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NASB | Acts 4:24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 4:24 And when they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, "O Sovereign Lord [having complete power and authority], it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM, [Ex 20:11; Ps 146:6] |
Subject: Is God in absolut contrl over all things |
Bible Note: Clarification ............................................... Dear John, It appears that our thread has been restricted and will no longer appear on the general webpage. I suppose that is good if we are unable to come to consensus as everyone seems to believe, however, I think it would be a shame if we actually were able to resolve this issue and noone could see it. ............................................... It seems that you are a bit confused about my question, so I’ll try to explain it more clearly. Calvinists have one perspective on interpreting scripture. They read verses to say that God has absolute control which He excersizes at all times to dictate everything that happens. They believe that within the box, people actually have FREEDOM to make choices, but that those choices are completely controlled by the ABILITIES that God grants. Thus, they believe that God is supremely powerful and sovereign. ............................................... Arminians, on the other hand, interpret those same verses differently. The believe that God has the ability to absolutely control the universe, but that He chooses not to excersize that ability at all times. Instead, they believe that God has created humans in such a way that they have both the FREEDOM and ABILITY to choose whether to love God or not. However, since God is simply choosing not to excersize His ability to determine every choice, they believe that God is still supremely powerful and sovereign. ............................................... The interesting thing is that both perspectives claim that God is sovereign. Arminians generally understand that the Calvinist perspective, even if they disagree with it, leads to a belief in a soverign God. However, Calvinists generally are under the impression that Arminian perspective, even if they disagree with it, DOES NOT lead to a belief in a sovereign God. I propose that this impression is wrong, and I am asking that someone to explain, using scripture and reason, why Calvinists believe that. Not why they believe Arminianism is wrong, but why they believe that it is impossible for God to be sovereign in that perspective. ............................................... Thus far, I have found you to be a person who is well educated in the doctrines of Calvinism, with a firm grasp of scripture, and the rare ability to at least begin to understand Arminianism, even though you don’t agree with it. Therefore, I hope that if anyone would be able to answer this question, you might be the one to do it. Out of respect for some of my other colleagues here at the forum, I should mention that I there are others such as Reformer Joe who could fit this description. |