According to Calvinism, God does not "save them that believe."

According to Calvinism, God does not "save them that believe." Instead, as Warren sees it: "It is by the foolishness of preaching that God saves those who are ordained to eternal life." In Calvinism, one has to have life to get life. Gerstner makes it plain that those who come to Christ are already saved: "We must not get the notion that people come to Jesus and as a result of that they are 'born again' by God. On the contrary, we see what people do when they are left to themselves: they do not believe; they do not come to Jesus. Those who do come to Jesus are not therefore born again, but on the contrary indicate that they have been born again. In other words, they are not born again because they come to Jesus, but they come to Jesus because they have been born again." But if a man comes to Christ because he is already born again then Irresistible Grace as to be what actually saves him.
     In the Bible, God saves those who believe:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life (John 6:47).

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (Acts 16:31).

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hat raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (Romans 10:9).

Contrariwise, a man who refuses to believe is lost:

He that believeth on him is not condemed, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36).

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24).

The problem is with man's sin, not God's willingness to apply Irresistible Grace only to the "elect."

Laurence M. Vance, The Other Side of Calvinism, pages 527-529

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