The Problem of Evil, God's Sovereignty, and Total Depravity,

I seriously doubt the value of discussing these secondary questions with unbelievers, especially when they refuse to adequately address the foundational question of creation ex-nihilo.

I was (for a day) one of his channel subscribers, but was put off by his inconsistent and belligerent attitude towards the truth.

Leighton either has to call Calvinists heretics and out of the faith or he needs to stop dedicating his every waking moment causing division among the saints. You can't have it both ways! The world mocks and scorns, and Leighton contributes to it.

This is really a straw man. Ask me if I can make a decision apart from God’s will and I will ask you if you can make a decision apart from God’s foreknowledge. If God foreknew the world and your decision can’t surprise him, then you don’t have autonomy.

We are sheep among wolves. Called out to overcome the world, flesh, and devil through violent spiritual warfare. God honors victorious warriors. He is our Master and Model. Apparently it takes this evil world to produce eternal saints for His eternal Glory. Few lives matter. If you are damned it doesn't matter what you did you're in hell. Few lives are agape lives are holy lives are eternal lives.

Could someone direct me to a resource, perhaps a video that could help me understand primary and secondary causes as it relates to God‘s will and the will of man? I want to get more into that!
Thank you in advance!

My instant response to any atheist who starts rattling off bad behavior is: “What’s wrong with rape? What’s wrong with child abuse?”

Any atheist making moral complaints has lost the debate before it started.

Apparently Gods secret will just loves breaking Gods law...in fact thats all it ever does....absurd

Something that is prophesied about a multititude of times in scripture is not Gods secret will... Christs crucifixion was not a secret decree when it is foretold over and again. The " secret" in the supposed "secret decree" is always the same thing...how God remains holy while ordaining evil..that is a question regarding theodocy, and "secret decree" assumes God as the first cause of evil. This thinking always leaves a question about Gods holy name in the mind.

??God decrees rape for His Glory...and the good news of the gospel is Christ died for sinners! To redeem them from every lawless deed! Except when He wants you to rape again for His glory...??? Like bro..wheres the gospel...u know the good news about WHO God is? i jn 1:5.. This is the message we have heard from Him, that God is Light, and He decrees all darkness...otherwise darkness would be purposeless. That what it says?
These superlapsarian hypercalvinists dont even i think realize the things that come out of there mouths. To them, God says before creation, " Let us decree evil so that good may come" (Gods glory). This is what they think. For Satans fall, and Adams fall according to them were decreed by God. Therefore God decreed evil so that good may come. They will try to argue that God made Satan perfect and Adam upright...but those facts dont matter...because
they say God decreed them TO fall ( sin) ...meaning God purposes evil so that good may come. This is satanic wisdom.
The Lords prayer contradicts that thinking. Unless u want to believe that we are told to pray against Gods decree.... ? Make any sense? " your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". If Gods will is being done in heaven perfectly, but His "decree" from all eternity is decreeing every evil act on earth, then we are being asked to pray a prayer against that decree that cannot be answered. Clearly from the prayer, evil on earth cannot be a secret decree, for the prayer is for the will to be done on earth (where sin is presently) as it is in heaven (where no sin is). Walk in the light and do not listen to those who obfuscate the name of God..they will always use texts of scripture as their authority, but not rightly. For only by the Spirit of God can they be understood...comparing spiritual things with spiritual. It is knowledge without heart. Logic without love, and wisdom without words of life.

Dr White...where are the prophecies about particular acts of rape being necessary for the coming of the Messiah??

James, you still have not addressed the issue to your Calvinistic views and evil. Simply: If your wife was raped would you still believe what you believe? Would you say she was predestined to be raped? Because if you say she was predestined to be raped then your God is evil and unworthy of worship.

Thank you Dr White for pointing out that Flowers argues like an atheist. Flowers and Austin Fisher argue just like atheists when they object to double predestination or people predestined to hell. Both asks the question: How is God recognizably good if he predestines people to hell? That objection is the same objection atheists make concerning theodicy. One can use the same argument against provisionist when it comes to theodicy. How is God recognizably good for all the evil and suffering in this world? Flowers is digging his own grave.

1 You forgot to mention that God is the determination of every person’s desires.

2 God determines everything so that He can work everything together for good. However, God’s power is more than able to accomplish all the good without being the ultimate case of evil. God is powerful enough to create a perfect world without sin.

3 You don’t have to believe in determinism in order believe in a purpose of evil. You can know that God knows and has power over everything without being the ultimate determining of everything.

