The Total Depravity Of Man

Arminianism teaches that the fall of man had no real effect on the free will: in essence, man can and will accept the gift of salvation of his own free will. Calvinism teaches that man is so totally depraved by the fall that he cannot accept salvation of his own free will, but must be called by an "efficacious call" from God. Who is true?

1 Corinthians 2:14  "But the natural (PSUCHIKOS = soulish, one without a human spirit who operates only on soul. A term for the unsaved) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness (MORIA = silliness, absurdity) unto him: neither can he know (GINOSKO, Aorist Infinitive = cannot hope to know) them, because they are spiritually discerned."

The Scripture teaches that the PSUCHIKOS, soulish or unsaved man cannot receive the "things" of God, and we all know that one of these "things" is the Gospel of salvation. The unbeliever cannot hope to accept the Gospel because he is dichotomous, possessing only body and soul. He is fallen, spiritually dead. The believer, on the other hand, is trichotomous, of body, soul, and spirit. This spiritual part of man is our link with God, our tunnel of communication. Without it the unbeliever is deaf to the truths of God's Word.

Rarely a week goes by where I don't receive a letter from an unbeliever, a supposed atheist, who wants to "educate" me on the truths of the world around me. He usually starts out with the empirical truths of evolution, then moves on from there. He looks for errors in Scripture so he can prove that it is not God's Word, but only a funny ancient book. To him the Scriptures are silly, the Gospel is silly, the truth of our Creator God is silly. This is because the spiritual void in the unbeliever stops him from receiving the truths of Scripture - you can't receive what you believe is stupid, and this is how the heathen regard the claims of Christ.

How did man come to this sorry state? You can read the history of the Fall in the book of Beginnings, Genesis:

Genesis 2:15-17  "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress (ABAD = labor in it) it and to keep (SHAMAR = guard) it. [16]  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  [17]  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Literally reads, "Dying thou shalt surely die")"

God made all of creation then placed man in it to work it and to guard it. Who was he guarding it from? From Satan, who had fallen from Heaven due to pride and rebellion. Adam was to protect creation from Satan's attacks. Other than these two duties, to work and guard the Garden, Adam could do anything he wanted except one thing: he was to leave the tree of the knowledge of good and evil alone. If man disobeyed and ate of this forbidden fruit then he would meet death twice. First, he would die spiritually and be cut off from God. Second, he would eventually die physically and be cut off from mankind.

Adam wasn't just a hired laborer, created by God to tend the Garden, but he was, in essence, the earthly ruler of all things. God placed Adam in this position by His sovereign Grace. You can see this evidenced in:

Genesis 2:19  "And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof."

God made each animal, and as He made them He brought them to Adam to name them. Since God placed Adam in charge, He gave him absolute authority over creation, even to the naming of the animals. God never welches on a bet! When He decrees something then He Himself is bound by what He decrees. Though Eve wasn't an animal, after God made her He brought her to Adam to name, just as He had done with all the animals:

Genesis 2:22-23  "And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. [23]  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

Adam, as the Federal Head of creation was given the honor of naming al living creatures, and even named his wife. Though women's liberation may call this chauvinism, it is nonetheless truth. Eve was under Adam's authority, just as was the Garden and the animals. Yet both Adam and Eve forgot their roles when the Serpent came into the Garden.

Genesis 3:6-7  "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [7]  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

For the Serpent approached Eve, bewitched her, and she partook of the fruit. Adam not only did not intervene, but he allowed woman to give him of the fruit and he also ate it. Please note that, only when Adam ate of the fruit, then "the eyes of them both were opened", i.e. man fell into spiritual death. Adam was responsible for the fall as the Federal Head of creation. Once he ate of this fruit he plunged all of humanity into spiritual death:

Romans 5. 12-19 "Wherefore, as by one man (Adam)sin (The OSN) entered into the world, (KOSMOS = the world, all who have or will live on it) and death (THANATOS = spiritual death, inoperatability of the human spirit) by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: [13] (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. [14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude (HOMOIOMA = likeness, resemblance) of Adam's transgression, (Note that spiritual death is genetically imputed to each new generation, regardless as to whether we ate the forbidden fruit or not) who is the figure of him that was to come. [15] But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. [16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. [17] For if by one man's offense death (OSN, the spiritual death) reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life (ZOE = Spiritual life) by one, Jesus Christ.) [18] Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men (Universal spiritual death came on all because of Adam) to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. [19] For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
 

