SOME THINGS NON CALVINISTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CALVINISM:
An
attempt to clear up some of the misunderstandings about Calvinism. It
is not meant to be a detailed doctrinal defence of the Doctrines of
Grace which can be found elsewhere on this site.
1)
Calvinism and Hyper Calvinism are poles apart. The terms are not to be
used synonymously. A Hyper Calvinist is not just a zealous Calvinist.
We both consider each other to be "mongrel" Calvinists. No man will
call himself a Hyper Calvinist.
2)
Yes Calvinists are split into several factions. But then so are many
such doctrinal schools e.g. Dispensationalism, Church Government,
Worship…do we sing only the Psalms or use hymns? Which hymns? Do
we use music? Which music? Which set of texts do we base our Bible
translation on? Is it the Textus Receptus that is important or the
(KJV) AV? or both? etc.,
3)
The term free will needs to be defined to avoid confusion. Calvinists
will either affirm it or deny it, depending on what they think you
mean…This sometimes leads to charges of contradictions. Consult
the standard Calvinist Confessions e.g. the Westminster Confession of
Faith Chapter 9 for a defining of terms.
4)
The term free agency is not automatically the same as free will when
used by a Calvinist. It is the Calvinist's preferred term to free will.
Preferred so as to avoid the confusion spoken of in the above point.
5)
Calvinists do believe in man's responsibility, but deny his ability to
repent and believe the gospel. The two terms are not synonymous.
Calvinists believe that man's inability to repent and believe are
caused by his own sin ... not any positive imposition on God's part.
6)
Calvinists do not believe that men are puppets or blocks of wood or
robots, but responsible beings and are treated as such by God, even
when fallen.
7)
Calvinists are not fatalists. Calvinists believe that God has ordained
the end and also the means to that end. Therefore they do believe in
evangelism as the means God uses to fulfil His intention of saving the
elect. It is not true to say that Calvinists believe that God saves men
without the gospel. Calvinists do believe in prayer.
8)
Calvinists do believe that it is the duty of men to repent and believe
the gospel. This is one of our quarrels with the Hyper Calvinists.
9)
Calvinists do believe that the gospel is (to quote Calvin) to be
preached indiscriminately to the elect and to the reprobate (Commentary
on Isaiah 54:13) This is another one of our quarrels with the Hyper
Calvinists.
10)
Calvinists do not limit the value or merit or worth of the blood of
Christ. They do limit the intention of the blood to save any other than
the elect. We are happy enough (as was John Calvin) with the statement
that the blood of Christ is sufficient for the whole world but
efficient only for the elect.
11)
Calvinists do not believe that men are damned without any reference to
their sin. God passing by and leaving certain men in their sin is not
the same as God damning men by the sheer force of His decree.
12)
Calvinists do not just preach on the Five Points and nothing else. At
least no more so than Dispensationalists who just preach on prophecy or
Pentecostals who just preach on the gifts of the Spirit etc.,
13)
Calvinists do not read the Five Points into every text of scripture.
Many of the major Bible commentaries, beloved and valued by all
Christians e.g. Matthew Henry were written by Calvinists.
14)
Calvinists do believe that men can resist the Holy Spirit. They believe
that even the elect can resist the Holy Spirit, and do…but only
up to the time when the Spirit regenerates their heart so that resist
Him no more. The non elect effectively resist Him all their lives.
15)
Calvinists do not believe that men are brought kicking and screaming
irresistibly to Christ. We believe in irresistible grace. The will is
not passed by in salvation. No man ever came to Christ unwillingly, or
regretted that he had been brought.
16)
Calvinist's do not believe that there are souls out there who want to
be saved, but can't be saved because they are not of the elect.
17)
Calvinists, being without access to the Lamb's Book of Life, see every
man as potentially elect and preach the gospel to him.
18)
Calvinists do believe in unconditional election but they do not believe
in unconditional salvation. Except a man be born again, he will not
enter the kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3) Except he repent, he will perish
(Luke 13:3) Except he be converted etc., …all these are
conditions of salvation.
19)
Calvinists do believe that regeneration either precedes or
automatically and immediately produces faith in Christ. We do not
confuse the term regeneration with that of justification or salvation.
The Spirit of God regenerates the elect sinner enabling him to forsake
the deadness of his sin and willingly embrace Christ and so be
justified by faith and saved for eternity. Regeneration therefore is
not synonymous with justification or salvation any more than conviction
of sin is synonymous with conversion to Christ.
20)
Perseverance of the saints does not mean that Calvinists believe that
they must hang on for dear life without any reference to the keeping
power of God. It simply means that we believe that the Christian will
prove to be an overcomer in accordance with 1 John 5:4-5 etc.,
21)
Some Calvinists use the phrase Particular Redemption as opposed to
Limited Atonement because they can see how the General Redemptionist
position may also be said to limit the atonement, although in a
different way i.e. it does not set out to do all what was intended.
22) Calvinists do not believe that John Calvin is infallible…no
more than Methodists believe that John Wesley is infallible or
Dispensationalists allowing Schofield or John Darby the final word.
23)
While Calvinists believe that saving grace and repentance are the gifts
of God, given only to His elect, they do not believe that God exercises
faith for them or repents for them. The elect sinner, enabled by the
power of God, actually repents and believes for himself.
24)
While there can be no real middle ground between the Calvinist position
and that of the non Calvinist…yet most Calvinists believe that
both sides really do preach the gospel. Despite our differences as to
many of the details, a man who preaches that Christ died for the
ungodly and that the work was sufficient to save the whosoever who will
repent and believe is really preaching the gospel. We rejoice in the
gospel preaching of John Wesley just as much as that of George
Whitefield, although (naturally) we would hold Whitefield to be the
better theologian.
25)
There is a difference between a paradox and a contradiction. We know
that God is sovereign, yet man is free to follow the dictates of his
own will. Where the two lines meet is not for us to say. Calvinist
ignorance on the matter is to be excused on the basis of Deuteronomy
29:29
26)
Although Calvinists believe that even sinful acts are ordained by God
(Ephesians 1:11/Proverbs 16:4) yet such makes the event
certain…but not necessary. This clears God from being the author
of sin. This view best explains the Cross (Acts 2:23/4:27-28/Luke
22:22) This is explained further elsewhere on this site.
-oOo-
So
there you have it. I don't expect this list to really convince any body
of the correctness of the Calvinist position. It is not meant to be a
doctrinal defence of Calvinism. I give few references because I want to
keep it short and easy accessible. The standard Calvinistic Confessions
e.g. the Westminster Confession of Faith etc., should be consulted for
definitive statements. The Dictionary of Theological Terms (Rev. Alan
Cairns - Ambassador-Emerald) is an invaluable tool. Hopefully it will
clear up more than a few misunderstandings. It is wearisome in the
extreme to see a caricature of your faith pilloried. Perhaps someone on
the other side of the fence (non Calvinist) might engage in a similar
exercise and so clear up any misunderstandings Calvinists might have.