THE LIFEGUARD
Kurt Dahlin April 6, 2005
FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE
Of Divine Predestination
Article
1. As all men have sinned in Adam, lie
under the curse, and are deserving of eternal death, God would have done no
injustice by leaving them all to perish, and delivering them over to
condemnation on account of sin, according to the words of the apostle,
Romans 3:19, "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may
become guilty before God." And verse 23: "for all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God." And Romans 6:23: "for the wages of
sin is death."
Article
6. That some receive the gift of faith
from God, and others do not receive it proceeds from God's eternal decree,
"For known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the
world," Acts
COMMENTS:
Calvinists say, "God would have done no injustice by leaving
them all to perish.” Yet God must believe it would be unjust since not
only did God immediately initiate a plan of redemption (Gen. 3:15), but he was
also willing to suffer, die and atone for all mankind. God has more justice, mercy and love than the
Calvinist allows.
Yet who wouldn't save a fellow human or even a dog if he could? The fact remains that God did not leave all men to perish. The Calvinist would turn their back on humans and point them all to the fires of hell without any remorse. However, if they were not the elect would they feel the same way?
A group of college students came
down to the lake for Spring Break. It
was a perfect day. They rented a rowboat
from the owner to tour the lake. The
posted rules said, "No more than 5 persons per boat. The boat could capsize." They ignored the rules and piled 10 into the
rowboat. The lifeguard said, "It isn't
safe but go ahead." He looked up at
the rental office. He saw his father
with 2 fingers raised. The students were
not swimmers. They didn't have room in
the rowboat for life preservers. A short
distance from the dock, they all shifted to one side and capsized the
boat. The lifeguard, the owner's son,
ran to the dock and quickly pulled 2 of them to safety. He could have saved them all but he didn't. He left the rest to perish in their
foolishness. The lifeguard stood by
ignoring the drowning cries of the perishing.
The lifeguard felt justified in doing nothing to save the rest, leaving
them all to die.
The lifeguard did not like college
students anyway and felt that they were not of value or worth saving. All the students in the boat were in
error. The lifeguard would have done no
injustice by leaving them all to perish.
The students had broken the rules and were suffering the consequences. It
was his pleasure to save those 2, even though they did not deserve to be
rescued. The two survivors cried out to
the lifeguard to save the others but he would not. Though his power was
sufficient to save all, the efficacy of his work was limited by the father’s
decree.
The lifeguard comforted the
survivors by assuring them that all the students were in error and violated the
posted rules. The lifeguard gently confirmed his mercy by reminding them of
their own rescue from death. Their minds were sweetly cajoled and convinced
that the lifeguard was justified in his actions. The two students began a movement
to honor the lifeguard and his father, who for their own pleasure decreed the
rescue of the two errant students. All the people in town heralded the
lifeguard as a kind and loving hero. Books were written about him.
Questions posed to three of my children:
(M) = Marika,
who is 12 years old
(K) = Kendrika,
who is 10 years old
(D) = Daniel,
who is 6 years old
1. What
kind of lifeguard would save only 2?
(K) The
lifeguard is bad and mean.
(D) The
lifeguard is horrible.
(M) Unmerciful.
2. What
kind of lifeguard would stand by and do nothing?
(K)
No lifeguard.
That's why he has the job.
3. Would
it be right, just and good to do nothing?
(K) No. It would be inconceivable.
(D) Bad. He just sits
there and watches them die. Why save 2
people and leave the rest. He should
save them all.
(M) It would be wrong. If it
is in your power to save them why not do it?
4. If
he could save them all, should he save them all?
(K) He
would be perfect if he did.
(D) He should save them all because he would be nice and good
and the people would like him.
(L)
Yes, it would be the right thing to do.
5. What
would you think if the lifeguard died trying to save all of them?
(K) He
would be very kind and brave.
(D) He
is good and tried to save them all.
(M) He
is very courageous. He would be a hero.
6. Would
he be a hero if he left them all to perish?
(K) No.
(D) No.
(M) Of course not.
If the 10 passengers on a lifeboat
foolishly sit on one side and tip the boat over, what lifeguard would only save
2 and leave the rest to perish in their foolishness? What lifeguard would stand by and ignore the
drowning cries of the perishing?
How just would it be, for the
lifeguard to do nothing at all, leaving them all to perish? If he could save them all, he should he save
them all. Likewise, how just would it be for God to leave all his creation to
perish? The Calvinist has no sense of
justice. How terrible “To Fall Into The
Hands Of An Angry Calvinist.”
