Replies

Under Calvinism... ~ Man cannot repent unless he is regenerated. ~ God does not regenerate everyone. Therefore, the non-elect are prevented from repenting. If you must, they are prevented from wanting to repent. But it is never their choice. They are not allowed to choose otherwise. It's that simple. It's that horrifying. And you say that makes God happy.

Again, you are assuming that God MUST give man a "choice", but the "choice" you speak of is a "choice" as MAN defines it. The fact of the matter is, God DOES give man a choice. God says "Be ye Holy, for I am Holy". God says, "Repent, and believe the Gospel". He gives man the requirements. It is not God's fault that man cannot meet the requirements in his own ability. But man's inability does not change the nature of the requirements. The requirements remain the same. It's as if God uses the old phrase, "One of us moved, and it wasn't Me."

You must understand that God deals with all mankind as with Adam. We are in Adam; every one who is born, is born in Adam. God deals with two races of men: Those in Adam, and those in Christ. Those who are in Christ are so, not by their own effort, goodness, ability, or choice, but solely by God's Mercy and Saving Grace. But the default condition of all men is to be in Adam, and suffer the consequences of their sins, as did Adam.

Arminians cannot accept that man is as fallen as he truly is. They may say they agree that man is totally depraved, but they mean the word "totally" in a different way than Calvinists mean. That is the danger in not clearly defining terms, and agreeing on their definitions, to be consistently applied.

You still insist that God, in exercising His Sovereignty, prevents men from repenting, either by actively stopping them, or by not giving them the ability. Both views are wrong. God does not actively stop anyone from coming to Him. That would be contrary to His stated Will. He doesn't have to, because it is man who will not come. God also does not withhold ability in the way you hint that He does if Calvinism is true. Implicit in your statement is the idea that Calvinists believe that God saves people randomly and capriciously, as though it were a game He plays. That is the concept of Abraxas, the god who is both good and evil. THAT's what's horrifying!

We don't say that Calvinism makes God happy, we say that it pleases God to do as He does with humanity. If you have a problem with what constitutes pleasing God from His perspective, I suggest you take it up with Him, because that's Who you have the problem with.