Sunday, March 23, 2014 pm
CALVINISM EXAMINED
In our lesson last Sunday night (Based on Ephesians 1:4-6) we
addressed one of the tenets of Calvinism.
In my lesson tonight I want to briefly examine the whole system
of Calvinism. The system of
Calvinism is an influence in much of the denominational world.
The Presbyterian Church traces its theology back to the teachings
of John Calvin, while many other churches embrace either all or portions
of Calvinism. Virtually
every denomination espouses one or more tenets of the system of
theology. Tonight, we want
to briefly examine this system and highlight what is wrong with each
point.
a.
John Calvin
was born in 1509. He was a
contemporary of Martin Luther though he was a few years younger.
He was part of what is described as the reformation movement – a
movement that developed as men began to study scriptures for themselves
(with the invention of the printing press, etc.) and they observed great
corruption in the Catholic Church.
The reformers sought to purge the church of corruption and lead
them back to the teachings of scripture.
While their efforts were noble, they usually didn’t go far enough
(i.e. complete restoration of NT teachings).
Calvin received his education in Paris and began preaching principles of
reformation. In 1536, to
avoid government persecution he moved to Switzerland where he would do
the bulk of his work. In
1536 he published his first version of
“Institutes of the Christian
Religion” which was a brief treatise about the doctrines of
Protestantism. He began to
amass a large following in Geneva, Switzerland.
Because of his convictions his life was filled with troubles and
successes.
b.
Calvinism
– is the system of theology developed by John Calvin.
In his “Institutes of the
Christian Religion” he presented his teachings which he would later
expand and elaborate upon.
The premise of his doctrine was the absolute sovereignty of God.
While God is very much sovereign (meaning that His rule is
supreme and His authority unquestionable – it also means He is in
complete control), He has NOT taken away man’s free will.
However, John Calvin believed that God randomly selected those
who would be saved and he based his theology on that.
There are 5 major tenets to Calvinism which in English are represented
with the acronym T-U-L-I-P. We
will briefly discuss these tonight. In
this lesson we will briefly define the points and then show how they are
contrary to scriptural teachings. We
will only briefly address passages used to establish their teachings.
a.
Presbyterian Confession of Faith: "Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and
temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their
sin, God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit,
having purposed to order it to his own glory. By this sin they fell from
their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead
in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of the soul
and body. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was
imputed and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all
their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation. From this
original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and
made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed
all actual transgressions."
In summary - God purposed Adam’s sin. Because of sin, Adam and
Eve fell from their righteous state. Because we are descendants of Adam
we inherit his sinful nature (we cannot help but sin) AND the guilt of
his sin. The only hope we
have is if God intervenes miraculously
b.
Answer:
We are NOT born as sinners.
While we WILL sin given enough time, we do not have to sin.
The only sins we are guilty of are the ones we commit ourselves.
i.
Exodus 32:31-33
– on one of the many occasions Israel sinned against God in the
wilderness Moses intercedes for the people.
God answers, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out
of my book.”
ii.
“Truly, this only I
have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many
schemes.”” (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
iii.
“Behold, the Lord’s
hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it
cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And
your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
(Isaiah 59:1–2)
iv.
“The soul who sins
shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the
father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
himself.” (Ezekiel 18:20)
v.
“Then Jesus called a
little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly,
I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children,
you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2–3)
vi.
“And His disciples
asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents
sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (John
9:2–3) In this text, while not
dealing directly with THD, Jesus says that sin was NOT the reason for
this man’s birth defect. In saying this He does acknowledge that sin is
NOT involved.
vii.
“Whoever commits sin
also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)
a.
Presbyterian confession of faith - "God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy
counsel of his own will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes
to pass ... By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory,
some men and angels are predestinated unto life, and others foreordained
to everlasting death. These angels and men, thus predestinated and
foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their
number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or
diminished." (The Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church,
U.S.A., from chapter 111, entitled "Of God's Eternal Decree")
In summary - This teaches that God predetermined exactly who
would be saved. Man has no
choice in the matter. Words
such as “chose” and “predestined” are used to teach this.
They appeal to passages such as Ephesians 1:4-6 (which we
discussed last week).
b.
Answer
– as noted last week,
what God chose and predestined was the pattern through which man could
CHOOSE for himself to be saved.
It was “in Him”.
i.
Man has the freedom of
choice – Gen. 2:16, 17; Joshua 24:15
ii.
God is no respecter of
persons – Acts 10:34-35, Rom. 2:11, “For there is no partiality with
God.”
iii.
Man has a part in his
own salvation – Phil. 2:12, Acts 22:16, etc.
iv.
God desires that all men
be saved – 1 Tim. 2:3,4; 2 Pet. 3:9
v.
Why preach to others if
predestined? – Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15
a.
Westminster Confession of Faith, "The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and
sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered
up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father; and
purchased not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the
kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him."
(Chapter VIII, Section V)
As God has appointed the
elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His
will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are
elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually
called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are
justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power, through faith,
unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually
called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
(Chapter III, Section VI)
In summary – this teaches that because God unconditionally
elected specific persons to be saved, that Jesus ONLY died for those
elected.
b.
Answer:
The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is available to all mankind.
The reason this is true is because Jesus died for all mankind.
i.
