Isaiah 44:22
Isaiah 44:21-23
“Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me. I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud and your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For the LORD has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory.”
The 5-Point Calvinist would have to assume that, in this
instance, “Return to Me,” would be an instance of
efficacious Irresistible Grace, because the Calvinist
believes that if God truly did wipe out their transgressions,
then there couldn’t be any decision left for man to make,
in order to accept or reject it, or else it would give a man
grounds to boast and take credit for his decision in
consenting to God’s will. However, the 5-Point Calvinist
is forced into this conclusion, not by the text at Isaiah
44:21-23, but by theological necessity (i. e. Eisegesis).
One member of The Society of Evangelical Arminians: “It seems as though the LORD first made redemption possible, and then called people to partake of that redemption - i.e., it was not automatically applied to some preselected elect, but was applied to those who would respond to His call. How could God call people unto redemption without first providing redemption? To suggest that a possible redemption ‘doesn’t actually redeem anyone’ is to miss the whole picture entirely. It redeems those who respond to His call, or ‘those who believe’ (1 Cor. 1:21). Even so, redemption only redeems God’s elect (from a C perspective) when a person believes, assuming they reject Eternal Justification (a hyper-Calvinist tenet). So, what in the world is their problem? They think that Limited Redemption / Atonement is inherently tied to Unconditional Election, because it all hinges on God’s intent (to irresistibly and unconditionally save these but not those). Indeed, it may be necessary in their system, but they cannot impose that presupposition upon those who hold to a different view. That is not fair. Besides, the burden of proof is in their lap to prove that a ‘possible salvation doesn’t save anyone.’ Thus they reason: Only Redemption saves anyone. Making salvation possible is not redemption. Therefore, making salvation possible doesn’t save anyone. Instead of their philosophical wrangling, why not just stick with what the Bible clearly teaches: God chose to save those who would believe (1 Cor. 1:21)? Well, the simple answer to my question is that this undermines their a priori of Unconditional Election. If God has chosen to save ‘those who believe’ (1 Cor. 1:21), this detracts from God’s ultra-determining sovereignty, wherein He unconditionally chooses who goes to heaven and hell. The whole doctrine of Limited Atonement is based upon philosophical wrestling, IMO: for if God unconditionally elected only some to heaven, then in what sense whatsoever was Christ’s atonement ‘meant’ for the non-elect? Or better, what does it actually ‘do’ for them? It does nothing for them, nor can it do anything for them, since it was never designed for them in any fashion whatsoever. And while this is good arguing against a four-point Calvinist, the Amyraldian view, making five-point Calvinists a bit more consistent, it cannot be explicitly argued from Scripture (which, undermines Calvinism altogether, both four- and five-point Calvinists).” (SEA)
Another member of The Society of Evangelical Arminians: “The Isaiah passage is great as it is a perfect example of the way I talk about atonement (i.e. provision for all, but application only to those who trust the Lord). An atonement has to be possible first before it can become actual. I have to put the money in the trust fund first to make it possible for someone to take money out of it later. Non-Calvinists do not claim that the atonement is only possible, rather we claim that it is made possible for all, and actualized only with those who trust the Lord, and we believe it is that way, because it is the Lord’s plan for it to be that way.”
