Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
John Anderson
I find it hard to believe that God would be the one who chooses who is saved. That would mean that God also creates souls to doom to hell, very unlikely. As a southern Baptist I feel that theologically we are taught the gospel. We don't mix the old and new Testament to come up with weird answers. And if you are a Calvinist, how do you really know that you are one of the chosen few? What if you are not?
Jack Gutknecht
Some Truth in Both Systems
When a Calvinist says that all things happen according to the predestination of God, he speaks the truth, and I am willing to be called a Calvinist. But when an Arminian says that when a man sins, the sin is his own, and that if he continues in sin, and perishes, his eternal damnation will lie entirely at his own door, I believe that he speaks the truth, though I am not willing to be called an Arminian. The fact is, there is some truth in both these systems of theology.
Charles Spurgeon, quoted in Credenda Agenda, Volume 5 Number 2, p. 3, from Tom Carter, Spurgeon at His Best, Baker, 1988, p. 14