The 5 Points of Calvinism
(Calvinism's "Tulip")
I. “T”otal depravity: Calvinism contends that individuals are so “lost” (so dead in trespasses and sins, so totally depraved) that they have no power of their own to believe in Christ. Dead men can’t believe in anybody. The only way any individual can put saving belief in Christ is if God the Holy Spirit first regenerates that individual. Saving belief is not something that the individual provides in salvation. Instead, saving belief itself is actually a part of God’s gift of salvation. Salvation is completely of the Lord, and “total depravity” amounts to “total inability.”
(verses Calvinists use to support this doctrine): 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 2:13; Jeremiah 13:23; Psalm 51:5; Job 14:4; 15:14-16; Romans 6:20; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:9-23; John 6:44,65
II. “U”nconditional election: Calvinism contends that God, in eternity past, elected (chose) certain individuals for salvation. This election had absolutely nothing to do with any foreseen belief on their part. Their belief is actually the result of their election, not the cause of it. Their election was unconditional. Through the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work, God brings each of the elect to a personal belief in Christ. The fact that God chose to save some out of the sin-ruined human race shows His love, mercy, and grace. He could have let all of Adam’s race remain dead in trespasses and sins and bound for Hell.
(verses Calvinists use to support this doctrine): 1 Peter 1:1-2; Acts 13:48; John 5:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 1:3-8; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 9:10-24; Titus 3:3-7; John 6:37,39,44,65; Romans 11:4-7; James 1:18; John 17:2,9; Philippians 1:29; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29; Romans 8:28-30; John 10:25-27; 1 Corinthians 4:7; John 8:42-47; John 1:12-13; Acts 2:47(KJV); Exodus 4:21; 7:3,13; 9:12; 10:1; 11:10; 14:8; Deuteronomy 2:30; Acts 16:14; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; John 15:16; Acts 9:15; Isaiah 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5; Isaiah 43:21
III. “L”imited atonement: Calvinism contends that Jesus died on the cross only as the atonement for the elect. His death wasn’t the payment for everyone’s sins, only the elects’ sins. If Jesus died for everyone’s sins, then no one would be damned in eternal payment for their sins. All would be saved since sins don’t have to be paid for twice.
(verses Calvinists use to support this doctrine): Isaiah 53:11-12; Matthew 26:28; Mark 10:45; Hebrews 9:28; Luke 1:68; Acts 20:28; Isaiah 53:8; John 10:11; Matthew 1:21; Ephesians 5:25; Galatians 1:3-4
IV. “I”rresistible grace: Calvinism contends that there are two categories of the call to salvation. First, there is a general, outward call. God extends this call to everyone who hears the gospel. Second, there is a special, inward call. The Holy Spirit extends this call only to the elect. The general, outward call can be rejected. The special, inward call cannot be rejected. The special, inward call is an effectual call that always produces the intended effect. By means of this special call, the Holy Spirit irresistibly draws the elect to Christ. The Spirit causes each of the elect to freely and willingly believe in Christ as Savior. The thrust of the doctrine of irresistible grace is this: If God chose someone for salvation, He will inevitably have them. The Holy Spirit will grant to each of the elect a desire to voluntarily believe in Christ as Savior, and the elect will, at some point in their lives, believe in Christ.
(verses Calvinists use to support this doctrine): Acts 13:48; Romans 9:16; Galatians 1:15; Acts 16:14; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; Romans 8:29-30; 1 Peter 2:9; John 6:37,39,44-45,64-65; 1 Peter 5:10; 2 Timothy 2:10; Matthew 16:13-17; 2 Timothy 1:9; Acts 9:1-8
V. “P”erseverance of the saints: Calvinism contends that God sees to it that the elect (the saints) persevere in salvation. They cannot lose their salvation. They are eternally saved. What God has begun God will complete. The salvation that begins in the mind and purpose of God must end in the full, eternal realization of that salvation. To say that the elect can lose their salvation is to say that their works have some part in that salvation.
