Calvinistic confusions - 1 - Mistaking faith for works

3:27 Where, then, is boasting? ⁴¹  It is excluded! By what principle? ⁴²  Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 3:28 For we consider that a person ⁴³  is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law. Romans

One of the common misconception I have seen with calvinist people is they always claim faith as a work of man and say so man is working to get saved.

In Romans 3:27,28 Paul clearly teaches that faith is opposed to work.

He says , by the principle or law of faith , boasting , which occurs because of human effort is excluded.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:17

Faith is generated as the Gospel is heard. People can accept it or reject it and the gospel along with it. Faith is not a work and salvation by faith in Jesus' finished work  is not a system of works. Faith is opposed to works and excludes all boasting and brings glory to God.

'Faith as Francis Schaeffer said is simply , " raising empty hands in accepting the gift" of God's grace.The raising of our hands is not work but merely our acceptance of God's provision.'  - Ronald Mayers , Balanced Apologetics.

Predestination - Word Study

1.WORD STUDY:

Proorisav. As the doctrine of eternal predestination has produced much controversy in the Christian world, it may be necessary to examine the meaning of the term, that those who do use it may employ it according to the sense it has in the oracles of God. The verb proopzw, from pro, before, and orizw, I define, finish, bound, or terminate, whence orov, a boundary or limit, signifies to define beforehand, and circumscribe by certain bounds or limits; and is originally a geographical term, but applied also to any thing concluded, or determined, or demonstrated. Here the word is used to point out God's fixed purpose or predetermination to bestow on the Gentiles the blessingof the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ, which adoption had been before granted to the Jewish people; and without circumcision, or any other Mosaic rite, to admit the Gentiles to all the privileges of his Church and people.  - ADAM CLARKE

2.ABOUT EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1: TRANSLATION ISSUES

sn Eph 1:3-14 comprises one long sentence in Greek, with three major sections. Each section ends with a note of praise for God (vv. 6, 12, 14), focusing on a different member of the Trinity. After an opening summary of all the saints’ spiritual blessings (v. 3), the first section (vv. 4-6) offers up praise that the Father has chosen us in eternity past; the second section (vv. 7-12) offers up praise that the Son has redeemed us in the historical past (i.e., at the cross); the third section (vv.13-14) offers up praise that the Holy Spirit has sealed us in our personal past, at the point of conversion

http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Eph&chapter=1#v5

3.GRAMMATICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING PREDESTINATION: From NETbible.com

" EPHESIANS1:4 For ⁸ he chose us in Christ ⁹ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished ¹⁰ in his sight ¹¹ in love. ¹² 1:5 He did this by predestining ¹³ us to adoption as his ¹⁴ sons ¹⁵ through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure ¹⁶ of his will – 1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace ¹⁷ that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. ^{18 "}

http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Eph&chapter=1#v13

¹³ tn Grk “by predestining.” Verse 5 begins with an aorist participle dependent on the main verb in v. 4 (“chose”).

sn By predestining. The aorist participle may be translated either causally (“because he predestined,” “having predestined”) or instrumentally (“by predestining”). A causal nuance would suggest that God’s predestination of certain individuals prompted his choice of them. An instrumental nuance would suggest that the means by which God’s choice was accomplished was by predestination. The instrumental view is somewhat more likely in light of normal Greek syntax (i.e., an aorist participlefollowing an aorist main verb is more likely to be instrumental than causal)

So Predestination is not God chosing individuals to be saved. It' not about whom he chose.

Predestination  is God's decree of how God chose to save people both Jews and Gentiles . How ? By adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.

He predestined that people, BOTH JEWS AND GENTILES should be saved through Jesus Christ and become holy and unblemished in his sight.

4.UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF EPHESIANS:

NOTE THE USE OF THE WORDS "US"-both JEWS AND GENTILES ,"WE" - REFERING TO PAUL AND THE JEWS AND" YOU" IN V13 REFERING TO EPHESIANS OR GENTILES. IN THIS LETTER PAUL IS ADDRESSING THE JEW , GENTILE DIVIDE

1:11 In Christ ²⁸ we(PAUL AND BELIEVING JEWS) too have been claimed as God’s own possession, ²⁹ since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope ³⁰ on Christ, ³¹ would be to the praise of his glory. 1:13 And when ³² you(GENTILES) heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christ ³³ – you were marked with the seal ³⁴ of the promised Holy Spirit, ³⁵ 1:14 who is the down payment ³⁶ of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, ³⁷ to the praise of his glory.

Here Paul stresses the point that "IN CHRIST" , through adoption as sons , both Jews and Gentiles become God's possession. That is predestination.

So a clear idea of Predestination can be formed by wordstudy,  knowing the construction of the original text and  how it has been translated into english , the gramar and usage of the word in the original language text and then studying and understanding it in Context .

TAKE HOME POINT:
A causal nuance would suggest that God’s predestination of certain individuals prompted his choice of them. An instrumental nuance would suggest that the means by which God’s choice was accomplished was by predestination. The instrumental view is somewhat more likely in light of normal Greek syntax (i.e., an aorist participle following an aorist main verb is more likely to be instrumental than causal).

APPLICATION:
This goes directly against the theological thought inherent in Calvinism. Calvinism understands predestination to be causal not instrumental.