4 Should we pray for God to do other than what he has determined.

White began with the pretense and deception that Calvigod, having determined ''ALL THINGS THAT COME TO PASS'' means that secondary causes relieve the first cause's guilt.

Is that untrue?
No, and here is why-
Calvinism holds that Calvigod gets 100% of the Glory, claiming 1st causation and very intermediary step to be his work, thus forbidding glory to anyone or anything other than himself.
Yet, when it comes to sinful evil deeds, he is only the first cause, and secondary causes buffer and shield him.

Speaking of Flowers, White says, ''He doesn't believe that the Bible has any divine revelation in it.''

Liars burn in the Lake of Fire, James White!

While some may say, claim that I am a shill for Flowers, I am not. In fact, Flowers publicly referred to me as a JERK and I often criticize his errors, as well. These videos contain James White Lying and slandering another human. And he does not do it by accident. These are not mistakes but are done knowingly.

If you look at my bookshelf, you will see two volumes, neither of which is the Bible, in those books you will find arguments from a Calvinist arguing from his philosophy, not the Bible as to how Calvinism works.

Sorry, Which BIBLE passage is that, again?

IF White could have gone to the Bible to make his argument, he would have. But he cannot, thus his claimed Sola Scriptura Faith is disproved and he admits that his doctrine comes from the minds of men.

So "meaning" justifies decreed evil within the Calvinist construct....

All this time and energy wasted on orthodoxy which doesn’t even matter if Calvinism is true anyway bc it doesn’t effect salvation and we are just doing what Gos decrees us to do but has James spent even a tenth of a percent of his time teaching others to follow Jesus” commandments?

God willingly permits what violates His moral law.

F
Libertarian free will does not get God off the hook.

Thank You Dr. White for bringing up the scripture that God works out all things to the praise and glory of his most holy name. Rather it be evil or good. I was once told in Bible college that even evil at its worse will in the final end of all things bring praise and glory to the God of Heaven. So, all these people who bring these questions concerning the person and nature of God and what he allows and what he forbids always amazes me. We as Human Beings has a fallen and depraved nature and with these Natures God the Father receives honor and glory whether we know it or not and whether it be of Evil intent or of good. You Dr. White so stated the word ALL MEANING JUST THAT ALL NOT SOME OR A LITTLE ALL THINGS AND THAT IS WHY I DO NOT BELIEVE IN FREE-WILL. WE ARE ALL ON A MISSION FROM THE FATHER WHETHER WE ARE SAVED OR NOT. BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN PREDESTINED BY THE FATHER WILL FOR OUR COURSE IN PHYSICAL LIFE ACCORDING TO HIS MERCIES AND NOT ACCORDING TO OUR DESIRES. AND THAT IS WHY EVEN THE EVIL AT ITS DARKEST WILL BRING GLORY TO THE FATHER IN THE END. MARANATHA

so God decides who will decide who goes to hell on his own. the individual has no part. same with who is saved.

I wish someone could get this video to that young gentleman who was trying to teach the truth he just didn't fully understand how to argue it. I think that this is the kind of stuff that drives people away from Calvinism in the beginning because they come across questions like this and don't fully understand them. It takes a lot of time and work and like James White said it really helps to read people like Edwards and people of the Reformation say on these topics. Where do you think my boy James White learned it all lol. Love you James

That is why dynamic omniscience is the biblical truth for a consistent theodicy! And it fits well with the main points of Provisionism!

Finding verses of men's decrees is easy... finding just one clear verse that uses the word "decree" for the man-made theological idea that everything was eternally immutably predestined before creation to work out only one way - is impossible! Calvinism, Arminianism and Molinism all teach such a decree was made.

I'm offering $100 to the first who finds just one! 😉

And yet so many are willing to loyally follow a theology based on that man-made falsehood! Very sad! It has corrupted the rest of their interpretation of Scripture, their motivation for evangelism, their confidence in prayer, and their attempt to worship God for His holiness, imo.

There are many verses that clearly contradict such determinism, showing clearly God making more determinations after creation. So, they all could not have been made before creation and God's Word be telling the truth!

Joshua says, "Choose you this day whom you will serve." Notice God didn't decide, He gives people a choice. If there was no choice, why would he say, "Choose..?" Also in Joshua God says, "The people built the high places to sacrifice their children in fire. Something I did NOT command, nor did I speak it, nor did it ener my mind." So while God does decrees some thing, He, Himself says, not everything.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Can James White or any Calvinist explain the story of God, Adam and Eve, and the snake, from a Calvinist perspective?