(verses Calvinists use to support this doctrine): Philippians 1:6; John 6:47; Ephesians 4:30; 1 John 2:19; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 8:1; Jude 24-25; John 10:27-29; Hebrews 10:14; Romans 8:29-30; 1 Peter 1:3-5; John 6:39; Romans 8:31-39
Now that we understand the Calvinist system of belief, let’s measure it against the totality of scripture. As we do this, we’ll see that Calvinism is found lacking in many ways.
What The Bible Really Teaches About
“Total Depravity”
The King James translation never uses the word “depravity” or the word “depraved.” Other translations only use “depraved” once (in Romans 1:28). The English word “depravity” means “perverted” or “crooked.” It is a word theologians have taken to describe each baby’s inherited nature of sin. The Bible teaches that each person is not only conceived “dead in trespasses and sins” but also exists in that state until the moment of salvation (Ephesians 2:1-6; 4:17-18; Colossians 2:13; Job 14:1-4; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:9-23; 6:20; 1 Kings 8:46; 2 Chronicles 6:36; Psalm 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20). This is the result of being a product of Adam’s sin-corrupted seed (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Man’s state of depravity means that no one can be “good” enough to earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Isaiah 64:6).
However, man’s depravity does not eliminate the reality of man’s free will. Yes, each individual is born “dead in trespasses and sins,” but the individual still has the ability to exercise free will when it comes to believing in Christ or rejecting Him. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus mourns over the fact that the vast majority of the inhabitants of Jerusalem were not willing to let Him help them. In John 5:40, He says to a group of lost Jews, “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” Revelation 22:17 of the King James translation says: “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” In Acts 26:28, Agrippa displays his free will in refusing Christ or believing in Christ when he says to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” In the story of the prodigal son, the son shows his free will when he says, “I will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18). God genuinely offered forgiveness and salvation to Cain, but Cain exercised his free will, refused to heed God, and ultimately died lost (Genesis 4:5-8; Jude 11-13). In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Moses offers God’s blessing or cursing to the Israelites. They had to make a freewill choice which one they wanted. Joshua does the same kind of thing in Joshua 24:1-28. Isaiah, speaking for God, follows the same pattern in Isaiah 1:18-20. Exodus 35:21 describes those whose spirit was willing to obey the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 29:5, David asks the question, “Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?” 2 Thessalonians 2:12 describes eternally condemned people as those who “did not (not could not) believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Clearly, an individual’s free will has some bearing in deciding his fate.
It is certainly true that God must take the initiative in coming to those who are “dead in trespasses and sins.” No lost person seeks God until God first comes to that individual (Matthew 16:13-17; John 3:27; 6:44,65; Romans 3:11). Still, after God has started dealing with an individual, the individual’s free will does come into play. The classic example of all this is Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve sinned and became “dead in trespasses and sins” (Genesis 3:1-7). Because of this, they hid from God the next time they heard Him (Genesis 3:8). This desire to remain separated from God perfectly illustrates human depravity. On their own, lost sinners have no desire to seek God. But God, in His grace and mercy, comes seeking lost sinners. Just as God went looking for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:9), He takes the initiative in seeking out all sinners and offering them forgiveness. It is at this point that the individual’s free will enters into the equation. Adam and Eve, of their own free will, answered God’s call (Genesis 3:10,13). God didn’t drag them out of the bushes and force them into a conversation with Him. Even in their depraved state, they each made a freewill decision to answer God’s call.
Some Calvinists quote the King James translation of Hebrews 12:2, which calls Jesus “the author and finisher of our faith.” These Calvinists say, “If Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, that leaves no place for man’s free will.” However, the truth is, the Greek word that is translated as “author” is the same Greek word that the King James translates as “captain” in Hebrews 2:10 and “Prince” in Acts 3:15 and 5:31. This shows that this Greek word doesn’t just mean “originator.” Along the same lines, the Greek word that is translated as “finisher” is better translated as “perfecter.” The word simply means that Jesus will carry salvation through to full completion. And so, the overall teaching of the verse is that Jesus makes salvation both possible and sure. Actually, the verse only speaks of salvation in a general way. The words have nothing to do with any specific individual’s salvation. A careful look at the words “our faith” in the King James translation will show that “our” is in italics. This means that the translators added in the word in an attempt to make the verse read easier. The original Greek of the verse doesn’t talk about our faith, but about faith.
