Calvinism By: Chris Wilhoit - the Antioch Baptist Church Knoxville
Tennessee
http://www.learnthebible.org/calvinism_theology_part_1.htm
Introduction
I am often amazed and dismayed at how some Christians are so willing
to put their faith in this spurious theology of Calvinism. Or as Paul
would say "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ." Paul was dealing with salvation by works here in
Galatians, but salvation by eternal decree is just as bad. Either of
these false gospels can produce a hard hearted and perverted form of
Christianity, one that troubles true Christians. Focusing on works for
salvation can cause people to be lifted up in pride and separate
themselves from "lowly sinners." Focusing on an eternal decree can
also harden hearts in that it produces an "elitist" mentality among
believers. Either of these false extreme views are outright
perversions of the gospel. The true gospel focuses on the amazing gift
of salvation offered to all from God that is obtained by simple
belief, and sharing this amazing truth with all you encounter. The
biblical picture of a lowly sinner accepting the free gift of
salvation is the power of the Christian gospel. It is the "good news"
from God that should well up from our hearts with love and overflow
abundantly on all we know and meet.
Defining Calvinism
Invariably any discussion of Calvinism will be countered by "you don't
really understand Calvinism." Of course what they mean to say is that
you don't understand their particular set of beliefs about Calvinism.
But to their credit, they are right to a degree. Calvinists are highly
fragmented and divided about their own theology. Of the five points of
Calvinism (TULIP) there are 5 pointers, 3 pointers, 1.5 pointers, and
so on. So as you see, many of Calvinism's adherents are unsure about
what it means, let alone others. In fact, most who claim the name of
Calvin for their theology do not agree with him on all 5 points. The
fact that this troubling and complicated system is at odds with
scripture is made glaringly evident by the dissention within its own
camp. So keep in mind that when I say Calvinism, I do not mean what
some say about Calvinism, I am referring to what John Calvin said
about his theological system. To side with the Calvinists for moment,
I too believe that the great majority of folks really don't understand
what Calvinism is all about. But I also believe that many of the ones
that do know try to skirt the issue and confuse its discussion to
defend it. Since I have had a doctoral level course on Calvinism, and
read about, debated, and counseled people for many years on the
subject, I think I have had sufficient enough experience with which to
comment. Succinctly put, Calvinism is a theological system that
teaches that God directly causes people to be saved without them
having a choice in the matter, and puts people in eternal hellfire
without them ever having an opportunity to repent and believe. They
can use all the confusing terminology, deflective debate tactics, and
accusations of misrepresentation they like, but that doesn't change
what Calvinism is. The first four points of Calvinism are based
solely on this viewpoint (not scripture).
TULIP
A full dissertation on all the nuances of this concept would be quite
lengthy and unnecessary for the purposes of this article; therefore I
will attempt to give you the highlights. TULIP is the acronym used to
summarize the theology taught in John Calvin's four volume literary
work entitled "The Institutes of the Christian Religion." I think that
most agree it does a pretty effective job of capturing the essence of
what Calvinism teaches. The "T" stands for total depravity. But the
actual definition includes the idea of total "inability" to choose
eternal life with Jesus over damnation. The Bible clearly teaches that
we are wretched sinners through and through, thus we are totally
depraved. But it just thoroughly drives the point home over and over
that we can choose. This concept of people choosing to place their
faith in God and trust in Him is drummed into our heads all throughout
scripture. Only the bias of a theological system could cause one to
disregard this. The "U" stands for unconditional election. God
"elects" or chooses you with no "conditions" placed upon that
election, including belief. So we see thus far that you cannot choose,
and God chooses irrespective of conditions. The "L" refers to limited
atonement. This is the idea that if we cannot choose, and only God
chooses who is saved, and not everyone is chosen for salvation, the
atonement for sin Jesus made on the cross was only for those
sovereignty elected for salvation. The "I" stands for irresistible
grace. It stands to follow that if your choices are immaterial, and
God's choices are all that matter, then God's choices cannot be
resisted. Grace is defined in Webster's Dictionary as unmerited divine
assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. I
believe this is a biblically correct definition. In Calvinism grace is
more than assistance, it is a force that is irresistible, or
essentially being "zapped" into salvation. The "P" stands for
perseverance of the saints. All those chosen by God are sovereignty
preserved by Him. While this is akin to eternal security, it is based
on a fundamentally different mechanism. The eternal security of the
born again believer bases his trust in the promise of God that those
who "believe" upon Him for salvation receive "eternal life" as a
present possession. While I do not want to make this article a defense
of eternal security, there are many, many passages that teach this to
be a fact. One of the most prominent New Testament declarations on
this matter is that we are "sealed unto the day of redemption" in
Ephesians 4:30. Similar use of this term "sealed" is also used in
2Corinthians 1:22 and Ephesians 1:13. This is just one of many lines
of converging evidence for this doctrine. But the point in terms of
TULIP is that eternal security is sound doctrine because God keeps his
promises and genuinely loves us, and not because He supernaturally
brainwashes you into loving Him.
