Calvinism: A Religious Tulip or Tumult?
Ben Bailey
John Calvin: The Man
Jean Cauvin was born on July 10, 1504 in Noyon, France. Both of John’s parents were staunch Roman Catholics. Early in John’s life his father began to heavily influence him to become a priest. As a result of this pressure and a scholarship from the Roman denomination, John moved to Paris where he attended a college and later a university. John’s studies consisted of 7 major subjects: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. It is believed that while Calvin was at the University of Paris he came in touch with the writings and theology of Martin Luther. After a long period of study in Paris, John’s father suggested that he change his studies to civil law and move to Orleans, John complied.
It is believed that in 1533 John had a “Salvation Experience.” He wrote about this experience saying, “God subdued and brought my heart to surrender. It was more hardened against such matters than was to be expected in such a man.” Beginning at this period and zealously pressing onward, Calvin became a renowned reformer. On November 1, 1533 John boldly preached a sermon attacking the Roman Catholic denomination and demanding a reformation similar to the one Martin Luther had initiated in Germany. It was Calvin’s hope and expectation that the Protestant views would enlighten the minds of the Catholics, and the Catholics would become converted. In stark contrast to what Calvin hoped for, the Protestant beliefs were viewed as abrasive and harshly rejected.
As a result of Calvin’s speech, he was forced to leave the area and travel from place to place. It was during this time in his life that he began to write The Institution of Christian Religion. While traveling Calvin spent one night in Geneva that would have an everlasting affect on his life and the lives of many after him. In Geneva Calvin encountered a reformer of like mind named Farel. Farel had been working hard to prostestantize Geneva and was very insistent that Calvin stay to help him. At first Calvin was very reluctant about staying, but Farel eventually persuaded Calvin by telling him that if he did not stay the curses of God would be upon him. For the biggest part of Calvin’s life he would remain and work in Geneva with protestant reformers. Also, during Calvin’s stay in Geneva, he married a woman by the name of Idelette, and they had a son, which died during infancy.
For most of Calvin’s life he is depicted as a morally good man. Calvin died on May 27, 1964 leaving a legacy behind. Calvin’s doctrines and teachings have had a great effect on many people living today. If only Calvin would have really reformed to the pattern of sound words (II Tim 1:13). With his zeal, he could have been a great servant in the kingdom of God. Christians need the zeal of Calvin in truth today!
In the Calvinist theology camp there are five main doctrines. These 5 tenets can be remembered easily by the acrostic TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints. For the sake of not misrepresenting Calvinism, the actual doctrinal beliefs of each tenet will come from Calvinists confessions.
The
first belief of Calvinism is inherited sin.
The Belgic Confession of Faith Article XV defines this as,
“We believe that through the disobedience of Adam original sin extended to all mankind; which is a corruption of the whole nature and a hereditary disease, wherewith even infants in their mother’s womb are infected, and which produces in man all sorts of sin, being in him as a root thereof, and therefore is so vile and abominable in the sight of God that it is sufficient to condemn all mankind.”
In other words, Calvinists believe that because of Adam’s sin, sin has been in every child after Adam from its mothers’ womb, and we are infected with sin beyond our own will. Like it or not, before we even had the chance to sin we were already a sinner!!
Calvinists use such passages as Mk 7:21-23 and Jer 17:9 to teach that man’s heart is evil and sick. They also use Romans 5:12 and 6:20 to teach that we are enslaved to sin. In Ephesians 2:3 they claim that we are by nature sinners. Calvinists also interpret Ps 51:5 to teach that man is born a sinner.
Next, we approach the doctrinal belief of predestination. The confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church defines this tenet as,
“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 predestined to life, and others foreordained to everlasting
death. These angels and men, thus
predestined and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed: And
their number is so certain and definite that it can not be either increased or
decreased.”
Basically this belief states that before you and I were, God chose who would and would not be saved. God does not base this on who would follow God, but rather a random selection. Since there is already a chosen number, there is nothing you can do to get in or out of salvation. While in seemingly contradictive terminology to the above view, Calvinists believe that this does not rule out man’s responsibility to believe in the work of the Son of God (Jn 3:16-18). Calvinists also say that they are saved unto good works (Eph 2:10), and as Peter, they must make their calling and election sure (I Pet 2:10). In plain language that says, “you better be good and do good to get where you are already going.” Like all false doctrines, they usually contradict themselves. Unconditional election changes the purpose of the earth from being God’s vale of soul making, to being God’s pathetic playground of predestination!
