What We
Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism
Bethlehem Baptist
Church Staff
March, 1985
Revised March, 1998
Preface
We love God. He is our great
Treasure, and nothing can compare with him. One of the great old
catechisms says, "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and
unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice,
goodness, and truth." That is the One we love. We love the
whole panorama of his perfections. To know him and to be loved by
him is the end of our soul's quest for eternal satisfaction. He
is infinite; and that answers to our longing for completeness. He
is eternal; and that answers to our longing for permanence He is
unchangeable; and that answers to our longing for stability and
security. There is none like God. Nothing can compare with him.
Money, sex, power, popularity, conquest - nothing can compare
with God.
The more you know him, the more you want to know him. The more
you feast on his fellowship, the hungrier you are for deeper,
richer communion. Satisfaction at the deepest levels breeds a
holy longing for the time when we will have the very power of God
to love God. That's the way Jesus prays for us to his Father,
" . . . that the love with which You loved Me may be in
them." That is what we long for: the very love the Father
has for the Son filling us, enabling us to love the Son with the
very love of the Father. Then the frustrations of inadequate love
will be over.
Yes, the more you know him and love him and trust him, the more
you long to know him. That is why we have written this booklet.
We long to know God and enjoy God. Another great old catechism
says, "What is the chief end of man?" And answers:
"Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him for
ever." We believe that enjoying God is the way to glorify
God, because God is most glorified in us when we are most
satisfied in him. But to enjoy him we must know him. Seeing
is savoring. If he remains a blurry, vague fog, we may be
intrigued for a season. But we will not be stunned with joy, as
when the fog clears and you find yourself on the brink of some
vast precipice.
Our experience is that clear knowledge of God from the Bible is
the kindling that sustains the fires of affection for God. And
probably the most crucial kind of knowledge is the knowledge of
what God is like in salvation. That is what the five points of
Calvinism are about. We do not begin as Calvinists and defend a
system. We begin as Bible-believing Christians who want to put
the Bible above all systems of thought. But over the years –
many years of struggle – we have deepened in our conviction
that Calvinistic teachings on the five points are Biblical and
therefore true.
Our own struggle makes us patient with others who are on the way.
We believe that all the wrestling to understand what the Bible
teaches about God is worth it. God is a rock of strength in a
world of quicksand. To know him in his sovereignty is to become
like an oak tree in the wind of adversity and confusion. And
along with strength is sweetness and tenderness beyond
imagination. The sovereign Lion of Judah is the sweet Lamb of
God.
We hope you will be helped. Please don't feel that you have to
read the booklet in any particular order. Many of you will want
to skip the Historical Introduction because it is not as
immediately relevant to the Biblical questions. There is an
intentional order to the booklet. But feel free to start wherever
it looks most urgent for you. If you get help, then you will be
drawn back to the rest of it. If you don't, well, then just
return to the Bible and read it with all your might. That is
where we want you to end up anyway: reading and understanding and
loving and enjoying and obeying God's Word, not our word.
For the supremacy of God in all things, for the joy of all
peoples,
John Piper, Pastor
On behalf of the Pastoral Staff
Minneapolis
April 1997
Historical Introduction
John Calvin, the famous
theologian and pastor of Geneva, died in 1564. Along with Martin
Luther in Germany, he was the most influential force of the
Protestant Reformation. His Commentaries and Institutes of the
Christian Religion are still exerting tremendous influence on the
Christian Church worldwide.
The churches which have inherited the teachings of Calvin are
usually called Reformed as opposed to the Lutheran or
Episcopalian branches of the Reformation. While not all Baptist
churches hold to a reformed theology, there is a significant
Baptist tradition which grew out of and still cherishes the
central doctrines inherited from the reformed branch of the
Reformation.
The controversy between Arminianism and Calvinism arose in
Holland in the early 1600's. The founder of the Arminian party
was Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). He studied under the strict
Calvinist Theodore Beza at Geneva and became a professor of
theology at the University of Leyden in 1603.
Gradually Arminius came to reject certain Calvinist teachings.
The controversy spread all over Holland, where the Reformed
Church was the overwhelming majority. The Arminians drew up their
creed in Five Articles (written by Uytenbogaert), and laid them
before the state authorities of Holland in 1610 under the name
Remonstrance, signed by forty-six ministers. (These Five Articles
can be read in Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 3, pp.
545-547.)
The Calvinists responded with a Counter-Remonstrance. But the
official Calvinistic response came from the Synod of Dort which
was held to consider the Five Articles from November 13, 1618 to
May 9, 1619. There were eighty-four members and eighteen secular
commissioners. The Synod wrote what has come to be known as the
Canons of Dort. These are still part of the church confession of
the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church.
They state the Five Points of Calvinism in response to the Five
Articles of the Arminian Remonstrants. (See Schaff, vol. 3, pp.
581-596).
So the so-called Five Points were not chosen by the Calvinists as
a summary of their teach-ing. They emerged as a response to the
Arminians who chose these five points to oppose.
It is more important to give a positive Biblical position on the
five points than to know the exact form of the original
controversy. These five points are still at the heart of Biblical
the-ology. They are not unimportant. Where we stand on these
things deeply affects our view of God, man, salvation, the
atonement, regeneration, assurance, worship, and missions.
Somewhere along the way the five points came to be summarized
under the acronym TULIP.
T-Total depravity.
U-Unconditional election
L-Limited atonement
I-Irresistible grace
P-Perseverance of the saint
NOTE: We are not going to follow this order in our presentation. There is a good rationale for this traditional order: it starts with man in need of salvation and then gives, in the order of their occurrence, the steps God takes to save his people. He elects, then he sends Christ to atone for the sins of the elect, then he irresistibly draws his people to faith, and finally works to cause them to persevere to the end.
We have found, however, that people grasp these points more easily if we follow a presentation based on the order in which we experience them.
We would like to spell out what we believe the
Scripture teaches on these five points. Our great desire is to
honor God by understanding and believing his truth revealed in
Scripture. We are open to changing any of our ideas which can be
shown to contradict the truth of Scripture. We do not have any
vested interest in John Calvin himself, and we find some of what
he taught to be wrong. But in general we are willing to let
ourselves be called Calvinists on the five points, because we
find the Calvinist position to be Biblical.
We share the sentiments of Jonathan Edwards who said in the
Preface to his great book on THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL, "I
should not take it at all amiss, to be called a Calvinist, for
distinction's sake: though I utterly disclaim a dependence on
Calvin, or believing the doctrines which I hold, because he
believed and taught them; and cannot justly be charged with
believing in every thing just as he taught."
Total Depravity
When we speak of man's
depravity we mean man's natural condition apart from any grace
exerted by God to restrain or transform man.