Foreknowledge
It is an evident fact from scripture that God knows who will and will
not be saved, and He has known this since before the foundation of the
world. In Revelation 17:8 it mentions those "whose names were not
written in the book of life from the foundation of the world." This is
definitive. And it is not the only passage that says so. God is all
knowing, including the future. This fact has not dawned on some
people, but it is certainly evident in scripture. But what are we to
make of this? Does the fact that God knows negate our ability to
choose? Does it really mean that God set things up in such a way that
some people cannot believe on Jesus? I don't entertain that thought
for a moment. It's a fact that some will not be saved, but this does
not mean that they cannot. God ordained things in such a way that all
men have an opportunity at salvation. That is a part of His will He
has expressed clearly. But He still knows who will be saved. In
1Peter 1:2 we who are saved are said to be "Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father." And in the last part of Romans 8:29
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate." In the two
places where foreknowledge is discussed in relation to saved people,
foreknowledge comes first. It is important to understand that time is
one of those constraints that is a part of our experience, but not
God's. It does not determine our choices; it merely provides a span in
which to make them.
Calvinism Preys on Weak Believers
I truly believe that a lack of understanding regarding the
foreknowledge of God is behind some being shocked into believing
Calvinism has merit, especially since they do not truly understand all
that Calvinism entails. Young believers are exposed to the "sovereign
grace book club" and indoctrinated into following this man Calvin.
They are shown all the men that followed Calvin since the reformation
as proof of its merit, unaware they have been brainwashed into
interpreting the Bible through the eyes of a man. Since Calvinist's
focus almost exclusively on God's sovereignty they often deepen the
understanding of some in the sovereign aspect of God's nature.
Unfortunately, there is a whole dark caldron of theological thinking
that goes with it. Once enlightened on this new aspect of God's
nature, they wonder just how far it extends. They are tempted to
believe this whole theological system of Calvin has merit, rather than
recognize the overemphasis of just one attribute of God's nature. I
think that some people are caught off guard when they discover from
scripture how much God knows and how much intervention He does. This
stems partially from having been brought up in Churches that do not
get deep into scripture. The fact is that those churches leave many
ill prepared to deal with false doctrine of this nature. Another
problem could be being brought up in a Christian home, as strange as
that sounds. Those who were saved out of licentious living later in
life, realize how bad things can get and view salvation more as a
gracious gift we choose to receive, and less a decree that we are born
with, generally speaking. This is the "prodigal son perspective" we
find our Lord discussing in Luke 15:11-32. We have this principle of
heart perspectives taught over and over again in scripture. Go read
Luke 7:36-50 for the whole story, but the gist is that those who are
forgiven much loveth much (Luke 7:47). In other words, heroin addicted
prostitutes that get saved are less likely to see salvation as an
elite position determined before they were born than those from
privileged families. The fact of the matter is that they are more in
touch with their depravity, and what a remarkable loving gift
salvation truly is. It's a heart issue, and it colors the way you
understand reality, and perceive the nature of God. Calvinism (in its
purest sense) sees God from a cold legalistic sense, and no wonder
since it came from a brilliant young legal mind, a mind not thoroughly
seasoned in the Word of God and corrupted by the teachings of the
likes of Augustine. The Bible says that from the mouth of babes is
praise perfected (Matthew 21:16). That is why the saved prostitute
sees salvation as what it is, the remarkable loving gift available to
all unworthy souls by an immensely warm and loving creator. I believe
adherence to Calvinism is a heart issue, and that is why I oppose it
so strongly. I also believe that those who have done great evangelical
work as professing Calvinists have done that work in spite of
Calvinism. I believe they had to reject tenants of Calvinism at a
heart level.
