2. Calvinism destroys the notion of individual responsibility or "free will". Why should people be called to repentence if they are not free or able to respond?
3. Doesn't the idea of limited atonement contradict God's love for the entire world? Remember John 3:16. How can a God who loves world elect people for salvation?
-Whether a Calvinist can prove the doctrines of election or predestination or not, this does not mean that they are free to not evangelize. Christ commanded all believers to go out and preach the gospel. (Matthew 28:19-28)
-It is also important for one to remember that evangeliem is the way that God reaches out to unregenrate people and draws them unto Himself. This gives the Calvinist a drive to do evangeliem because they realize that they are an instrument of God for His purposes. Also add the fact that no one knows who the elect is, so evangelism is neccessary no matter what. Remember also from the previous page that people in their natural, unregenerate state do not have the ability to turn to God. Rather it is the will and grace of God in the Holy Spirit that causes men who are born in sin to be reborn through the Word of God. The only way people can get the Word of God other than reading it themselves is by being told from belivers (evangelism).
2. Calvinism destroys the notion of individual responsibility or "free will". Why should people be called to repentence if they are not free or able to respond?
-Despite the tension between God's total sovereignty over all things, the Bible still teached this concept. (Luke 9:43-45, John 5:39-40, 6:44 and 55)
-The idea of free will in Calvinism is that man's free will is bound, the only freedon that unregenerate humanity has is to sin. In the beginning Adam and Eve had total freedom of will to choose and serve God, but because of their disobedience they bound their will and the will of all people after them to the power of sin. When God steps into someone's life He free's them from the power of sin giving them the freedom to choose Him.
3. Doesn't the idea of limited atonement contradict God's love for the entire world? Remember John 3:16. How can a God who loves world elect people for salvation?
-Calvinism does not lessen the love of God for humanity because of it's doctrine of limited atonement, after all we are made in His image. Even the fact that God layed out a plan of salvation is enough to show His great love for humanity. Also Calvinism looks at salvation as a universal deal, where God is bringing things all things He created back to the way He intended them. Many non-Calvinist will bring up John 3:16 "for God so loved the world" and in this they will address world as people, but the Bible does not always use world for people. In the Greek the word for world used in John 3:16 is "kosmos" which could also stand for all that God created; looking at it from this point God's love is not just for humanity but all of His creation.
