Recently, my husband and I have been in a discussion with several people over Reformed Theology, also known as Calvinism. It seems many believe that Reformed Theology is a heresy and those who adhere to it or teach it from their pulpits are leaders of a cult. These are very serious charges being made towards the leaders of the Protestant Reformation and many godly men and women of today who benefit from the Protestant Reformation begun by Martin Luther with his 95 Theses. My husband was gracious enough to spend several hours writing what follows. It is a summary of the “5 Points of Calvinism” (TULIP), though it is not exhaustive, it still explains each point in a manner that remains true to what scripture teaches us on “WHO God is” and “who man is in comparison”. Without a proper understanding of God and man, the 5 points will not make sense.
I felt it appropriate to post what my husband wrote, so that no one can claim ignorance as to what “doctrines” we hold to. We believe that the Doctrines of Grace are more in harmony with the full council of God as revealed through His word, than any other theological thought. My Statement of Faith has been posted for some time now, and I have never hidden from anyone what I believe. If you have any questions about the following, feel free to leave them in the comment section in a respectful manner, or send me a private email. I or my husband will respond as soon as we are able. In the meantime, there are several places one can go to learn more about Reformed Theology. Monergism.com, Desiring God (Dr. John Piper),The Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics (CRTA), The Reformed Reader. There are many other sites, but these are just a few of the ones that came to my mind first. You can also read Charles Spurgeon’s sermon on Election and Calvinism. Dr. Voddie Baucham defends his Reformed Theological beliefs in a blog he wrote here.
If you would like to be informed on what “Monergism” is, you can read more here.
Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)
The Importance and Legitimacy of Calvinism and Reformed Theology
Preamble:
In order to examine Calvinism, or any teaching for that matter, we must first agree on some foundational principals. The first is that the Bible is inspired by God; it is truthful and it is consistent throughout (2 Tim 3:16, James 1:17, Numbers 23:19). This means that whatever conclusions we arrive at, must be complimentary to all scripture as a whole. Simply avoiding a verse which challenges your position is not the same as dealing with it in a logical and honest manner. Also, the scripture is the final authority on spiritual matters, meaning a belief either stands or falls on scripture alone, not by an appeal to popularity, an appeal to commentary, an appeal to feelings, or an appeal to lack of understanding. The latter of which means we cannot say, in reference to a challenging passage: “I don’t understand that, therefore I am not responsible for what it says”. It is ok and honest to say “I don’t know what to do with that verse”, that is not an admission of surrender; it is simply acknowledging it as unclear, or even a fair challenge to which you will need to explore further. Also we need to agree that God is omniscient (Prov 15:3, Hebrews 4:13), omnipotent (Jer 32:17, Luke 1:37), omnipresent (John 8:58), and self existent (Exodus 3:14). This may seem silly to point out but I’ve noticed that wrong conclusions often offend some part of God’s divinity. Last but not least, we must agree on what the cross accomplished. The Bible teaches that the shed blood of Christ removes the sin from the person whom is being died for; resulting in the wrath of God being removed from that person who now stands justified in the sight of God (Romans 5:9, Eph 2:15). This is called Penal Substitutionary Atonement.
Now if you’ve read this preamble and hold objections to anything said in it, then you have much bigger problems to deal with than a discussion on the legitimacy of Calvinism. If this is the case, then I would suggest you stop reading because nothing I am about to say is going to make any sense to you.
Calvin spoke much about the Doctrines of Grace held by those involved with the Protestant Reformation. Much like the rest of history, as time goes on we tend to forget things, one of those things that some were forgetting during Calvin’s time was the theological and Biblical reasons why Martin Luther nailed those 95 theses to the Church door in Wittenberg thus sparking the Protestant Reformation. The Roman Catholic idea of synergism was creeping back into the church in the form of Arminianism (Jacobus Arminius), so Calvin took it upon himself to write extensively on what the Bible had to say about God’s sovereignty, specifically in the area of salvation, in an effort to remind the people in the church of their theological foundation. After his death people summarized Calvin’s position on God’s sovereignty in salvation into 5 points, the “TULIP” (Calvin didn’t actually write the 5 points of Calvinism). The points are as follows:
Total Depravity:
This simply states that if left to his own devices, man in his fallen state has absolutely no desire to seek God, nor possesses the ability to approach Him. This also demonstrates that man innately is deserving of judgment, any expression of love or mercy is only by the Grace of God, not because man is entitled to it. This is a conclusion arrived from the following verses:
“…Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.” Genesis 8:21
“As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12
I will not address any common objections to this one, because honestly I’ve never seen any Bible believing Christian actually object to this. It is foundational to a genuine understanding of the gospel message.
