Well, in sooth the whole bible is, to use an unfortunate term but one with a clear meaning, Calvinistic. In the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism, if judging is to occur by the use of a balance scale, Calvinism wins hands down. And that’s if you weigh either the scriptural support for one against the other or, historically speaking, the sheer intellect of the theologians in the Calvinistic camp against those arrayed for the Arminian side. In either case it’s neutron star vs. a tennis ball.
But the point I am making is that the rock-solid proof texts for Calvinism are usually taken from the Gospel of John. With some heavy duty support from Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter the ninth, especially.
But the great fisherman Peter has something to offer. Speaking to believers, Peter wrote:
They [unbelievers] stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Pet. 2 8:-10)It’s hard to get more Calvinistic than that. Unbelievers are destined to disobey and stumble. Believers are a chosen race. Is it strange that we were chosen rather than advancing by personal achievement in a divine meritocracy? No—because our purpose is not our salvation, but to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called [that’s called, as in compelled, not wooed] you out of darkness”.
No comments:
Post a Comment