In Calvinism... where is the love?

The Way of Love
In every act and thought of God there is love. Every command he ever uttered, every law he ordained, every precept he laid down—anything and everything that ever came from God is an expression of his infinite love. It is more the nature of God to love than for the sun to give light. The sun may ultimately become cold and dark, but God’s love will never dim or fade.

Some may find it hard to understand why God loves. Multitudes have asked, “Does God love me?” There is nothing the devil would have you doubt more than the fact that God loves you. You can believe in God and be lost. You can believe in the blood, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit; but unless you believe in the love of God you will go on in sin and finally land in torment where there is no love.

When someone asks, “Why does God love?” we counter by asking, “Why does the sunshine?” The sun shines because it is light and cannot help itself. God is love and cannot do otherwise than love. The clouds may obscure the sun for a while and leave us in semidarkness, but above the clouds the sun still shines. Just so, sin may separate us from God, but God does not change in his eternal love. Let the sin be removed by confession and forgiveness and we will find God still there and still loving.

It is his very nature to love. Though the tides may cease their ebb and flow, the sun set to rise no more, the seasons no longer tell of seedtime and harvest, the rains refuse to fall or the sun to shine, though a mother despise her own offspring, and all nature go berserk; God will still love. He is powerless to do otherwise. God is love. Man may hide from the love of God as a mole burrow down into the subterranean darkness, but God’s love continues just the same.

The Way of Love—Harold W. Boyer

7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God; for God is love 1 John 4:7–8



Loving others is evidence that we know God. We don’t simply know about God, we know Him intimately and personally as Father.

SEE WHAT [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him. 1 John 3:1

Yes and this is exactly what we see on the other forum with the calvinists. You will not get them into a discussion on Gods love they will divert and talk about His wrath, judgement and holiness. They will run from Jesus command to love others, our enemies etc... 

Matthew 5:43-45
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

That's exactly the problem I see with Calvinism. It seems for them defending their man-made Theology is more important than sharing the love of God. It's what I call making Jesus look bad. Thats just one of many serious complaints that one may level against Calvinism and their portrayal of God and His love for His creation.

Biblical revelation clearly shows God to be loving, gracious, personal, responsive, caring, just, impartial, desiring life for everyone, and a hater of sin. Unfortunately, Calvinism, in nearly every case, projects a God who contradicts these characteristics. God’s love is selective, God’s salvific, grace is either completely lacking (for the non-elect) or irresistible in the case of the elect.

Jesus came so that all could have access to God, not just holy priests or members of the Sanhedrin. Faith wasn’t based on keeping rules or performance, but on believing in God’s love and being obedient to His will.

The tearing of the temple curtain in two meant that we, as God’s people, could return to the relationship that we once had with God during the time of Adam and Eve. We didn’t have to go through another human to connect with God; we have the bridge to God made possible by Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. And as much as the Sanhedrin might have tried to bring people back to the rules and regulations of Mosaic Law, it was clear God wanted us to come to Him more for strength and guidance than looking to ourselves.

I see Calvinists as being somewhat like the Sanhedrin. In that where God requires believers to love their enemies, God instead is permitted to be a hater of his enemies. Where the Bible requires Jesus’s followers to be impartial in their dealings with men, God instead is demonstrably partial in his unilaterally and unconditionally selecting some for salvation while damning the rest to hell when he could, if he chose, save all.

And the contradictions and doublespeak go on and on.

While the Bible says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), God by his secret and eternal decree actually does not desire all me to be saved, for if he did he could easily ensure it through his decree. Where the Bible clearly reveals God to be a hater of sin, God is seen to be the author and instigator of every sin manifested in history.

I see Calvinism as another cult teaching false Doctrine. Don't drink the Kool-Aid!

Calvinism is not the correct way to show God's love to the lost. Calvinists think of unregenerate people as cadavers. That is, they see them as totally unable to respond to God in a saving way—or in any way.

They often cite Rom 3:11 which says, “There is none who seeks after God.” Yet we know from many texts that what Paul means is that no one seeks after God of his own initiative. But God does take the initiative (John 12:32; 16:7-11; Acts 17:27), gives natural revelation to all (Rom 1:19-20), and convicts all of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11).

Cornelius is exhibit A (though there are many examples like him in Scripture). He sought God before he was born again because God was first seeking him. If our theology does not allow for the unregenerate to respond to God, then we ought to change our theology.

They banned me last night, it said you are banned to 25/12, went on today and I am able to post, very odd. I am not posting in the C&A, they will only ban me anyway. I could be wrong, but there has been a few times when it really feels like they hate me. Posting here feels like a breeze, much nicer environment.