The third tenet in systematic
Calvinistic theology is often referred to as “particular redemption” or,
“limited atonement”. This theology is
officially defined as,
“Christ’s redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them… In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ’s redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith, which united them to Him. The gift of Faith is in fallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, thereby guaranteeing their salvation.”
Calvinists use such scriptures as Matthew 26:28, and Isaiah 53:12 to say that Christ did die for many, but not for all. They also use John 17:9 to say the Bible teaches that Christ would not loose any of those whom God gave Him to save. One Calvinist clearly stated this view as, “Though Jesus sacrifice was sufficient for, it was not efficacious for all.” This view embarrassingly reduces the power of God, and the work of Christ to Omnipartiality, not Omnipotence!
Naturally, the fourth doctrine in John Calvin’s bag of beliefs is irresistible grace. A book entitled The 5 Points of Calvinism defines irresistible grace as,
“Although
the general outward call of the dispel can be, and often is, rejected, the
special inward call of the Spirit never fails to result in the conversion of
those to whom it is made. This Spirit is
in no way dependent upon their help or cooperation for success in His work of
bringing them to Christ. For the grace
which the Holy Spirit extends to the elect can not be thwarted or refused, it
never fails to bring them to true faith in Christ.”
Therefore, separate and apart from an elect’s works or will, the Holy Spirit brings him to Christ, and there is nothing he can do to refuse Him. Calvinists also believe that the Holy Spirit’s call of God’s saving grace is invincible. While Calvinist will agree that God offers to all people the gospel call (external call), they also believe that the elect receive a special inward call (internal call). Therefore, the gospel in and of itself, without the direct help of he Holy Spirit on a person’s heart, cannot save a person. This view tremendously defies the free moral agency of man in his own response to salvation (Acts 2:40).
The last tenet of Calvinism is the “perseverance of the saints”, or more familiarly “once saved always saved.” Baptist preacher Sam Morris had this to say concerning the doctrine of once saved always saved,
“Do a Christian’s sins damn his soul? 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… And all the sins he may commit from murder to idolatry will not make his soul in any more danger.”
A saved person cannot go to hell for any reason whatsoever! This view only exists as a necessary inference of the rest of Calvin’s views. Without this final tenet, Calvinism would make God look like a total idiot instead of a psychotic creator. This belief is in direct opposition to scripture (Gal 5:4, Heb 3:12, Acts 8:20ff, Heb 2:1-3). Baptist preacher Bill Foster is also on record saying, “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 perseverance of the saints is comforting, but impossible to prove.
Total
Depravity Refuted
Since original sin is such a prevalent belief, it is only fair that we give it a Biblical examination, a scriptural checkup to see whether it is the firm foundation of God that must be stood upon or if it contains the cancer of sin (2 Tim 2:17).
The first major problem with inherited sin is it destroys salvation, redemption and reconciliation in Christ. If sin is inherited biologically, from the parent to the child, then Mary was a sinner, and Christ was infected with the disease of sin through the DNA of Mary. Therefore He cannot be a perfect sinless sacrifice. This is in total opposition to what the Bible teaches. Since Christ is depicted as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, it is necessary that he be without the spot and blemish of sin. Just as the Old Testament sin offerings were without spot and blemish physically (Jn 1:29; Lev 4:3) Christ was without the spot of sin spiritually (Heb 4:15). “And having been perfected He became the author of Eternal Salvation to all who will obey Him” (Heb 5:9). The question for Calvinists to answer is, “How can Christ be sinless and sinful from birth at the same time?” From Christ’s birth it is evident that He was sinless by the name Emmanuel, which is translated “God with us”. If Christ is God with us, and Christ inherited sin when He came into the world, which logically implies that “God with us” is a sinner. However, the Bible clearly teaches that God is of purer eyes than to behold evil and can not look upon wickedness (Hab 1:14). The Bible also teaches that sin separates man from God (Isa 59:1-2). Can God be separated from Himself? Does God lie (Heb 6:18; Titus 1:2, Mal 3:6, Num 23:19)? Calvinistic beliefs have Christ (God in the flesh Col 2:9, Jn 1:1-3) in direct opposition to His own teaching and separated from Himself because of original sin. As with most false teachings they always contradict themselves (2 Tim 2:25).
