Who maketh thee to differ from another?

[beloved57]

1 Cor 4:7

7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

As it pertains to Salvation and its attendants what makes the difference ? Many/Most say they make the difference, their freewill decision to accept Christ, or something they did made the difference between saved and lost.

Yet the scripture testimony says otherwise. Grace makes the difference, Sovereign Grace.

Grace in Election 2 Thess 2:13

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

God has chosen from everlasting certain people whom He purposed save. They are also called "vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory." Loved with and everlasting love, elected in sovereign mercy, and predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ, all the elect will be saved.

 

[beloved57]

It is God that makes us to differ in Redemption.

Christ was given to die only for His Sheep, Gods Elect, or His Church apart from others:

Jn 10:11,15

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Rom 8:33-34

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Eph 5:25-26

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

By His Redemptive Death He exclusively secured Salvation for the Elect Heb 9:12

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us

For the reprobate/goats He made no atonement, offered no sacrifice, and did not put away their sin and curse Matt 25:41

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

 

[Clete]

1 Cor 4:7

7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

As it pertains to Salvation and its attendants what makes the difference ? Many/Most say they make the difference, their freewill decision to accept Christ, or something they did made the difference between saved and lost.

Yet the scripture testimony says otherwise. Grace makes the difference, Sovereign Grace.

Grace in Election 2 Thess 2:13

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

God has chosen from everlasting certain people whom He purposed save. They are also called "vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory." Loved with and everlasting love, elected in sovereign mercy, and predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ, all the elect will be saved.

I'll stop short of calling this a lie in the intentional sense of the word because this fool actually does believe this nonsense, but it is very definitely a false teaching. The fact that man has a free will is not only evident in every single moment of our lives but it is a concept found throughout the scripture. The testimony of scripture is literally just the exact opposite of what Calvinism teaches - the EXACT opposite! They literally and systemically believe the OPPOSITE of what the bible teaches!

Just to give a taste of the biblical material, which is truly vast....

Exodus 32:26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.​

​

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,​

​

Joshua 24:15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”​

​

1 Kings 18:21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.​

​

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.​

​

Hosea 8:3 Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.​

​

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.​

​

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”​

And there is so much more than this! I could have posted twenty times as many verses (or more)! Concepts directly related to, and / or predicated upon, the concept of our choosing is practically on every page of the bible to the point that Deuteronomy 30:19 is a veritable single sentence synopsis of the entire bible!

Justice is impossible if there is no free will. Love in impossible if there is no free will. In fact, morality itself presupposes free will. There can be nothing right or wrong, no righteousness nor evil if there is no free will. How many pages of the bible do you think you can read before bumping into a moral concept? The very conceptual foundation of the Christian faith crumbles to dust if we do not CHOOSE what to believe and to act on that belief. You cannot love God without choosing to do so! Again, just the precise opposite of Calvinist teaching.

Clete

 

[beloved57]

I'll stop short of calling this a lie in the intentional sense of the word because this fool actually does believe this nonsense, but it is very definitely a false teaching. The fact that man has a free will is not only evident in every single moment of our lives but it is a concept found throughout the scripture. The te4stimony of scripture is literally just the exact opposite of what Calvinism teaches - the EXACT opposite! They literally and systemically believe the OPPOSITE of what the bible teaches!

Just to give a taste of the biblical material, which is truly vast....

Exodus 32:26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.​

​

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,​

​

Joshua 24:15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”​

​

1 Kings 18:21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.​

​

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.​

​

Hosea 8:3 Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.​

​

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.​

​

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”​

And there is so much more than this! If could have posted twenty times as many verses (or more)! Concepts directly related to, and / or predicated upon, the concept of our choosing is practically on every page of the bible to the point that Deuteronomy 30:19 is a veritable single sentence synopsis of the entire bible!

Justice is impossible if there is no free will. Love in impossible if there is no free will. In fact, morality itself presupposes free will. There can be nothing right or wrong, no righteousness nor evil if there is no free will. How many pages of the bible do you think you can read before bumping into a moral concept? The very conceptual foundation of the Christian faith crumbles to dust if we do not CHOOSE what to believe and to act on that belief. You cannot love God without choosing to do so! Again, just the precise opposite of Calvinist teaching.

Clete

So you believe its the sinner that makes himself to differ ? Yeah or Nah

 

[beloved57]

In New Birth or Quickeneing it is God who makes the difference;

The Spirit gives Birth according to His Will Jn 3:7-8

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 5:21

21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

Jn 6:63

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The Spirit only quickens some, and passes by othrs !

