Why I'm Not A Calvinist - Part 2: The "Alls" of Scripture

Synod of Dort

Why does the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism even matter?  God wants you love Him with all your mind (Mt 22:37).  He wants you to think correctly about Him, because this will reflect your relationship with Him and your communication about Him.  Don't you want people to have the right opinion about you?  Would you like it if people thought you were a racist or a pedophile?  Of course not, in part because it will affect how people treat you.  Similarly, it is deeply important to God that people have the right opinion of Him because it will reflect how they relate to Him and others.  Belief affects behavior.  This is especially true regarding your beliefs about God.  It is naive to think that your beliefs about something as important as soteriology will not affect your feelings and actions toward God and people.  For example, some Calvinists have abandoned evangelism and missions altogether.  This is not a necessary outcome of Calvinist theology, but it does illustrate the point that beliefs affect behavior.  This is why it is important to try your best to think right thoughts about God.  This debate doesn't have to divide Christians, but that doesn't mean it is unimportant.  Your thoughts about God matter.

In this post I will articulate the second reason that I reject Calvinism (see the first reason here).  The second reason has to do with what I call the "Alls" of Scripture.  In short, the Bible makes several affirmations about all people that make Calvinism impossible.  I call these affirmations the "Alls" of Scripture.  What are they?  

1. God loves all people (Jn 3:16).  In other words, He wants what is best for them and acts in their best interest.  To define agape love in any other way changes the meaning of the word.  
2. God wants all people to be saved (1 Pt 2:4; 2 Pt 3:9).  
3. God sent His Son to die for all people (1 Jn 2:2).
4. God offers salvation to all people (Acts 7:30).
5. God enables all people to believe (Jn 12:32).
6. God saves all people who believe (Jn 3:16).

I realize that Calvinists might dispute some of these.  For example, some might disagree with the idea that Christ died for all (i.e., unlimited atonement), or with the idea that God enables all to believe.  But to me, the "All" are clear in Scripture.  And if they are true, then Calvinism is impossible.  To be more specific, the "Alls" of Scripture make the Calvinist doctrine of Unconditional Election impossible.  The idea that God unconditionally elects some unto salvation while leaving the rest to die in their sins is simply impossible if the "Alls" of Scripture are true.

At this point a Calvinist might point to certain proof texts and ask, "But what about this verse, or what about that passage?"  I admit there are some passages that are hard for Arminians to explain.  But the same could be said for Calvinists; they have their problem passages too.  But this is why the "Alls" of Scripture are so important.  If the "Alls" are true (even if only some of them), then whatever those difficult passages mean, they can't mean Calvinism is true.  I like the way theologian Roger Olson puts it.  Both Calvinism and Arminianism have their problems; the question is which problems can you live with.  Because of the "Alls" of Scripture, I can't live with the problems of Calvinism.  It reminds me of the old saying about capitalism.  "Capitalism is the worst economic system, except for all the others."  In other words, Capitalism may have its problems, but its better than the alternatives.  Likewise, Arminianism may have its problems, but it's better than the alternative of Calvinism.