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Adam brought universal spiritual death (separation from God) on all of the KOSMOS by his act of disobedience, but Jesus Christ provided a way out of this death by His unlimited Atonement on the Cross. Adam's action caused universal death, but God's punishment on all humanity (which had not participated in Adam's sin) was not unfair. Adam was the Federal Head of creation, Eve was not (2 Cor. 11.3; 1 Tim. 2.13-14). Eve was tricked by the Serpent: she knew that taking the fruit would have repercussions, but she had no idea how far reaching these repercussions would be. Adam, on the other hand, took the fruit with full knowledge of the consequences. The liberal says that it was unfair of God to condemn all of mankind because of one man's actions, yet fairness has little to do with it. There are many times in our history when one man caused others to suffer because of his disobedience or stupidity. In my lifetime a president declared war on Vietnam, and sent many of our brave soldiers to die on a battlefield that I wouldn't have given you ten cents for. Hitler mobilized Germany to try and take over the world, and engineered the systematic murder of over six million Jews and several million gentiles. Stalin ordered the murder of numerous people during the Soviet Union/ Cold War era. Caesar burned and tortured Christians by the thousands, and Caligula was so brutal as Caesar that his name is still synonymous with torture. To say that one man can't effect others is the height of historical ignorance.

God removed and possible charge of "unfairness" by sending Jesus Christ to die for all of humanity. Just as Adam was the Federal Head of creation, and just as his action plunged all of humanity into spiritual death, Jesus Christ became the new Federal Head of the earth. As Messiah He went to the Cross and paid for all humanity, paid for all our sins, so that any who accept Him as Savior will regain spiritual life.

Galatians 5:16-21 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (SARX = flesh, refers to the operation of the OSN) [17]  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. [18]  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [20]  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21]  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

1 John 2:16  "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, (SARX = flesh, refers to the OSN, antithesis to spirituality) and the lust of the eyes, (In ancient cultures the eyes were considered the windows to the soul. When the eye beholds evil, the soul is evil) and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

2 Peter 2:10  "But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."

2 Peter 2:18  "For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, (MATAIOTES, emptiness) they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error."

Colossians 2:11  "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ"

The OSN of man resides in the "flesh" or the body of man. Since the sin nature abides in man, it is genetically passed down from generation to generation since the time of Adam. Each child naturally born to the human race is born physically alive but spiritually dead. If you don't believe this, watch your children in secret sometime. Place a cookie jar in reach, then tell the child to keep away from it - and leave the room. Time how long it takes for the child to get to it: you may be surprised! In fact, it's easier to see the OSN operating in children than in adults, for as adults we often "mask" its operation by outward good deeds or civility. When men see a scantily clad, beautiful woman on the beach no one really thinks, "Wow, amazing bone structure!". When women meet a Adonis-like man, I doubt they think "wow, he's got a great personality!". A child will ask you questions, often embarrassing, that illustrates his OSN, whereas we will only reveal this nature in private, or when sufficiently agitated. If you are honest with yourself you know that there is Total Depravity in mankind, a fully operating OSN, because you have seen it in operation yourself.

How sinful is our OSN? Well, the Scripture says:

1 John 3:4  "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

"The Law" is the Word of God, and sin is every action that goes against this Word. Sin can be either passive or active. If passive, it ignores the clear teaching of the Word and concentrates on the pleasures found in the operation of the OSN. Apathy to the Word is just as offensive to God as is active disobedience. If active, it actively seeks to break the directives of the Word. There are many good, moral people in this world who passively ignore God's pleading to the Cross, who may even go to Church but have never accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. They are just as lost in the OSN as are those who chase after women or men to satisfy their glandular urges, steal, kill, do drugs, or lie and cheat. One may look better than the other, but both who are outside of God's Word smell the same to God. They stinketh!

