Charge: Calvinists deny Reality
Arminian Complaint: Calvinists deny Reality
The charge is essentially that Calvinists deny reality in order to make reality match their theology. For instance, consider this quote:
Calvinist, Erwin Lutzer, states: “There is no such thing as a person who doesn’t want to be saved and God saves him anyway because he is elect. Nor has any person ever existed who would like to be saved but cannot be because he is not elect. God works in the lives of those who are to be saved, convicting them of sin and giving them the faith to believe the gospel. He changes their disposition so they get saved because they want to.” (The Doctrines that Divide, p.191, emphasis mine)
In other words, mankind is so totally depraved that it in now way desires to be saved, and therefore the only people that truly want to be saved are those whom God elects and gives Irresistible Grace, and with it, the desire to want to be saved. Problem: The Jehovah’s Witnesses are not saved, and yet they definitely want to be saved, which is why they work so hard for it.
It is said that the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not go door to door to save you, but to save themselves. For if they do not put in the required number of hours of field ministry work, then they are told that they will not be spared at Armageddon. On that account, I would like to know how Calvinists can claim that all of the unsaved lack a desire to want to be saved. I contend that it’s simply a matter of Calvinists trying to force reality to match their theology. The problem is not that they don’t want to be saved, but that their faith is misplaced. They do not trust in Christ, but in men, as do other religions. Even the apostle Paul had stated that the Jews have a “zeal for God,” but “not in accordance with knowledge.” (Romans 10:2)
So if the theology of Calvinists is wrong, then the reality of Calvinists will subsequently be wrong, since they project their theology on to reality. The result will be that Calvinists will have a wrong perspective, and thus end up making the kind of statements made by Erwin Lutzer.
