Calvinism Defended:
The Gathering and The Conclusion of The Matter
By
This is the 31st section of the e-mail exchange I had with Bill, an individual who objected to Calvinism. Click here to go back to the table of contents, or here to go to the full 88 page exchange.
Bill Writes: Today,
the knowledge of the glory of the Lord is covering the earth as the waters cover
the sea. More people than in any
other period of history of the world are yielding their lives to Christ.
We are seeing 100s of millions of peoples all over the earth receiving
Jesus Christ as Lord and receiving the fullness of the Holy Ghost.
My Response:
And just precisely how and why is this occurring Bill? Is it because 100s of millions of people are suddenly
smarter, or wiser, or more inherently righteous than the 100s of millions who
have and still do reject Christ? While
you defer to the freewill of the individual as the cause of salvation, I will
defer to another, to One who is far more powerful than fickle and feeble human
ability: the perfect work of Jesus
Christ alone, who by His perfect life, substitutionary death on the cross, and
bodily resurrection from the dead, secured and guaranteed the salvation of a
multitude that no man can number, and whose work is being perfectly applied to
those for whom Christ came to infallibly save:
His sheep. The reason people
are coming to Christ is because God is gathering His sheep
that are scattered throughout the world.
Please note as well the
difference between your statement, and mine. In your statement, the emphasis is
wholly upon man and what he has done (or is doing).
Is this not always the case with those who hold to a non-Reformed
perspective? If everything ultimately hinges upon the freewill and power
of man, then why should God be mentioned at all?
In non-Reformed thought, the emphasis will always be centered on man and
what he is doing.
Bill Writes: It’s
not TULIP that is reaching people. It’s
the freedom and power in the Holy Ghost in Christ Jesus.
My
Response: TULIP and “freedom and power in
the Holy Ghost in Christ Jesus” are essentially the same thing.
It is, as you say, freedom in the Holy Ghost, not the so-called freedom
of our impotent will. This is what
Reformation theology alone teaches. Where
all man-made systems exalt man and his inherent power over and against God and
His sovereign will and power, Scripture exalts God and His sovereign will and
power over and against the deceitful, wicked, hard, obstinate, blind, deaf,
powerless heart of man.
Secondly, I quite agree
that a mere teaching (such as TULIP, or your freewill theology) doesn’t
“reach” people. TULIP just describes certain aspects of the doctrine of
salvation, and how and why salvation has or will occur.
But neither is it
“freedom and power in the Holy Ghost in Christ Jesus” that is reaching
people. Freedom and power in the
Holy Ghost in Christ Jesus is not something that attracts the unbeliever; it is
not what brings a sinner to Christ. Those
are things that happen
to unbelievers once God has saved them. You
are making the effects of salvation the cause of salvation.
Actually, this may in fact be the real difference between the
non-Reformed and Reformed views. We
say a person believes (i.e., exercises his will freely in choosing Christ) only
because God has first chosen him, and then liberated his will, giving him the
ability to choose Christ. Our free
choice of Christ is the “effect” of having been regenerated, not the cause
of it. The non-Reformed, however,
reverse the order. They say that
based on our choice of God, God choices us, and then in time it is our freewill
choice of Christ that is the cause of our regeneration.
Regeneration is the effect, and our freewill choice is the cause.
We could simplify this by saying that in Reformed theology, God is the
sole cause of one’s salvation (it is grace alone, through faith alone, in by
and because of Christ alone). In
non-Reformed theology, man is the cause of his salvation. Anyway, freedom and
power in the Holy Ghost in Christ Jesus are the effects of having been saved.
What actually saves us is God and His grace. It is this fundamental truth which non-Reformed theology’s
ultimately deny (either knowingly or unknowingly).
So, we cannot have it both
ways: either it is God and His
power that is “reaching” people for Christ, or it is man, by his own
inherent power, that is able to save himself by making the right decision to
“accept” Jesus. If you hold to
the former, then you agree with the Bible’s teaching on that, and you are in
agreement with the Calvinist at that point.
For those that hold to the latter, they hold to a system that has man and
his power as the determinative cause of salvation, the one true sovereign over
heaven earth, and they make God a debtor to man. The Calvinist is merely saying that man is wholly
dependent upon God for everything, even the power to come to Christ.
Deny that simple truth, and there is no such thing as a “Gospel.”
Bill Writes: John, may you turn to the Lord, and receive freedom and power in the Holy Ghost!
My
Response: God has already brought me to
Himself and enabled me to receive freedom and power in the Holy Ghost.
Since it was entirely His doing, He receives every all
of glory for it. Amen.
Bill, in closing, I just
want to take the opportunity to thank you for your interaction on these
difficult matters. My prayer is
that my tone came across as loving and respectful throughout.
That is a difficult feat to accomplish in writing, I’m sure you’d
agree. As it stands, I guess I have
pretty much said all I can say with regard to the topic.
I hope that something I have said is of at least some value to you, if
noting else, maybe you will gain a better understanding of what Calvinists
actually believe.
I am always available if
you would like to discuss these matters, however, only if you are truly
interested in gaining an understanding of the doctrines of grace.
If not, then I guess there’s really no point. It’s up to you.
May the Lord bless you and keep, and may He cause His face to shine upon you,
John Orlando