If you were to chart Total Depravity, the operation of the OSN, you could draw a line with the liberal on one end and the murderer on the other:

The world may find the mild liberal to be inoffensive, amusing perhaps, and find the murderer to be totally obnoxious - yet both are just as evil, as are all varieties in between. The mild liberal starts by adjusting their perception of the Word of God in order to make it more "acceptable" to modern society. Babies in the womb are not persons, but things. Homosexuals are not bad, but people who have chosen a loving alternate lifestyle. Older people who, having lived beyond their useful years, can be mercifully "put to sleep" if they so desire. Perhaps we should outlaw the Word from the school grounds lest we encourage a "State Church" situation. The mild liberal may not do these things, yet he encourages them by twisting the Word. Where mild liberalism begins, it is only a matter of time before the situation blooms to the other end of the spectrum: murder. Babies are murdered because of abortion, the mild liberal's agenda. The parasite child who "unfairly" invaded the mother's womb can be scraped out legally. Old people, who should be revered in any society, are murdered for the sake of convenience. Children, seeing the teachings of the mild liberal, take guns to school and kill one another. Children, seeing the teachings of the mild liberal, experiment sexually and transmit diseases.

Do you know what God has to say about our "innate goodness", our "high morality"? He says:

Isaiah 64:6  "But we are all as an unclean (TAME' = foul, unclean religiously) thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; ('ED {the menstrual flux, staining from menstruation, filthy} BEGED {covering, rags, pads} = soiled menstrual rags) and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

I don't think I need to add anything to this Scripture. It's self defining: our righteousnesses are the most filthy thing imaginable in the ancient world, totally disgusting to God. Human good works are disgusting to God because they come from a soiled fountain, the spiritually dead person controlled by the OSN. Unbelievers hate to acknowledge this, as do many believers. Everyone wants to think that they have self worth before God. I was witnessing to an unbeliever once who began to tell me all the good deeds he had done, and how he was sure he was going to get into Heaven. I told him that Charles Manson had a better chance of getting into Heaven if he accepted Christ as Savior than he did on his own. This offended him, and perhaps offends you. But hey, truth hurts! Paul the Apostle was a mass murderer, murdering Christians at the request of the Sanhedrin, the rulers of Israel (Acts 9.1). He watched as Saint Stephen was beaten to death with stones (Acts 7.58-59). Yet he was saved when he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and now rules and reigns in Heaven with our Lord Jesus. The other "good" members of the Sanhedrin have long since entered into Hell, having rejected Christ and tried to enter on their own good works (John 14.6).

Ephesians 2:1-3 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; [2]  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: [3]  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."

The OSN in man is so strong that it even controls man's will. We are "dead in trespasses and sins" outside of Christ. "Dead" is the Greek NEKROS, which means "naked of soul, without life". The Arminians teach that man has the inherent power to accept or reject Christ as Savior, yet how can a corpse decide anything? A corpse can only do what you make it do, unless you bring it back to life. Man has a will, but this will is dead, and predisposed toward the dead. Man has no will of his own to freely accept Jesus Christ as Savior unless God does something to give him and even break, which brings us to the call of God.

Calvin taught that the call of God to the unbeliever was "efficacious" or undeniable, something that, when it came, man could not refuse it. Yet the call of God does not have to be efficacious, but it must be equal to all. There are, indeed, evidences of an efficacious call in Scripture. When Jesus called Paul He gave him little chance to refuse. John the Baptist was a called man, filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. When Jesus called His disciples they came, from fishing boats and tax collection tables, and began to follow Him. King David was anointed by Samuel, and called without choice. The prophets often appointed their predecessors with or without their consent. So there is, indeed, evidence of an efficacious call to God.

Yet must this be the norm? God often used an efficacious call to demand the obedience of certain key players in His Plan, and had every right to do so. Yet must this be the case in every instance of salvation? No, not really, not if we take the "whosoever will" verses of Scripture at face value. The truth of the matter is, God gave man a will, and wants us to use that will in the decision of salvation.

John 16:7-11 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8]  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9]  Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10]  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; [11]  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."

Jesus Christ told us that the "Comforter", the Holy Spirit of God, would come to each believer. He would also "reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment", that is, He will come to each person in the KOSMOS at least one time in their lives and "lift the veil" of sin so that they can freely decide either for or against Christ. This call is not, in most instances, efficacious. In fact, the call is only efficacious if God, in His infinite wisdom, determines that this person must become a believer (such as in the case of Paul). In most instances the call can be freely rejected, but once rejected the veil drops once more - the person becomes a spiritual corpse. But the fact is, each person will have at least one opportunity to accept or reject Christ without the blinding death of the OSN hanging over them.

