Monday, August 22, 2011

Refuting Anti-Calvinist Arguments: Calvinism Makes God A Respecter of Persons

It is said that Calvinism proves itself to be false because it makes God to be a respecter of persons. That is, that in Calvinism, God shows partiality (according to its opponents). A simple overlook of Calvinism would prove this accusation to be a falsehood since the Calvinist holds to Unconditional Election. Unconditional Election teaches that God elects people not due to anything found in the creature, rather based on His good purpose and will.

From here (and other similar verses is where the argument is made):

So Peter opened his mouth and said "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.-Acts 10:34-35 ESV

Commentary: Here, we have Peter, who has been called by the Lord to minister to Cornelius and his friends and family (verse 24). Peter- a Jew, reminds them that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with gentiles (verse 28). But, he has been called to do this by God (verse 20). This leads to Peter rightfully affirming that God indeed shows no partiality of people- whether Jew or Gentile.

It must be noted that Israel was indeed God's chosen people. They were "chosen out of all the peoples
on the face of the earth to be His people" (Deut 7:6). This election, like the election of all believers, is not based on anything in the creature-- not race, wealth, or intelligence (only on God's good purpose and will). God indeed chooses some and leaves others in their sin ( 2 Cor 4:4-6, Rom 9:11-12, Deut 7:7-8, Luke 10:22), but race, or even so called forseen faith play no factor in this choosing.

Here is Calvin refuting the same idea:

10. There is a third absurdity by which the adversaries of predestination defame it. As we ascribe it entirely to the counsel of the divine will, that those whom God adopts as the heirs of his kingdom are exempted from universal destruction, they infer that he is an acceptor of persons; but this Scripture uniformly denies: and, therefore Scripture is either at variance with itself, or respect is had to merit in election. First, the sense in which Scripture declares that God is not an acceptor of persons, is different from that which they suppose: since the term person means not man, but those things which when conspicuous in a man, either procure favor, grace, and dignity, or, on the contrary, produce hatred, contempt, and disgrace. Among, these are, on the one hand, riches, wealth, power, rank, office, country, beauty, &c.; and, on the other hand, poverty, want, mean birth, sordidness, contempt, and the like. Thus Peter and Paul say, that the Lord is no acceptor of persons, because he makes no distinction between the Jew and the Greek; does not make the mere circumstance of country the ground for rejecting, one or embracing the other (Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:10, Gal. 3:28). Thus James also uses the same words, when he would declare that God has no respect to riches in his judgment (James 2:5). Paul also says in another passage, that in judging God has no respect to slavery or freedom (Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25). There is nothing inconsistent with this when we say, that 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. For fuller satisfaction the matter may be thus explained (see August. Epist. 115, et ad Bonif., Lib. 2, cap. 7). It is asked, how it happens that of two, between whom there is no difference of merit, God in his election adopts the one, and passes by the other? I, in my turn, ask, Is there any thing in him who is adopted to incline God towards him? If it must be confessed that there is nothing. it will follow, that God looks not to the man, but is influenced entirely by his own goodness to do him good. Therefore, when God elects one and rejects another, it is owing not to any respect to the individual, but entirely to his own mercy which is free to display and exert itself when and where he pleases. For we have elsewhere seen, that in order to humble the pride of the flesh, "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called," (1 Cor. 1:26); so far is God in the exercise of his favor from showing any respect to persons. - Institutes of the Christian Religion/book 3/chapter 23

What the synergist doesn't see is that it is in his system where God is a respecter of persons. In his system- God is attempting to save every single person alive, but there must be something in man that seals the deal. Not the sovereign grace of God, no, there is something in man that must conclude this attempt by God to save man. In Calvinism, God freely extends His saving grace to whoever He chooses and His grace is not bound by the dispositions of men.

1 comment:

  1. Very simply, God states it categorically:

    "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God..."

    Willing to have it, or working (running) to get it still leaves one without it.

    And if there is any "partiality" (I am only saying that arguendo), then the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of man. The Author defines definitively; good and evil are what He declares them to be, and none else. Clay got nothing to say.

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