There is no doubt that man could perform more evil acts toward
his fellow man than he does. But if he is restrained from
performing more evil acts by motives that are not owing to his
glad submission to God, then even his "virtue" is evil
in the sight of God.
Romans 14:23 says, "Whatever does not proceed from faith is
sin." This is a radical indictment of all natural
"virtue" that does not flow from a heart humbly relying
on God's grace.
The terrible condition of man's heart will never be recognized by
people who assess it only in relation to other men. Romans 14:23
makes plain that depravity is our condition in relation to God
primarily, and only secondarily in relation to man. Unless we
start here we will never grasp the totality of our natural
depravity.
Man's depravity is total in at least four senses.
(1) Our rebellion against God is total. Apart from the grace of
God there is no delight in the holiness of God, and there is no
glad submission to the sovereign authority of God.
Of course totally depraved men can be very religious and very
philanthropic. They can pray and give alms and fast, as Jesus
said (Matthew 6:1-18). But their very religion is rebellion
against the rights of their Creator, if it does not come from a
childlike heart of trust in the free grace of God. Religion is
one of the chief ways that man conceals his unwillingness to
forsake self-reliance and bank all his hopes on the unmerited
mercy of God (Luke 18:9-14; Colossians 2:20-23).
The totality of our rebellion is seen in Romans 3:9-10 and 18.
"I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks,
are under the power of sin, as it is written: None is righteous,
no not one; no one seeks for God....There is no fear of God
before their eyes."
It is a myth that man in his natural state is genuinely seeking
God. Men do seek God. But they do not seek him for who he is.
They seek him in a pinch as one who might preserve them from
death or enhance their worldly enjoyments. Apart from conversion,
no one comes to the light of God.
Some do come to the light. But listen to what John 3:20-21 says
about them. "Every one who does evil hates the light, and
does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But
he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be
clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God."
Yes there are those who come to the light -- namely those whose
deeds are the work of God. "Wrought in God" means
worked by God. Apart from this gracious work of God all men hate
the light of God and will not come to him lest their evil be
exposed -- this is total rebellion. "No one seeks for
God...There is no fear of God before their eyes!"
(2) In his total rebellion everything man does is sin.
In Romans 14:23 Paul says, "Whatever is not from faith is
sin." Therefore, if all men are in total rebellion,
everything they do is the product of rebellion and cannot be an
honor to God, but only part of their sinful rebellion. If a king
teaches his subjects how to fight well and then those subjects
rebel against their king and use the very skill he taught them to
resist him, then even those skills become evil.
Thus man does many things which he can only do because he is
created in the image of God and which in the service of God could
be praised. But in the service of man's self-justifying
rebellion, these very things are sinful.
In Romans 7:18 Paul says, "I know that no good dwells in me,
that is, in my flesh." This is a radical confession of the
truth that in our rebellion nothing we think or feel is good. It
is all part of our rebellion. The fact that Paul qualifies his
depravity with the words, "that is, in my flesh," shows
that he is willing to affirm the good of anything that the Spirit
of God produces in him (Romans 15:18). "Flesh" refers
to man in his natural state apart from the work of God's Spirit.
So what Paul is saying in Romans 7:18 is that apart from the work
of God's Spirit all we think and feel and do is not good.
NOTE: We recognize that the word "good" has a broad
range of meanings. We will have to use it in a restricted sense
to refer to many actions of fallen people which in relation are
in fact not good.
For example we will have to say that it is good that most
unbelievers do not kill and that some unbelievers perform acts of
benevolence. What we mean when we call such actions good is that
they more or less conform to the external pattern of life that
God has commanded in Scripture.
However, such outward conformity to the revealed will of God is
not righteousness in relation to God. It is not done out of
reliance on him or for his glory. He is not trusted for the
resources, though he gives them all. Nor is his honor exalted,
even though that's his will in all things (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Therefore even these "good" acts are part of our
rebellion and are not "good" in the sense that really
counts in the end -- in relation to God.
(3) Man's inability to submit to God and do good is total.
Picking up on the term "flesh" above (man apart from
the grace of God) we find Paul declaring it to be totally
enslaved to rebellion. Romans 8:7-8 says, "For the mind that
is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to
God's law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh
cannot please God."
The "mind of the flesh" is the mind of man apart from
the indwelling Spirit of God ("You are not in the flesh, you
are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in
you," Romans 8:9). So natural man has a mindset that does
not and cannot submit to God. Man cannot reform himself.
Ephesians 2:1 says that we Christians were all once "dead in
trespasses and sins." The point of deadness is that we were
incapable of any life with God. Our hearts were like a stone
toward God (Ephesians 4:18; Ezekiel 36:26). Our hearts were blind
and incapable of seeing the glory of God in Christ (2 Corinthians
4:4-6). We were totally unable to reform ourselves.
(4) Our rebellion is totally deserving of eternal punishment.
Ephesians 2:3 goes on to say that in our deadness we were
"children of wrath." That is, we were under God's wrath
because of the corruption of our hearts that made us as good as
dead before God.
The reality of hell is God's clear indictment of the infiniteness
of our guilt. If our corruption were not deserving of an eternal
punishment God would be unjust to threaten us with a punishment
so severe as eternal torment. But the Scriptures teach that God
is just in condemning unbelievers to eternal hell (2
Thessalonians 1:6-9; Matthew 5:29f; 10:28; 13:49f; 18:8f; 25:46;
Revelation 14:9-11; 20:10). Therefore, to the extent that hell is
a total sentence of condemnation, to that extent must we think of
ourselves as totally blameworthy apart from the saving grace of
God.
In summary, total depravity means that our rebellion against God
is total, everything we do in this rebellion is sin, our
inability to submit to God or reform ourselves is total, and we
are therefore totally deserving of eternal punishment.
It is hard to exaggerate the importance of admitting our
condition to be this bad. If we think of ourselves as basically
good or even less than totally at odds with God, our grasp of the
work of God in redemption will be defective. But if we humble
ourselves under this terrible truth of our total depravity, we
will be in a position to see and appreciate the glory and wonder
of the work of God discussed in the next four points.
Irresistible Grace
The doctrine of
irresistible grace does not mean that every influence of the Holy
Spirit cannot be resisted. It means that the Holy Spirit can
overcome all resistance and make his influence irresistible.
In Acts 7:51 Stephen says to the Jewish leaders, "You
stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always
resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did." And Paul speaks
of grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1
Thessalonians 5:19). God gives many entreaties and promptings
which are resisted. In fact the whole history of Israel in the
Old Testament is one protracted story of resistance, as the
parable of the wicked tenants shows (Matthew 21:33-43; cf. Romans
10:21).