The Impact of Romanism
The negative effect on Christianity by the Roman Catholic Church (RCC)
is incalculable. The great scarlet, harlot church, drunken with the
blood of saints, brought a vicious, elitist element into the psyche of
Christianity that will go down in eternity as maybe the darkest time
spiritually this Earth has seen since before the flood. This system
that established itself through men of reprobate minds, destitute of
the truth, still has 1 billion adherents worldwide. Clearly men love
error and apostasy. To understand the spirit of Calvinism one must
first understand Romanism. Rome brutalized Christians for hundreds of
years after the apostolic church. But early in the 4th century a man
named Constantine came to power in Rome, and he orchestrated the
greatest merger of the holy with the profane in human history. Seeing
the resolve of the Christian faithful in martyrdom, I believe he
thought it had the potential to make the already powerful Rome even
more so, and help bring him into power and establish a long rule for
him. Making Christianity the state religion would also be advantageous
to controlling this burgeoning force in culture.
Augustine and Unholy Ideas
Those beaten by Rome, some still with lash scars on their backs, were
now led to the upper rooms of Roman government and given positions of
power to establish their faith. Since Rome controlled most of the
civilized world at that time, this was a tantalizing prospect and a
heady time for those who had been on the outside for so long. But it
was also a breeding ground for apostasy, and even worse, outright
perversion of biblical Christianity turning it into a brutal, elitist
regime. Shortly after this happened a man named Augustine who fancied
himself a thinker and theologian would publish many ideas about
Christianity, some of which would help usher in the 1000 year reign of
terror by Romanism, and others that reformers would pick up and carry
on with unto today. Augustine put forth the idea that, in essence, the
kingdom of God on Earth had been brought in with this merger. The word
Catholic means universal. The idea was that God had established his
kingdom through the Roman Church and that it was universal (all
encompassing) among men. Talk about an elitist idea. Of course that
would make the priests, bishops, cardinals and other church
representatives God's literal emissaries here on Earth. Logic follows
that if the kingdom has been established in a literal, physical way,
and you are God's emissary in a theocratic government, then all who
are on the outside and disagree are the enemies of God. Further, if
you now have the governmental power to execute justice on this Earth
pertaining to religious matters, and those powers were given you by
God, then you have the duty to do so. With the influence of past
brutality of the Romans, this was a dangerous brew of ideas.
Elitism and Christianity
You have to understand these concepts to understand why the RCC for
over 1000 years persecuted and killed millions of dissident believers.
You have to understand this to understand why the RCC kept the
scriptures from the common person and refused to even translate it
into a language the common person could understand. They viewed
themselves as God's elite representatives, the only ones that could
rightly interpret the scriptures, and with theocratic governmental
agency to inflict justice on God's enemies. In the hands of commoners
the scriptures only created more heretical dissidents that would have
to be done away with. Now that you know this, the horrid history of
the RCC and this false, heretical thinking, and that the thinker
Augustine was used by Satan to get this whole thing going, now for the
bombshell. We also know that Calvin praised this man Augustine highly
and considered his writings to be virtually inspired. You see,
Augustine also believed in an unbiblical form of predestination. He
wrote about this, but did not develop this idea fully. This was the
seed of thought that germinated in the mind of John Calvin. And
certainly after 1000 plus years the RCC had moved to an entirely works
based system. But the RCC system possesses elements of this elitism in
its doctrine. They believe that God ordained their church to bring
about salvation. It was the elitism that brought about the errors of
the RCC, and that thinking was solidified substantially by Augustine.
Calvin's reliance on this false teacher led him also to create a
viewpoint of Christian thought that was elitist. In the reformation,
justification by grace rightly supplanted justification by works, but
with it this idea of God's elite would live on through Calvin and his
adherents.
Reformation not Restoration
I have great certainty that Calvinism is an over-correction of the
protestant reformation. After all, what could be more antithetical to
salvation by works than salvation by eternal decree? The erroneous
mechanism of works for justification was correctly replaced during the
reformation by grace based justification. But the over-correction
comes in with the mechanisms of justification. When addressing the
salvation of individuals the Bible focuses on choice, receiving,
belief and faith. Calvinism on the contrary does not, but in essence
deems them irrelevant. The protestant reformation is just what it is
called, an attempt at "reforming" the Roman Catholic Church by those
within it that "protested" against its doctrinal views. It stopped far
short of restoring biblical Christianity. Biblical Christianity puts
the justification completely in God's hands, but it does not remove
man's responsibility to choose.
