Since St Francis of Sales had Real Objections to Calvinism ...

Great Bishop of Geneva! : 1) Makarios · 2) Once Saved, Always Saved - True for Church, Not True for All Christians Individually · 3) Protestants - Not - Getting Around Matthew 28 Last Three Verses: John Calvin's Attempt · 4) Barnes NOT getting around Matthew 28:20 ... · 5) Since St Francis of Sales had Real Objections to Calvinism ... 6) Contra Sproul 7) Barnes on Jewish Tradition 8) If Constantine had Founded the Catholic Church ... 9) Salvation and Schrödinger's Cat Assorted retorts from yahoo boards and elsewhere : 10) ... on Apostolic Succession, both as to Reasons and Answering an Objection or Two (quora)

... I am glad "Geisler's" TULIP is not quite as black as those Dutch ones back in the heighday of Black Tulips and Calvinism. [Wiki is citing it after Allen, Bob. "Traditional Southern Baptists counter Calvinism". Baptist News Global. Retrieved 23 December 2014.]*

T

otal depravity extends to the whole person but does not destroy the image of God in fallen human beings;

[U]

Election is unconditional from the standpoint of God’s giving it and only one condition for human’s receiving it—faith;

[L]

The atonement is unlimited in its scope—Christ died for all mankind—but limited in its application to only the elect;

[I]

Grace is irresistible on the willing but does not force the unwilling;

[P]

All those who are regenerate will, by God’s grace, persevere to the end and be saved

Now, to the criticism. Some black tulip infection actually still remains, unfortunately.

T?

That depravity extends to the whole person of the unregenerate is correct. An unregenerate person who dies still or again unredeemed will have his whole soul and whole body cast into Hell - Limbo for the infants and Down's syndromers who aren't baptised, Hell of Tortures for the ones who after the use of reason have committed mortal sins that prevent or forfeit the fruits of regeneration and not been forgiven these on the right side of the grave.

A man who blasphemed but gave alms will not have his tongue in Hell and his hand in Heaven. A man who was chaste but hated God will not have half his soul in Heaven for chastity and other half in Hell for hatred of God.

But the totality from the side of persons solidarity in being damned does not mean a totality in respect to the aspects which are there before actual damnation.

The chaste but loveless soul still alive will have his chastity (insofar as genuine) pulling him toward redemption "as much as" his hatred toward God toward damnation.

No, not as much as, since love of God is a more important virtue than chastity, sorry.

This does not mean he can be saved without grace : it means grace is building on aspects of his nature.

It is therefore not totally depraved.

Rather, when he is finally saved, if finally saved, "to whom has shall be given", what was wanting in non-mortal sins will be filled with grace. As what was wanting in repentance for former mortal sins. And, when he is damned, if he is damned, whatever was grace in him during life shall be taken away from him, since he did not use it to save his soul before dying.

U?

That election is not given by conditions yet to be fulfilled from the side of God is certainly correct, that there are nevertheless conditions from the side of those elect to be fulfilled and faith is among them, is correct, but this is actually faith and obedience.

John 3:[16] For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him. [18] He that believeth in him is not judged. But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] And this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. [20] For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. [21] But he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God.

So, doing truth is a condition, not separate from, but connected to faith.

Saying that faith alone is condition on part of the elect is as un-Biblical as it is heretical and condemned by Trent.

L?

The atonement is unlimited in its scope—Christ died for all mankind—but limited in its application to only the elect.

Catholics actually agree on this one. Mgr Lefèbvre opposed the faulty translation "which is shed out for all", and kept the Latin "qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur" - "which is shed out for you and for many" for this precise reason.

I?

"Grace is irresistible on the willing but does not force the unwilling"

Does not force the unwilling sounds like contradicting - very soundly - the substance of "irresistible grace".

It would be better of course to speak in the case of the willing of "efficacious grace". And to admit the unwilling were offered a real grace, but did not take it and so it was not efficacious.

P?

"All those who are regenerate will, by God’s grace, persevere to the end and be saved."

Sorry, this is wrong.

The grace of regeneration can be lost. Until one dies, it can also be regained, by confession, and St Peter was asked to forgive 70 times 7. But it can be momentarily lost, and it can also be finally lost.

Hans Georg Lundahl
Paris III
Candlemass
2.II.2017

* Added [...] after signature, as an afterthought, lest I should be misrepresenting Norman Geisler. What I have criticised is the wiki's version - and looking at the source, it seems the wiki was somewhat mangled after citing it. Hence I also added "" around "Geisler's".