Argument 1: “A Seeming Dilemma”
“Either
deny that grace is an attribute of God, Or, deny that ‘saving’ grace is the
only form of grace”
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Argument 2: “Four Options. Choose
One”
“Four
options: unmerited favor (grace), merited favor (a wage), merited disfavor
(just punishment), or unmerited disfavour (arbitrary punishment). Choose.”
=================================
Argument 3: “Common Grace doesn’t
Deny Total Depravity!”
“A
challenge to the charge that common grace affirms
that unregenerated people are somewhat good.”
=================================
Argument 4: “The ‘More-Loving-Than-God’
Argument”
“To
say that God loves only a few while also believing that He commands us to love
everyone is to make us more loving than God.”
=================================
Argument 5: “… obsession with the
Aristotelian laws of logic …”
“Your
position seems to show an obsession with Aristotelian laws of logic, rather
than preferring the mystery of God’s
incomprehensible nature and inscrutable wisdom.”
=================================
Argument 6: “Same repentance for
both elect and reprobate?”
“If
we are to logically harmonize a particular gospel with a general demand for all
men without exception to repent, doesn’t that mean we must distinguish between
two kinds of repentance demanded by God [one saving/unto life, and another legal/non-saving]?”
=================================
Argument 7: “Two options: Either
God is sadistic or He is compassionate”
“There
are only two logical positions: Either (1) God does have pleasure in the death of the reprobate, and He is
therefore sadistic [I speak reverently], or (2) God does not have pleasure in their death, and therefore He has (of
necessity) compassion and tender mercy towards them. Choose.”
=================================
Argument 8: “What about the
relative order and beauty in the creation itself?”
“The
creation is supposed to be ‘cursed’ by God, according to Genesis 3:17, and yet
in spite of that, we see so much beauty and order in the creation.”
=================================
Argument 9: “Sinful man leading
outwardly virtuous lives …”
“The
Reformed doctrine of Total Depravity says that man, by nature, is completely
corrupt and depraved in every part of his being, unable to do any good whatsoever,
and is inclined to only do evil. And yet when we look at the world around us,
we men sinful men leading outwardly virtuous lives … Why is that? How so?”
=================================
Argument 10: “What about special
gifts, talents, skills, creativity, knowledge and understanding etc.?”
“What
explanation can be given of the special gifts and talents with which the natural
man is endowed, and of the development of science and art by those who are
entirely devoid of the new life that is in Christ Jesus, apart from a ‘common
grace’ of God?”
=================================
Argument 11: “What about ‘natural
revelation’ and the religious aspirations of men worldwide?”
“How
can we explain the religious aspirations of men everywhere, even of those who
did not come in touch of the Christian religion apart from a ‘common grace’ of
God? And what about ‘natural revelation’?”
=================================
Argument 12: “What about ‘general
revelation’?”
“Some
say ‘general revelation’ is a form of common grace (e.g. Herman Bavinck). How
do you respond to that?”
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Argument 13: “The Appeal to Empathy”
“But
without a common grace, we have no basis to empathize with our neighbour in his
trials and successes in life …”
=================================
Argument 14: “Existence itself is
good … and God loves all that is good”
“All
existence is good, God loves all that is good, therefore God loves all that
exists, including the reprobate”
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