Again, consider the
Great commission – preach the gospel to EVERY creature (Mk. 16:15)
ii.
John 3:16, “For God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John
3:16)
iii.
“And I, if I am
lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”” (John
12:32)
iv.
“Therefore, as
through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in
condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came
to all men, resulting in justification of life.” (Romans 5:18)
v.
“For to this end we both labor
and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the
Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy
4:10)
vi.
“But we see Jesus,
who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death
crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste
death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9)
vii. “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (1 John 2:1–2)
a.
Westminster Confession of Faith,
“All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and
those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call,
by His Word and Spirit,
out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace
and salvation, by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and
savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of
stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills,
and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, and
effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: yet so, as they come most
freely, being made willing by His grace. (Chapter X, Article I)
In Summary – Because God has predestined certain persons to
salvation, He sends His Holy Spirit upon them to move them to obedience.
ONLY the predestined will fully obey Him and they will do so
without any of their own will.
In other words, they have no choice but to obey.
b.
Answer:
The Bible teaches that man has free will. He chooses whether or not he
will obey God.
i.
Titus 2:11, “For the
grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,”
NOTE: Even though salvation has appeared to all men, the majority REJECT
it. Calvinism teaches God’s
grace only appears to the selected few.
ii.
“And if anyone hears
My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to
judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not
receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken
will judge him in the last day.” (John 12:47–48)
Notice who does the rejecting.
iii.
“to which He called
you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14) It
is BY THE GOSEPL that we are called.
See Rom. 1:16
iv.
Acts 16:31, “So they
said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and
your household.”” While this passage is misused by many (by simply
ignoring the context) it is one of many passages that defeats
“irresistible grace” by stating that belief (faith) comes BEFORE
salvation. Calvinism says
that you are saved and THEN you believe (without your control)
See also Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38,
etc.
v.
Colossians 2:12–13,
“buried with Him in baptism,
in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of
God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your
trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive
together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,” This text
demonstrates that one is made alive AFTER they obey the gospel by being
baptized (through faith).
a.
Westminster Confession of Faith, They, whom God has accepted in His Beloved,
effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally
nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly
persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved
This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will,
but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the
free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the
merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and
of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace:
from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
(Article XVII, Sections I, II)[1]
In Summary – This final tenet teaches that those whom have been
predestined and saved are so preserved that they cannot sin so as to be
lost.
Much of the denominational world teaches, “Once saved, always saved.”
Some very outrageous statements have been made about this.
Sam Morris, a noted Baptist preacher said the following: "We take the
position that a Christian's sins do not damn his soul. The way a
Christian lives, what he says, his character, his conduct, or his
attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the
salvation of his soul... All the prayers a man may pray, all the Bibles
he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services he may
attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may pay, all
the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all the
benevolent acts he may perform will not make his soul one whit safer;
and all the sins he may commit from idolatry to murder will not make his
soul in any more danger... The way a man lives has nothing whatever to
do with the salvation of his soul... The way I live has nothing
whatsoever to do with the salvation of my soul." (Do A Christian's
Sins Damn His Soul?, Sam Morris, First Baptist Church, Stamford,
Texas).
Bill Foster, another Baptist preacher, from Louisville KY made
this comment: "If I killed my wife and mother and debauched a thousand
women I couldn't go to hell--in fact, I couldn't go to hell if I wanted
to." (The Weekly Worker, March
12, 1959).
b.
Answer:
Continually the Bible warns of the need to remain faithful and calls for
consequences if we are not.
i.
““I am the true vine,
and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear
fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that
it may bear more fruit….If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out
as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into
the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:1-2, 6)
ii.
“But I discipline my
body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others,
I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)
iii.
“You have become
estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have
fallen from grace.” (Galatians2 5:4)
iv.
“Now the Spirit
expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith,
giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1
Timothy 4:1)
v.
“For if we sin
willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no
longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation
of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony
of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,
will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common
thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said,
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord
will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of
the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26–31)
vi.
“Brethren, if anyone
among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,”
(James 5:19)
vii.
“For if, after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome,
the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have
been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than
having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog
returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing
in the mire.”” (2 Peter 2:20–22)
viii.
“You therefore,
beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from
your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;”
(2 Peter 3:17)
ix.
Many more could be added
to these to demonstrate that one must remain faithful to God, even after
He becomes a Christian.
a.
One thing to be said
about this doctrine – at least John Calvin carried his theory to its
logical conclusion. Today,
many want to espouse some of these doctrines, but not the rest.
When they do this they have problems.
The fact is, they are knit together.
They stand or fall together.
If you deny one, you should logically deny them all.
1) Does not perseverance of the saints imply irresistible grace? (at
least after one is saved?)
2) Does not teaching the need for the direct operation of the Holy
Spirit affect one’s belief in unconditional election and limited
atonement?
3) How did Christ die for all if all do not receive the Holy Spirit?
4) If we inherit the sin of Adam and are totally depraved how can we be
saved unless God interacts in our lives?
b.
The answer to Calvinism
is to respect what the scriptures teach.
We have shown with scripture that each of the 5 tenets of
Calvinism is false.
Disproving ANY ONE of them defeats the entire system.
It is because of this that Calvinism is false.
Let
us not be influenced by the teachings of men, but by “the whole counsel
of God.” Think about it.