An e-mail I received not so long ago invited me to tune into a brand new blog called 4loveofthetruth. Being a person who
loves the truth I immediately typed in the address http://4loveofthetruth.wordpress.com which took me to a beautifully laid out and picturesque blog. To my surprise most of the truth written of on their blog is based on the writings of John MacArthur of Grace to You Ministries. This logo is indeed very beautiful but the irony is that it is only aimed at a special kind of people, a people who have been elected and predestined unto salvation before the foundation of the world while the poor reprobates who have been elected and predestined unto perdition before the foundation of the world have no part in their Grace to You salutation. What kind of grace is that? A link on 4loveoftheturth, Is the Doctrine of Election Unfair? Read more here, took me to John MacArthur’s article where he says amongst many other incongruities the follolwing:
To say that election is unfair is not only inaccurate, it fails to recognize the very essence of true fairness. That which is fair, and right, and just is that which God wills to do. Thus, if God wills to choose those whom He would save, it is inherently fair for Him to do so. We cannot impose our own ideas of fairness onto our understanding of God’s working. Instead, we must go to the Scriptures to see how God Himself, in His perfect righteousness, decides to act.
No one can argue against the fact that God’s will is the ultimate of fairness. His love, compassion, justice and sovereignty are perfectly packaged in his fairness. Nonetheless, the question is not whether we recognize his fairness; we should rather ask ourselves whether we recognize (discern) his perfect will. I’m sure John MacArthur and his followers will agree that we only have one source from which we may recognize or discern his will — the holy Bible, His Word. Bearing in mind that election and predestination are primarily salvivic terms, we must of necessity probe God’s will with regard to salvation. So what is God’s will when it comes to salvation?
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. (Ezekiel 18:31-32)
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11)
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
According to Calvinism only the reprobate die (are cast into the eternal lake of fire); the elect die physically but will never die spiritually because they have been predestined unto eternal bliss before the foundation of the earth. And yet, God says He has no pleasure in the death of anyone (including the reprobate). John Calvin, who seemed to have more of a doctrinally sound rendering of this verse than God Himself, said:
Many professing a desire to defend the Deity from an invidious charge admit the doctrine of election, but deny that any one is reprobated (Bernard. in Die Ascensionis, Serm. 2). This they do ignorantly and childishly since there could be no election without its opposite, reprobation. God is said to set apart those whom he adopts for salvation. It were most absurd to say, that he admits others fortuitously, or that they by their industry acquire what election alone confers on a few. 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 (John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 3, Chapter 23, Sec. 2226)
Scripture clearly proves … 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. ” (John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 7, Sec. 2210)
For he is speaking of the greatness of God, whose pleasure it is to inflict punishment on fools and transgressors though he is not pleased to bestow his Spirit upon them. It is a monstrous infatuation in men to seek to subject that which has no bounds to the little measure of their reason. Paul gives the name of elect to the angels who maintained their integrity. If their steadfastness was owing to the good pleasure of God, the revolt of the others proves that they were abandoned. Of this no other cause can be adduced than reprobation, which is hidden in the secret counsel of God. (John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 3, Chapter 23, Sec. 2229)
Now, since the arrangement of all things is in the hand of God, since to him belongs the disposal of life and death, he arranges all things by his sovereign counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death, and are to glorify him by their destruction. (John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 23, Sec. 2231) (Emphasis added)
God, according to the good pleasure of his will, without any regard to merit, elects those whom he chooses for sons, while he rejects and reprobates others . . . it is right for him to show by punishing that he is a just judge . . . The Lord therefore may show favor to whom he will, because he is merciful; not show it to all, because he is a just judge. (John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 23, Section 2234) (Emphasis added).
The next best question to be asked, is who is the liar here — God or John Calvin? If John MacArthur believes God is fair in all his works, then He must also admit that it is his will and good pleasure that no one dies in his or her sins and that they should, as God Himself said, make themselves a new heart and a new spirit. Needless to say, it does not mean that man is capable of making himself a new heart and a new spirit; God alone can do that. It simply means that sinners should aspire and desperately hanker for a new heart and a new spirit (Jeremiah 29:13).
We are encouraged to test all things whether they are from God (1 John 4:1) because many false prophets have gone out into the world. If election and predestination unto salvation for a select few only are NOT from God, then it is a lie and if a lie then it had its origin with Satan who is the father of all lies since the very beginning of time (John 8:44).
