[armydoc]

That’s the way I read the part about predestination. If you’re predestined for destruction, no matter how badly you want to be saved, you can’t be. And no matter how much you do your best to live as Jesus commanded, it’s all to no avail. Am I missing anything?

What you are missing is that scripture is clear that since the fall, the default condition of every human being is emnity with God; i.e. there are NONE that "want to be saved". For a person to "want to be saved" takes a unilateral act of God to change the person's nature; to change his heart of stone that is incapable of desiring salvation to a heart of flesh that realizes his wretched condition and responds with repentance and faith (regeneration precedes faith). The negative reaction to Calvinism, I think, is the error that assumes that it teaches that God selects from a morally NEUTRAL group of people, some to go to Heaven and some to go to hell. In reality, there are no morally neutral people. All deserve eternal punishment in hell. Calvinists believe that God chooses to save some and not others. Calvinism upholds the complete and total sovereignty of God, whereas Arminianism puts God subject to the sovereignty of man.

[Iscool]

For a person to "want to be saved" takes a unilateral act of God to change the person's nature; to change his heart of stone that is incapable of desiring salvation to a heart of flesh that realizes his wretched condition and responds with repentance and faith (regeneration precedes faith).

Why would you have to repent since God forced you to desire salvation??? You didn't have any choice in the matter...You're a robot...

[suzyjaruki]

I sat down with my pastor to ask his advice before I started an in-home, neighborhood women’s bible study. I said, “I am concerned about opposition to my facilitating the study because I am a Calvinist and will have that lens when I lead,” He assured me that I would not be teaching Calvinism, but I would be teaching what the Bible says and that is what John Calvin taught. 😁