The Final Word - Calvinism - 01

Welcome to The Final Word, where we present a topic both completely and concisely. Today we will begin a series of shows on something called Calvinism. Now, I want you to know up front that while John Calvin is given credit with this system of thought, in reality it was a man named Augustine many years earlier who began this way of thinking. But John Calvin is probably responsible for turning it into an outlined belief system. And so it was in some ways attributed to him, and began to bear the name Calvinism. This is how we will proceed in our discussion on Calvinism. First, so that no one thinks that I am "poisoning the well," I will allow the Calvinists to define Calvinism for us. I will not give my definitions, but will simply use the Calvinists' words to help us determine what the belief system of Calvinism teaches. After we do that, the following shows will be set up to test the belief system of Calvinism- we will lay it out, as described by the Calvinist, hold it up to God's Word, and see if it teaches what the Bible teaches. It is not my intent to misrepresent their doctrines. And so, for that reason, I will with all sincerity, do my best to give their words, not mine- to define their doctrines. Calvinism has 5 basic tenants. And really all 5 lead to one conclusion, and that is this. Man does not have free will, to choose God or not to choose God. That everything in life that happens is by the decree of God. Now, by decree of God, they are saying not that God allows a thing to happen, but that God causes all things to happen. Now, again, as I go through some of these things, it is my intention to be honest about their belief system, as I will give their own words to you. So, let us list the 5 basic beliefs of Calvinism. These are commonly explained using the acrostic "TULIP" to make it easier to follow. First, The "T" in Tulip, stands for - Total Hereditary Depravity - that is, that because of the sin of Adam, that all people the moment they are born, are totally depraved. They are sinners, and at the moment of their birth, they are in rebellion against God, not because of anything they have done, but because of what Adam did long ago. In his book called Sovereign Grace: An Examination of the Five Points of Calvinism Brian Schwertley writes, "The fall of man has rendered man totally depraved. This means that from birth man's heart is morally corrupt." Duane Edward Spencer in his book "Tulip: The Five Points of Calvinism in the Light of Scripture" writes: "Man is totally depraved in the sense that everything about his nature is in rebellion against God." So that is what Calvin's doctrine teaches. This depravity is upon every person ever born. Notice another quote from Calvinist teachers. "Hence, even infants bringing their condemnation with them "from their mother's womb, suffer not for another's, "but for their own defect. "For although they have not yet produced the fruits of their "own unrighteousness, they have the seed implanted in them. "Nay, their whole nature is, as it were, a seed-bed of sin, "and therefore cannot but be odious and abominable to God. "Hence it follows, that it is properly deemed sinful "in the sight of God; for there could be no condemnation without guilt." (Phillip) Listen to Calvin explain then, how a person is saved from this state of being. "We have not the least hesitation to admit "what Paul strenuously maintains, that all, "without exception, are depraved and given over to wickedness; "but at the same time we add, that through the mercy of God "all do not continue in wickedness. "Therefore, while we all labor naturally "under the same disease, those only recover health "to whom the Lord is pleased to put forth his healing hand. "The others whom, in just judgment, he passes over, pine and rot away till they are consumed." And so we have it! This is the Depravity of Calvinism, properly defined by the Calvinist. And so, it is clear from the Calvinist perspective, that at the moment we are born, we are completely and totally depraved, and in rebellion against God. And the only way out, is for God to force himself upon us, and the only way to stay faithful, is for God to force us to continue to stay faithful, as we shall soon find out. So that is the "T" - Total Hereditary Depravity. Then in the Acrostic TULIP- we have the U. Which stands for Unconditional Election - That is: that before the world ever began, God arbitrarily, and unconditionally, chose some to go to Heaven while others would, unconditionally, go to Hell. Now, I want to make this clear. According to the Calvinist, God did not look down through the corridors of time, and say, this person will be faithful, so I will pick him, and this person will not be faithful, so I will not choose him. It was completely arbitrary, and had absolutely nothing to do with any man's thoughts or actions whatsoever. Louis Berkhof, in his book called Systematic Theology writes, "The "elect" are those chosen by God. "The verb "to elect" simply means to choose. "The doctrine of election refers to that eternal act of God "whereby He, in His sovereign good pleasure, "and on account of no foreseen merit in them, "chooses a certain number of men to be recipients of special grace and of eternal salvation." And so we see then, that Calvinism shows us a God, who unconditionally elects people to go to Heaven and unconditionally - through no actions of their own, condemns others to go to Hell. Now, we will go through some of these things later, to find out if what they believe is the Truth - we are simply defining terms, in fact, we are allowing them to define their own terms for us. Listen to the words of John Calvin: "Predestination, by which God adopts some to the hope of life, "and adjudges others to eternal death, no one, "desirous of the credit of piety, dares absolutely to deny. "Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, "by which he has determined in himself "what he would have to become of every individual of mankind. "For they are not all created with a similar destiny; "but eternal life is fore-ordained for some, "and eternal damnation for others. "Every man, therefore, being created for one or the other "of these ends, we say, he is predestinated either to life or to death." Again, let us allow Calvinists to define their terms for us. Then we will hold those beliefs up to the Bible and see if they are true. I'm reading from the Westminster Confession of Faith. This statement was prepared in 1647 and adopted by the Presbyterian churches of America. In the third chapter entitled, "Of God's Eternal Decree, is the following statement: "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 everlasting 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." Then, speaking of those who were predestined to be saved, it says "God, before the foundation of the world was laid, "according to his eternal and immutable purpose, "and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, "hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, "out of his mere free grace and love, "without any foresight of faith or good works, "or perseverance in either of them, "or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto;" It goes on to say: "Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only." - And so it is, that God, has chosen some to go to Heaven and some to go to Hell, and it is not based upon anything at all, but is completely arbitrary. So, we see, that God is responsible according to Calvinism, it is God who is responsible for the eternal salvation, and the eternal damnation of every individual. And, we also learn from that quote, that the number is so fixed - that it cannot be changed, in the least. So we have the T- Total Hereditary Depravity, we have the U - Unconditional Election, and now that brings us to the L - Limited Atonement. That is, that Christ died, but his blood was only intended to atone for those who God had already elected and saved from all eternity. This of course depends heavily upon the first two ideas of Calvinism. Again Schwertley says: "The Doctrine of Limited Atonement logically proceeds from the other well-established doctrines, such as God's absolute sovereignty, total depravity, regeneration, election, etc." And so in Limited Atonement, we have the idea that Christ came to this earth to die, but that he did not die for one single person who was lost. And we will discuss God's sovereignty later, and regeneration and all these other things. We are just giving the basic belief system of Calvinism, in their own words. John Calvin writes in "The Institutes of Christian Religion" that "none are redeemed, "effectually called nor justified, adopted, sanctified, nor saved, but the elect only." G.E. Lane says that limited atonement means that: "Christ died actually to save sinners, "not to make it possible to save them. "He did actually atone for sins on the cross, "not to merely make such an atonement possible. "It is inconceivable that He died in vain as far as some were concerned, or that He left man anything to do." He continues and he says, "He must therefore have died only for the elect. If He died for all, then all would be saved." And so it is clear, to the Calvinist, that Christ came to this earth to save only those who were saved long ago, as they were unconditionally elected to be saved. So that is the idea of Limited Atonement. Then, we have the "I" in the TULIP which stands for Irresistable Grace. Again listen to Schwertley: "The Calvinistic doctrine "of efficacious (irresistable) grace can be understood "only if one has a correct understanding of total depravity, and the doctrine of regeneration." He continues on the same page, and says: "Because man is spiritually dead, only a radical, "all-pervasive change in man's heart can enable him "to embrace Jesus Christ. "In order for God's grace to be sufficient for any man, "it must be efficacious (having the power to produce "a desired effect or we might say, not able to be resisted). "Only the power of God working directly upon the human soul can infuse it with new life." And so here it is. Here is a man- he cannot, according to the Calvinist, he can not do anything in the world, to even desire to change. He cannot think about God, he cannot want to make a change and do right. He has absolutely no free will to do so, at least spiritually. And so, what has to happen is that God, by His Holy Spirit must come and - whether the man wants to change or not, (which he can not want to change, according to Calvinism) so here he is, who doesn't even want to change, doesn't care to follow God, but the Holy Spirit comes and forces - that is the irresistable part. He forces that man to change. And so again, man has no choice but to obey God. Now Calvinists will try to get around the idea that God "forces" a person to obey. For instance, Edwin H Palmer in his book called The Five Points of Calvinism says on page 35, "Contrary to what most