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From: byu@csri.toronto.edu (Benjamin Yu)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Calvinism as explained by Packer
Message-ID: <May.8.04.07.35.1991.11204@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 8 May 91 08:07:54 GMT
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I have been reading J.I.Packer's latest book (I think) "A Quest For
Godliness".  It is on the Puritan's theology, ministry and Christian
life.  I am a bit perplexed on his exposition of Puritan's theological
stand on Calvinism and I hope someone can help me solve some questions.
I hope this will not turn out to be another debate between Calvinism and
Arminianism! 

From what I gather in the book, here is a summary:

     1) Christ died for the elect (limited atonement).
     2) The elect, or chosen ones, are all sinners like every one else
	and thus "unable to lift a finger to do God's will or better
	their spiritual lot".
     3) "Grace is free" 
     4) Grace is "not merely an enlightening, but also a regenerating work
	of God in men, `taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto
	them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by his almighty
	power determining them to that which is good; and effectually
	drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely,
	being made willing by his grace.'"
     5) Faith has to be exercised to receive Jesus Christ as the divine
	Saviour.

So I conclude:

     Since only the chosen ones are saved, and these chosen ones could
     have come to Christ only by grace (since they couldn't do anything
     to begin to turn to God) through faith, the logical sequence
     of events for one who is truly saved must be:

     1) Christ died for this individual
     2) Gospel is preached to him/her
     3) Grace is given to him/her
     4) .. so that s/he can believe and exercise faith to receive
	Christ

Fine, so far I think this is syllogistically sound, but I come to another
proposition in the book: invitation is issued freely to guilty sinners to come 
to Christ and "these invitations are universal".  Why does God invite everyone
to come to Christ but only give the means (which is the grace) to selected
few?  The analogy is that why does God invite everyone to a banquet but only
provides transportation for a few only?

Thanks!
-- 
Benjamin Yu
University of Toronto                CSNET, UUCP, BITNET: 
Department of Computer Science         byu@csri.toronto.edu
Toronto, Ontario   Canada M5S 1A4      byu@csri.utoronto.ca
(o)(416)978 - 4299 (h)(416)470 - 8206  {uunet,watmath}!csri.utoronto.edu!byu

[I think few theologians would claim to know with any degree of
completeness why God set things up the way he did.  However at least
something can probably be said.  Most theologians who take this line
want to regard those who are damned as being morally responsible for
their damnation.  You can't hold someone responsible for not coming
unless they got the invitation.  This doesn't solve all problems --
you still have to deal with the question of why God compelled some to
come in and not others.  But it means that those who are rejected have
done somthing to merit their condemnation.  --clh]