Is Revelation 22:19 Only a Hypothetical Warning?
J.C. Thibodaux
Not used much by unconditional securists (as they would have to admit that there are sins that can cause a believer to be damned), this is a mainstay of Calvinistic thinking. Some Calvinists actually admit that a believer could fall away -- were it not for God keeping him from falling. They then go on to say that verses like this are simply meant to warn believers, but that such a thing could not actually happen (such warnings being one of the reasons it does not happen). That argument is hard to contradict directly, but let's follow this thinking through to its logical end shall we:
After turning the Bible on its ear and making the admonishing testimony of scripture out to be an impossible scenario, Calvinists will then state confidently that it is impossible for a believer to fall away. When I objected to this idea in the past on the basis of Revelation 22:19, I was told that I was a heretic and in deep error. Questions then:
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If I am so in error, then does the Bible promote such an error for the sake of warning us?
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If the final warning of Revelation is meant simply to humble me and maybe even make me believe that I could possibly fall away so that I will have the utmost respect for God's word, then can you fault me for believing it?
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If God meant for that to be in His book (which He did), and meant for it to be taken to heart (do you not agree?), then shouldn't you believe it as well?
The Calvinist argument sounds pretty good at first, but falls apart in the real world. The Calvinist is either forced to either A. Admit that the scripture is not warning against impossibilities, or B. Admit that you are not a child of Satan, maybe just a little over-literal at best (though some vie for option C: bury your head in the sand and continue to shout 'Heretic!'). Either way, the argument just doesn't make any sense. There is no reason in scripture to doubt that God will do exactly what His word says He will, and when dealing with warnings from the book of the Almighty, it is better to believe and take to heart the things that He says rather than discount it as a warning against something which could never occur.
Bottom Line:
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If God's warnings are meant to make us fear and obey, then what right do men have to discount them?
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