The doctrine of irresistible grace means that God is sovereign
and can overcome all resistance when he wills. "He does
according to his will in the host of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand!"
(Daniel 4:35). "Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever
he pleases" (Psalm 115:3). When God undertakes to fulfill
his sovereign purpose, no one can successfully resist him.
This is what Paul taught in Romans 9:14-18, which caused his
opponent to say, "Why then does he still find fault? For who
can resist his will?" To which Paul answers: "Who are
you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its
molder, 'Why have you made me thus?' Has the potter no right over
the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and
another for menial use?" (Romans 9:20f).
More specifically irresistible grace refers to the sovereign work
of God to overcome the rebellion of our heart and bring us to
faith in Christ so that we can be saved. If our doctrine of total
depravity is true, there can be no salvation without the reality
of irresistible grace. If we are dead in our sins, totally unable
to submit to God, then we will never believe in Christ unless God
overcomes our rebellion.
Someone may say, "Yes, the Holy Spirit must draw us to God,
but we can use our freedom to resist or accept that
drawing." Our answer is: except for the continual exertion
of saving grace, we will always use our freedom to resist God.
That is what it means to be "unable to submit to God."
If a person becomes humble enough to submit to God it is because
God has given that person a new, humble nature. If a person
remains too hard hearted and proud to submit to God, it is
because that person has not been given such a willing spirit. But
to see this most persuasively we should look at the Scriptures.
In John 6:44 Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws him." This drawing is the sovereign
work of grace without which no one can be saved from their
rebellion against God. Again some say, "He draws all men,
not just some." But this simply evades the clear implication
of the context that the Father's "drawing" is why some
believe and not others.
Specifically, John 6:64-65 says, "'But there are some of you
that do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the first who those
were that did not believe, and who it was that should betray him.
And he said, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by the Father.'"
Notice two things.
First, notice that coming to Jesus is called a gift. It is not
just an opportunity. Coming to Jesus is "given" to some
and not to others.
Second, notice that the reason Jesus says this, is to explain why
"there are some who do not believe." We could
paraphrase it like this: Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas
would not believe on him in spite of all the teaching and
invitations he received. And because he knew this, he explains it
with the words, No one comes to me unless it is given to him by
my Father. Judas was not given to Jesus. There were many
influences on his life for good. But the decisive, irresistible
gift of grace was not given.
2 Timothy 2:24-25 says, "The Lord's servant must not be
quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing,
correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant
that they will repent and come to know the truth."
Here, as in John 6:65 repentance is called a gift of God. Notice,
he is not saying merely that salvation is a gift of God. He is
saying that the prerequisites of salvation are also a gift. When
a person hears a preacher call for repentance he can resist that
call. But if God gives him repentance he cannot resist because
the gift is the removal of resistance. Not being willing to
repent is the same as resisting the Holy Spirit. So if God gives
repentance it is the same as taking away the resistance. This is
why we call this work of God "irresistible grace".
NOTE: It should be obvious from this that irresistible grace
never implies that God forces us to believe against our will.
That would even be a contradiction in terms. On the contrary,
irresistible grace is compatible with preaching and witnessing
that tries to persuade people to do what is reasonable and what
will accord with their best interests.
1 Corinthians 1:23-24 says, "We preach Christ crucified, a
stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who
are called, both Jew and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the
wisdom of God." Notice the two kinds of "calls"
implied in this text.
First, the preaching of Paul goes out to all, both Jews and
Greeks. This is the general call of the gospel. It offers
salvation to all who will believe on the crucified Christ. But by
and large it falls on unreceptive ears and is called foolishness.
But then, secondly, Paul refers to another kind of call. He says
that among those who hear there are some who are
"called" in such a way that they no longer regard the
cross as foolishness but as the wisdom and power of God. What
else can this call be but the irresistible call of God out of
darkness into the light of God? If ALL who are called in this
sense regard the cross as the power of God, then something in the
call must effect the faith. This is irresistible grace.
It is further explained in 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, "The god of
this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them
from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who
is the likeness of God...It is the God who said, 'Let light shine
out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
Since men are blinded to the worth of Christ, a miracle is needed
in order for them to come to see and believe. Paul compares this
miracle with the first day of creation when God said, "Let
there be light." It is in fact a new creation, or a new
birth. This is what is meant by the effectual call in 1
Corinthians 1:24.
Those who are called have their eyes opened by the sovereign
creative power of God so that they no longer see the cross as
foolishness but as the power and the wisdom of God. The effectual
call is the miracle of having our blindness removed. This is
irresistible grace.
Another example of it is in Acts 16:14, where Lydia is listening
to the preaching of Paul. Luke says, "The Lord opened her
heart to give heed to what was said by Paul." Unless God
opens our hearts, we will not heed the message of the gospel.
This heart-opening is what we mean by irresistible grace.
Another way to describe it is "new birth" or being born
again. We believe that new birth is a miraculous creation of God
that enables a formerly "dead" person to receive Christ
and so be saved. We do not think that faith precedes and causes
new birth. Faith is the evidence that God has begotten us anew.
"Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been
born of God" (1 John 5:1).
When John says that God gives the right to become the children of
God to all who receive Christ (John 1:12), he goes on to say that
those who do receive Christ "were born, not of blood nor of
the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
In other words, it is necessary to receive Christ in order to
become a child of God, but the birth that brings one into the
family of God is not possible by the will of man.
Man is dead in trespasses and sins. He cannot make himself new,
or create new life in himself. He must be born of God. Then, with
the new nature of God, he immediately receives Christ. The two
acts (regeneration and faith) are so closely connected that in
experience we cannot distinguish them. God begets us anew and the
first glimmer of life in the new-born child is faith. Thus new
birth is the effect of irresistible grace, because it is an act
of sovereign creation -- "not of the will of man but of
God."
Limited Atonement
The atonement is the
work of God in Christ on the cross whereby he cancelled the debt
of our sin, appeased his holy wrath against us, and won for us
all the benefits of salvation. The death of Christ was necessary
because God would not show a just regard for his glory if he
swept sins under the rug with no recompense.
Romans 3:25-26 says that God "put Christ forward as a
propitiation by his blood...This was to demonstrate God's
righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed
over former sins. It was to prove at the present time that he
himself is righteous and that he justifies those who have faith
in Jesus."
In other words the death of Christ was necessary to vindicate the
righteousness of God in justifying the ungodly by faith. It would
be unrighteous to forgive sinners as though their sin were
insignificant, when in fact it is an infinite insult against the
value of God's glory. Therefore Jesus bears the curse, which was
due to our sin, so that we can be justified and the righteousness
of God can be vindicated.
The term "limited atonement" addresses the question,
"For whom did Christ die?" But behind the question of
the extent of the atonement lies the equally important question
about the nature of the atonement. What did Christ actually
achieve on the cross for those for whom he died?
