Why I'm Not a Calvinist Anymore (intro)

Okay, so I'm setting out on starting a series on why I'm not Calvinist anymore. I adhered to Calvinist doctrine for about a year. No it was not hearing a speaker, not it was not attending a different church, no it was not being swayed by someone's argument which caused me to denounce those doctrines. What changed my views on it was actually just reading God's Word in my own personal devotional time. As I would read it, I would read it through the lens of the 5 points of Calvinism...but I couldn't help it when I would come across certain verses and passages of the Bible which would completely refute several or all of the 5 points. The more I studied Scripture, the more Scripture I came across that completely contradicted Calvinism. I couldn't ignore it any longer. I set out to do deeper research into the matter and what I came across stemmed the tide of my Calvinist beliefs.

The first few parts of this series is really going to be just an introduction and a brief overview of what will be discussed. Then I will go through each of the 5 points of Calvinism, explain each point briefly, and then introduce Scripture which contradicts each point. Now I'm not out to divide the body of Christ. I truly believe that those who adhere to Calvinism (Reformed theology) are true, God fearing, Christ following believers..and I love them dearly as fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. The only difference is I do not agree with the theology and doctrine that Calvinism as a system of belief poses and how the majority of those who adhere to Calvinism treat the lost and non-Calvinist believers.

The only thing I ask of you is, if you are of Reformed theological belief, that you read the subsequent articles with unbias...just purely studying the passages of Scripture and examine them in light of what Calvinist doctrine teaches, and what the Scriptures are teaching over all.

Throughout this series I will be drawing heavily upon my own research and experiences and upon the research and statements of George Bryson (who has a way of wording things much more eloquently than I can). If any of you want references, ask for them...other than that I'm not going to bother with citations because I find them tedious.

Introduction

While Calvinists are prone to accent the less negative features of Calvinism, even the best of what Calvin taught about salvation logically leads to the worst of what Calvinism teaches. While Calvinists prefer to talk about election, they know that the other side of unconditional election is a very troubling and unscriptural doctrine of unconditional reprobation. As contemporary advocate of Calvinism, James White says:

"God elects a specific people unto Himself without reference to anything they do. This means the basis of God's choice of the elect is solely within Himself: His grace, His mercy, His will. It is not man's actions, works, or even foreseen faith, that "draws" God's choice. God's election is unconditional and final."

The doctrinal distinctive of Reformed Theology cannot be reconciled with what we know about God from His Holy Word. Scripture has taught me to believe that God is absolutely just. could and would such a God allow a man to be born who has no possibility to be saved? Would the God of Scripture have me tantalize unsavable men with the offer of salvation? Would the God of all hope punish a man for all eternity for rejecting the offer of salvation, if that man was decreed by God to reject that salvation in the first place?

The God introduced to us by Calvin seems to be far removed and very different from the God who said, "...and whoever wishes, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). Would I not be lying to a "non-elect" man if I offered him eternal life based on what Christ did for him on the cross? For if Calvinism is true, Christ did nothing of redemptive value for the non-elect. Why are we, then, commanded to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)? If Calvinism is true, and I affirm to a man that Jesus loves him and died on the cross to redeem him from his sins, I may be offering nothing more than a false hope. Can I, with a clear conscience, really do this in the name of the God of all Truth, knowing full well that it may not be true for this particular man? Perhaps this explains why evangelism is so neglected in much of the Reformed community.

Assuming Calvinism is true, if I urge men to receive Jesus as their Lord that they might be saved, would this not be nothing more than a cruel tease for many of those to whom I speak (Acts 2:36-39 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.")? Why would the God of all Truth, who speaks so sternly against lying, send His servants out to promote such a lie? IF God has no saving concern for many (perhaps even most), why should I? Why would God call upon a man to make a choice as to which God he would serve as He did with Joshua (Josh. 24:15)? If it is impossible for men to choose because they have been pre-ordained by God to be saved or lost, is it not rather cruel and deceitful to hold out the offer of the gospel to them if it is impossible for them to accept it? Conversely, if a man is ordained by God to be saved, with no real responsibility on his part, then why spend time and resources seeking to bring the gospel to the world? If they have been irrevocably chosen to be saved, then they cannot possibly be lost; therefore, where is the incentive to take the gospel to them?

If I follow the referenced position of James White, I would have to accept that a man's "faith" in Jesus Christ has nothing to do with getting saved. In stark contrast, when Jesus was asked, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" our Lord responded, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29). When the Philippian jailor asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas responded, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..."(Acts 16:30-31).

According to Calvinism, it is futile to try to convert the lost who are not predestined to be saved. Perhaps this explains why so many Calvinists are spending so much time and energy trying to win the already saved to Calvinism! Calvinist theology, if fully understood, destroys the gospel to every creature.