 

[Clete]

So you believe its the sinner that makes himself to differ ? Yeah or Nah

That question only makes sense to ask from within your own twisted paradigm. Any answer to that question would only ever serve as some sort of queer point in the mind of someone who has redefined practically every word in the English language to suit their false teaching.

Does the drowning man save himself by clinging to the rescue swimmer?

Does the man fallen in a pit save himself by climbing the ladder provided by his rescuer?

Only the Calvinist would say "yes" to either question!

And either of those examples depict an effort countless times greater than that performed by the "yes" pronounced in my mind when I was asked whether I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who was slain for my sin and rose from the dead. And even that had an effect only because God decided it would. I didn't set the terms of my salvation, God did! God is the one who set life and death before me and told me to choose and so even my own choice isn't what "makes me to differ" but God Himself who, before I ever existed, set in His own mind what He would do with sinners and how and why.

Clete

 

[beloved57]

Sheep and Goats ! Matt 25:34,41

34 Then shall the King say unto them[Sheep] on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

41 Then shall he say also unto them[goats] on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Now who maketh the Sheep differ from the goats ? God does, by the Fathers Election of the Sheep before the foundation of the world Eph 1:3-6

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

And to these Christ exclusively died for, redeeming them from the curse of the law Eph 1:7

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Gal 3:13

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

And the same the Spirit gives life, regenerate, quicken and gives them Faith in Christ Eph 1:13-14

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard[spiritually] the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The Sheep themselves couldn't make the difference, but God could and did graciously, and He shall receive deservedly all the Glory !

 

[Clete]

Notice how every argument to the contrary is ignored by the Calvinist?

They don't care about truth because they don't worship the God of truth. They worship a figment of Aristotle's imagination.

 

[beloved57]

Why do some believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and some do not ? What causes us to differ ? Christs redeeming death is that which causes us to differ, for by His redemptive death He procured and bestowed faith and repentance on some and not on others. By His Death He purchased our new birth from the slavery of sin. As a proof of His purchasing His people both repentance and faith, He was raised from the dead, and seated at the right hand of God as Prince and Saviour and to give repentance to Israel, not national ethnic Israel, but Spiritual Israel His Seed. Acts 5:31

31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

That word give means to cause to repent.

And even though Faith or belief isn't mentioned in that verse, its certainly implied because repentance is unto the acknowledgment of the Truth 2 Tim 2:25

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

So its God alone that makes one to differ, who becomes a believer !

 

[Clete]

Why do some believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and some do not ? What causes us to differ ? Christs redeeming death is that which causes us to differ, for by His redemptive death He procured and bestowed faith and repentance on some and not on others. By His Death He purchased our new birth from the slavery of sin. As a proof of His purchasing His people both repentance and faith, He was raised from the dead, and seated at the right hand of God as Prince and Saviour and to give repentance to Israel, not national ethnic Israel, but Spiritual Israel His Seed. Acts 5:31

31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

That word give means to cause to repent.

And even though Faith or belief isn't mentioned in that verse, its certainly implied because repentance is unto the acknowledgment of the Truth 2 Tim 2:25

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

So its God alone that makes one to differ, who becomes a believer !

Translation:

"...its God alone that makes one to differ, who goes to Hell."

Calvinists are literally stupid. They compartmentalize every individual thought in their head!

They seem to forget when saying nonsense like what is quoted above that God meticulous control doesn't begin or end with "bestowing faith and repentance" but covers every single event that happens. The person's need for faith and repentance and every action that caused that need were all contained within God's all controlling providence, according to the Calvinist. They literally do believe that God deserves praise for being the arsonist that set your house on fire and then rescued you from the flames! What they don't have, however, is the mental acuity to put their thoughts together in such a way as to realize that's what they're teaching!

 

[beloved57]

clete

"...its God alone that makes one to differ, who goes to Hell."

This is True !

 

[Clete]

@beloved57 is the best argument against Calvinism any Christian could ever hope to make. All we really have to do is sit back and let him shoot his mouth off.

clete



This is True !

Not if God is just, it isn't!



Now, sit back and watch how b57 ignores that argument. He WILL NOT address it AT ALL or, if he does say something it will only be because I just said he wouldn't and the best he'll do is redefine the word "just" to the point that it is utterly meaningless, especially when applied to God.

Clete

 

[beloved57]

@beloved57 is the best argument against Calvinism any Christian could ever hope to make. All we really have to do is sit back and let him shoot his mouth off.