If you say that he died for every human being in the same way,
then you have to define the nature of the atonement very
differently than you would if you believed that Christ only died
for those who actually believe. In the first case you would
believe that the death of Christ did not actually save anybody;
it only made all men savable. It did not actually remove God's
punitive wrath from anyone, but instead created a place where
people could come and find mercy -- IF they could accomplish
their own new birth and bring themselves to faith without the
irresistible grace of God.
For if Christ died for all men in the same way then he did not
purchase regenerating grace for those who are saved. They must
regenerate themselves and bring themselves to faith. Then and
only then do they become partakers of the benefits of the cross.
In other words if you believe that Christ died for all men in the
same way, then the benefits of the cross cannot include the mercy
by which we are brought to faith, because then all men would be
brought to faith, but they aren't. But if the mercy by which we
are brought to faith (irresistible grace) is not part of what
Christ purchased on the cross, then we are left to save ourselves
from the bondage of sin, the hardness of heart, the blindness of
corruption, and the wrath of God.
Therefore it becomes evident that it is not the Calvinist who
limits the atonement. It is the Arminian, because he denies that
the atoning death of Christ accomplishes what we most desperately
need -- namely, salvation from the condition of deadness and
hardness and blindness under the wrath of God. The Arminian
limits the nature and value and effectiveness of the atonement so
that he can say that it was accomplished even for those who die
in unbelief and are condemned. In order to say that Christ died
for all men in the same way, the Arminian must limit the
atonement to a powerless opportunity for men to save themselves
from their terrible plight of depravity.
On the other hand we do not limit the power and effectiveness of
the atonement. We simply say that in the cross God had in view
the actual redemption of his children. And we affirm that when
Christ died for these, he did not just create the opportunity for
them to save themselves, but really purchased for them all that
was necessary to get them saved, including the grace of
regeneration and the gift of faith.
We do not deny that all men are the intended beneficiaries of the
cross in some sense. 1 Timothy 4:10 says that Christ is "the
Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." What we
deny is that all men are intended as the beneficiaries of the
death of Christ in the same way. All of God's mercy toward
unbelievers -- from the rising sun (Matthew 5:45) to the
worldwide preaching of the gospel (John 3:16) -- is made possible
because of the cross.
This is the implication of Romans 3:25 where the cross is
presented as the basis of God's righteousness in passing over
sins. Every breath that an unbeliever takes is an act of God's
mercy withholding judgment (Romans 2:4). Every time the gospel is
preached to unbelievers it is the mercy of God that gives this
opportunity for salvation.
Whence does this mercy flow to sinners? How is God just to
withhold judgment from sinners who deserve to be immediately cast
into hell? The answer is that Christ's death so clearly
demonstrates God's just abhorrence of sin that he is free to
treat the world with mercy without compromising his
righteousness. In this sense Christ is the savior of all men.
But he is especially the Savior of those who believe. He did not
die for all men in the same sense. The intention of the death of
Christ for the children of God was that it purchase far more than
the rising sun and the opportunity to be saved. The death of
Christ actually saves from ALL evil those for whom Christ died
"especially."
There are many Scriptures which say that the death of Christ was
designed for the salvation of God's people, not for every
individual. For example:
John 10:15, "I lay down my life for the sheep." The
sheep of Christ are those whom the Father draws to the Son.
"You do not believe, because you do not belong to my
sheep." Notice: being a sheep enables you to become a
believer, not vice versa. So the sheep for whom Christ dies are
the ones chosen by the Father to give to the Son.
In John 17:6,9,19 Jesus prays, "I have manifested thy name
to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were,
and thou gavest them to me...I am praying for them; I am not
praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for
they are thine...And for their sake I consecrate myself, that
they also may be consecrated in truth." The consecration in
view here is the death of Jesus which he is about to undergo. His
death and his intercession us uniquely for his disciples, not for
the world in general.
John 11:51-52, "[Caiaphas] being high priest that year
prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the
nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are
scattered abroad." There are children of God scattered
throughout the world. These are the sheep. These are the ones the
Father will draw to the Son. Jesus died to gather these people
into one. The point is the same as John 10:15-16, "I lay
down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not
of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my
voice." Christ died for his sheep, that is, for the children
of God.
Revelation 5:9, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to
open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom
men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and
nation." In accordance with John 10:16 John does not say
that the death of Christ ransomed all men but that it ransomed
men from all the tribes of the world.
This is the way we understand texts like 1 John 2:2 which says,
"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only
but also for the sins of the whole world." This does not
mean that Christ died with the intention to appease the wrath of
God for every person in the world, but that the
"sheep," "the children of God" scattered
throughout the whole world, "from every tongue and tribe and
people and nation" are intended by the propitiation of
Christ. In fact the grammatical parallel between John 11:51-52
and 1 John 2:2 is so close it is difficult to escape the
conviction that the same thing is intended by John in both
verses.
John 11:51-52, "He prophesied that Jesus should die for the
nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the
children of God who are scattered abroad."
1 John 2:2, "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not
for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
The "whole world" refers to the children of God
scattered throughout the whole world.
If "the whole world" referred to every individual in
the world, we would be forced to say that John is teaching that
all people will be saved, which he does not believe (Revelation
14:9-11). The reason we would be forced to say this is that the
term propitiation refers to a real removal of wrath from sinners.
When God's wrath against a sinner is propitiated, it is removed
from that sinner. And the result is that all God's power now
flows in the service of his mercy, with the result that nothing
can stop him from saving that sinner.
Propitiated sins cannot be punished. Otherwise propitiation loses
its meaning. Therefore if Christ is the propitiation for all the
sins of every individual in the world, they cannot be punished,
and must be saved. But John does not believe in such universalism
(John 5:29). Therefore it is very unlikely that 1 John 2:2
teaches that Jesus is the propitiation of every person in the
world.
Mark 10:45, in accord with Revelation 5:9,does not say that Jesus
came to ransom all men. It says, "For the Son of man also
came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many."
Similarly in Matthew 26:28 Jesus says, "This is my blood of
the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins."
Hebrews 9:28, "So Christ, having been offered once to bear
the sins of many, will appear a second time, not deal with sin
but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (See
also 13:20; Isaiah 53:11-12.)
One of the clearest passages on the intention of the death of
Christ is Ephesians 5:25-27. Here Paul not only says that the
intended beneficiary of the death of Christ is the Church, but
also that the intended effect of the death of Christ is the
sanctification and glorification of the church. This is the truth
we want very much to preserve: that the cross was not intended to
give all men the opportunity to save themselves, but was intended
to actually save the church.
Paul says, "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
washing of water with the word, that he might present the church
to himself in splendor."