You’re Leighton flowers centered! How dare you present yourself as a leader in the church! All you have done is vomit out of your backwards mouth is accusation after accusation. Resign from the church you are destroying! I call for your resignation immediately!

With Calvinism man has no free will and therefore makes God evil because he's making us do those things.

Atheist,Arminian,whats the difference?

The thing that exposes the freewillers whole freewill scheme is,God's many examples of Him stopping men from committing sins they most want to commit.This proves God is in control of all men and could stop EVERY SIN if that was His plan.This also shows that man has no freewill ,he can only Do what God has decreed hed do because if man can't do all the sin he wants to do,hes not free at all.THE HEART OF MAN MAKES ITS PLANS,BUT GOD DECIDES WHAT he Does.

Who can say it and it come to pass unless the Lord has decreed it?

The only thing I can say about my reformed Brothers is,why do you call these people Brothers when they still hate our God and Gospel? Im not saying that they aren't Elect, but according to scripture, those who hate God and teach others to Hate Our God ,these are still natural men.Where am I wrong?

This is cringe worthy. Bless the brother for trying to represent the Lord but geez.....it's painful to listen to.

Dr. White is creating a straw man argument and not representing Dr. Flower's position accurately. Dr. Flowers argues frequently that God works within creation to bring about salvation through a sinful people; evil is not meaningless in this sense.

I am not saying that Dr. White is wrong and I am not saying that Dr. Flowers is right. I am saying that this is a manipulative presentation of the facts. I encourage you all to get your information first-hand. One of the hardest things in the world is to represent your opponent's argument in its strongest, rather than weakest form.

Holy I can’t believe I once believed this stupid tripe. Reformed people, you are in an abusive relationship with a jealous husband who lights some people on fire for arbitrary reasons and forces others to be his bride regardless of whether they hate him or not. Get out and save yourself from this insane cult. You can be good without a god, in fact it’s easier to make moral improvements when you are not a slave to a god who endorses
Slavery
Racism
Rape (taking of virgins in war for wives, I’m certain they had a choice)
Eternal conscious torment
Two different standards for believers and nonbelievers
Will literally forgive Hitler and light a baby on fire because Hitler might have said I’m sorry Jesus on the way out and the baby was Cambodian.

Your god sucks to the point where even if he were real, the only moral thing to do is to go to hell while spitting in his face. A monster who wants to be worshipped for ever and is willing to subject billions to eternal hellfire so he can have his praises sung by millions is literally the most evil possible being.

Holy sh*t just try and think of it from an outsiders perspective for a second. Imagine how free you could be if you didn’t have the most insecure dictator in eternity saying “love me back” while extending a crucified Christ in one hand and a flamethrower on the other.

It’s disgusting.

I have a less vitriolic response elsewhere, but the purpose of this one is to shock you into considering a new perspective. Don’t change a thing about your theology, but be brave enough to put yourself (with the exact same moral proclivities and actions) into the camp of the damned. And then realize you can’t leave because god decided he needed a toilet and he made you to be that.

And then try and sing Holy Holy Holy, Lord God almighty

Have fun with your cognitive dissonance

This guy has no understanding according to what scripture teaches... Blind leading the blind...

Forget calvin
God's not sharing HIS glory with calvin. Scripture is clear THAT NONE seek after God . HE MUST choose to save some. Just come to Jesus and He will not cast you out. However if you do come, Jesus chose to save you

God created evil for his purpose and when that purpose is fulfilled, he will destroy evil.
A creator who created evil and who can destroy evil cannot be evil himself.
The creator is separate from what he has created.

When your theology strips attributes, nature, and freedom from God to give it to man, you know your theology is wrong.

Wicked White is an evil calvinist. He has told you lies.

Why are Calvinists more eager to prove Calvinism to non Calvinist Christians than to convert non Christians to Christianity?

glory to God

Wow james white is saying he'd be a rapist if there was no god? James is so evil that if he didn't believe in god he would do that?

Please keep your delusions if you are really that evil

James white has not done a good job on this topic. For example if every single sin has to have "meaning"... Then we need to do indepth studies into everybody's sins to find out what those meanings are.... In my opinion, this whole topic is untouchable.And it is not part of the discourse of Scripture.Just go where scripture goes and then don't take it any further. To say that god decrees all things that come to pass makes God the PRIMARY inventor and planner of evil.