John Calvin would be sick
John Calvin would be sick. Sick at what? Us. The way we twisted his teaching. Disclaimer – John Calvin is a man and man only. My dad, who is a teaching pastor, recently ran into hyper-calvinism at his church. A seemingly regular couple decided that God has created some people only to condemn them to hell for all eternity. What a perverted view of God. I think of my son in this: God created Gabriel only to condemn him to hell. Poppycock! (That word is funny.) I can’t believe this teaching. It’s wrong and it’s from the pit. You can’t tell me that when Christ was on the cross He was thinking of us and saying to Himself, “eeny-meeny-miney-mo” and deciding for whom His blood was going to be shed. Why do we have to decide if we are “armenian” or “calvin”? Paul talks specifically against debates like this in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17:
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
I love the last sentence: “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” The point of what we do and believe and teach is not human wisdom, but the Gospel. Anything less than the Gospel of Jesus Christ is pointless and void.
The great debate of predestination has been waged for years. Paul couldn’t even fully explain it. What makes us think that we can and will? Do these “hyper-calvinists” know if they are chosen? It’s rediculous how we think we can explain God. Scientists say most of use use only 10% of our brain. I’m convinced we don’t use that much. That’s why Jesus calls us His “sheep”.
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baaa brother, baaa — thanks for your focus on God and his Gospel
Mitch - October 11, 2006 at 9:30 pm
According to the history I read, John Calvin was not a very nice guy.
I remember Jesus turning the tables over at the temple on the money-changers – but not burning people at the stake.
Whether they be made of gold, sports, some Hollywood symbol. or just a man, idols are easy to create and much harder to tear down.
The Bible spells out Salvation very simply. It’s man that tries to mess it up with theology.
God did His part – grace.
When will we do our part?
Where today is repentance, humbleness, forgiveness, love, faith and truth?
Believe whatever you will – but only the truth matters.
That is what will ultimately be judged.
gander - July 11, 2008 at 2:04 am
Hmmm… Ultimately, no matter which view you take, you do get down to the fact that some people are created to go to hell. Calvinism says that we are chosen and some are not, just as the children of Israel were chosen, and some were not. Aremenianism says that we are not chosen, which brings up TONS of issues, but here I’ll just mention this one thing: If we are given the choice to follow Christ or not, AND God is all-knowing, then he would know who is not going to choose them, and wouldn’t He have a choice of maybe not creating said people who won’t choose Him? He’s still creating those people with the knowledge that they won’t choose Him, so they are therefore also created to go to hell.
Sara Warren - October 8, 2008 at 4:47 pm
It is a tricky position, however, I just can’t land on the fact that God would create people to send them to hell. That sounds way out of His character.
brittonwesson - October 8, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Man is responsible, by the act of his own will, to receive Christ, then God wills the new birth. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). The new birth is conditioned upon a man receiving Christ. There is not one case in Scripture of anyone being regenerated until he first received Christ. The responsibility is man’s. Jesus said, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). Notice He did not say, “Ye cannot come to me…” Man does have the ability to choose. Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matt. 23:37). Jesus was willing, but Jerusalem was not willing. It was never a question of inability. Man does have a will that can choose for God or against God (John 7:17; Rev. 22:17). The Calvinist will run to John 6:44 to support their teaching. “No man can come to me, except the father which hath sent me draw him…” Of course the Father must draw a sinner, but in John 12:32, Jesus assures us “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto me.” John 1:9 says, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” The Calvinist teaches that man’s salvation is God’s responsibility. If man is dead in trespasses and sins and is not responsible for receiving Christ, how can he be responsible for rejecting Christ? Calvin’s doctrine of total depravity is totally deprave. Instead of Total Depravity, the Bible teaches that men are Totally LOST.
mark hoppe - December 27, 2008 at 2:26 am