Author: Steve Amato
Keywords: bible study,Calvinist,Calvinism,free will

## Discussions with a Calvinist

# Discussion with Teresa
Round 5

Teresa wrote:

Your question IMPLIES that men have no control over their actions.

I have addressed that . Men are fully in control of their actions, and so are (as was indicated in the scripture ) fully responsible .

A good case in point is Essau

The word of God is clear that it was ordained of God that the 2nd born would have the benefits and blessings of the eldest.

Scripture tells us that
God ordained the event

Rom 9:11
(For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

Rom 9:12
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

Rom 9:13
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Rom 9:14
What shall we say then? [Is there] unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

Rom 9:15
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Yet Esau freely chose the pottage and disdained the birthright at the moment of the choice .

Gen 25:29
And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he [was] faint:

Gen 25:30
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I [am] faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

Gen 25:31
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

Gen 25:32
And Esau said, Behold, I [am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Gen 25:33
And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

Gen 25:34
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised [his] birthright.

Esau chose freely to treat the birthright without respect. He chose what he preferred at that time. That was the pottage over the eternal birthright.

Was he held accountable for the decision?
What does hebrews tell us?

Heb 12 16-17

Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

I have given you many scriptures that show that men are always held responsible for their actions before God . There is no such thing as man not having control over his actions .
It is a straw-man question .

Are you prepared to answer my question to you?

# BCBSR Reponse

Teresa,

No I didn't imply that men have no control over their action. Nor did I ask whether they had control over their actions, let alone "full control". I merely asked the question: Does God hold people accountable for things they have no control over? You still haven't answered that question.

Now suppose you're on Jeopardy and they ask the question, "For $25,000, yes or not, Does Calvinism teach that God holds people accountable for things they have no control over?" What would be your answer?

That is the original question I asked. Looking forward to getting a "yes" or "no" response! And after I get a "yes" or "no" response to the question I asked, then I will deal with your questions. Fair enough?

Steve Amato

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources