Four Point Calvinism

Main points are your words, subpoints are my reply. Approaching this verse from a Calvinism Lense I can see how this could be interpreted as a "why even bother spreading the gospel as they do not have ears to hear" I've never heard a Calvinist believe in this interpretation, and if they did it would be incorrect. You are misunderstanding Calvinism. Spurgeon put it like this, "If God had put a yellow streak up and down the backs of the elect, I’d go up and down the streets lifting up shirt tails to find out who had the yellow streak up and down his back. Then I’d give that person the gospel. But God didn’t do that. He told me to preach the gospel to every creature and that whosoever will may come.” Also see 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." As believers, we don't know who the Elect are, but we do know that when we find them, they will respond in saving faith eventually. Therefore, sharing the Gospel is a act of obedience, and it relies on God "who gives the growth." All who are called by the the lord all who make the choice of service and faith in the lord shall be saved. So Calvinism actually agrees with this. God's Elect predates the action of someone who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved. Election is the "why" someone chooses God, the "why" someone feels compelled to give their lives over to Christ. Ask yourself "what is freewill?" Is not freewill a carnal nature? I do what I desire most? What is the determining factor of a freewill? Is not purely the motivations of the flesh as enhanced by our desires? The message of God is not desirable. We know this because Paul writes to Timothy "For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new." (2 Timothy 4.3) and "If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone." (1 Corinthians 15.19) Now with this in mind, we must read Scripture not on the basis of what we want to believe, but on what the Bible is saying regardless to what we want. Lest we would fashion God into our own image. Honestly you sound somewhat like the homosexuals who say the God of the Bible can't be good because He denounces their love. You can't change God on the basis of your subjective definition of good, but purely His definition. So I believe even the things I don't like in the Bible. Which involves some portions of Calvisim. Ask your friends if they are good. 9 out of 10 likely will say something along the lines "I'm pretty good." And that is why the message of the Gospel isn't good to people. Because Jesus didn't come to save the self-righteous, but rather the wicked. Until people realize they are desperatly wicked, and nothing good lives in them, they won't respond positively to the Gosple. Even some of the most wicked you people you can think of, if you were to ask them if they are good, they would boastfully say "yes." But God desires the meek, those who know they are sinful. That is why He gave us the law. Yet, we are told that only the elect will respond to it. This is why two people who were raised up exactly the same, yet can hear the message and only one respond. It's because of God's calling on someone's heart that differentiates those who do respond, and those who do not. It is because Calvinism is a man made mental construction Well I've actually never studied Calvin's words. I've only read what the tenets of Calvinism are, and found them in the Scriptures long before I ever knew what Calvinism was. I've never learned from the doctrines of man, but rather I've searched the Scriptures for myself just like the Bereans in Acts 17:11. That is why when people ask I say I'm "reformed," which technically is Calvinistic, but since I look only to the Scriptures and not to the words of Calvin it makes more since to say "reformed." Reformed Evangelical to be exact. (Because evangelizing is a huge portion even to Calvinists) We must let the scripture speak to us and not allow us to speak for it. Everything I said fits into the context and all learning has been taught to me with the help of the Holy Spirit. I also believe all Scripture must be interpreted with Scripture with prefrence to context. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit--the Father will send Him in My name--will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. " (John 14.26), "We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people." (1 Corinthians 2.13), "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him." (James 1.5) Romans 10:17 [a verse close to the one we addressed] "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of god". You failed to have context. Look at the next verse: "But I ask, "Did they not hear?" Yes, they did:" and the Apostle Paul continues to say how they were Spiritually blinded. So God Elected others in verse 20 "I was found by those who were not looking for Me; I revealed Myself to those who were not asking for Me." If you continue even more into Chapter 11 you see EVEN MORE verses on election (Such as the chosen remenant). So, you failed to apply context. Consider the parable of the sower, all were given the same seed that can result in fruit, but it depended on landing on the right environment. Also consider the parable of the tares. John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them he gave he power to become the sons of god, even to them that believe on his name" Calvinism does not contest this. But rather, man in his free will REFUSES to receive God. Yet, the ones that do respond do so because of God's influence on their hearts prior to belief. As Jesus said, "But you don't believe because you are not My sheep." (John 10.26) I honesly think you just haven't grasped the understanding of what Calvinism is. It does not refute free will, rather it refutes man's natural state towards God. Calvinism doesn't preach a "sound good" message to tickle the ears. This is what it tells me: I'm not good, only God is; meaning I'm utmostly sinful. God choose me not because I'm wise, but because I'm foolish; It's by God's grace alone that I'm saved; nothing I do can earn it, I can take no pride in my salvation. All glory, all goodness, all righteousness, and all love is directed to who God is, leaving me completely empty of anything good. I would love to take pride in myself for these things, but its not me who deserves the glory, rather its Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit that transformed me and changes the way I live my life. God is not a respecter of persons to choose me based on who I am or what I've done. Rather God has chosen the foolish vessels to demonstrate His glory and His goodness so that no man can boast. But because of God's grace, it transforms the believer into obedient sons that will never stumble. "Make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For, if you do these things you will never stumble." (2 Peter 1.10) "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. But to those who are called, Christ is God's power and God's wisdom. Because God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom..." (1 Corinthians 1.23-24)Lets really think about "freewill." The freewill acts only according to desire, for instance if I choose something I don't like, its because the benefits outweight the instant gratification. For instance, if I really want a hamburger, but I also want to be healty. My freewill acts on my carnal nature, whatever I find more important or more desirable in that moment. Whether its my resolve to eat healthy, or the instant gratification of a burger. This is why the Bible says we are slaves to sin, until we are made alive in Christ. Sin has contaminated the hearts of man so bad, that from infants we envy, we lie, we hate, and we dishonor our parents. No one can be righteous by the Law, rather the Law was made to reveal that every man has failed, and is under God's wrath. Man's natural state is enmity with God. And the only way to be reconciled, is through the work of Jesus Christ. God's Elect are the one's that respond with belief because God has called them, predestined them, and has worked on their hearts to respond in repentance. So yes, the elect believe in God, they choose God and call on His name. But only because God had first worked on their hearts. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 10.26)Consider 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Notice the unbelievers cannot even see the Gospel because they are blind. Therefore God says, 'Let light shine out of darkness.' So than it becomes necessary for God to clear our vision, so that we may inturn respond to the Gospel He has allowed us to see.