Similarly in Titus 2:14 Paul describes the purpose of Christ's
death like this: "He gave himself for us to redeem us from
all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who
are zealous for good deeds." If Paul were an Arminian would
he not have said, "He gave himself to redeem all men from
iniquity and purify all men for himself"? But Paul says that
the design of the atonement is to purify for Christ a people out
from the world. This is just what John said in John 10:15;
11:51f; and Revelation 5:9.
One of the most crucial texts on this issue is Romans 8:32. It is
one of the most precious promises for God's people in all the
Bible. Paul says, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave
him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with
him?"
The crucial thing to see here is how Paul bases the certainty of
our inheritance on the death of Christ. He says, "God will
most certainly give you all things because he did not spare his
own Son but gave him up for you." What becomes of this
precious argument if Christ is given for those who do not in fact
receive all things but instead are lost? The argument vanishes.
If God gave his own Son for unbelievers who in the end are lost,
then he cannot say that the giving of the Son guarantees
"all things" for the those for whom he died. But this
is what he does say! If God gave his Son for you, then he most
certainly will give you all things. The structure of Paul's
thought here is simply destroyed by introducing the idea that
Christ died for all men in the same way.
We can conclude this section with the following summary argument.
Which of these statements is true?
1. Christ died for some of the sins of all men.
2. Christ died for all the sins of some men.
3. Christ died for all the sins of all men.
No one says that the first is true, for then all would be lost
because of the sins that Christ did not die for. The only way to
be saved from sin is for Christ to cover it with his blood.
The third statement is what the Arminians would say. Christ died
for all the sins of all men. But then why are not all saved? They
answer, Because some do not believe. But is this unbelief not one
of the sins for which Christ died? If they say yes, then why is
it not covered by the blood of Jesus and all unbelievers saved?
If they say no (unbelief is not a sin that Christ has died for)
then they must say that men can be saved without having all their
sins atoned for by Jesus, or they must join us in affirming
statement number two: Christ died for all the sins of some men.
That is, he died for the unbelief of the elect so that God's
punitive wrath is appeased toward them and his grace is free to
draw them irresistibly out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Unconditional Election
If all of us are so
depraved that we cannot come to God without being born again by
the irresistible grace of God, and if this particular grace is
purchased by Christ on the cross, then it is clear that the
salvation of any of us is owing to God's election.
Election refers to God's choosing whom to save. It is
unconditional in that there is no condition man must meet before
God chooses to save him. Man is dead in trespasses and sins. So
there is no condition he can meet before God chooses to save him
from his deadness.
We are not saying that final salvation is unconditional. It is
not. We must meet the condition of faith in Christ in order to
inherit eternal life. But faith is not a condition for election.
Just the reverse. Election is a condition for faith. It is
because God chose us before the foundation of the world that he
purchases our redemption at the cross and quickens us with
irresistible grace and brings us to faith.
Acts 13:48 reports how the Gentiles responded to the preaching of
the gospel in Antioch of Pisidia. "And when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God; and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed." Notice, it
does not say that as many believed were chosen to be ordained to
eternal life. The prior election of God is the reason some
believed while others did not.
Similarly Jesus says to the Jews in John 10:26, "You do not
believe, because you do not belong to my sheep." He does not
say, "You are not my sheep because you do not believe."
Being a sheep is something God decides for us before we believe.
It is the basis and enablement of our belief. We believe because
we are God's chosen sheep, not vice versa. (See John 8:47;
18:37.)
In Romans 9 Paul stresses the unconditionality of election. For
example, in verses 11-12 he describes the principle God used in
the choice of Jacob over Esau: "Though they were not yet
born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God's
purpose of election might continue, not because of works but
because of his call, [Rebecca] was told, 'The elder will serve
the younger.'" God's election is preserved in its
unconditionality because it is transacted before we are born or
have done any good or evil.
NOTE: Some interpreters say that Romans 9 has nothing to do with
the election of individuals to their eternal destinies. They say
that the chapter only relates to the historical roles that are
played by the peoples descended from Jacob and Esau.
We recommend The Justification of God by John Piper (Baker
Book House, 1983) which was written to investigate this very
issue. It concludes that Romans 9 not only relates to the
historical roles of whole peoples, but also to the eternal
destinies of individuals, because among other reasons (Justification,
pp. 38-54), verses 1-5 pose a problem about the lostness of
individual Israelites which would be totally unaddressed if the
chapter had nothing to say about individuals.
The unconditionality of God's electing grace is stressed again in
Romans 9:15-16, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So it depends
not upon man's will or exertion, but upon God's mercy."
We really do not understand mercy if we think that we can
initiate it by our own will or effort. We are hopelessly bound in
the darkness of sin. If we are going to be saved, God will have
to unconditionally take the initiative in our heart and
irresistibly make us willing to submit to him. (See Romans 11:7.)
Ephesians 1:3-6 is another powerful statement of the
unconditionality of our election and predestination to sonship.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He
predestined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of the glory
of his grace."
Some interpreters argue that this election before the foundation
of the world was only an election of Christ, but not an election
of which individuals would actually be in Christ. This simply
amounts to saying that there is no unconditional election of
individuals to salvation. Christ is put forward as the chosen one
of God and the salvation of individuals is dependent on their own
initiative to overcome their depravity and be united to Christ by
faith. God does not choose them and therefore God cannot
effectually convert them. He can only wait to see who will
quicken themselves from the dead and choose him.
This interpretation does not square well with verse 11 where it
says that "we were predestined according to the purpose of
him who works all things according to the counsel of his
will."
Nor does the literal wording of verse 4 fit this interpretation.
The ordinary meaning of the word for "choose" in verse
4 is to select or pick out of a group (cf. Luke 6:13; 14:7; John
13:18; 15:16,19). So the natural meaning of the verse is that God
chooses his people from all humanity, before the foundation of
the world by viewing them in relationship to Christ their
redeemer.
All election is in relation to Christ. There would be no election
of sinners unto salvation if Christ were not appointed to die for
their sins. So in that sense they are elect in Christ. But it is
they, and not just Christ who are chosen out of the world.
Also the wording of verse 5 suggests the election of people to be
in Christ, and not just the election of Christ. Literally it
says, "Having predestined us unto sonship through Jesus
Christ." We are the ones predestined, not Christ. He is the
one that makes the election of sinners possible, and so our
election is "through him," but there is no talk here
about God having a view only to Christ in election.
Perhaps the most important text of all in relation to the
teaching of unconditional election is Romans 8:28-33.
"We know that in everything God works for good with those
who love him, who are called according to his purpose, For those
whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image
of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many
brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those
whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he
also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us,
who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him
up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? Who
shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who
justifies."
Often this text is used to argue against unconditional election
on the basis of verse 29 which says, "Those whom he foreknew
he also predestined..." So some say that people are not
chosen unconditionally. They are chosen on the basis of their
faith which they produce without the help of irresistible grace
and which God sees beforehand.
But this will not square with the context. Notice that Romans
8:30 says, "And those whom he predestined he also called;
and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he
justified he also glorified." Focus for a moment on the fact
that all whom God calls he also justifies.
This calling in verse 30 is not given to all people. The reason
we know it's not is that all those who are called are also
justified -- but all men are not justified. So this calling in
verse 30 is not the general call to repentance that preachers
give or that God gives through the glory of nature. Everybody
receives that call. The call of verse 30 is given only to those
whom God predestined to be conformed to the image of his son
(v.29). And it is a call that leads necessarily to justification:
"Those whom he called he also justified."
But we know that justification is by faith (Romans 5:1). What
then is this call that is given to all those who are predestined
and which leads to justification? It must be the call of
irresistible grace. It is the call of 1 Corinthians 1:24 which we
discussed above on page 6.
Between the act of predestination and justification there is the
act of calling. Since justification is only by faith the calling
in view must be the act of God whereby he calls faith into being.
And since it necessarily results in justification it must be
irresistible. There are none called (in this sense! not the sense
of Matthew 22:14) who are not justified. All the called are
justified. So the calling of verse 30 is the sovereign work of
God which brings a person to faith by which he is justified.
Now notice the implication this has for the meaning of
foreknowledge in verse 29. When Paul says in verse 29,
"Those whom he foreknew he also predestined," he can't
mean (as so many try to make him mean) that God knows in advance
who will use their free will to come to faith, so that he can
predestine them to sonship because they made that free choice on
their own. It can't mean that because we have seen from verse 30
that people do not come to faith on their own. They are called
irresistibly.
God does not foreknow the free decisions of people to believe in
him because there aren't any such free decisions to know. If
anyone comes to faith in Jesus, it is because they were quickened
from the dead (Ephesians 2:5) by the creative Spirit of God. That
is, they are effectually called from darkness into light.
So the foreknowledge of Romans 8:29 is not the mere awareness of
something that will happen in the future apart from God's
predetermination. Rather it is the kind of knowledge referred to
in Old Testament texts like Genesis 18:19 ("I have chosen
[literally:known] Abraham so that he may charge his children...to
keep the way of the Lord"), and Jeremiah 1:5 ("Before I
formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I
consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations")
and Amos 3:2 ("You only [Israel] have I known from all the
families of the earth").
As C.E.B. Cranfield says, the foreknowledge of Romans 8:29 is
"that special taking knowledge of a person which is God's
electing grace." Such foreknowledge is virtually the same as
election: "Those whom he foreknew (i.e. chose) he
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son."
Therefore what this magnificent text (Romans 8:28-33) teaches is
that God really accomplishes the complete redemption of his
people from start to finish. He foreknows, i.e. elects a people
for himself before the foundation of the world, he predestines
this people to be conformed to the image of his Son, he calls
them to himself in faith, he justifies them through that faith,
and he finally glorifies them -- and nothing can separate them
from the love of God in Christ for ever and ever (Romans 8:39).
To him be all praise and glory! Amen.
Perseverance of the
Saints
It follows from what
was just said that the people of God WILL persevere to the end
and not be lost. The foreknown are predestined, the predestined
are called, the called are justified, and the justified are
glorified. No one is lost from this group. To belong to this
people is to be eternally secure.
But we mean more than this by the doctrine of the perseverance of
the saints. We mean that the saints will and must persevere in
the obedience which comes from faith. Election is unconditional,
but glorification is not. There are many warnings in Scripture
that those who do not hold fast to Christ can be lost in the end.
The following seven theses summarize our understanding of this
crucial doctrine.
l. Our faith must endure to the end if we are to be saved.
This means that the ministry of the word is God's instrument in
the preservation of faith as well as the begetting of faith. We
do not breathe easy after a person has prayed to receive Christ,
as though we can be assured from our perspective that they are
now beyond the reach of the evil one. There is a fight of faith
to be fought. We must endure to the end in faith if we are to be
saved.
l Corinthians 15:1,2, "Now I would remind you, brethren, in
what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in
which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it
fast--unless you believed in vain."
Colossians 1:21-23, "And you, who once were estranged and
hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his
body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and
blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you
continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from
the hope of the gospel..."
2 Timothy 2:ll,l2, "The saying is sure: If we have died with
him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also
reign with him..."
Mark 13:13, "But he who endures to the end will be
saved."
See also Revelation 2:7,l0,ll,l7,25,26; 3:5,ll,l2,2l.
2. Obedience, evidencing inner renewal from God, is necessary for
final salvation.
This is not to say that God demands perfection. It is clear from
Philippians 3:l2,l3 and l John 1:8-10 and Matthew 6:l2 that the
New Testament does not hold out the demand that we be sinlessly
perfect in order to be saved. But the New Testament does demand
that we be morally changed and walk in newness of life.
Hebrews 12:14, "Strive for peace with all men, and for the
holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
Romans 8:l3, "If you live according to the flesh you will
die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live."
Galatians 5:l9-2l, "Now the works of the flesh are plain:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity,
strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit,
envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I
warned you before, that those who do such things shall not enter
the kingdom of God." (See also Ephesians 5:5 and l
Corinthians 6:l0.)
l John 2:3-6, "And by this we may be sure that we know him,
if we keep his commandments. He who says, 'I know him' but
disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is
perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: he who says
he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he
walked." (See also l John 3:4-l0, 14; 4:20.)
John 8:3l, "Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in
him, 'If you continue in my word, you are truly my
disciples.'" (See also Luke 10:28; Matthew 6:l4,l5; 18:35;
Genesis 18:19; 22:l6-l7; 26:4-5; 2 Timothy 2:l9.)
3. God's elect cannot be lost.
This is why we believe in eternal security--namely, the eternal
security of the elect. the implication is that God will so work
that those whom he has chosen for eternal salvation will be
enabled by him to persevere in faith to the end and fulfill, by
the power of the Holy Spirit, the requirements for obedience.
Romans 8:28-30, "We know that in everything God works for
good with those who love him, who are called according to his
propose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he
also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and
those whom he justified he also glorified." What is evident
from this passage is that those who are effectually called into
the hope of salvation will indeed persevere to the end and be
glorified.
John 10:26-30, "You do not believe, because you do not
belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall
never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one
is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father
are one." (See also Ephesians 1:4-5.)