Another reason total depravity cannot be true is because babies cannot meet God’s requirements for salvation. If man must do something to save himself (Jn 8:24, Acts 2:40), and babies can not follow the command to save themselves (Phil 2:12), then God is a liar and does not want all men to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved because babies can not create the proper mental industry to comply with God’s requirements (1 Tim 2:4). What about all the babies who have died before they reached the age where they were able to react properly to the plan of salvation? Are they burning in Hell right now? Absolutely not! Babies are not sinners or God would have made a way for them to be saved. Notice how the plan of Salvation is in total opposition to inherited sin and infant baptism.
To be saved one must first hear the word of God (Rom 10:17). Hearing is not simply a mental acceptance of what someone says, but rather a readiness of mind to search the Scriptures to see if the truth of the gospel is what they are hearing (Acts 17:11). How many week old babies have you seen be attentive to hearing the word of God, & diligently study the Bible for truth (2 Tim 2:15)?
To be saved one must also believe in Jesus and God (Jn 8:24, Heb 11:6). Believing is the mental gymnastics of applying Bible principles to logic in a result of undeniable truth that must be accepted and applied to one’s life. Babies cannot create enough mental capabilities to react to their own bodies, let alone to the Bible. Those who attempt to baptize infants must be relying on a hope that one day that child will believe in Christ. However, belief comes before salvation, not salvation before belief. Also, parents can not make salvation decisions for the baby, one must make these decisions for himself (Acts 2:40, Phil 2:12).
To be saved on must also orally confess Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world (Rom 10:10). Since babies can not talk, how can they meet God’s requirements to be saved?
To be saved one must also be immersed in water (Acts 10:40-42; Mk 1:8-10; Jn 3:23, Acts 8:38). Babies can not be immersed into Christ or they would most likely drown. Those who attempt to baptize infants must be relying on a hope that one day that child will believe in Christ. However, belief comes before salvation, not salvation before belief. Also, parents cannot make salvation decisions for the baby; he must make that decision for himself (Acts 2:40, Phil 2:12). Therefore the absurdity of this farce is seen in a baby’s inability to comply with God’s commands. The only logical, Biblical conclusion can be that babies are pure, holy and sinless (Ezek 28:15, Deut 1:34-39, Rom 9:11, Jer 19:2-6, Isa 7:15-16). Of the King of Tyre, it was said by God “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you” (Ezek. 28:15). The writer of Ecclesiastes compliments this idea when he states, “Truly this only have I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes against him” (Eccl 7:29).
The last and most important reason that sin cannot be inherited is because the Bible does not teach it. Even the passages that Calvinists use to say the Bible defends their position have been grossly misinterpreted. One of the most popular passages that Calvinist use to teach their theory is Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Calvinists believe this text teaches that everyone inherits the results of Adam’s sin. However, this passage does not teach that sin became hereditary, but that it became an option in the world. It is true that because of the sin in the Garden death and sin came into existence in the world, but the only reason death spread to all men is because all men sinned individually (Isa 59:1-2). The Bible clearly teaches that,
“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” (Ezek 18:4).
If there is one text alone that disproves Total Hereditary Depravity it is Ezek 18. Ezekiel 18:20 expresses the key idea by stating, “The soul who sin 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.” It is not hard to see that this passage disproves Adamic Sin. Truly, a man does not inherit his fathers sin, but he is responsible for his own individual transgressions of God’s law (I JN 3:4, Ezek 18:4).
In light of these Scriptures total depravity is in stark opposition to the rest of the 4 tenets of Calvinism. Since Christ inherited sin and cannot be our sacrifice there can be no atonement, let alone limited atonement. Since Christ is a sinner and grace is in Christ, there can be no favor from God because of sin (Jn 1:17; 2 Tim 2:1; Isa 59:1-2). If Christ is the source of salvation, and his life was a sinful fallacy, than instead of once saved always saved, it must be none saved never saved. It is very important to understand that if any of these tenets can be proved false the rest of them logically fall with it. Calvanism is not a TULIP it is a religious TUMULT!