HarleyD,
I challenge YOU to look for verses that CONTRADICT your beliefs about the 5 points.
For example, Limited Atonement. Could I make a suggestion? Look for verses about the will of God. For example that none should perish.
Or try John 3:16 or Romans 5:8
God has the RIGHT to have created vessels (man) for destruction. This is what scripture says. It also says we have no right to question his will or motives. What it also clearly says is that God’s will is that NONE should perish and that he LOVED the WHOLE world so much he sent his only begotten Son.
God’s gift is Salvation...It is NOT his FORCED WILL upon a robot. So GRACE is RESISTABLE. Look in Romans chapter 1 — what happens to people who continually reject God? He leaves them to their own devices — is this not having resisted Grace?
As far as total depravity, we are depraved, but we long for something different. There is a God shaped whole in our heart. A hole is NOTHING. ZERO. Which is also what we can accomplish on our own toward salvation.
We have to GIVE up and let God save us....This is NOT the same as the traditional Total Depravity point, but similar.
Lastly, I revere John, and Paul and all the other disciples teaching because of the way they lived and died after Jesus...the way they treated their enemies (or people who wanted to be their enemy). Now read about John Calvin and how he handled his opponents. He could have spoke out and spared their lives. He did not (google Michael Servetus)
So it you want to defend the 5 points via scripture, how do you handle the scriptures that contradict your points?
If you are truly interested in the truth, you must examine the whole scripture, and we know scripture cannot be broken, so then, if there exist a theory (like the 5 points) that does not agree with a scripture, therefore it MUST be wrong.
Unless of course, you place more trust in “Institutes” than the “Holy Bible”
God's will is that all will be saved, and that is precisely what will happen unless you believe that what God wants to happen can be stopped by one of us puny humans. Every believer who is saved is just as God ordained it.
Yes God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. But read the rest of the text.
Joh 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Joh 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
God’s gift is Salvation...It is NOT his FORCED WILL upon a robot.
God never forces anything on anybody. He only reveals Himself to us just like He did with Moses or Paul. With each Christian He comes to us directly and tells us to "Follow Him". By HIS power WE willing drop what we are doing and follow Him. If you think this is wrong just ask yourself the question do you think Christ saved you? Please note the order of those words. I know of no Christian who would say otherwise.
As far as total depravity, we are depraved, but we long for something different.
We don't long for anything different. There is no where in scripture that states this. Man's history throughout the scripture shows that we are rebellious towards God. As John 3:19-20 shows that Christ came just to show us how evil we are. When staring love directly in the face, man ends up crucifying Him. That is our nature.
Now read about John Calvin and how he handled his opponents.
Well that may be true. But David committed adultery with Bathsheba while Uriah was off fighting David's battle and then tried to cover it up by murdering the honorable Uriah. This in my mind was far worst that what John Calvin might have done. Would you complain about David or dismiss his life as well? Calvin also started over 250+ churches as well as writing works that are still in use 500 years later. As David correctly pointed out, whatever sins we might create, ultimately all sin is against God and that's His business.
You can't judge believers based upon particular instances of their lives. I always find the Book of Kings very interesting. It always starts out with "This king did what was good in the sight of the Lord" or "This king did what was evil in the sight of the Lord". Then it goes into their life story. In some cases the good kings might have done some bad things. In other cases evil kings might have done some good things. But God does not look a single instances of our lives (thankfully). In fact, for believers He doesn't look at our lives at all but Christ's life.
Perhaps that is why we shouldn't judge one another.
BTW-I don't place my trust in the Institutes. Rather I would suggest meditating on Cyprian's question, "What do you have that you have not received from God?" Answering that question will help understand where Calvin was coming from.