God would not leave them all to
perish, the Calvinist would! The love of
God compels him to save the all perishing.
The Calvinist has limited love.
God did more for his creation than the Calvinist allows.
Out of the mouth of babes God has
perfected praise. No amount of scripture twisting and endless appeals to mystery
can mask the mercilessness of the lifeguard.
According to Calvinists, God would
be just not to save. Then is salvation
an injustice? The true Calvinist
believes that God hates the damned. Where is the love of God? The all-loving God manages to save a few
while despising the majority of his handiwork?
The all-loving God doesn't love all, he hates all. The Calvinist God created the bulk of humans
for hell. The Calvinist has no problem with this kind of God. However, the Biblical God is willing to save
all.
Tim. 2:3-4 1 Tim 2:3-5 (NIV)
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. He is patient with
you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE
Of Divine Predestination
Article 7. Election
is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the
foundation of the
world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the
sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen, from the whole human race,
which had fallen through their own fault, from their primitive state of
rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to
redemption in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head
of the elect, and the foundation of Salvation.
This elect number,
though by nature neither better nor more deserving than
the others, but with
them involved in one common misery, God hath decreed
to give to Christ, to be saved by him, and effectually to call and draw
them to his communion by his Word and Spirit, to bestow upon them true
faith, justification
and sanctification; and having powerfully preserved
them in the
fellowship of his Son, finally, to glorify them for the
demonstration of his
mercy, and for the praise of his glorious grace; as it
is written: "According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love;
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,"
Ephesians 1:4,5,6. And elsewhere: "Whom he did predestinate, them he also
called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified,
them he also glorified," Romans 8:30.
Article 8. There are
not various decrees of election, but one and the same
decree respecting all
those, who shall be saved, both under the Old and New
Testament: since
the scripture declares the good
pleasure, purpose and
counsel of the divine
will to be one, according to which
he hath chosen us
from eternity, both to grace and glory, to salvation and the way of
salvation, which he hath ordained that we should walk therein.
Article 9. This
election was not founded upon foreseen faith, and the
obedience of faith,
holiness, or any other good quality of disposition in
man, as the pre-requisite, cause or condition on which it depended; but men
are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith, holiness, etc.,
therefore election is
the fountain of every saving good; from which proceed
faith, holiness, and the other gifts of salvation, and finally eternal life
itself, as its fruits and effects, according to that of the apostle: "He
hath chosen us (not because we were) but that we should be holy, and
without blame, before him in love," Ephesians 1:4.
Article 10. The good
pleasure of God is the sole cause of this gracious
election; which doth
not consist herein, that out of all possible qualities
and actions of men
God has chosen some as a condition of salvation; but
that he was pleased
out of the common mass of sinners to adopt some certain
persons as a peculiar people to himself, as it is written, "For the
children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil," etc., it
was said (namely to Rebecca): "the elder shall serve the younger; as it is
written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,"
Romans
"And as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed," Acts
Article 11. And as
God himself is most wise, unchangeable, omniscient and
omnipotent, so the
election made by him can neither be interrupted nor
changed, recalled or
annulled; neither can the elect be cast away, nor
their number diminished.
THE BOTTOM LINE
God omnipotently decreed the mass
of humanity to the eternal fires of hell based upon the one condition of his
sole pleasure. The irrevocable number of the damned was set before the world
was created. No one can make themselves more elect. No one can make themselves
less elect. Calvinists are comfortable with a God that will sovereignly decree
the ultimate evil upon the bulk of his creation. According to the Calvinist, the
fact that God is sovereign and has the power to destroy in endless torment is
sufficient reason for the horrible decree. Yet, Hitler had the power to destroy
endless Jews in fiery torment. Did Hitler use his power correctly? Did Hitler
derive pleasure from his destruction of the Jews? Certainly. Who would praise Hitler? Who could
believe that Hitler was just or justified in his actions? The Calvinist God is
no better than Hitler who selected some to serve him and arbitrarily selected
others from the mass of corruption to endure torment. Actually, Hitler had his
reasons and conditions, no matter how wrong, for electing masses of people for
death. The Calvinist God has no reason for the decree of reprobation except his
pleasure. What kind of person would find pleasure in what Hitler did? What kind
of person would find pleasure, solace or anything praiseworthy in the Calvinist
God? Is the Calvinist image of God the Biblical God?