Kathy,

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Kathy said:

“Everyone who hears the gospel receives this calling” ...and is “free to act upon it”... “man can resist this call” Free will?


Unless one is regenerated they will always resist this call, so what appears to be free will is really not. We are only free to act within our nature and since our nature is totally depraved against the things of God, we do not actually have free will to accept Him in our old nature state.

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The Effectual Call... Regenerative Grace
... the ongoing Grace given to those who respond.

I understand this... but I didn’t think this is what Calvinism is saying at all.

Further... in my own understanding (to date)... which does disagree with what (I think) Calvin-ism says relating to the heart of this discussion in entirity... below:

GRACE... can be frustrated.

Calvinist do not believe the effectual call can be frustrated. It is the I in TULIP - Irresistable Grace. Those who God has effectual called will come to Him. This grace is irresistable, not resistable (or frustrated) Only those who God has regenerated will respond to this calling through saving faith. The Reformed believes that regeneration precedes faith, not vice versa.

Since Hunt believes that man saves themselves through their faith, he thinks that Calvinism restricts the number of Christians in Heaven. Calvinists believe under Hunt's view, no one would be in Heaven. It is through God's Saving Grace that saves us; therefore under Hunt's scenario there would be none saved.

Hope this helps

John Chaney

"having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith . . ." Colossians 2:7