justin Taylor responds to the question: does Calvinism make God a moral monster? Read more from Justin about the setting behind this video. Also read Michael Horton’s answer to the question, given in response to Roger Olson.
Does Calvinism make God a moral monster? Justin Taylor says no. What do you think? from Kevin Miller on Vimeo.
September 29, 2012 at 8:13 am
Calvinism certainly makes God into something that He is not.
This is confirmed in their denial of Holy Scripture. God loves and died for the whole world and for all people.
The Calvinist unwittingly turns people back into themselves for any assurance. This is wrong. The Word is external and the promise is sure, “Christ died for you”. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Why ALL people, then, do not come to faith, is another question entirely and cannot be resolved by our finite reason. This is where Calvinism goes wrong.
___
I’m not say, by the way, that Arminians have it right, either.
They have fallen off the other side of the horse and have it exactly wrong, also.
September 29, 2012 at 8:20 am
Steve,
God made the world.
BUT before that He foreknew that…
All would sin and rebel against Him,
Only some would be saved by Him,
That He would only save some,
and that those He would not save would go yo an everlasting Hell.
Do they go to that Hell because they deserve to? Yep.
Are they beyond the power of God to be saved before Judgment? [you decide]
Did God allow them existence knowing that their destiny IS that Hell? Yep.
Since God foreknew their awful destiny, and wouldn’t change it, why did He send Jesus to die for their sins?
What would be the point?
September 29, 2012 at 10:20 am
Steve,
You say, “The Word is external and the promise is sure” So where is the word given, and where is the promise made, that enables us to say to anyone and everyone, “Christ died for you”?
September 29, 2012 at 10:23 am
Steve,
As to this:
“The Calvinist unwittingly turns people back into themselves for any assurance. This is wrong.”
The Scripture tells us:
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
and again…
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
and again…
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
So Steve, please give me your Scripture verses that tells you that your assurance is found outside yourself.
Oh yeah, one more…
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.
September 29, 2012 at 1:35 pm
God saves all His children, but not all His creatures. not all people are the children of God