Answering A Calvinist
From
Calvinism, as underlined in his quote, always starts with the false assumption that man's nature fell.
The word fall is never used in the Bible of man's nature. It is a made up doctrine. What happened in the Garden of Eden?
2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
Adam and Eve were led away by Satan, he introduced the bad thinking into their hearts. They fell in their reasoning, not nature.
But the Calvinist writes,
"Think about all that goes into making “who you are.” We are born in the fallen line of Adam. Spiritually speaking we have an inbred inclination toward sin. All of our being is infected with sin. This is called “total depravity.” Every aspect of our being is infected with sin, even if we don’t act it out to a maximal degree.
But even if this were not the case,—even if total depravity were a false doctrine—libertarian freedom would still be untenable. Not only are you who you are because of your identification with a fallen human race, but notice all these factors that you did not choose that go into the set up for any given “free will” decision made:
You did not choose when you were to be born.
You did not choose where you were to be born.
You did not choose your parents.
You did not choose your influences early in your life.
You did not choose whether you were to be male or female.
You did not choose your genetics.
You did not choose your temperament.
You did not choose your looks.
You did not choose your body type.
You did not choose your physical abilities."
True, some things we have no choice about, but God's providence directed the preaching of the Gospel into the world. Our free will is in obeying or not obeying what we know.
Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
So, man was no longer depraved in his thinking, he had the possibility of knowledge.
Then the Calvinist writes,
"Is there tension? Absolutely. We hold in tension our belief in God’s sovereignty, determining who we are, when we live, where we will live, who our parents will be, our DNA, etc. and human responsibility. While this might seem uncomfortable, I believe that it is not only the best biblical option, but the only philosophical option outside outside of fatalism, and we don’t want to go there.
Acts 17:26-28
“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’”
Thoughts? Do you believe in free will?"
He states that God set the boundaries of man's habitations, which to him means God controlled all choices, but it actually says the opposite.
Notice the setting of physical boundaries made it possible for all men to seek God equally.
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Controlling physical boundaries did not support Calvinist theology, but disproves it.
Seeking God is an act of faith.
Thus, not faith alone.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 introduces to examples of free will.
Coming to God.
seeking God.
Calvinism sees all things as being determined in advance, when only some things were determined.