What The Bible Really Teaches About
“Unconditional Election”
The Bible teaches that God elected the “saved” in Christ from the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-6,11) and prepared a kingdom for them (Matthew 25:34). From that time forward, the elect have been appointed (KJV “ordained”) to eternal life (Acts 13:48). In this way, eternal life was promised to the elect even before the world began (Titus 1:1-2). In eternity past, the elect were “given” to Christ (John 6:37,39; 17:2,6,9-12), predestined to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), and predestined for adoption into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5,11).
So, the issue is not: Does God have an elect? He certainly does. The issue is: How did the elect get elected? Did they choose God because He chose them or did He choose them because they chose Him? Were they chosen on the basis of foreseen belief or is that foreseen belief there only because they were chosen? Was their election truly unconditional or was it conditioned upon belief in their lives? Make no mistake, these questions are at the core and heart of the Calvinism debate.
1 Peter 1:2 says the elect are elect “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” Therefore, the key to rightly understanding election is to rightly understand God’s foreknowledge. Calvinism does not define God’s foreknowledge as God merely having a beforehand knowledge of decisions made. Calvinism defines God’s foreknowledge as God making a deliberate choice to “know” certain individuals eternally. In their attempts to prove that “know” (as in “foreknowledge”) means much more than just beforehand knowledge, Calvinists cite the many Bible passages that use words such as “knew” and “known” to describe intimate, sexual relationships (Genesis 4:1; Judges 11:39; Luke 1:34, etc.). They also quote passages such as Jeremiah 1:5, John 10:27, Romans 11:2, and 2 Timothy 2:19.
This line of interpretation might sound plausible at first, but it must be remembered that the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. If we want to know what the Bible means by “foreknowledge,” we should go to the Bible for the answer. A good verse to look at here is Acts 2:23. That verse says that Jesus was “delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.” The meaning of the verse is that God the Father knew ahead of time that Jesus would be delivered to death on a cross. Now, did God the Father betray Jesus? No. Did He arrest Jesus? No. Did He try Jesus? No. Did He nail Jesus to a cross? No. God the Father’s foreknowledge of Christ’s death implies no activity on His part. He didn’t manipulate the actions of men or cause anyone to make a choice they otherwise wouldn’t have made. What He did was let men make their own decisions and then fit the outcomes of those decisions into His plan. He simply knew beforehand that Jesus would be delivered up to death. This is the obvious definition of God’s foreknowledge.
God’s prior knowledge of future events can be seen in passages such as: 1 Samuel 23:10-12; Psalm 139:16; Isaiah 42:8-9; 44:6-7; 45:11; 46:9-10; 48:3-7; Daniel 2:27-28; Matthew 26:30-34; and John 6:61-64. The thrust of these passages is not that God forces His will upon time and history, only that He knows ahead of time what is going to happen in time and history. Yes, it’s true that God molds and shapes history to fit His purposes, but He does this molding and shaping by using the freewill choices of individuals, not by creating those freewill choices or manipulating the decision making.
It should be noted that the Bible does not teach that God, in eternity past, predestined certain people to go to heaven and others to go to hell. The Bible uses the concept of “predestination” exclusively in regards to promises afforded to saved people. Actually, “predestination” is only mentioned in two passages (Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5,11). In both passages the predestination is not to salvation or belief in Christ. In Romans 8:29-30 the predestination is to conformation to the image of Christ, while in Ephesians 1:5,11 the predestination is to adoption into God’s family. These two passages are simply promises made to the one who believes in Christ. They say to the Christian, “Because Christ is your Savior, your destiny is fixed and set.” The Christian has a guarantee that he will be conformed to the image of Christ and spend eternity as a member of God’s family. These two promises are all that the Bible has to say about predestination, and neither of them has anything to do with God predestining some to believe in Christ. What the Bible does teach is that if God imposed His will upon mankind everyone would believe in Christ and be saved (Matthew 18:10-14; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; and 2 Peter 3:9).
