What is Calvinism?
What it all comes down to is this: ARE MEN ELECTED TO SALVATION OR ARE THEY NOT?
All Calvinists, whether they be Presbyterian or Reformed, Baptist or Sovereign Grace Baptist, four-point or five-point Calvinist, premillennial or amillennial, dispensational or covenant theologist — all Calvinists, whether they go by the name or not, all Calvinists have one thing in common.
They teach that God, by sovereign, eternal decree, has determined before the foundation of the world who shall be saved and who shall be lost.
Biblically, this is a false doctrine. Let us look at it more closely.
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WHAT IS TULIP THEOLOGY?
“A tulip is a beautiful flower, but a bad theology when it comes to Calvinism.”
The born-again, Bible-believing Christian can declare without any kind of mental reservation the blessed fact that ‘whosoever will’ may take of the water of life freely.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
The five doctrines of Calvinism:
T – TOTAL DEPRAVITY
U – UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
L – LIMITED ATONEMENT
I – IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
P – PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
Now let’s go over each one of them in more detail:
T – THE DOCTRINE OF TOTAL DEPRAVITY.
Calvinists believe that because of the fall of man, all mankind are sinners. That is true!
But Calvinists go one step further than the Bible teaches.
A Calvinist believes that because of the fall of man, sin has extended to every part of his personality – his thinking, his emotions, and his will. The unsaved man is dead in sins and God has to save him. The unsaved man is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel.
Calvinism falsely teaches that man does not have a free will. This goes totally against scripture which teaches that man does have a free will.
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
The Bible also tells us that man is a sinner by choice and nature.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
This does not mean that man can never do a good thing, like obey the gospel.
1. God has given man a spirit which is capable of calling upon Him:
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
2. Total depravity is not total inability:
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
John 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
3. Christ will draw men unto Him:
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
So we see over and over in scripture that man does have a free will to either repent and believe in Jesus Christ or to reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
U – THE DOCTRINE OF UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
Calvinists falsely believe that God has elected, based solely upon the counsel of His own will, some for glory in heaven and others for damnation to hell.
Scripture clearly teaches that God is sovereign ruler of the earth. Scripture also clearly tells that it is man’s responsibility to believe in Jesus Christ.
Both of these are true. The Bible tells us that Salvation is clearly based upon God’s choice, and He clearly chooses to save those who believe. God made the rules of who can get saved and how they can get saved. Who are we to question God on that?
Let’s read in the Bible, God’s clear requirement for salvation:
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
L – THE DOCTRINE OF LIMITED ATONEMENT
The doctrine of Limited Atonement is the teaching that Christ died on the cross and paid the penalty only for the sins of the elect; He did not die for those who eventually will be in the lake of fire.
Often it is worded as follows: “Christ died for all men WITHOUT DISTINCTION, but He did not die for all men WITHOUT EXCEPTION.”
This is a deception of twisting words which makes it possible for the Calvinist to say that Christ died for all without really meaning that He died for all.
What Calvinists really mean is that Christ died for all kinds of people and all classes of people, Jews and Gentiles, paupers and kings, but He did not die for every single person.
It is evident that the extreme Calvinist must ignore the clear language of the Bible.
Those who promote Calvinism, tell us that “world” does not really mean “world,” and “all” does not really mean “all”, and “every man” does not really mean “every man”, and “the whole world” does not really mean “the whole world.”
Limited atonement may seem logical and reasonable, but it is not Biblical.
“What saith the Scriptures?” (Romans 4:3).
Unbelievers can never stand before God and say, “The reason I am not saved is because Christ did not die for me.” The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ died for you. He paid the penalty for your sins. He died as your substitute.
If the Calvinistic preacher were really honest about it, he would need to preach his “gospel” along these lines:
“Perhaps Christ died for you.”
“Maybe God so loved you.”
“Christ shed His blood for you, perhaps.”
“Maybe, salvation has been provided for you.”