Unconditional Election:
This is the recognition that God, out of His Sovereignty, ultimately determines all things; including who will and will not be saved (predestination). This also affirms that God makes His choice not based on anything “good” inside the person since in and of themselves fallen man has no innate qualities worthy of election unto grace (see Total Depravity above). God does not however choose arbitrarily, He chooses based on the “good pleasure of his will” to which is a mystery to us since we are not privy to it. These passages are what this truth is based on:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6
“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” Ephesians 1:9-11
“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts:…” Psalm 65:4
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” 1Thessalonians 1:4
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” -2 Timothy 1:9
A common objection to God’s unconditional election is when people argue that the condition of our election is whether or not we place faith in Christ. Calvinism doesn’t deny this as there are many verses that show how faith in Christ is the necessary requirement for salvation (John 3:16, Mark 16:16, Romans 10:13, etc.). This is absolutely true, however since we are born in a depraved state we must be granted faith, belief, and repentance as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8, Philippians 1:29, 2 Timothy 2:25). Jesus makes this point clear in John 6:65 saying: “…Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” So even though we choose to believe and come to the cross of our own volition, that action is a result of God’s ultimate choice not the cause of it: “It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.” Romans 9:16.
Another common objection to this is from those who say that God, before time was created looked afar off into the future in order to see who would and would not chose Christ and then He made His selection based off of that. They often will use Romans 8:29 and 1 Peter 1:2, stressing the word “foreknow”. However, a closer inspection reveals that in both occurrences it is “people” that God is “foreknowing”, not an action or decision. It speaks of “those He foreknew” not “that which He foreknew”. This phrase of foreknowing a person before they are born is an expression of a special relationship which has been founded by God which He reserves for His children. Here are some examples:
“God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew…a remnant according to the election of grace”, Romans 11:2-5 (speaking of Israel)
“ but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you” 1 Peter 19-20 (speaking of Christ)
This last example is interesting, since depending on the version you are reading, the word “foreknown” can be substituted with “preordained” or even “chosen”. So in each case where we see a phrase speaking of foreknowledge, it is always speaking of people, not their “choice” (if so then what choice is being referred to in these example verses?). Jesus also reinforces this by showing that despite the confession and works of some who claim Christ, “Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you…” Matt 7:23. Is Jesus saying He didn’t know of their choices, or rather that they never had a genuine relationship with Him? Also, if God before creating anything had to peer into the future in order to gain information necessary in His elective process, then that would frustrate His omniscience (See Preamble). God cannot “learn” anything. This also suggests that God bases His decision on a response a person has before the person actually performs the response, then orchestrates the universe to bring about the response that he used as the deciding factor. This is unscriptural, silly, illogical, and insulting to the character and majesty of God.
Limited Atonement:
This states that Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient to remove all sin from all mankind yet effectively cleanses all sin from only those whom God elected unto salvation (see Unconditional Election above). This is the only position that is in harmony with Penal Substitutionary Atonement, as noted in my preamble. If you agree that Christ’s blood justifies man before God (Romans 5:9, Eph 2:15), and you agree that not everyone will go to heaven (Matthew 7:13, Revelation 20:11-15), then logically only those who are going to heaven have had their sins dealt with on the cross. The opposite of Limited Atonement is the heresy of Universalism, which teaches that Christ’s sacrifice enables all people to go to heaven regardless of election and belief.
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15
“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” John 17:8-9 (Jesus praying to the Father)
"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21
I know of no one who adheres to the exclusivity of Christ as objecting to this teaching. In order to do so leads to only two possibilities: all go to heaven in which case we are all saved, or Christ can die for someone yet they still go to hell in which case we are all doomed.
Irresistible Grace:
This affirms that those whom God has elected will respond to the gospel in a genuine manner. God will ensure that they find the gospel irresistible by opening their ears, eyes and hearts to the gospel message. This does not mean they will be unable to resist the Holy Spirit, it simply means eventually the will submit to His leading. The elect will respond to the call of the Lord.
“"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:14-16
“Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:25-28
“Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:14
A few verses that show the flip side of this, namely God making sure that someone does not act in a manner according to His holy standard or in response to the gospel, showing they had been prepared for wrath, not salvation.