Calvinists love to quote from Romans 9:6-23 in their attempts to prove the doctrine of unconditional election. However, that entire passage has nothing to do with salvation. Instead, it has to do with God’s workings on earth. Verse 21 is the key to understanding the passage. That verse says in the King James translation: “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?” The word “dishonor” is much better translated as “common use” (N.A.S.V., N.I.V.). This shows that the passage deals with station in life, not standing in eternity. God grants positions of earthly prominence to some and positions of earthly commonness to others. Whatever station a person holds in this life, though, has no bearing on whether that person is saved or lost. Calvinists wrongly apply the verses of this passage to matters of salvation when these verses actually apply to matters of how God works out His plans on earth.
One last verse that needs to mentioned in any discussion on the meaning of “elect” is 1 Timothy 5:21. This verse speaks of “the elect angels.” No one, not even a Calvinist, will contend that God created some angels to be “good” angels who would side with Him and other angels to be “bad” angels who would side with Lucifer. To the contrary, the Bible teaches that Lucifer led a group of likeminded angels in a rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 12:3-4). God put down this rebellion and banished Lucifer and his angels from His presence. Obviously, the “elect” angels are those who remained with God. But how did they get to be elect? They made a freewill choice to side with God in the rebellion. It is interpretively inconsistent for the Calvinist to apply the word “elect” in one way to humans and in another way to angels.
What The Bible Really Teaches About
“Limited Atonement”
The Bible expressly teaches that Jesus died for the sins of everyone, not just the sins of the elect. It does not limit Christ’s atoning death to the elect. The proof texts are: Isaiah 45:22; 53:6; Matthew 11:28; John 1:29; 3:16-17; 4:42; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2; and 4:14. Despite the Calvinists’ attempts to redefine the words “all” and “world,” the two words mean what they mean. Jesus died for everyone’s sins.
Wonderful evidence of this can also be seen in 2 Peter 2:1. That verse says: “But there were false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” The teaching is that Jesus died for the sins of those lost, false prophets. He bought them. The picture is one of a man buying (redeeming) a slave out of the slave market. Despite this purchasing, though, the Bible gives no evidence that these men ever believed in Christ or were a part of the elect.
Of course, the Calvinist argument is that if Jesus died for everyone then everyone is saved. The truth is, Christ’s death is sufficient for all, but only efficient for those who believe in Him. Christ’s death made it possible for everyone to be saved, but to get in on this salvation each individual must put personal belief in Him. Jesus is the potential Savior of all, but He is only the actual Savior of believers (1 Timothy 4:10).
What The Bible Really Teaches About
“Irresistible Grace”
The Bible does not speak of two kinds of calls to salvation. What the Calvinists describe as the outward, general call is actually the only call. The Bible doesn’t mention any special, inward call that is irresistible and always effectual. God’s call is a “heavenly calling” (Hebrews 3:1) unto God’s “kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12) and “eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:12). In this New Testament age, the call comes foremost through the hearing of the gospel message (2 Thessalonians 2:14; Romans 10:9-15).
Still, leading up to that hearing of the gospel message, God uses what might be called spiritual “lights” in the lives of individuals. These spiritual “lights” are how God sends His general call to salvation out to everyone around the world. One “light” is creation. Romans 1:19-20 say that God’s eternal power and nature can be understood by observing the things that are made. A second “light” is conscience. Romans 2:14-15 say that even people who don’t have access to God’s written law have the work of the law “written in their hearts.” A third “light” is rain and harvesting. Acts 14:17 says that God witnesses of Himself by sending rain and fruitful seasons.
These three “lights” (and others God uses) are how God sends the call to salvation out to those who have never heard about Christ.