“Possibly God commendeth His love toward you.”
“Hopefully He’s the propitiation for your sins.”
“There is a possibility that Christ died as your substitute.”
“I may be able to bring you good news.”
Do you see how dumb this really is and how unbiblical this really is? Biblically it is not true. Let’s look at some verses in the Bible.
JESUS CHRIST DIED:
1. For all 1 Tim 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
2. For every man Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
3. For the world John 3:16 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.
4. For the sins of the whole world 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
5. For the ungodly Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
6. For Israel John 11:50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
7. For “me” Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I – THE DOCTRINE OF IRRESISTIBLE GRACE:
The false doctrine of Irresistible Grace claims that every human whom God has chosen to be saved cannot resist and God will force them to get saved.
A common claim of Calvinists is that “if God is sovereign, He must make the choice about who is saved and when.” This is human logic and is false. If God is sovereign, we do not tell Him what He must do.
Salvation comes by grace through faith –
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Satan tries to blind the mind of man –
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
We are commanded to preach the gospel to all men just as if they could all believe –
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen
God says repeatedly that He has given man a free will to exercise regarding salvation.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Every person decides whether they accept or reject the gospel of Jesus Christ.
P – THE DOCTRINE OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
Perseverance of the Saints is a doctrine which states that the saints (those whom God has saved) will remain in God’s hand until they are glorified and brought to abide with Him in Heaven.
This is very true and Biblical.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 makes it clear that when a person truly has been saved by God, he will never lose his salvation. The work of sanctification which God has brought about to those who are saved will continue until it reaches its fulfilment in eternal life.
The Calvinist adds to this doctrine and teaches not just that a person will remain in possession of the gift of eternal life, but that a person will always live in victory over the flesh and the world.
That is not Biblical because it does not leave room for a Christian to backslide and fall out of fellowship with God as we see so many times in scripture. The Apostle Peter was a good example of backsliding but was quick to repent and be used greatly of God.
That is why we do not believe in the Perseverance of the Saints as defined by Calvinists.
Let’s look at this more closely:
Much of the New Testament was written to warn believers about spiritual failure.
Galatians 6:1-3 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
The New Testament describes a continual struggle in the Christian life with the flesh.
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
We see this in Abraham, David, the Apostles Peter and Paul, some church members in the Corinthian church, and many more. All of us struggle and sometimes we make mistakes and grieve the Holy Spirit living inside of us. (Ephesians 4:30) The good news is that if we sin as a Christian, then we can confess our sin and come back into fellowship with God.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So, you see that we can make mistakes and sin as Christians, but God’s arms are always open to restore a right relationship with Himself.
Again, the 5 points of Calvinism or shall I say the 5 false doctrines of Calvinism:
Tulip #1 THE DOCTRINE OF TOTAL DEPRAVITY False Doctrine that man does not have a free will.
Tulip # 2 THE DOCTRINE OF UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
False Doctrine that God has chosen some people to go to heaven and some people to go the hell.
Tulip # 3 THE DOCTRINE OF LIMITED ATONEMENT
The false doctrine that Jesus Christ did not die for everyone but only some people.
Tulip # 4 THE DOCTRINE OF IRRESISTIBLE GRACE:
The false doctrine that every human whom God has chosen to be saved will be saved.
Tulip # 5 THE DOCTRINE OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
The false doctrine that if you are really saved, you will have victory over the flesh and the world.
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So, you see there are serious Biblical errors in these Calvinistic doctrines concerning salvation and spiritual growth.
Many churches have slowly gone to Calvinism, sadly even Baptist churches — even some here in Saskatoon. All five doctrines limit evangelism, and limit spiritual growth in the church.
Saskatoon Baptist Church will not accept even one of the five false doctrines of Calvinism. We are a church that will always try to reach the lost of this world. We believe God’s Word: that ‘whosoever’ can get saved!
John 3:16 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.
Pastor Carl Dornn