people "think, the Calvinist teaches that man is free "-one hundred percent free- free to do exactly what he wants. "God does not coerce a single one against his will. "And just because man is free, man is a slave. "Just because man does what he wants to do, "man has no free will. (which is different from saying that he is free)..." He also states on page 36, "Incidentally, the Christian has no free will either. "He may technically have the external option to choose "or reject Christ, but basically he does not. Christ will not let him reject Him." Now...I will fight back the urge to break this man's quote apart, we will save it for another time. But, I want to show you that it's very difficult, even for Calvinists, to make sense of their own doctrines. But, be that as it may, the end result is still the same, Man has no freedom to choose, and so, in the end, God is the one who forces salvation and damnation upon people. At least, according to Calvinism. Calvinism teaches that God, comes, and irresistably, that is, he gives a person no choice, but forces a change upon the heart of the individual. So that he must follow God. And then we have the "P" in TULIP - which stands for Perseverance of the Saints. That is, that a person who has been elected, and "regenerated" can never lose his salvation. Again here is Schwertley: "This doctrine refers "to the biblical teaching which says that those whom God loved "before the foundation of the world and chose in Christ, "who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and truly believe "in Jesus Christ as He is presented in the Scriptures, "will be preserved by God their entire lives until death, and therefore cannot lose their salvation." He goes on to say: "This does not mean that true believers "cannot backslide and commit grievous sins. They sometimes do, but they cannot totally "nor finally fall away from the state of grace." Thomas Ridgely, in his "Commentary on the Larger Catechism" vol. 2 pg. 167 says, "It is certain "that true believers may fall into very great sins; but yet they shall be recovered and brought again to repentance." And so, a person cannot, under any circumstance lose his eternal salvation. And so we have in Calvinism the TULIP. And notice please, that under each of these categories, man has no free will at all. We have no choice as to have anything to do with our salvation at all. God, from all eternity, has pre-determined and caused every event that happens in this life. And has not given free will to mankind, to choose or not choose to be saved. In Total Hereditary Depravity, we see, that when we were born, we came into this world, against God, terrible sinners, - though we had no choice in the matter. In Unconditional Election, we either were elected to go to Heaven, or we were elected to go to Hell, and there is nothing we can do about it either way. So again, we have no free will to change anything about our salvation. In Limited Atonement, we found out, that Christ came to die, only for the elect. And, since we don't know which we are, we have no idea if Christ came to die for us. And, if we are elected, we will be saved, by the blood of Christ. But if we were not elected, Christ's blood was not shed for us in the first place. Again, I have no responsibility to salvation at all. In Irresistible Grace, we have the Holy Spirit, coming to change the hearts of man, and forcing him to obey God, regardless of whether he wants to or not. Again, the point is, that in Calvinism, man bears absolutely no responsibility to his salvation, or damnation - because man has no choice at all in the matter. In Perseverance of the Saints, we have the idea that God will stop believers from falling away. That even if they go astray, and do all kinds of sin, God will not allow them to be lost eternally, but will make sure that they repent before they die. Again, man has nothing to say about it. Man, according to the Calvinist, is not responsible for where he spends eternity. If he is saved, it is at the hand of God. And if he is lost, it is at the hand of God. So we ask this question: Does mankind bear any responsibility in his own salvation or not? Now we have read a great many quotes from men, to try to understand Calvinism. I want to end this program, by simply reading one passage of scripture. And as we read it together, I want you to honestly look through this scripture, and see if God believes that mankind has anything at all to do with his salvation. If you have your Bibles and are following along, open them to Ezekiel 18. Ezekiel speaking on God's behalf says: "The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, "that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, "saying, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, "and the children's teeth are set on edge?'" (so here we have the father, he does something, and the son is held responsible for it - this is the very idea of Total Depravity) -but let's continue reading. "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion "any more to use this proverb in Israel. "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, "so also the soul of the son is mine: "the soul that sinneth, it shall die. "But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, Back in vs. 4, it said the soul that sins will die. So let's keep that in mind as we go through some of these things together. He says, if a man does good and does right in vs. 5. Notice what happens in verse 9, "Hath walked in my