Kurtis Dahlin June 21, 2001
GOD ORDAINED THE FALL OF ADAM
Nor ought it to seem absurd when I say, that God not only foresaw the fall of the first man, and in him the ruin of his posterity; but also at his own pleasure arranged it. For as it belongs to his wisdom to foreknow all future events, so it belongs to his power to rule and govern them by his hand (Calvin, Inst. III. 23. 7).
GOD HATES THE REPROBATE
that the reprobate are hateful to God, and that with perfect justice, since those destitute of his Spirit cannot produce anything that does not deserve cursing (Calvin, Inst. III. 24. 17).
GOD PREDESTINED ALL EITHER TO HEAVEN OR HELL
By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death (Calvin, Inst. III. 21. 5).
GOD HAS PLEASURE IN DAMNATION
Scripture clearly proves this much, that God by his eternal and immutable counsel determined once for all those whom it was his pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, it was his pleasure to doom to destruction. We maintain that this counsel, as regards the elect, is founded on his free mercy, without any respect to human worth, while those whom he dooms to destruction are excluded from access to life by a just and blameless, but at the same time incomprehensible judgment (Calvin, Inst. III. 21. 7).
GOD SAVES ONLY A SMALL NUMBER
The external invitation, without the internal efficacy of grace which would have the effect of retaining them, holds a kind of middle place between the rejection of the human race and the election of a small number of believers (Calvin, Inst. III. 21. 7).
GOD CONDEMNS ACCORDING TO HIS PLEASURE
God being pleased in this matter to act as a free dispenser and disposer, distinctly declares, that the only ground on which he will show mercy to one rather than to another is his sovereign pleasure (Calvin, Inst. III. 22. 6).
Those, therefore, whom God passes by he reprobates, and that for no other cause but because he is pleased to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestines to his children (Calvin, Inst. III. 23. 1).
God created and decreed those made in his image to a violent, eternal punishment simply for his pleasure and the praise of his glory.
God for no reason allocated myriad of humans to endless suffering as a symbol of his mercy and love.
God ordained that man should sin and be punished for pre-ordained sin to demonstrate his glory.
God has unconditionally subjected his creation to insatiable misery contrary to his own revealed standard of justice.
God’s foreknowledge of the sinful acts of men is not the basis or condition of reprobation. Reprobation preceded sin. God, induced by nothing external, wills the greatest evil to his creatures. This to his praise and admiration.
God, from all eternity, has pre-ordained damnation for his handiwork and pre-determined to withhold from them good and saving grace. This to his worship and glory.
God created man after his own image, in righteousness and true holiness; but, notwithstanding this, he fore-ordained and decreed, that man should become impure and unrighteous conformable to the image of Satan.
God has pre-determined and decreed that the greater part of mankind shall suffer everlasting condemnation, before anyone had been created or the demerit of one sin committed. This is the goodness and love of God.
God created the bulk of mankind for the expressed purpose of inflicting upon them unquenchable torment.
Your Father comes over with a new family van as a gift. The family piles in and waves goodbye to Father. Two blocks later, the van explodes to the glory and praise of the Father who pre-ordained the accident. Most are destroyed. The two survivors have lost the use of their minds and experience constant suffering. Every one praises the Father and worships him.
God derives pleasure from his decree of reprobation. God is Love.
God’s decree of reprobation is his greatest attribute. All were created for the purpose of rejection, which is his largest work and accomplishment. Salvation is limited. Reprobation is unlimited.
God has pre-ordained infinitely more for Satan than he has done for himself. Reprobation is irresistible.
Two guys rob a bank. They divide the spoils. One receives 90% of the booty, the other only 10%. Which one was the accomplice? Which one is really in charge? Do the math. Under the Calvin’s system of double predestination, Satan amasses infinitely more souls than the omnipotent God does.
God made it impossible for Adam to obey his command for life.
But this doctrine declares; “for God so loved only the few whom he had sovereignly elected to eternal life, and willed to give his Son to them alone by an irresistible force to produce within them faith and perseverance. The rest of the untold mass of humanity, with great pleasure, and to Satan’s joy he has mandated to eternal suffering.” (John Calvin 3:16.)