Welcome to the second in our series of plain and simple broadcasts concerning the heresy of Calvinism. Stay tuned. Well, the little word, all, is found in the Bible 5,621 times, and all means all. Joshua 6, 3 says, all ye men of war. Psalm 6 and 8 says, all ye workers of iniquity. Psalm 31 says, all ye his saints. Psalm 31, 24, all ye that hope in the Lord. Psalm 32, 11, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalm 134-1, all ye servants of the Lord. And then in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12, all have sinned. Now the Calvinist argues that all means all in Romans 5 and 12 when it says all have sinned. The only reason to suggest all means something else in Acts chapter 7 and verse 30 when God commands all men everywhere to repent is because the Calvinist needs a solution to support their heresy. Listen to the double talk of Calvinist A.W. Pink when he says, when God commanded all men to repent, he is but enforcing his righteous claim as the moral governor of this world. Then Pink continues with, quote, this scripture does not declare that it is God's pleasure to give repentance to all men everywhere. Well, that's exactly what it declares, unless you've got to come up with some kind of a solution to support your heresy. He uses Acts 531 totally out of context here. referring to God only giving repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins to support his theory that God will not forgive all men everywhere. That's in his book on sovereignty, page 102. Well, 1 John 2 says, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Now, what are the Calvinists going to do with that? Well, their solution, they would have to translate that he is the propitiation for the sins of the elect, and not for the elect only, but also for the sins of the elect. How dumb is that? Well, that's exactly how you've got to translate that if you're going to go with their heresy. Ezra 8.22 says, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him, but His power and His wrath is against all them that forsake Him. Well, let's apply Calvinist solution to that. The hand of our God is upon all the elect for the good that seek Him, even though they have no free will to seek Him, for His power and His wrath is against the non-elect, that forsake him even though they are dead and have no free will and can't forsake him. You say that's ridiculous. Well, that's exactly how they would have to interpret that verse. And then there's Psalm 13, verse number 5, it says, but I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. Now, what are the Calvinists going to do with that? They have to say, but I can't trust in thy mercy because I'm dead and I'm not capable of trusting and my heart can't rejoice in thy salvation. I can't trust in thy mercy. Besides, I do not have any assurance that you included me in your mercy at all. Calvinists teach all men are totally depraved. It is true that all people have a depraved and sinful nature and no person merits salvation. However, the word total means entirely to the full. The word depraved means morally corrupt. To suggest that all people in the world are totally immoral is ridiculous. None of the neighbors on the street where I live confess to be saved, but that does not make them totally immoral. The Bible speaks repeatedly of some people who are more corrupt than others. Ezekiel 16, 47 says, thou was corrupted more than they. Judges 2, 19, they corrupted themselves more than their fathers. Jeremiah 7.26, they did worse than their fathers. 1 Kings 16.25, Omri did worse than all that were before him. However, we must remember that Calvinists have their own special meaning for words. To a Calvinist, total depravity means total inability. The dictionary meaning of inability is not having the quality or state of being able to do something. Calvinists say that because all man is dead in trespasses and sin, they cannot respond in any way to receive Christ as their Savior. The Bible says in Ephesians 2 and 1, And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin. Well, the Calvinists say since he's dead, it is impossible for him to believe. That's just foolish. They're stalking a difference here between spiritual death and physical death. For example, Acts chapter 16 and verse 30, when the unsaved Philippian jailer asked Paul, what must I do to be saved? Paul did say, you can do nothing to be saved, you're dead. He didn't say that. He said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Isaiah 118, Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. This is not written to a physically dead person. A physically dead man cannot reason anything. It is written to a spiritually dead unsaved person or people concerning salvation. If a spiritually dead man is never capable of reasoning spiritual things, why would God tell him to do that? The Bible is full of examples of people who are spiritually dead exercising faith. A Roman centurion exercised faith in Matthew 8 and verse 10. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Jesus said that to the centurion. He said, Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed from that same hour. He had faith and he believed. Then, in Mark chapter 9, there is the father of a demon-possessed child exercising faith. Jesus said, All things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. And Jesus cast the demon out of the boy. In Matthew chapter 9 and verse 20, we have a woman with a disease, and she exercised faith. She said, If I may but touch his garment, I will be whole. Jesus said, Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith has made thee whole. And then we have in Matthew 9 and 27, two blind men who exercised faith. And Jesus said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes and said, According to your faith, be it unto you, and their eyes were opened. Then in Matthew 15 we have the Canaanite mother who exercised some faith. Jesus said, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt, and her daughter was made whole from that very hour. And then in Luke chapter 18 and 35, a blind man exercised some faith, and Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight, thy faith has saved thee, and immediately he received his sight. In Luke chapter 8 and verse 50, we have a man named Jairus who exercised some faith. Jesus said to Jairus, Fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway. Then there was the man in John chapter 9 who was kicked out of the temple for exercising faith, and we read in verse 35, Jesus heard they cast him out, and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, And is he that talketh with thee? And he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him. Now we have to decide whether we're going to believe Calvin's foolishness that men can't believe or whether we're going to believe the Bible. Calvinists reverse God's plan for the method of salvation. The Calvinist says a person must be born again before he can repent or believe. Jesus said in John 20 and 31 it was the exact opposite. He said, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that believing you might have life through his name. There is no doubt the Bible teaches man will not seek God on his own, but there is not a single verse in the Bible to indicate he is incapable of responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit to repent of his sins and receive Christ as his personal Savior. Jesus said in John 6 and 44, No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him. However, unsaved people can exercise their will to disobey. Jesus said in John 4 and 48, Ye will not believe. He did not say you cannot believe. Jesus said in John 5 and 40, ye will not come to me that ye might have eternal life. The Calvinist, to be consistent with his belief of man's inability to respond to the gospel, will have to rewrite this verse to say, and ye will not have life that ye may come to me. Either way, man is exercising his will, which is something Calvinist teaches he is incapable of doing. Jesus said in Matthew 23, 37, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft I would have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. Some Calvinists use John 6.44 to prove total inability. Here the Bible says no man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him. However, John 12 and 32 says, and I, if I be lifted up from earth, will draw all men to me. In Revelation 22, 17, the last invitation in the Bible says, And the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come. and let him that is a thirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." Acts 17 and 30 says, God commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Romans 4, 11 says, for it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess, so then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God. Every person in this world has a God-given responsibility to repent, and be saved, and one day every man will be held accountable. Jesus said in Luke 13 and 3, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. There is not a group of non-elect people who will be able to say, Lord, I did not repent and trust Christ as Savior because I was totally depraved and I was unable to believe and unable to repent. That is ridiculous. If we translate the verse using the Calvinist solution, it would have to read, except ye elect, repent, ye elect shall all likewise perish, except ye all won't perish, because some of you elect are saved by God's irresistible grace. 2 Peter 3.9 says, the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The Bible is plain. God holds us responsible for our life on earth. and we are commanded to repent of our sin and trust Christ as our Savior. Calvinists teach that man cannot repent or believe the gospel until he is born again. They teach that this new birth is caused by God who chooses certain elect individuals and regenerates them, making them capable to believe. They say man does not have a free will by which they can come to Christ for salvation. Black's chapter 11 verse 18 plainly says, God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Repentance comes first and the result of repentance is life. John 5 and 40 says, He will not come unto me that ye might have life. The coming is first, the life is second. The Bible always puts believing first. John 3.15, Whoso believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Again, John 3.16, Whoso believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3.36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. John 5.24 He that heareth my words, and believeth, has everlasting life. John 6.40 Everyone which believeth on him may have eternal life. Always believing comes first, and then life comes second. Who will you believe, the godly man who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or will you believe a man filled with hatred for those who disagreed with him and who wrote that he wrote under the inspiration of the Catholic Bishop Augustine? Remember, Calvin said, Augustine is so holy with me that if I wish to write a confession of my faith, I could do so with all fullness from his writings. Who are you going to believe? The Bible says, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that believing you might have life through his name. John chapter 20 verse number 31. Will you believe the Apostle John who wrote these verses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? Or will you believe Calvin who got his basic beliefs while he was yet a dedicated Roman Catholic? Well, here we are at a time again. It seems to go so fast. Tomorrow we're going to look and answer the question, should Calvinists use CH Spurgeon to support their heresy? Interesting thought. We'll be looking at it tomorrow. Be sure and have your Bibles ready and tune in. We'll try to make it plain and we'll try to make it simple. so