Calvinism taught that the call of God of necessity was efficacious and undeniable, because any thinking man would naturally accept the wonders of a relationship with God once the blinders of sin were removed. This is abstract thought, and totally unprovable. I knew a man once who said he knew all about Heaven and Hell. He understood the consequences of rejecting Christ as Savior, and yet preferred to ignore faith in Christ. Unbelievers can and do actively reject the Gospel message. As a preacher I always issue a call to salvation at the end of the message. I have seen people clutch the back of the pew in front of them and literally fight the call, rather than surrender their life to Christ. I have felt the presence of God so real in services, till it was almost like smoke - and seen people, made eye contact with them, and just knew that God was calling. But they apathetically sat back in their seats and ignored the call.

Many people say "I'll accept Christ tomorrow, not today", and thus seal their fate. There is no guarantee that the Spirit will return tomorrow to lift the veil. Some people walk the aisle at Church, are baptized, and then you never see them in Church again. They went forward, but left their hearts behind, and are as hell bound today as they ever were.

Calvinism also teaches that the efficacious call is necessary because there are a certain number of the elect that have to be saved. Yet the Scripture does not support this claim. If only one person had accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, then the plan of God would have been fulfilled. This one person would have been a living testament to God's mercy, and the rest, hell bound, a testament to God's justice. Satan convinced one to fall, and in so doing caused the fall of humanity. Satan neither coerced nor forced Adam's decision, and won that battle because man freely chose to fall. God had One who willingly went to the Cross of His own free will, then a multitude of others who, of their own free will, choose to follow Him. God was vindicated when the One (Jesus) came, and when the one (man) came of his free will. God continues to be vindicated every day as thousands come to know the peace of salvation through Jesus Christ.

As to the matter of God's omniscience: the Calvinist says that election is necessary because God is omniscient, and knows all things. He could not have "look down through the ages" to see who would be saved, for to do so would be to "learn". An interesting argument, but consider this. God does not "look on" sin:

Habakkuk 1:13  "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?"

So does this inability to "behold evil" make God less omniscient? Absolutely not! He can, being omniscient, choose not to behold certain things, and choose to monitor those things which are necessary for the completion of His greater plan. God can issue, within His plan, an Unlimited Atonement, then restrict Himself to stay within the confines that the Unlimited Atonement makes. He can, if He so wills, remain to not know without destroying His omniscience. Calvinistic thought is linear, yet God's thoughts are not linear: What He wills, He will do. Where He restricts, He will keep Himself within these restrictions. Jesus Christ Himself was and is God (John 8:58-59), yet never used His Divine powers while He walked the face of the earth. Instead, He worked His miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit:

Matthew 12:28  "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

Did this make Jesus any less God? Absolutely not. If Jesus can forego the operation of divine power in order to fulfill God's greater plan, then God the Father can do the same. Just because you have a car capable of driving 150 miles an hour, there's no reason you have to go that fast every time you get in it.

In fact, there's a lot of Scriptural evidence that suggests that God did not use His omniscience to determine who would be saved from eternity past. Had God used His omniscience to determine who would be saved, then why did Christ die for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2.2)? Why send the Holy Spirit to "convict the world" if only a few would be saved (John 16.8)? And why did Jesus leave earth to "go and prepare a place for us" (John 14.2-3)? If God knew who would be saved from eternity past, He could have had this place prepared before Adam fell in the Garden. Why is there joy in Heaven over one sinner that repents (Luke 15.7, 10)? If God already knows who's going to be saved, then each salvation is only a predetermined event, not a moment of surprised joy. If I told you that, every Christmas, I was going to give you a pair of black tennis shoes, Wal-Mart brand,  model #231, then what joy would you have when you got them? What joy would they bring on the fourth, fifteenth, and twenty fifth Christmas' that I gave them? Absolutely none!

The joy in Heaven over the salvation of the lost is joy because (1) when the veil of the OSN was lifted, this person freely chose to come home, and (2) God is pleasantly surprised by joy when each person makes this decision.

