Mark Vestal Supporter Proud of nothing of myself. Freed by Christ who did it all!

I cannot answer as a Calvinist (as I am not one), but I can answer as an ambassador for Christ (as all believers have the privilege and responsibility of being).

The good news is the same for young and old alike: God loves us so much that He gave the world His Son Jesus Christ, who gave His life as the payment for the world's sins. He was buried, but rose from the grave on the third day, so that whosoever will believe in Him shall not perish for eternity, but rather have life everlasting.

Taken from the verses cited, Christ and Him crucified was the foreordained choice of "the determinate counsel" that salvation would be made possible. It was chosen that believers would be placed "in Christ" upon the moment of belief, and whereby they are "sealed" with this promise "unto the day of redemption". It is "the purpose of His will":

1 Tim 2:3-6
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

2 Cor 5:17-19
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

Acts 16:29-31
"Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Rom 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Eph 1:12-13
"That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"

Eph 4:30
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

Rom 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Eph 2:8-9
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

January 17 2026 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Fran Joa Supporter Interested in God and hopeful

I sure hope some Calvinists will answer this question. 

A Calvinist parent is going to have a difficult time explaining their TULIP acronym to a child, even in the simplest of terms. 

I think Eph 1:4-6 is accurate because God knows the beginning from the end, NOT because God only chose some people to be saved. 

God wants ALL people to be saved (2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Tim 2:3-4; John 3:16). God predestined ALL people for heaven (His Holy Spirit prompts everyone to walk towards God), and when a person walks off the predestined path, God pulls that person back on track. Only at the point of blasphemy (believing that you are your own god and you won't submit to the God of the Bible) does God leave you to stray. 

If I ever hear a worried child ask about the possibility of NOT being saved, I will explain to him/her that God's grace is irresistible (to all who have a willingness to submit to God's will), and God will draw you (child) to Himself. He loves you, and He made you to live eternally with Him. You, child, will be holy and blameless before Him by submitting your will to Him. Enjoy your Father in heaven. Jesus taught us that when you pray for God's will to be done here on earth (esp starting with yourself), you can call Him Papa (Abba). 

Amen to God, the Father, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit.

February 09 2026 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Ezekiel Kimosop Supporter

What should Calvinist parents say to their young kids about the Calvinist fact that the kids might not be chosen?

I do not subscribe to Calvinistic theology but I have chosen to reflect on this question from my discernment of Scripture. The question appears to be anchored on the presumption that Calvinism is affirmed in Scripture. My view is that the Unconditional Election doctrine held by Calvinism is inconsistent with the revelation of Scripture. 

I am unable to reconcile the notion that a child or person could have been excluded from the list of those purportedly chosen by God from the foundation of the word. I am unable to establish any theological evidence from Scripture that God had chosen a limited number of sinners for eternal life long before Calvary and consigned the rest to "non-elect" to eternal damnation in the lake of fire. 

Calvinists insist that Ephesians 1:4 affirms the unconditional election theory but this claim is difficult to reconcile with the passage contexts of Ephesians 1:3-14 which consolidates Paul's salutation section of the letter. Ephesians 1:4-5 says "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." (NKJV). 

Ephesians 1:5 reveals that the atonement of Jesus Jesus was the exclusive means by which the adoption of believers as sons of God would be achieved. God chooses sinners in Christ courtesy of the work of Calvary. This implies that God foresaw this futuristic process by His divine omniscience. Nothing in the above text suggests that God had a prior list of lucky sinners who were unconditionally appointed to eternal life prior to Calvary! 

The deterministic soteriology embraced by Calvinism is, in my view, difficult to anchor on the revelation and authority of Scripture without diluting its authority. It can only stand if several passages of Scripture that it contradicts are expunged!

When a Calvinist chooses to inform their kids that salvation of sinners is matter that God had already determined and that there is no way to tell from Scripture if the child is one of those listed in God's secret book, they would be casting serious doubts on the moral character of the God of Scripture. I highly doubt if a sincere Calvinist who is faithful to Scripture would make such a blatant statement to an innocent child. Some moderate Calvinists discount the unconditional election doctrine and admit that God uses the gospel to call sinners to His kingdom. 

In John 3:16-18, Scripture proclaims "16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (NKJV). 

The above text affirms that the sinner has a role to play in the process of salvation. He must yield to Christ in obedience or else dwell in sinful condemnation and miss out on God's kingdom. This truth is also affirmed in a number of Scripture texts and passages including Acts 2:37-38; 16:30-31; Romans 10:8-13).

4 hours ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report