The Quasi-Sacramental Nature of the Calvinist Doctrine of Unconditional Election which Requires that Faith act as an Instrumental Cause of Grace in the Place of the Roman Catholic Sacramental Economy.

The real reason Calvinism requires the doctrine of unconditional election is Calvinism is an artificial theological construct invented by John Calvin and a group of men who opposed the Roman Catholic church with her sacramental economy. For the Roman Catholic sacramental economy, comprised of the seven sacraments of baptism, confirmation, confession, marriage, Eucharist, ordination, and extreme unction are the instrumental causes of grace. As several of these instruments of grace are denied by Calvinism, such as sacramental confession and the associated sacrament of priestly ordination, Calvinism must overcome the loss of sacraments instrumental causes of grace required to restore Christians back to grace after mortal sin with another system of grace. That Calvinist invented system includes the novel doctrine of unconditional election of those whom God has chosen to have faith.

Unconditional election is easily refuted by noting the many warning passages in Hebrews concerning the loss of salvation, St Pauls letter to Galatians (Gal 5:1-5) concerning those Christians who get circumcised fall away from the gospel, and many other passages that speak of the loss of salvation. For example -

Christians can "fall from grace" (Gal. 5:1-5), be "cut off" from salvation (Rom. 11:18-22), have their names removed from the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 22:19), by committing certain sins and not repenting of them (cf. Eph. 5: 3-5; 1Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:19, Rev. 21:6-8).

And also -

Matt: 6:15 - but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.

Matt: 19:21-35 - "Yes. I tell you that it will be very hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 Furthermore, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."  

Matt: 10:32-33 "Whoever acknowledges me in the presence of others I will also acknowledge in the presence of my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others I will disown before my Father in heaven. 

And several other passages - Luke 12:41-46, 1 Cor. 15:1-2, Colossians 1:22-23, Hebrews 3:6, 14, Rev. 2:10, 25-36, 3:1-5, 2 Peter 2:20-22

An even easier way to debunk unconditional election is to note if Calvinism's doctrine of unconditional election is true, the Christian virtue of hope is destroyed. For hope is not required if damnation is impossible for one who has faith. And yet hope is required to bring the Christian to the promised heavenly beatitude as an act of the power of God to attain a vision beyond the power of man to naturally attain.

 Romans 8:24 It was in this hope that we were saved. But if we see what we hope for, it isn't hope- after all, who hopes for what he already sees? 

As hope is part of the gospel, then the gospel includes a promise that is not yet fulfilled but will be fulfilled in the future through an act of God. To remove hope as through unconditional election is to reduce all of Gods acts of power to only the present and never the future. Calvinism's doctrine of unconditional election is thereby shown to be false.

Calvinism must substitute the Roman Catholic sacraments as instrumental causes with faith as the ongoing instrumental cause of grace. When the Calvinist Christian believes, the Calvinist act of faith itself acting as an instrument causes grace which justifies in an ongoing manner. The act of faith is then the ongoing, Calvinist quasi-sacrament that acts in the place of the Roman Catholic sacramental economy.

Conclusion - Unconditional election of Calvinism is required within Calvinism in association with faith as an instrumental cause of grace to provide an instrumental substitute for the Roman Catholic sacramental economy that is denied within Calvinism. Once the Roman Catholic sacramental system is either denied, or reduced, or modified as happens in Calvinism, an instrumental substitute for the sacraments is required to cause grace within the life of the Christian. That instrumental cause of grace within Calvinism is faith, as a quasi sacrament acting in the place of the sacraments of ordination and confession.

Faith is not an instrument, but an act and a habit that is caused by grace. As faith is not an instrumental cause of grace, Calvinism's teaching on justification by faith alone, and the accompanying doctrine of unconditional election are also false.