Irresistible grace is not the doctrine that makes me believe that Calvinists teach that "humans are robots". Rather, it's the interpretation of sovereignty, that teaches every human decision has its origin in God's divine decree. Some people seem to think this demonstrates God's ultimate control. I think it actually implies that human existence is no more that a puppet show that God puts on for himself. I think it weakens the offense of sin to a holy God, and makes the crucifixion a mere ornament to God's plan of salvation - which is really only making people sin over here, and making them not sin over there. This view robs God of the glory he is truly due.
I am not exaggerating. Consider this comment, made here on an August 15th thread " It is irrefutable that God makes sinners do exactly what he wants. The question is how He does it. Some people want to say He uses secondary causes becuase it makes God appear to be removed far enough away from the sin act to keep God innocent. And other's want to say He directly influences thoughts and the mind internally to cause certain actions (there are verses for this!). What does it matter? God is absolutely in control of sinners and their sins. And He is right no matter HOW He does it."
Now, I thought. Surely this view is extreme. The Westminster Confession of Faith doesn't say anything like this. So I looked at chapter 3 of the WCF on Divine Decree. It appears to be a mess of contradictions. On the one hand, it makes this statement - "God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangably ordain whatsoever comes to pass". This would, I believe, include the fall - and every subsequent human sin. Do human beings, who need God's intervention for their salvation, really need him to guarantee their fall as well? It goes on to say he does this in such a way "yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established." Can anyone explain to me how this works? It says God is not the author of sin. Yet he did ordain everything that came to pass from eternity? The last time I checked, the word "author" meant "the person who originated or gave existence to something." This seems to be very clearly described by the terms "unchangeably ordained" "from eternity past". - Yet, I was told by one person here that they believe Calvinism is the most logical presentation of Christian doctrine. I am completely bewildered by this sentiment.