4. There is a falling away of some believers, but if it persists,
it shows that their faith was not genuine and they were not born
of God.
l John 2:l9, "They went out from us, but they were not of
us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with
us; but they went out, that it might be made plain that they all
are not of us." Similarly, the parable of the four soils as
interpreted in Luke 8:9-l4 pictures people who "hear the
word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe
for a while and in a time of temptation fall away."
The fact that such a thing is possible is precisely why the
ministry of the Word in every local church must contain many
admonitions to the church members to persevere in faith and not
be entangled in those things which could possibly strangle them
and result in their condemnation.
5. God justifies us on the first genuine act of saving faith, but
in doing so he has a view to all subsequent acts of faith
contained, as it were, like a seed in that first act.
What we are trying to do here is own up to the teaching of Romans
5:l, for example, that teaches that we are already justified
before God. God does not wait to the end of our lives in order to
declare us righteous. In fact, we would not be able to have the
assurance and freedom in order to live out the radical demands of
Christ unless we could be confident that because of our faith we
already stand righteous before him.
Nevertheless, we must also own up to the fact that our final
salvation is made contingent upon the subsequent obedience which
comes from faith. The way these two truths fit together is that
we are justified on the basis of our first act of faith because
God sees in it (like he can see the tree in an acorn) the embryo
of a life of faith. This is why those who do not lead a life of
faith with its inevitable obedience simply bear witness to the
fact that their first act of faith was not genuine.
The textual support for this is that Romans 4:3 cites Genesis
15:6 as the point where Abraham was justified by God. This is a
reference to an act of faith early in Abraham's career. Romans
4:l9-22, however, refers to an experience of Abraham many years
later (when he was 100 years old, see Genesis 2l:5,l2) and says
that because of the faith of this experience Abraham was reckoned
righteous. In other words, it seems that the faith which
justified Abraham is not merely his first act of faith but the
faith which gave rise to acts of obedience later in his life.
(The same thing could be shown from James 2:2l-24 in its
reference to a still later act in Abraham's life, namely, the
offering of his son, Isaac, in Genesis 22.) The way we put
together these crucial threads of Biblical truth is by saying
that we are indeed justified on the basis of our first act of
faith but not without reference to all the subsequent acts of
faith which give rise to the obedience that God demands.
6. God works to cause his elect to persevere.
We are not left to ourselves and our assurance is very largely
rooted in the sovereign love of God to perform that which he has
called us to do. l Peter 1:5, "By God's power we are guarded
through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time." Jude 24,25, "Now to him who is able to keep you
from falling and to present you without blemish before the
presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Savior
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and
authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."
l Thessalonians 5:23-24, "May the God of peace himself
sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be
kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."
Philippians 1:6, "And I am sure that he who began a good
work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus
Christ."
l Corinthians 1:8-9, "Jesus Christ will sustain you to the
end; guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is
faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord."
7. Therefore we should be zealous to make our calling and
election sure.
2 Peter 1:10, "Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to
confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never
fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into
the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
Concluding Testimonies
It is possible to
believe all these things in your head and go to hell. So easily
deceived and hypocritical are we by nature! Therefore our concern
in writing these things is not merely to convince the mind but
also to win the heart.
We want for others the sweet experience of resting in the massive
comfort of these truths. We want others to feel the tremendous
incentive for righteousness and for missions flowing from these
truths. We want for others the experience of knowing and trusting
the sovereign grace of God in such a way that He and He alone
gets the glory.
To this end we have gathered here some testimonies of what these
truths have meant to some great Christians of the past. For those
who have known them truly, they have never been mere speculation
for the head, but have always been power for the heart and life.
Augustine -- Augustine was resoundingly converted by the
irresistible grace of God after leading a dissolute life. He
wrote in his CONFESSIONS (X, 40):
I have no hope at all but in thy great mercy. Grant what thou
commandest and command what thou wilt. Thou dost enjoin on us
continence...Truly by continence are we bound together and
brought back into that unity from which we were dissipated into a
plurality. For he loves thee too little who loves anything
together with thee, which he loves not for thy sake. O love that
ever burnest and art never quenched! O Charity, my God, enkindle
me! Thou commandest continence. Grant what thou commandest and
command what thou wilt.
These are the words of a man who loves the truth of irresistible
grace, because he knows he is utterly undone without it. But also
in his doctrinal letters he drives this beloved truth home
(Epistle ccxvii, to Vitalis):
If, as I prefer to think in your case, you agree with us in
supposing that we are doing our duty in praying to God, as our
custom is, for them that refuse to believe, that they may be
willing to believe and for those who resist and oppose his law
and doctrine, that they may believe and follow it. If you agree
with us in thinking that we are doing our duty in giving thanks
to God, as is our custom, for such people when they have been
converted...then you are surely bound to admit that the wills of
men are preveniently moved by the grace of God, and that it is
God who makes them to will the good which they refused; for it is
God whom we ask so to do, and we know that it is meet and right
to give thanks to him for so doing...
For Augustine the truth of irresistible grace was the foundation
of his prayers for the conversion of the lost and of his thanks
to God when they were converted.
Jonathan Edwards -- Jonathan Edwards, the great New
England preacher and theologian of the eighteenth century, had an
equally deep love for these truths. He wrote when he was 26 about
the day he fell in love with the sovereignty of God:
There has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to
the doctrine of God's sovereignty, from that day to this...God's
absolute sovereignty...is what my mind seems to rest assured of,
as much as of any thing that I see with my eyes...The doctrine
has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet.
Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God...God's
sovereignty has ever appeared to me, a great part of his glory.
It has often been my delight to approach God, and adore him as a
sovereign God. (Personal Narrative).
George Whitefield -- Edwards wept openly when George
Whitefield preached in his church, because of how much he loved
the message he preached. Whitefield was a great evangelist in the
18th century. He said, "I embrace the Calvinistic scheme,
not because Calvin, but Jesus Christ has taught it to me"
(Arnold Dalimore, GEORGE WHITEFIELD 1, p. 406).
He pleaded with John Wesley not to oppose the doctrines of
Calvinism:
I cannot bear the thoughts of opposing you: but how can I avoid
it, if you go about (as you brother Charles once said) to drive
John Calvin out of Bristol. Alas, I never read anything that
Calvin wrote; my doctrines I had from Christ and His apostles; I
was taught them of God (Dalimore, p. 574).
It was these beliefs that filled him with holy zeal for
evangelism:
The doctrines of our election, and free justification in Christ
Jesus are daily more and more pressed upon my heart. They fill my
soul with a holy fire and afford me great confidence in God my
Saviour.
I hope we shall catch fire from each other, and that there will
be a holy emulation amongst us, who shall most debase man and
exalt the Lord Jesus. Nothing but the doctrines of the
Reformation can do this. All others leave freewill in man and
make him, in part at least, a saviour to himself. My soul, come
not thou near the secret of those who teach such things...I know
Christ is all in all. Man Is nothing: he hath a free will to go
to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to
will and to do his good pleasure.
