Subject: Hebrews 6:6 explained |
Bible Note: Greetings John! I'm glad that we are brothers my friend. I felt like I did deal with the verse - 'all' means 'all. :-) Of course I believe, as you do, that John 12:32 indicates what manner of death Jesus is about to face. However, that still doesn't negate Jesus' statement that He would 'draw' all men to Him. My problem with Calvin's approach is simple. I can quote literally hundreds of verses which state that God desires all to be saved, died for the sins of the world, that whosoever can respond, ect.... Calvin, because of his belief that God only elects some, take all of these clear statments and redefines them. All becomes some, whole becomes part, and whosoever becomes whosoever God gives the will to come. I was always taught that any interpretation which requires mental gymnastics to explain away the plain meaning of the words used is probably wrong. In fact, I use this principle when I teach new Christians how to study the Bible. Let me give you an example which is not associated with the C and A debate. I heard a guy on the radio once who argued that Mt. 24:36 didn't really mean that 'no one knows'. He argued that 'know' here meant general knowledge. So, it would not be common knowledge when Christ returned, but some would know. Obviously, this is a case of mental gymnastics. My contention with many of Calvin's positions is that He does the same thing with the universal passages. The only way I would ever convert to Calvin's way of thinking is if someone can produce verses which plainly (not based upon one's inference) that: 1) God does not desire to save all. 2) Christ did not die for all. 3) That not everyone can respond. If someone can produce clear statements of these facts, then I could accept Calvinism. Until then my friend, this thread could go on forever. :-) So, I recommend we leave it as is. We have lain out our positions and those who read the forum can decide for themselves which position is Biblical and which is not. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |