Robert Webber, the author of the influential book Ancient-Future Faith, believes that Christ has bound Satan and all demonic powers, (Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Faith, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004) p. 49)), the result being that the followers of Christ can usher in the Kingdom of God by means of a secular salvation (by accelerating massive social and cultural changes). Many Puritans began to doubt their election on their deathbeds. A terminally ill patient must of necessity trust the physician who treats him. Could it be, that Jesus restrained Spurgeon from sinning like the scum on the streets (and this woman) because He wanted him to love Him less? Spurgeons ostentatious and boastful words if God had left me alone and had not touched me by His Grace, what a great sinner I would have been is classic Phariseeism. It simply means you need to understand (know) God and his Son through His own revelation of Himself in his Word. Others too must be saved individually for their own spiritual and eternal enrichment. Who are the remaining individuals or group of people the elect may regard as their own personal enemies but not Gods enemies and who, they say, they ought to love according to Christs command in Matthew 5:43-44? A few of you may be swept away into the folly of Roman Catholic sacramentalism. Surely, an elect person who had already been regenerated (redeemed) by the Holy Spirit has no need to come to Jesus and to take the Living Water. So that all that wonderful training found some level of fertile soil in my heart and none of it was wasted. 1 Corinthians 14:4; 1 Peter 4:10). 12v4-9; Eph. Regeneration involves the Holy Spirit indwelling a repentant sinner through faith alone and as such he receives the Living Water at the moment of his regeneration because the Living Water IS the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). Entertainers, Not Shapers Well, there have been some very passionate and persuasive and powerful preachers of Arminian theology: John Wesley, Charles Finney, Francis Asbury, and lots of influential preachers in our day who are not Calvinists. Now I can stand strong in my corrected view and speak the truth in love to the God who wants all men to be saved! But he replied to the man who told him, Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers! (Jude 1:3). What else could they have been other than goats if theyd not always been sheep who always listened to Jesus Christs voice? One of the concerns is that new graduates from certain Baptist seminaries have been infiltrating churches that are not Calvinist, and not telling the churches or search committees who are not Calvinist, Professor Olson said. Contrary to the clear teaching of the Bible, Calvinists have found a slick way to associate the sheep with the elect and the goats with the non-elect or the reprobate. And that is what the gospel promises as well: the one who believes in the Son has eternal life and escapes the wrath of God (John 3:36). Due to the successful ministries of dynamic authors, preachers and speakers such as Louie Giglio, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Kevin DeYoung and Josh Harris, Calvinist/Reformed theology is ranked, according to Time magazine, 3rd on the list of Top 10 Ideas that are Changing the World Right Now. OK, explain to us the real covert meaning of Calvinism since I have stumbled and stomped over it. Tom Lessing is the author of the above article. The Calvinist form of Protestantism is widely thought to have had a major impact on the formation of the modern world. They are described as a mingling of sheep and goats, which the Lord will separate. Second, you say that Paul never doubted his salvation, but that is not true. If the elect were never lost, Jesus never came to save them. Here again Spurgeon preaches the Calvinist view of grace which is NOT the biblical rendition of grace. . One year earlier in 2007, Mark Dever proposed in aseries of blog posts10 factors that sparked this resurrection of Reformed theology among younger American evangelicals. Most definitely because Gods purpose cannot fail. Short and sweet AND the truth as you put it so succinctly. He answered me as follows: The bible never says that Gods people were ever bound for hell, it says they were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4). Amyraldism is named after Moses Amyraut (Moyses Amyraldus), a . I was one of those kids that never rebelled and always believed. (2 John 9-11). 15v24, v32; Jn. Under the heading Limited Atonement the author says: Jesus died only for the elect. Do you believe that, by the grace of God, having turned from your sins and turned to the Son of God to pay for your sins and to give you his own righteousness, you will be received by God as his own dear child, to be loved and blessed by him throughout eternity that is, that you are saved by Gods unmerited grace (Rom. A verse Calvinists often quote to verify their interpretation of Revelation 22:17 is Psalm 110:3. She mentioned Calvins belief that civic engagement is the main form of obedience to God. She added that, unlike many of todays conservatives, Calvin did not read Scripture literally. Often Calvin is misquoting it, and he makes up Scripture passages that dont exist.. As I was reading the article I noticed how the author, who is a staunch Calvinist, unwittingly impeached Calvinism with Pharisee-ism. His interpretation of Christianity, advanced above all in his Institutio Christianae . First, because you do not confess that God can regenerate infants, even though Gods Covenant with Abraham decreed that every male was to be initiated by circumcision on the eighth day, and that those who remained uncircumcised were cut off. Created by a Reformed pastor (D. James Kennedy) and promoted through a Reformed church (Coral Ridge Presbyterian) beginning in 1962, this evangelism program became a quiet buttelling piece of counter-evidence against the stereotype of Calvinism killing evangelism., By the mid-1970s, American evangelicalisms battle for the Bible had reached its boiling point. Im glad you dont allow comments on your blog, youd be over-run by Calvinists attacking you from all angles. He even admits: , How is it, that the spiritually dead (Gen. 2v16-17: Lk. "Pastor John C. Hagee is the founder and Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, a non-denominational evangelical church with more than 20,000 active members." (sacornerstone.org) His style is serious and intellectual. Perhaps Spurgeons heart should have burst forth in tears of gratitude, for rather not having been restrained from sinning, and sinned much, much more than the woman so that his love for Christ could have abounded in greater depths. And so when God did His saving work in my heart, it was not discernible to me. Calvinists believe that only the elect are drawn to Christ (John 6:44) and that their drawing to Him is effectual which simply means that the Holy Spirit gets the job done. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature; therefore, he will not-indeed he cannot-choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Everyone else was of no value in Gods sight and were called goats or dogs (outcasts). The Pharisees, as the meaning of the word Pharisee correctly conveys, believed that they alone were the chosen, pure and separate ones who distanced themselves from the unrighteous. He was the leading French Protestant reformer and the most important figure in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. But in the last 30 years or so, Calvinists have gained prominence in other branches of Protestantism, and at churches that used to worry little about theology. 2v8; Mt. In the kingdom of Israel to the north, king Jehu received praise for demolishing the sanctuary and shrine of Baal in Samaria's main city, but he permitted the golden calves erected to Yahweh, for which the authors of the Books of Kings chastised him. Jesus provides the answer in Luke 5:31 where He likens Himself to a physician and a lost sinner to a patient. All Rights Reserved. Blessings. Yes, they would say, theyd been the lost sheep but not in the sense that they were bound for hell. There is only one passage in the whole of Scripture that uses the word goats as a metaphor to depict rebellious human beings (Matthew 25:32-33). Mark Driscoll, John Piper and Tim Keller megachurch preachers and important evangelical authors are all Calvinist. It also excludes the ability to choose according toones own free-will. Thats precisely what the publican had done; he cast himself completely on the mercy of God and was immediately justified by the grace of God. Samboldly states: Of course, you need to believe to be justified and saved. In a lot of his preaching, he does really talk about our sinfulness and our need of the Savior.. If, as Calvinists assert, no one can come to Christ unless he/she is drawn (John 6:44), then the plea to repent and turn to Christ is an absurdity. Two years later,Hansen released his movement-defining bookYoung, Restless, Reformed: A Journalists Journey with the New Calvinists(Crossway, 2008). In fact, the drawing itself is the regeneration. Their unwillingness to come to Jesus for their salvation was not due to an alleged non-existence of a free-will but rather to an outright refusal to come to Him. 11v15; 2 Cor. I have read of Dave Hunts debates with Calvinists and I notice the Calvinists descend into accusations. There is, as you both know, a big difference between contending for the faith once delivered [Jude 3] and accusations. Everybodys a teacher with impeccable doctrine .Ive played this game before and I could circle stomp know it alls all the live long day. This IS the man famous for saying "Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing less"! On the contrary, his invitation was/is an invitation to use their God-given free-will to come to Him when they experience the pangs of a weary and heavy-laden sinful life. He wrote: What we Calvinists do, however, also believe, is that faith [that is the ability to believe] is a Gift from God (1 Cor. Religious zealots, publicans, the rich and the poor, the sick and the healthy, men, women and children were all drawn to the temple because that was where they could communicate with God in prayer. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. (Matthew 12:48-50). Spurgeon, not unlike Toplady, hated unbiblical Arminian theology, but he had the grace to know that theology alone is not the key to salvation, but only the grace of God alone, Ephesians 2.8, many other Scriptures of the Doctrines of Grace may be adduced. Jrgen Moltmann. So, the best thing to do is to repent by learning and understanding who God and his Son really are and to repudiate Calvinism with every breath you still have in you. If God alone does not save me, I will not be saved. So I said, Let me think about what you wouldnt like about me, if you knew, Mr. Dever recalled. If you sense somethings wrong with your childs relationship with screens, dont ignore that persistent inner warningas I did for so long. Yes, there are proud men who call themselves Calvinists, just as there are proud men everywhere on the face of the earth. That anyone who assumes to repent in order to be saved is following an imperfect repentence and is therefore not truly saved. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. The fact that you believe and continue believing in Christ is the real litmus test, they say. I found it sad as he had been a person I liked very much. Ken #2 KenH, Nov 25, 2002 The term also refers to doctrines and practices derived from the works of Calvin and his followers that are characteristic of the Reformed churches. Spurgeons own immodesty is stained with the reformed doctrine that God foreordained everything that comes to pass, even the sins of all men. Hi Thomas, Hi Debs. As weve seen earlier, this is called effectual drawing or calling. Calvinism is NOT this Gospel. Ever wonder if a popular preacher is a Calvinist? (Thomas comments: This is so typical of the Calvinists insipid belief system. Wesley was NO Romanist, he preached, and wrote against it, but faithfully preached salvation by the blood of Christ alone. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. The T is for mans Total Depravity. Ironically the Pharisee, the one who believed in election, predestination and limited atonement, was the one who went home without being justified (Luke 18:14). Arminians - Charles Finney, Billy Sunday - to name a few. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. He and his wife are some of our favorite people to vacation with. . (Emphasis added). Even the demons believe-and shudder! (James 2:19). Was the drawing of everyone always effectual? Calvinism promotes the authority of Scripture and the doctrines of God's sovereignty, the total depravity of man, and predestination. The real focus on Scripture, and that all the answers we seek in this life can be found in the word of God. Thanks for the hard work & love that was put into this article. C., what if you are not one of the redeemed? Their lostness is more of a going astray than being hell-bound and their regeneration more of a being drawn to Christ and a monergistic regeneration than a trusting (having faith) in Christ to save them. If a knowledge of God alone is not the key to salvation, then Jesus was a liar who said, And this is life eternal, that they might know (ginoski to understand) thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Bruce McCormack. A gift, as weve seen earlier, is something you willingly and perceptively receive from the donor, otherwise, it is not a gift. Are you saved, and if so, why do you doubt your salvation? After highlighting the influence of Lamp Mode (e.g., Shai Linne, Timothy Brindle, Stephen the Levite, Json), Reach Records (e.g., Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, KB, Andy Mineo, Derek Minor), Humble Beast (e.g., Propaganda, Braille, Beautiful Eulogy), and others (e.g., Flame), Dever remarks: There are groups of young people all over the place, in less-than-healthy churches, who are being taught and equipped theologically by these artists. If Jesus died for the sheep (the elect) only and not the goats (the reprobate), as Calvinists so vigorously and progressively proclaim, then it is extremely dangerous to put the elect in the goats and not in the sheeps fold, and thats precisely what Samhas done when he said: No Calvinist EVER claimed, that they have always been Christs sheep who have always listened to and obeyed his voice, unless, of course, he means that the elect was NOT something so repugnant as goats but rather benign animals such as doves or little bunnies or even little mice before they became Christ Jesus sheep. are you saying it would be difficult for you to put your finger on when your conversion took place? He should rather have said, the elect will receive the gift of faith after their monergistic regeneration while the reprobate will neither be regenerated nor be given the gift of faith. Therefore the gift of faith is withheld from the reprobate. If so, then he does not agree with the Calvinists I quoted above who says that no-one not even the elect are capable of believing the Gospel but first need to be regenerated before the gift of faith can be given to them. I believe in it because I see it in the Scriptures and if I was shown it to be false from the Scriptures, I would hope that I would discard it. Their exceeding amazement at Jesus saying that a rich man shall hardly enter the Kingdom of God seems to suggest this. Period. Increasing numbers of preachers and professors teach the views of the 16th-century French reformer. Not once did he try to justify himself by comparing his own hardly conceivable sins with the sins of some of the worst characters in the street.. . JOHN: Yeah. 17v17), and that as a result, we did NOT choose God, but He chose us (Jn. Opening the door, I was startled to hear hip-hop music blaring through the speakers of an old boombox in the corner. Yes. Scripture alone = philosophy alone 2v8; Gal. A corpse no longer has a living heart and therefore cannot be hardened in any which way possible, least of all though this article. Nevertheless, you also teach error. Some people preach it as a condition of salvation. One would have expected that the Pharisee who the author of the article I am critiquing admits that he believed in election, predestination and limited atonement would have been the one who God effectually called to Him. . MacArthurs conversion reminds one of Herman Hoeksemas words, regeneration can take place in the smallest of infants . He recalled that day when he placed his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation. Think back to the day of Pentecost. Repentance is a grace. One of the most forceful examples is the Emergent Church who believes that the Kingdom of God must be realized here and now through the altruistic and benevolent work of its followers. Its because God opened your heart to hear it. While God was only a little angry with his people, desiring only a moderate punishment, the nations prolonged and intensified their persecution of the Jews (Zechariah 1:14-15). In their appraisal of the end times there is no room for a Rapture, a seven years period of great tribulation on earth and eventually, a literal 1000 years of peace on earth when Christ will rule from the throne of his father David in Jerusalem. . Terry T, This poses an immense problem which makes a mockery of Jesus words in Luke 19:10, For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. If God had already predestined the so-called elect to eternal salvation eons ago and if His decree cannot be overturned (which is impossible because if it were possible to upend Gods will, his sovereignty would be seriously jeopardized), it is reasonable to argue that the elect had never been lost. While Calvinists, as weve seen earlier, believe that man is completely unable to will to come to Jesus of his own accord and to respond in faith to the Gospel in order to be saved, some Calvinists have the nerve to preach on Revelation 22:17 and urge all depraved sinners to come to Jesus and to be reconciled to God through faith alone. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:21st-century_Calvinist_and_Reformed_theologians&oldid=950725834, Calvinist and Reformed theologians by century, 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed Christians, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 April 2020, at 14:37. He and his wife, Maghan, have three children. And I had to explain to them what that meant. It is no surprise that Calvinists who shun biblical eschatological events such as the Rapture, the seven years tribulation period on earth and the Second Coming of Christ together with all the saints who had been raptured prior to Daniels seventieth week, to misinterpret Old Testament prophecies relating to the end-times. It can only be the elect. Nor would I have stopped at any vice or folly, if God had not restrained me; . (John 5:39-40). God never multiplies his grace to some so that they may sin less than others and withholds it from the non-elect so that they may run to the utmost lengths of sin, and dive into the very depths of evil. God poured out his grace on all men (Titus 2:11) so that whosoever believes in Him and his finished work on the cross may be pardoned and receive eternal life. The saints who had been raptured prior to the seven years tribulation period are going to return with Jesus Christ and willingly offer themselves to take part in His battle. When does the Holy Spirit convict sinners of sin, righteousness, and judgment before or after their regeneration? Who are they? Sometimes, when I see some of the worst characters in the street, I feel as if my heart must burst forth in tears of gratitude that God has never let me act as they have done! If you keep being told to buy Spurgeon, eventually youll read Spurgeon, Dever says. 25:32-33).. Tell a Friend! Lets begin with a simple question. [FYI: I added a note at the bottom of this post on May 5, 2021.] The Puritans were Calvinist. Even our intern program has served our church in ways we never intended. My classmate was a Calvinist and together with my close friend we used to debate God; my close friend would not believe in such a cruel God and till today, lives in the dark. I just wanted to thank you for such an excellent, thoughtful and crucial article. There must be sufficient efficacy in the blood of Christ, if God had so willed it, not to have saved only all in this world, but all in ten thousand worlds. His misrepresentation of me as an Arminian and Universalist is much worse than content theft of which some of his closest friends have accused me of and promptly reported to WordPress. The Light Hearted Calvinist has a big list of Calvinists. . Condition of nonsense! . Does the following testimony sound like someone who was once lost and on his way to an eternity in hell? Then practice what we preach. This, to say the least, is Phariseeism to its very core. John_C # 6701 Sun Oct 19, 2003 1:01 PM. Only the elect are called or drawn in this way. His Calvinism turned him into a person who would not answer question but rather retort in accusations. Mark Driscoll, John Piper and Tim Keller . 1v17, 3v22, v28, v30, 4v5, v9, v11, v13, 5v1, 9v30, 10v6; Heb. nor to dispose them to reformation. (Canons of Dort (Dordrecht, Holland, 1619), III, IV:3.)). Nevertheless, some, He restrains so that they may not sin as grossly as others, especially the elect. I think it is apparent in his teaching, said Sarah Rotman, 34, who works for the World Bank. The first time I met Dever, the stairs leading up to his study buzzed beneath my feet. (Emphasis added). Having faith in Christ is in itself not salvation (to raise oneself from the dead). Matt Smethurst is lead pastor of River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia; editor at The Gospel Coalition; and author of Before You Share Your Faith: Five Ways to Be Evangelism Ready (2022), Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church (2021), Before You Open Your Bible: Nine Heart Postures for Approaching Gods Word (2019), and 12 Thessalonians: A 12-Week Study (2017). But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. (NKJV) Stephen Does above dissertation is chock-full of verses proving that the author had thoroughly searched the Scriptures but not once does he encourage his readers to come to Jesus for their salvation (Matthew 11:28-29). An article (sermon), worthy to be read with keen interest and no less acute attention, recently appeared on the Internet. Spurgeon himself wrote the following: I know there are some who think it necessary to their system of theology to limit the merit of the blood of Jesus: if my theological system needed such limitation, I would cast it to the winds. In laymans terms, it means that Gods effectual calling is 100% perfect because 100% of the elect shall be saved. That alone, by his own admission, proves that Calvinism and Pharisee-ism hinge on three of the most important elements in Reformed Theology. Latter Rain Teaching / Dominionism / Kingdom Now, Terms and Conditions for Submission of Comments, Freemasonry / Ordo Novum Seclorum / Illuminati, Exposed: Holy Spirit vs Unholy Spirit of Fire. I also think you should read Philippians 2:12 again because it does not mean what you think it means. 6v44, v65, 15v16)., If man is spiritually dead, as Samsays, how can he exercise faith as a precondition for salvation? Rubbish! Indeed, God reveals Himself as the essence of love, righteousness. Famous Birthdays. Sproul wrote: A while back I had one of those moments of acute self-awarenessand suddenly the question hit me: R. The sacrament (baptism) is afterwards added as a kind of seal, not to give efficacy to the promise, as if in itself invalid, but merely to confirm it to us. And yet JACOB PRASCH (the Oscar-winning Jewish Midrash railer) hails John MacArthur and Paul Washer as true men of God. Thomas goes on at great length about monergism, but that is fine by me, and doubtless many others. They believed that they could please God and thus obtain eternal life by doing good works (cf. This particular model, they say, is too exclusive. Why Church Leaders Need to Practice Theological Triage, 20 Quotes from the New Book About Tim Keller, 20 Quotes from Michael Reeves on Evangelical Integrity. In fact, Dever surmises, its probably the most substantial book of theology many American Christians have ever read. There is only one work of God, that is, one thing God requires. Many dont believe that women should be ministers or elders. Not only is he inconsistent in his reasoning but also in complete disagreement with most of the heavyweight Calvinists who claim that no man can understand the gospel, and that this lack of understanding is also a part of mans depravity . 1c) Question: Why do the elect need to come to Jesus to take and partake of the Living Water (a metaphor of regeneration, redemption, salvation), when the Holy Spirit sovereignly and monergistically regenerates and grants them the gift of faith as well as the will to come to Jesus, subsequent to their regeneration and prior to their coming to Jesus? (2 Tim. Calvin's missionary vitality led to the tremendous spread of Calvinism throughout Europe, eventually superseding . 3v2; Gal. Although most famous for being the alma mater of Betsy Devos, Paul Schrader and Jay Van Andel, Calvin's collection of distinguished alumni also includes a four-time Academy Award nominee, a groundbreaking movie director, a Nigerian hip . It sounds nothing like the feel-good affirmations of preachers and authors like Joel Osteen, who treat the Bible like a self-help book, or a guide to better business.