This explains how the Old Testament Gentiles had the chance to be saved. It also explains how people in the New Testament age who never hear about Christ are still “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). The idea is that those who have never heard about Christ should follow whatever spiritual “lights” God grants to them. If they will do this, God will keep leading them into more truth and “light.” Ultimately, He will open a door for them to hear the gospel and have the opportunity to believe in Christ or reject Him. The Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39) and the wise men (Matthew 2:1-12) are prime examples of people who kept following the spiritual “lights” that God gave them until they finally came to belief in Christ.
Of course, Jesus Himself is a “light.” This is the most likely meaning of Titus 2:11, which says that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It is certainly the meaning of John 1:9, which calls Jesus “the true Light, which lights every man coming into the world.” John 12:46 also fits into this category, quoting Jesus as saying, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” Then, in addition to these verses, Jesus says in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” There is no doubt as to what He was referring to because the next verse, verse 33, says: “This he said, signifying by what death He would die.” So what did Jesus say about His crucifixion? He said, “Through it, I will draw everyone to myself.” This is the other bookend to John 6:44 where He says, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”
You see, all of these passages fit together to show that God extends a legitimate call to salvation to everyone. There is no special, inner call that goes out only to the elect. God works through creation, conscience, harvest-producing rain, and Christ Himself to call everyone towards salvation through belief in Christ. This is the only way God can remain consistent with His nature of impartiality (Deuteronomy 10:17; Job 36:5; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; 1 Peter 1:17). To say that a special, inner, irresistible call goes out to the elect is to make God partial to the elect.
Now, with the foundation of God’s general call to salvation firmly in place, it becomes obvious that the grace God offers in salvation can be (and usually is) resisted. Jesus is the propitiation (appeasement) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), but the whole world’s sins aren’t forgiven. God wishes that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), but all haven’t repented. God desires that everyone would be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), but most remain lost. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to everyone (Titus 2:11), but everyone isn’t saved. Jesus “lights” everyone coming into the world, but the vast majority remain in spiritual darkness. Jesus draws everyone unto Himself (John 12:32-33), but only a relative few actually come to Him. How then can God’s saving grace be described as irresistible?
It is noteworthy that Jesus said in another place, “For many are called, but few are chosen (elected)” (Matthew 22:14). The person who is saved is not just called but also chosen (Revelation 17:14). If grace was truly irresistible, Jesus would have said, “Few are called, and few are chosen” or “many are called, and many are chosen.” The point is, every called person would also be a chosen person. But this isn’t the case. Many are called, but only a few are chosen. The Calvinist would have people believe that God goes through the formality of extending a general call to salvation out to billions who have no chance of heeding it and getting saved.
There are actually many other passages that prove that God’s grace can be resisted. Proverbs 29:1 says: “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” That word “often” describes a continued resistance. In Acts 7:51 Stephen says to the Jewish Sanhedrin, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” In Isaiah 65:2, God says of the people of Judah, “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts.” The apostle Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10:21. In addition to these passages, all of the passages that show that each individual’s free will has some bearing on their fate should also be mentioned. This includes: Genesis 4:5-8; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Joshua 24:1-28; Isaiah 1:18-20; Matthew 23:37; John 5:40; and 2 Thessalonians 2:12.
What The Bible Really Teaches About
the “Perseverance of The Saints”
The Bible does indeed teach what the Calvinists refer to as “the perseverance of the saints.” Calvinism gets this doctrine right. Some who aren’t Calvinists have made much over the fact that it is God who perseveres, not the saints. Calvinists, however, really don’t believe that the saints keep themselves saved. They understand that it is God who does the keeping. The confusion could easily be cleared up if Calvinists would change their fifth point from “the perseverance of the saints” to “the perseverance of God.” At any rate, Calvinism does hold that God keeps the elect eternally secure in their salvation. This is solid doctrine. Some of the proof passages are: John 6:39; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 4:30; 1 John 2:19; Romans 8:1; Jude 24-25; John 10:27-30; Hebrews 10:14; Romans 8:29-30; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2 Timothy 1:12; Romans 4:1-8; John 14:16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:8-9; Hebrews 7:22-28; Romans 8:31-39; Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12; Colossians 2:13; and Hebrews 10:17.