Imputed Justification not Faith
Choosing to believe or have faith is not a work. Faith is contrasted
with works extensively in the New Testament, so there should be no
confusion there. If faith were a work there would be no contrast as we
find discussed in the Bible. But faith is not an eternal decree
either. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that "faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God." Of course this, as any other verse
on faith in the Bible can be twisted by the perverted logic of
Calvinism. They would contend that God decreed them to have faith upon
hearing the word of God. A thorough study of the biblical use of the
word "imputation" is in order here. Imputation is a New Testament term
that is doctrinal in relation to the justification component of
salvation. The imputed righteous of Christ is what justifies us in
God's site, and not works. It is interesting to note that wherever
this term is used in the Bible it is used in relation to justification
after faith and/or belief is discussed. Calvinism carries the idea of
imputed belief or imputed faith, but this is not biblical.
Justification is imputed after belief, after faith. If faith or belief
were imputed as Calvinists contend, why does the Bible not say so
where it has the chance? This concept of imputation is thoroughly
thrashed out in Romans 4. Faith is not imputed, plain and simple. This
false doctrine of imputed faith mechanisms preceding justification
should be preached against and separated from.
Calvinism Versus Bible Belief
Spurgeon vs. the Hyper-Calvinists by Iain Murray is a book that
provides perspective about the issue. I think it is clear that
Spurgeon was not a Calvinist in practice, and that he plainly said
that where Calvinism contradicts scripture it is scripture that is
authoritative, regardless of any perceived inconsistencies. This is
the difference between a Bible believer and a Calvinist. A Bible
believer interprets the Word of God in context and by comparing
scripture with scripture, and not by viewing it through the lens of a
manmade theological construct. A Bible believer is someone who
searches the scriptures daily to see if things are so, just like the
noble ones of Berea that received Christ with all readiness of mind
(Acts 17:11). Faith should be centered on scripture, and not on any
man-made theological systems. Exposure today to preachers and teachers
who espouse this profound truth above all other viewpoints is
something that is woefully missing, and thus leaves many open to the
500 year old false teaching of Calvin. It is important to understand
that the general knowledge of scripture among lay people was lacking
before the reformation. Scripture was just simply not in print in mass
before then. The printing press was invented during the reformation
period, and is really the technology that made it possible for
everyone to own a Bible. So scripture had just become widely available
at that time. Now that scripture has been widely available for over
400 years, many people have been able to study it, and folks of my
persuasion that exalt the scripture above theological systems have
found many errors in the doctrinal systems of protestant writers as
well as those that came before and after the reformation. Spurgeon's
statement that scripture must always supersede manmade theology is a
viewpoint we share. I do not find the beliefs of any man an authority
above scripture. I'm sure that every Christian believes their faith is
built on the Bible, but I think it is clear that anyone who adheres to
the aberrant theology of Calvin when faced with the enormous
scriptural inconsistencies has shown themselves to not be basing their
beliefs solely on the extant Word of God, but rather a theological
viewpoint.
Calvinism / Armenianism Bifurcation Fallacy
Keep in mind that in debating Calvinism do not allow yourself to be
trapped in the bifurcation (black and white or two option only)
fallacy that non-Calvinists are Arminianists. This is a good example
of a false dichotomy being used to distract people from the real issue
at hand. You can reject both if you like. You can be neither. The fact
is that these two viewpoints represent two extreme views, the outer
boundaries on a continuum, but the real answer is somewhere in
between. The final answer is not that salvation is God zapping you
into being a believer, or that you must work your way to heaven.
Salvation is of the Lord, but there is still something you must do.
You must make a choice to repent and believe or not. And this truly
gets to the heart of the matter, and the reason we have enough will to
choose.
Calvinism = God's Sovereignty Equivocation Fallacy
It further must be pointed out that Calvinism does not equate to
belief in God's sovereignty. This is another false claim made by
Calvinists. Bible believers believe God is sovereign, but we don't
believe people are robots that are zapped into heaven and banished to
hell with out a "fair" opportunity from a just and righteous creator.
Sovereign grace (a facet of God's sovereignty taught by Calvinists) is
in the final analysis an unfair, unjust and unrighteous selective
grace and not the biblical portrayal of God's grace. The sovereign
grace we find in the Bible is one that is offered without respect of
persons to all out love by a supremely fair and just almighty creator.
