Colossians 4:3
Colossians 4:2-4 (see also Acts 14:1)
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.
Acts 14:1: “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.”
Paul didn’t ask to pray that a door be opened so that he could escape prison. God had opened that door many times already. Instead, Paul was more interested on a door being opened so that lost sinners could escape. But if Calvinism is true, would anyone additional be saved if everyone prayed? Would any less be saved if no one prayed?
Calvinism contends that the number of the saved is fixed and predetermined and cannot change, rendering any sense of urgency a bit unnecessary in the Calvinistic perspective. However, the Calvinist answer is that we are simply commanded to. But that doesn’t answer the question of Paul’s fervency of when he went above and beyond the call of duty. For that, Calvinists have a different answer, which is an answer rooted in a “predestined means.” When backed into a corner, that’s where Calvinists will turn, and it is a hand-waving argument. Calvinists can simply pull out that argument, and no additional thought is required: It’s just the predestined means, after all!
Question: If you are a Calvinist who believes in Irresistible Grace, then what does Paul making the Gospel “clear” have to do with anything? One thing is coming from Paul, and the other thing is coming from God, and the thing coming from God, makes it unavoidable, so how is the thing coming from Paul going to make it any more unavoidable?
Answer: These are the tough questions that Calvinists frequently face, such as why pray for Calvinism’s elect to become saved, or preach in a “clear” way for Calvinism’s elect to become saved, when it’s already an absolutely unavoidable foregone conclusion anyway that they can, will and must be saved, via Unconditional Election and Irresistible Grace?