John 16:7-11 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; (ALETHEIA = truth as unveiled reality, manifested truth, essence of the matter) It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8]  And when he is come, he will reprove (ELEGCHO = to rebuke so as to convict. The antithesis is EPITIMAO, meaning to rebuke without causing conviction) the world (KOSMOS = world, all those who have lived and will live on earth) of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9]  Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10]  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; [11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."

Jesus often taught in parables, but He wanted to make it clear that this lesson was not a parable. He said "I tell you the truth; (ALETHEIA)". ALETHEIA is always used in the Scripture to hard facts. Jesus introduced this teaching with ALLA, (Nevertheless) "absolutely, this is fact" then proceeded with ALETHEIA, showing that everything following these assertions are to be taken as figurative facts, not allegories. It was literally necessary that Jesus go away so the Comforter (Holy Spirit) could come and indwell the believer. Once this Spirit came He would "reprove", or rebuke the world in such a way as to lead people unto conviction. This does not mean that the person so convicted must repent, but it does mean that the veil of the OSN will be lifted so they can see the wrong and realize it for what it is. This convicting ministry is offered to the KOSMOS, the world, the sum total of the human race. Calvinism reads this verse as "convicts the (elect) world", but the Scripture doesn't support this reading. Arminianism interprets this verse as "convicts the (people that God looked down through the ages to see who would be saved) world", but again the Scripture doesn't support this reading.

The Spirit convicts (ELEGCHO) the unbelieving world of three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Conviction of Sin: What makes the operation of the OSN so bad in mankind is that it deceives while keeping man in bondage. The natural man doesn't have the slightest idea that he is in error, fallen from God. In fact, if he thinks of God, then that thought is usually no more than an afterthought. Most people think that they're pretty good people, and those who think otherwise are labeled "bipolar" by psychiatrists.

Years ago a book came out written by a psychiatrist called "I'm OK, You're OK". It taught that we are all basically good at heart, that we are OK. Recently the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta released a statement that "homophobia is a disease" (fear of homosexuality, a term coined to justify the homosexual lifestyle in America), and those who are homophobic are really quite sick. I guess God is, by this definition, quite sick, for He destroyed Sodom and Gomorra because of homosexuality. The truth is, man is not OK, but man is one sick puppy. All are born dead in their sins (Romans 3.10-20). The Spirit's call wakes up the person, removing the blinder of sin so he can clearly see his own life for what it is - a mess. Then that person is free to accept or reject the offer of salvation. Balance is restored, spiritual death lifted, albeit temporary, while the person makes his decision. After the decision is made for Christ the Holy Spirit regenerates or makes him spiritually alive again, but if against Christ then the Spirit departs - man is returned to the slavery of the OSN.

Conviction of Righteousness: The OSN of man also exudes a sense of human good or self righteousness. Unbelievers mistakenly believe that, because of this outward morality, they will be granted entrance into Heaven. Yet God despises our human good just as much as He does our active sin (Isaiah 64.6) because both are the byproduct of the OSN. The Holy Spirit lifts the blinders on man's eyes so he can see his human good work as God does - filthy and unproductive - and lets him know that the only righteousness that will grant him entrance to Heaven is that which comes by faith in Jesus Christ.

Conviction of Judgment: The Holy Spirit also lifts the veil so that the unbeliever under conviction knows that there is truly a judgment coming. As often as people joke about it, discount it, and mock it, all people know that there's both a Heaven and a Hell. Just listen to the unbeliever talk: "Why, h__l no, I just don't believe that". They know there's a Hell, and prove it by their everyday slang and cursing.

Some believe in a modified Hell. The Jehovah Witnesses and Armstrongists teach that, if you die unrepentant, you go to Hell to be burned up or annihilated. The Unitarian/ Universalists teach that all men will be saved, and only Satan will go to Hell. The Existentialists teach that there's no Hell, only Heaven or Nirvana. Yet all know that there's a judgment coming when the Holy Spirit lifts the veil, and knows that that judgment is eternal and righteous.

This three stage conviction process of the Spirit comes to all people at least once in their life, and effectively lifts the veil of the OSN so all can make a free choice either for or against Christ. If the call is accepted the person is saved, and guaranteed entrance into Heaven and eternal life. But if the call is rejected - and it may be rejected - then the unbeliever may be rejecting to his own damnation. For God is under no obligation to call over and over again. He is under no obligation to keep making that free offer: reject it, and perhaps it will be an eternal and stupid mistake.