statutes, "and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, "he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD. But now he paints a picture of a different man in verse 10. He says, "If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things," Verse 11 says he even defiles his neighbor's wife and then he listed a long list of sinful things that this son does, in verses 12 and 13. But when you come to the end of verse 13, notice what will happen to that evil son, "He hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him." Notice now, his blood shall be upon him, not on others, but on himself. And then he gives a picture of the opposite son in verse 14. He looks at the sins of his father. He sees that his father has lived contrary to God, but this son doesn't live like his father lived. God says in verse 14, "Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins "which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like," Well, what shall happen to him? Verse 17 says, "he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live." Now we come to the point of the whole thing, right here in vs. 18. "As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, "spoiled his brother by violence, and did that "which is not good among his people, "lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. "Yet say ye, Why? "doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? "When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, "and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, "he shall surely live. Notice vs. 20, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, "neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: "the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, "and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Now there you have it, folks. Calvinists say that we inherit the sin of our fathers, but God clearly says that we do not. Look again at verse 20, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son;" There it is, folks, it cannot be any more plain than that. Not only that, but vs. 21 disproves that man has no free will. Look at it: "But if the wicked will turn from all his sins "that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, "and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, "he shall not die. "All his transgressions that he hath committed, "they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live." Look at vs. 26, "When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, "and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die." And so if a person chooses to do righteous things and live according to what God says he will live, spiritually speaking. Look at vs. 27, "Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness "that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful "and right, he shall save his soul alive. "Because he considereth, and turneth away from all "his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die." Did you notice, it says, he considers what he was doing, he turns away from them in repentance and he lives. God did not force him to turn, he considered his sinful ways and he repented and returned. And God would forgive him. Friends, that is God's word. And he says, "The son does not bear the sin of the father." That each is responsible for his own sin. And then, he says, if you want to live, you'd better repent. Turn, he says. Folks,it appears, according to this text here in Ezekiel 18 that we have been reading: 1. We are not born in sin (Ezek. 18:20). The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. 2. God did not Elect some to salvation and others to Damnation, as the Calvinist has said. Vs 23, "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? "saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" Vs 32, "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." Folks, he wants all men to turn. He wants all men to be saved. 3. By these same verses, we learn of God that He has given man the right to choose . It is clear from this passage alone, that God is saying to those who believe in Total Hereditary Depravity, - that they are simply wrong. God has given man choice. Vs 28 says, he considers, that is - he thinks about what he has done, all the wrong things that he has done in his life. And he chooses to turn away from evil. It doesn't say, God forced himself upon him - and caused him to turn away. It says he does it himself. He considers it, and he turns away. 4. To those who believe God has taken away man's free will, simply, according to this, they are wrong. 5. To those who believe that a person cannot "Fall away" - here were children of God, and God is telling them, in vs 31 and 32, to stop sinning, to make themselves a new heart. To make themselves a new heart. God is not making them a new heart, they have to do it, by obeying his Word. Then he says, that they need to turn from the evil ways, and LIVE. The implication therefore is, if they did not turn, they would die. What would die? Notice vs 4, "Behold, all souls are mine; "as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." The soul is what is at stake. Again, I have not said anything about Calvinism, I have allowed their words to determine their doctrine, - and then we simply read one passage of scripture, that's all, just one chapter out of the whole Bible, - and that one chapter has shown us that Calvinism does not hold up, to the word of God. But we shall have plenty more to say, on the next shows.