Do you disagree with this? The Bible says we are made in God's image,
with an eternal soul, knowledge of right and wrong, and a capacity to
choose. We are not horses or dogs. We are not merely the advanced
nanotechnological cellular robotics systems that make up our bodies,
we have a soul. We are a special creation of God with immense
capabilities, and one of those is our ability to choose good over
evil, to choose God over Satan, and to choose eternal life over
eternal death. You must understand that these capabilities are at the
center of our depravity, not a decree from God. Pride in our near god-
like capabilities, so much so we see ourselves as sufficient without
God, is what keeps us from God, and not that He ordered it so. To
blame God for this through a misplaced desire to bolster God's
sovereignty is the uttermost height of folly. God is to be thanked for
this miraculous gift, but not to be blamed if we misuse it.
Paul was a Calvinist?
John Calvin was a young lawyer, unseasoned in the Word of God, and he
devised a cold, legalistic view of God. The power of this viewpoint to
cause someone to go back and redefine the nature of God is exhibited
in the behavior of his adherents. I believe that some have illustrated
the extra-biblical bias of Calvinism when stating that Paul was
Calvinistic in his writings. The very nature of this statement shows
how they are going back and reinterpreting scripture in light of this
viewpoint. This allegation is simply not true. Paul understood the
Sovereignty of God in the biblical sense, but he certainly never
taught what Calvin taught about salvation. Paul never taught you are
regenerated and saved before believing. Paul never taught that God
chooses who He will regenerate and who He will damn eternally, and
your will is inconsequential. Paul didn't teach that Christ died for
the elect only, that grace is irresistible, that depravity means
inability to choose good over evil, and that there are not any
conditions on election as Calvin did. Paul taught exactly the opposite
of these false assertions made by Calvin. These two viewpoints, that
of Calvin and that of Paul, could not be more diametrically opposed to
one another. People that equate the two either do not understand
Calvinism or do not understand what Paul was inspired to write, or
both. Oh sure, you can take some passages out of context and not
compare them with other scripture and make the Bible teach Calvinism,
but is this really the way you want to handle the Word of God? Some
have said that many good Christians believe Calvinism. But after
discussions with many of them I am not even sure they truly understand
Calvinism. After all, it seems every Calvinist you meet has a
different viewpoint on the matter. I firmly believe that many that
teach its supposed merits truly don't understand it and its dire
doctrinal ramifications.
Calvinism is a Heart Issue
Why would anyone want to exalt the theological system of John Calvin
over clear scriptural teaching? I think the answer is in how we define
the nature of God. And how we define the nature of God comes from the
heart. The aspect of his writing that exalts God's sovereignty is
correct, but it is not the end of the story when talking about
Calvinism. Calvinism took God's sovereignty to an unbiblical level
that actually makes God unjust. In essence, the young lawyer John
Calvin took God's sovereignty and used it to reinterpret the entire
Bible and portray God as heartless, cold and legalistic in His
dealings with man. Like an old time preacher once said: "ever since
God created man in His image, man has returned the favor." I believe
the young lawyer Calvin recreated God in his own legalistic image, and
in doing so created a system of interpretation that would appeal to
like minded people. This is a dangerous, soul suffocating system that
is to be avoided at all costs. Is a god that puts people in hell
without ever having had a chance at eternal life the loving God of the
scriptures? Is this the one that said to love your enemies? The one
that suffered reproach, humiliation, torture, and a cruel death on the
cross for Adam's poor sin cursed race? Is that the one we are talking
about? What a cold thought to consider God indiscriminately damning
folks to eternal torment who never had a chance to believe. Calvinism
may be loosely construed to fit God's sovereignty and His knowledge,
but it doesn't fit the nature of His heart. Before I proclaimed
Calvinism to be true about God I would want it spelled out explicitly
in scripture, and not based on questionable assertions about a few
passages that interpreted in a Calvinistic framework do not make sense
in light of vast array of other scriptures. And just because there are
Calvinists that are evangelical does not make Calvinism correct. The
Pharisees were highly evangelical and fervent for the Word of God, but
they were hard hearted. Consider these verses in light of what I have
just said. In Matthew 23:15 Jesus said to them "ye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold
more the child of hell than yourselves." Think of it, they were
actively evangelical. But this evidently is not enough. Their hearts
were wrong, and their converts became just like they were. When they
wanted a strict legalistic answer on divorce Jesus said in Matthew
19:8 that "Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you
to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so." Here
it plainly states that their hard heartedness was the problem. Their
cold, indifferent, strictly legalistic view of God was the problem. In
Hebrews 4:12 God tells us "For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." It is our hearts
that determine how we see God. Our thoughts and intents flow from our
hearts, and if our hearts are hard, our thoughts concerning God will
be also. All the proof I need that Calvinism is wrong is the way it
characterizes God's heart and what that does to my heart.
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