Oh, the excellency of the doctrine of election and of the saints'
final perseverance! I am persuaded, til a man comes to believe
and feel these important truths, he cannot come out of himself,
but when convinced of these and assured of their application to
his own heart, he then walks by faith indeed! (Dalimore, p. 407).
George Mueller -- George Mueller is famous for the
orphanages he founded and the amazing faith he had to pray for
God's provision. Not many people know the theology that
undergirded that great ministry. In his mid-twenties (1829) he
had an experience which he records later as follows:
Before this period [when I came to prize the Bible alone as my
standard of judgment] I had been much opposed to the doctrines of
election, particular redemption (i.e. limited atonement), and
final persevering grace. But now I was brought to examine these
precious truths by the Word of God. Being made willing to have no
glory of my own in the conversion of sinners, but to consider
myself merely an instrument; and being made willing to receive
what the Scriptures said, I went to the Word, reading the New
Testament from the beginning, with a particular reference to
these truths.
To my great astonishment I found that the passages which speak
decidedly for election and persevering grace, were about four
times as many as those which speak apparently against these
truths; and even those few, shortly after, when I had examined
and understood them, served to confirm me in the above doctrines.
As to the effect which my belief in these doctrines had on me, I
am constrained to state for God's glory, that though I am still
exceedingly weak, and by no means so dead to the lusts of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, as I
might be, and as I ought to be, yet, by the grace of God, I have
walked more closely with Him since that period. My life has not
been so variable, and I may say that I have lived much more for
God than before (Autobiography, pp. 33-34).
Charles Spurgeon -- C.H. Spurgeon was a contemporary of
George Mueller. He was the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle
in London for thirty years, the most famous pastor of his day --
and a Baptist at that. His preaching was powerful to the winning
of souls to Christ. But what was his gospel that held thousands
spellbound each week and brought many to the Saviour?
I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as
preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what is
nowadays called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism;
Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we
can preach the gospel...unless we preach the sovereignty of God
in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing,
unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor
do I think we can preach the gospel unless we base it upon the
special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people
which Christ wrought out upon the Cross; nor can I comprehend a
gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called (AUTOBIOGRAPHY
1, p. 168).
He had not always believed these things. Spurgeon recounts his
discovery of these truths at the age of 16:
Born, as all of us are by nature, an Arminian, I still
believed the old things I had heard continually from the pulpit,
and did not see the grace of God. When I was coming to Christ, I
thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord
earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me...I can recall
the very day and hour when first I received those truths in my
own soul -- when they were, as John Bunyan says, burnt into my
heart as with a hot iron...
One week-night, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not
thinking much about the preacher's sermon, for I did not believe
it. The thought struck me, "How did you come to be a
Christian?" I sought the Lord. "But how did you come to
seek the Lord?" The truth flashed across my mind in a moment
-- I should not have sought Him unless there had been some
previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed,
thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was
induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the
Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a
moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He
was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace
opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to
this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession,
"I ascribe my change wholly to God" (AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
pp. 164-5).
Spurgeon started a college for pastors and was intent that the
key to being a worthy teacher in the church was to grasp these
doctrines of grace.
Arminianism is thus guilty of confusing doctrines and of acting
as an obstruction to a clear and lucid grasp of the Scripture;
because it mis-states or ignores the eternal purpose of God, it
dislocates the meaning of the whole plan of redemption. Indeed
confusion is inevitable apart from this foundational truth [of
election].
Without it there is a lack of unity of thought, and generally
speaking they have no idea whatever of a system of divinity. It
is almost impossible to make a man a theologian unless you begin
with this [doctrine of election]. You may if you please put a
young believer to college for years, but unless you shew him this
ground-plan of the everlasting covenant, he will make little
progress, because his studies do not cohere, he does not see how
one truth fits with another, and how all truths must harmonize
together...
Take any county throughout England, you will find poor men
hedging and ditching that have a better knowledge of divinity
than one half of those who come from our academies and colleges,
for the reason simply and entirely that these men have first
learned in their youth the system of which election is a centre,
and have afterwards found their own experience exactly square
with it.
A Final Appeal
It is fitting that we
close this account of our belief in the doctrines of grace by
appealing to you, the reader, to receive the magnificent Christ
who is the eternal Author of these doctrines. Give heed to the
beautiful entreaty extended by J.I. Packer, a great contemporary
advocate of these truths:
To the question: what must I do to be saved? the old gospel
[Calvinism] replies: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. To the
further question: what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ? its reply is: it means knowing oneself to be a sinner,
and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all
self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself
wholly upon Him for pardon and peace; and exchanging one's
natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful
submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of one's
heart by the Holy Ghost.
And to the further question still: how am I to go about believing
on Christ and repenting, if I have no natural ability to do these
things? it answers: look to Christ, speak to Christ, cry to
Christ, just as you are; confess your sin, your impenitence, your
unbelief, and cast yourself on His mercy; ask Him to give you a
new heart, working in you true repentance and firm faith; ask Him
to take away your evil heart of unbelief and to write His law
within you, that you may never henceforth stray from Him. Turn to
Him and trust Him as best you can, and pray for grace to turn and
trust more thoroughly; use the means of grace expectantly,
looking to Christ to draw near to you as you seek to draw near to
Him; watch pray read and hear God's Word, worship and commune
with God's people, and so continue till you know in yourself
beyond doubt that you are indeed a changed being, a penitent
believer, and the new heart which you desired has been put within
you ("Introductory Essay to John Owen's The Death of Death
in the Death of Christ," p. 21).
Let Charles Spurgeon lead you in prayer:
Join with me in prayer at this moment, I entreat you. Join with me while I put words into your mouths, and speak them on your behalf -- "Lord, I am guilty, I deserve thy wrath. Lord, I cannot save myself. Lord, I would have a new heart and a right spirit, but what can I do? Lord, I can do nothing, come and work in me to will and to do thy good pleasure.
Thou alone hast power, I know,
To save a wretch like me;
To whom, or whither should I go
If I should run from thee?
But I now do from my very soul call upon thy name. Trembling, yet believing, I cast myself wholly upon thee, O Lord. I trust the blood and righteousness of thy dear Son...Lord, save me tonight, for Jesus' sake." (From Iain Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1973], pp. 101f.)
Copyright 1998 John Piper. You are free to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and (4) you do not make more than 1,000 copies. If you would like to post this material to the web or if your intended use is other than outlined above, please contact Desiring God Ministries, 720 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415. (612) 338-7653. dgministry@aol.com