Not if God is just, it isn't!



Now, sit back and watch how b57 ignores that argument. He WILL NOT address it AT ALL or, if he does say something it will only be because I just said he wouldn't and the best he'll do is redefine the word "just" to the point that it is utterly meaningless, especially when applied to God.

Clete

Yes God makes the difference, and He is a Just God and Saviour !

 

[JudgeRightly]

Yes God makes the difference,

Not if He's just.

and He is a Just God and Saviour!

Yes, He is, but not according to your position.

 

[Clete]

Yes God makes the difference, and He is a Just God and Saviour !

As predicted, b57 simply ignores the argument and merely restates his doctrine as though it hasn't been refuted.

A god that predestines people to an eternal Hell before they've ever done anything to deserve such a fate is unjust, by definition. Calvinism's doctrine is actually even worse than that because they teach that their god not only predestined people to Hell before they did anything to deserve it but that he predestined that they would perform all the evil acts that they then try to tell you is why the person deserves to go to Hell! It's INTENTIONAL double talk! They know it doesn't make sense. They don't want it to make sense and instist that you accept it as truth in spite of it clearly contradictory nature. This, they say, is what faith is!

And the more honest one's like b57 won't even deny it! They will tell you straight, as Calvin himself did, that their god is the fountainhead of every single thought, word or deed that anyone has ever had, said or done! If Jeffery Dahmer ever swallowed a bite of some homosexual's liver, it was because Calvin's god predestined that he would do it before time began! Not one spec of powdered cocaine ever entered Hunter Biden's nose without their god directing it along the path that he had predestined it to take eons before any human beings existed.

They truly do believe that their god set your house on fire and then rescued you but maybe not your kids and that this is what justice looks like and you should praise him for it!

It's blasphemy in the highest order. Anyone who believes it isn't a Christian in the biblical sense of the word, they aren't believers and they aren't saved. They worship a god of their own making and that does not exist outside their twisted minds!

Clete

 

[beloved57]

As predicted, b57 simply ignores the argument and merely restates his doctrine as though it hasn't been refuted.

A god that predestines people to an eternal Hell before they've ever done anything to deserve such a fate is unjust, by definition. Calvinism's doctrine is actually even worse than that because they teach that their god not only predestined people to Hell before they did anything to deserve it but that he predestined that they would perform all the evil acts that they then try to tell you is why the person deserves to go to Hell! It's INTENTIONAL double talk! They know it doesn't make sense. They don't want it to make sense and instist that you accept it as truth in spite of it clearly contradictory nature. This, they say, is what faith is!

And the more honest one's like b57 won't even deny it! They will tell you straight, as Calvin himself did, that their god is the fountainhead of every single thought, word or deed that anyone has ever had, said or done! If Jeffery Dahmer ever swallowed a bite of some homosexual's liver, it was because Calvin's god predestined that he would do it before time began! Not one spec of powdered cocaine ever entered Hunter Biden's nose without their god directing it along the path that he had predestined it to take eons before any human beings existed.

They truly do believe that their god set your house on fire and then rescued you but maybe not your kids and that this is what justice looks like and you should praise him for it!

It's blasphemy in the highest order. Anyone who believes it isn't a Christian in the biblical sense of the word, they aren't believers and they aren't saved. They worship a god of their own making and that does not exist outside their twisted minds!

Clete

What about a God that predestined a multitude of folk to heaven and eternal Glory before they did anything, is He a monster also ?

 

[Clete]

What about a God that predestined a multitude of folk to heaven and eternal Glory before they did anything, is He a monster also ?

“We cannot assign any reason for his bestowing mercy on his people, but just as it so pleases him, neither can we have any reason for his reprobating others but his will.” (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 22, Paragraph 11)​

Anyone who either rewards or punishes people under his authority for no reason, as Calvinists believe God has done with every man, woman and child, would be unjust, by definition!

You cannot be arbitrary and just, B57! They are opposites! If God is just then He isn't arbitrary. If He's arbitrary then He isn't just. There is no door number three. He is either one or the other. You are then faced with a choice, is Calvinism true or is God just? What sort of insane contorsions must one put themselves through in order to find themselves faced with such a choice. How broken is the mind which must wrestle with which option it will choose?

The same argument applies for any of God's qualitative attributes. If God is loving, wise, kind, merciful, righteous or in any other way relational, then Calvinism is false.

 

[JudgeRightly]

What about a God that predestined a multitude of folk to heaven and eternal Glory before they did anything, is He a monster also?

Such a god would be, by definition, unjust.