Calvinism Series: Intro (4)

Introduction Part 4

All devout believers have a formally agreed upon standard by which to judge and evaluate all doctrines which they claim to be biblical. It is NOT Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion," "The Canons of Dort," The Westminster Confession of Faith," or "The Heidelberg Catechism" that should be the determining facor as to what we believe. It is not Augustine, Calvin, or Edwards that we are to rely upon for our understanding of the truth. Every Christian not only has the right, but the RESPONSIBILITY to personally search the Scriptures to discern what they mean by whaty they say:

2 Timothy 2:15-17
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,
2 Peter 1:19-20
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
Acts 17:11
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

As Christians, we can and should learn from our spiritual elders, but we are not bound to what they teach unless it passes the objective test of scriptural truth! Calvinists David Steele and Curtis Thomas state:

"The question of supreme importance is not how the system under consideration came to be formulated into five points, or why it was named Calvinism, but rather is it supported by Scripture? The final court of appeal for determining the validity of any theological system is the inspired, authoritative Word of God. If Calvinism can be verified by clear and explicit declaration of Scripture, then it must be received by Christians; if not, it must be rejected."

I couldn't agree more. Loraine Boettner states;

"In all matters of controversy between Christians, the Scriptures are accepted as the highest court of appeal."

Charles Hodge:

"It is the duty of every theologian to subordinate his theories to the Bible, and teach not what seems to him to be true or reasonable, but simply what the Bible teaches."

According to the former two quotes, I would wholeheartedly agree with Calvinists as to how to evaluate a theological system or any of the distinctive of that system. This principle can be stated: All Christians are obligated to believe and embrace all views that agree with the teaching of Scripture. Conversely, if the distinctives of a theological system are found to be in conflict with the teaching of God's holy and infallible Word, that system or the errant distinctives of that system ought to be rejected.

With all my heart, I embrace the grace of God and the fundamental and foundational truth that salvation is by grace and grace alone.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Unbelievers are absolutely and utterly dependent upon the grace of God to SAVE them. Believers are absolutely and utterly dependent upon the grace of God to SUSTAIN them.

Reformed Theology misrepresents God's saving grace in order that it may appear to correspond and conform to the equally disturbing "Reformed views" of sovereignty and predestination. For example, for those in a hopeless "caste" of humanity (I call it a "caste" because in societal "classes", there is the potential that one can change their class...however, in a caste, one is completely bound by that caste, unable to change from one caste to another) that Calvinists call the reprobate, Reformed Theology denies even the existence of a grace intended to save them. The Calvinist will rightly say that it is not the fault of the GRACE of God that many people cannot be saved. Calvinists wrongly say or suggest that it is the GOD of grace Himself that is ultimately responsible for the plight of the reprobate. Blaming God for the damnation of those who end up in hell is either explicit or implicit in all forms of authentic Calvinism.

For most Christians, even without a fully developed and systematically stated alternative to Calvinism, a simple and unbiased comparison of what Calvinism teaches with what Scriptures says is sufficient to raise all kinds of theological red flags. Take any important passage directly addressing the doctrine of salvation. Read it carefully, keeping in mind the immediate and greater contextual considerations. Then on a piece of paper, write down what you think the meaning of that passage is (outside the lens of whatever system of theology you adhere to). Then look at what Calvin and other Reformed teachers have to say about the same passage. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to see what they see unless and until they show it to you. Even then, they may have to be very persuasive and do some theological twisting of the Scriptures to get you to agree with them.