People go to heaven because they believe and were choosen before the foundation of the world. People go to Hell because they do not believe. And that is as far as the scripture goes, and I know thats hard to understand. Very hard, and there really is no way around it. People say I'd feel a lot more comfortable if God doesn't choose anybody, and everybody does what they want. If everybody did what they want, nobody would be saved. But even if everybody did what they want and some people choose not to be saved you would have to ask the question "If God knows everything and He knew that when he created them they wouldn't choose Him, why did He go a head and create them?" You have the same problem. If you are trying to get God off the hook, you do have a problem.
(Acts 13:48) The only people who believe are those who had been appointed to eternal life. God only grants the gift of faith to those who are predestined to salvation. He choose us, and to those he has choosen he gives the power to believe.
The human mind, when it hears this doctrine, cannot restrain its petulance, but boils and rages as if aroused by the sound of a trumpet. Many professing a desire to defend the Deity from an invidious charge admit the doctrine of election, but deny that any one is reprobated, (Bernard. in Die Ascensionis, Serm. 2.) This they do ignorantly and childishly since there could be no election without its opposite reprobation. God is said to set apart those whom he adopts for salvation. It were most absurd to say, that he admits others fortuitously, or that they by their industry acquire what election alone confers on a few. Those, therefore, whom God passes by he reprobates, and that for no other cause but because he is pleased to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestines to his children.
I. God from all eternity did by the most and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.
II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions; yet hath he not decreed any thing because he foresaw it as future, as that which would come to pass, upon such conditions.
III. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.
IV. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it can not be either increased or diminished.
V. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of his free grace and love alone, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace.
VI. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
VII. The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice.
VIII. The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending to the will of God revealed in his Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.
The Reformed Faith has held to the existence of an eternal, divine decree which, antecedently to any difference or desert in men themselves seperates the human race into two portions and ordains one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting death. ( Chapter XI Section 1 page 83.)
What I find in the Bible is a description of fallen man not as one who with respect to the things of God is mortally ill, but one who is dead in sin and trespasses. He is as dependent upon the grace of God to be raised to spititual life as Lazarus was for the power of Christ to come out of the grave. We don't see a person sick unto death in a hospital bed at his dieing moment having to open up his lips to receive the medicine. We see somebody who has been pronounced dead whom God must bring back from the dead if that person is to become alive. God just doesn't throw a life preserver to a drowning person. He goes to the bottom of the sea, and pulls a corpse from the bottom of the sea, takes him up on the bank, breathes into him the breath of life and makes him alive. Thats what the Bible says happens in your salvation.
So the bottom line is the arminium position has people who are not yet born again seeing and choosing the King, of the Kingdom of God. Boggles the mind doesn't it? That is why the axiom of augustinium theology is this, Regeneration preceeds faith.
Now you listen carefully, God never predestinated anybody to go to heaven or hell. He simply looked down and saw who was going to trust Him according to His foreknowledge and predestinated everybody that would trust Him to someday look exactly like Jesus and become and adult in Christ and have a body just like the body of Christ.
For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it's the gift of God. But Paul tells us in Romans that He's given a measure of faith to every man. God has given you faith and you can put your faith where ever you want to.
I had a question and answer session an boy God help me. I had one of these predestined for heaven and predestined for Hell folks in the service. He said, "Dr. Hyles turn to John 6:44" (it just so happened I knew it already). But he said "No man can come to me except the father which has sent me draw him". He said, "Dr. Hyles if God has not predestinated some people why did it say nobody can come unless God draws him". I said turn to John 12:32 and you will find out what it means when He draws. And I, if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me.
..that is the doctrine of a Hyper-Calvinist. If God wants a man saved, let God save him. Jesus didn't die for everybody. There are some people Jesus didn't die for.
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