“ And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.” Mark 4:11-12
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
"So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you." 2 Chronicles 18:22
“For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?” Romans 9:17-22
“The LORD works out everything for his own ends--even the wicked for a day of disaster.” Proverbs 16:4
I have noticed this fourth point in the Doctrines of Grace is somehow the most offensive to people. Probably because it challenges their idea of free-will (which is never spoken of in scripture) and entitlement, and sense of worth, ultimately threatening their view of man in relation to God. At the heart of the matter they infer that because God commands all men to believe in Christ and be saved, that somehow the ability to do so must be present. This is where they are wrong. God commands and desires a certain standard based upon His own holiness, not our ability to obey it. This is the largest lesson we learn from the Old Testament: that God can hold us to a standard that it is impossible for us to achieve, because the standard is God and we are not Him. Romans 3:20 states “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” So God giving the Law and commanding obedience to it did not create in mankind the ability to follow it, in fact it did the opposite. Likewise God commands and desires everyone to believe in Christ, because that is the standard not because everyone has the ability to do so. As I said before, God must grant belief and repentance as gifts (Ephesians 2:8, Philippians 1:29, 2 Timothy 2:25). And just so you know, the Protestant Reformation (Reformed theology/Calvinism) is based on man’s dire need for grace because of the fact that man doesn’t possess “free will”, this is in direct contrast to the Roman Catholic teaching that man innately has the moral ability to respond to the gospel. Here is Martin Luther’s position on free-will:
“the Baptist's word means that man can receive nothing unless given him from above; so that free-will is nothing!" – Martin Luther, Bondage to the Will.
“"...it was not of the merits of Jacob or Esau, 'but of Him that Calleth that it was said of Sara: the elder shall serve the younger' Paul is discussing whether they attained to what was spoken of them by the power or merits of 'free-will"; and he proves they they did not, but that Jacob attained what Esau did not solely by the grace of "Him that Calleth"” - Martin Luther, Bondage to the Will.
“"omnipotence and foreknowledge of God, I repeat, utterly destroy the doctrine of 'free-will'” -Martin Luther, Bondage to the Will.
“Let all the 'free-will' in the world do all it can with all its strength; it will never give rise to a single instance of ability to avoid being hardened if God does not give the Spirit, or of meriting mercy if it is left to its own strength." -Martin Luther, Bondage to the Will.
So it is sad to see that the some in the Protestant church have forgotten so quickly the reason why we left Roman Catholicism with its erroneous elevation of man as co-laborer’s with God in the plan of salvation.
Perseverance of the Saints:
This simply states that what God starts, He finishes. It’s a misnomer really; it should be called “the Perseverance of God” since it is He doing the sustaining. What it means is that if someone is an elect (those whom God chose and have genuinely received Christ), their salvation is assured. They will finish the race and ride out the storm unto the end. This doesn’t mean they will never falter or stumble, it means they will not remain down and out when they do fall. This also means that those who fall away never to return have demonstrated their absence from the ranks of the elect, or as John said “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” 1 John 2:19. Some other verses that declare this truth are:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” 1 John 10:27-29
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:2
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:11-14
Let me reiterate that this does not mean a believer will always overcome whatever temptation or hardship they are thrown, like they are super-saved or something, it simply means the Lord will carry them to the finish line, not because they deserve it or are entitled, but because of His own name’s sake. Sadly, we see even in the exciting times of the 1st century Church that some seeds of faith did not fall on the right soil resulting in false conversions which did not last the test of time. For instance Demas is mentioned in Philemon 1:24 as a “fellow worker”, Colossians 4:14 as a companion, yet we see Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10 as having “loved this present world” and abandoning Paul in his greatest time of need in the hour of his death. Now granted we do not know what Demas did after that, but I pray he returned to the faith.
So there it is. That’s a general presentation of the 5 Calvinistic Doctrines of Grace (TULIP) that, although not exhaustive, demonstrates an accurate portrayal of the meanings behind each point; along with how these points have been derived from scripture. Some may consider the verses I have posted and be compelled you to say “Well that’s not the God I know” then maybe you are correct, what if it isn’t? The Bible is a seasoned veteran at challenging our ideas and destroying any image of God we may have that is not accurate. What Martin Luther and John Calvin did is recognize that God is sovereign and therefore He alone get’s all the glory in the salvation process, we cannot appeal to any good in us or any choice we have made, else we are thief’s who are trying to rob God of the glory that is due to Him.
“I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.” Isaiah 43:11
“I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.” Isaiah 42:8
“If anyone makes the assistance of grace [to believe the gospel] depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). - Council of Orange 529 A.D.
God Bless,
-Malachi <><
