Calvinist Bad Logic #11: God "Wants" All People To Be Saved?
Bad Logic #11: To explain how the "God wants all men to be saved, He doesn't want anyone to perish" verses fit with their idea of God predestining people for hell, they'll say "God doesn't always get what He wants. He can want things to happen, but this doesn't mean He has to cause them to happen. Such as God can want all people to be saved, but not cause all people to be saved. And even if He predestines people to hell, He’s still sad about it. He didn’t want it to happen."
The thing is, this is fine logic (except for the “He predestined it but is still sad about it” nonsense). It's true that God doesn't always cause the things He wants to happen. He wants all people to be saved, but He doesn't cause all people to be saved.
That is true!
But that's not what's going on here with Calvinism's belief about God predestining people for hell. In their example and theology, it's not just that God doesn't force what He wants; it's that He actively causes the opposite of what He says He wants. This is totally different!
The God of the Bible wants all people to be saved and doesn't want anyone to perish. But He doesn't force all people to be saved. He lets us choose.
But Calvi-god says that he wants all people to be saved … but then he causes the opposite to happen, deliberately predestining most people to hell. This is a whole different thing than just "not forcing what you want." It's "causing the opposite of what you 'want' because you really want the opposite of what you said you want." Illogical and contradictory.
I can say that I want my husband to fix a broken chair, and yet not force him to. Logical.
But I can't say that I want him to fix a broken chair and then force him to hold an ax and chop the chair up into tiny shards of wood. Illogical and contradictory!
But this is what Calvinism does with the Gospel and God's character. It turns it into illogical, contradictory nonsense, but it hides it under layers of logical, biblical-sounding truths. It's "bait and switch," presenting you with a logical, biblical idea that you agree with but then slipping in their incorrect garbage. But you aren't aware of it. All you are aware of is the logical, biblical truth you first agreed to, making everything else they say seem logical and biblical to you.
(And if it doesn't, you simply figure there must be something wrong with you. Not with them or their theology. And to get you to do this – to think there’s something wrong with you, and not Calvinism – they’ll say things like “I know this stuff about predestination and God’s 'sovereign' control over all and how He can ordain sin but still hold us accountable for it is hard to understand. Most people have trouble understanding all this stuff. But just give it time. You have to humbly accept it in faith because it’s what the Bible says. And even if you can’t understand it and don’t like it, God can be trusted. He knows how it all works together, and that’s all that matters.” You see how they spin it from the very beginning to make it about your inability to understand it or about your feelings of not liking it, never considering that the real problem is that there might be something wrong with their theology. And if you “just give it time” – when you mature in the faith and put “what the Bible says” over your own feelings – then you’ll accept it, like a good, humble Christian. Yes, this stuff would be good advice … if Calvinism was true. But since it’s not, all of this stuff is just manipulation!)
If it's for Calvi-god's glory and pleasure that he predestines people to hell, then he really does want people in hell. And so he is lying when he says he wants all to be saved, that he wants none to perish.
(Just wondering … but if predestining people for hell is what Calvi-god decided to do because it supposedly brings him the most glory, why say he "wants" all people to be saved if that would bring him less glory? How could he desire something that would bring him less glory? Calvinists will be the first to tell you that Calvi-god is all about his glory, and almost nothing else. So why not just boldly proclaim then that predestining people to hell is Calvi-god-glorifying and it's what he really wants! After all, Calvi-god cares only about himself and his glory, so why should he care about our feelings, how we view him or if we like him or if we think he’s fair, trustworthy, loving, just, etc.?)
The thing is, this is fine logic (except for the “He predestined it but is still sad about it” nonsense). It's true that God doesn't always cause the things He wants to happen. He wants all people to be saved, but He doesn't cause all people to be saved.
That is true!
But that's not what's going on here with Calvinism's belief about God predestining people for hell. In their example and theology, it's not just that God doesn't force what He wants; it's that He actively causes the opposite of what He says He wants. This is totally different!
The God of the Bible wants all people to be saved and doesn't want anyone to perish. But He doesn't force all people to be saved. He lets us choose.
But Calvi-god says that he wants all people to be saved … but then he causes the opposite to happen, deliberately predestining most people to hell. This is a whole different thing than just "not forcing what you want." It's "causing the opposite of what you 'want' because you really want the opposite of what you said you want." Illogical and contradictory.
I can say that I want my husband to fix a broken chair, and yet not force him to. Logical.
But I can't say that I want him to fix a broken chair and then force him to hold an ax and chop the chair up into tiny shards of wood. Illogical and contradictory!
But this is what Calvinism does with the Gospel and God's character. It turns it into illogical, contradictory nonsense, but it hides it under layers of logical, biblical-sounding truths. It's "bait and switch," presenting you with a logical, biblical idea that you agree with but then slipping in their incorrect garbage. But you aren't aware of it. All you are aware of is the logical, biblical truth you first agreed to, making everything else they say seem logical and biblical to you.
(And if it doesn't, you simply figure there must be something wrong with you. Not with them or their theology. And to get you to do this – to think there’s something wrong with you, and not Calvinism – they’ll say things like “I know this stuff about predestination and God’s 'sovereign' control over all and how He can ordain sin but still hold us accountable for it is hard to understand. Most people have trouble understanding all this stuff. But just give it time. You have to humbly accept it in faith because it’s what the Bible says. And even if you can’t understand it and don’t like it, God can be trusted. He knows how it all works together, and that’s all that matters.” You see how they spin it from the very beginning to make it about your inability to understand it or about your feelings of not liking it, never considering that the real problem is that there might be something wrong with their theology. And if you “just give it time” – when you mature in the faith and put “what the Bible says” over your own feelings – then you’ll accept it, like a good, humble Christian. Yes, this stuff would be good advice … if Calvinism was true. But since it’s not, all of this stuff is just manipulation!)
If it's for Calvi-god's glory and pleasure that he predestines people to hell, then he really does want people in hell. And so he is lying when he says he wants all to be saved, that he wants none to perish.
(Just wondering … but if predestining people for hell is what Calvi-god decided to do because it supposedly brings him the most glory, why say he "wants" all people to be saved if that would bring him less glory? How could he desire something that would bring him less glory? Calvinists will be the first to tell you that Calvi-god is all about his glory, and almost nothing else. So why not just boldly proclaim then that predestining people to hell is Calvi-god-glorifying and it's what he really wants! After all, Calvi-god cares only about himself and his glory, so why should he care about our feelings, how we view him or if we like him or if we think he’s fair, trustworthy, loving, just, etc.?)
(For all the posts in this series, see the "Intro ..." Or look for "'Calvinist Bad Logic' Series" in the labels on the side-bar. Or find the whole series in one post, "When Calvinism's 'Bad Logic' Traps Good Christians.")
