CALVINISM DEFINED
by: A. C. Smith
Vol. VIII, No. 5, May 1995
Baptist Heritage
With a recent news story in the Religious Herald that Al Mohler,
president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is a five-point
Calvinist, and the letters to the editor in the Herald, it seems that
many do not understand the evangelical Calvinism of Mohler and early Southern
Baptists such as James P. Boyce, who founded Southern. In a recent interview
with Howard Baldwin, the interim director of the Southern Baptist
Conservatives, I asked him if Calvinism would divide conservatives. He said it
wouldn't and replied, "Al Mohler believes the same thing that Billy Graham
believes." Graham himself writes: "...the Bible teaches that man is
dead in trespasses and sins, and his great need is life. We do not have within
ourselves the seed of the new life; this must come from God Himself' [How to
be Born Again,
Many conversations caricature Calvinists as believing in a capricious God who
refuses to save people who want to be saved. I recognize that among
conservative Southern Baptists there are a variety of views regarding
Calvinism. God's election versus free will seems a paradox to the finite, human
mind. But both are taught in scripture. Theologians have spent their lives
either trying to reconcile them, or emphasizing one over the other, I consider
myself an evangelical Calvinist. And the views presented herein are my own and
do not necessarily represent the official position of the Banner. This
article shall present the views of evangelical Calvinism so that people may
discuss the subject intelligently.
Calvinism is known by the acrostic, "TULIP". The "T" stands
for total depravity; the "U" unconditional election; the
"L" for limited atonement; the "I" irresistible grace; and
the "P" is for perseverance of the saints. John Calvin, the sixteenth
century church reformer, held some views which would be rejected by Baptists.
For example, his views on the church would differ with Baptist ecclesiology.
But Calvin is most well-known for his stress on the Sovereignty of God,
Calvinism contrasts with Arminianism, which is named after James Arminius. He
was born in Oudewater,
Total Depravity
The "T", total depravity, means that man is
thoroughly sinful. This doesn't mean people are as bad as they can possible be.
But it does mean that man is completely sinful. It could be illustrated by a
muddy river: The river is entirely muddy, but that
doesn't mean it's as muddy as it could be.
The Calvinist understands that even lost people can do relatively good acts. An
unbeliever who is unethical in his business practices may make a donation to
charity. Or a person may be a good neighbor and not beat his wife, but refuses
to have anything to do with the Lord or His work. Yet the "good" that
the lost do is not done in faith.
Recently, many people were asking themselves how anyone could blow up innocent
people in
As it relates to salvation, total depravity means there is nothing in the
natural man himself that he can do to be saved. "As it is written: `There
is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who
does good, not even one"' (Roman 3:1012). People do not naturally search
for God. This leaves humankind in quite a dilemma. How can anyone be saved?
Fortunately, God has taken the initiative. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to
die on the cross for sin. Furthermore, God also sent His Holy Spirit to bring
sinners to life so they can believe in Christ. The Calvinist believes that people
believe in Jesus because God's Spirit has awakened them. The reason anyone
confesses Christ as Savior and Lord is because of the Holy Spirit:
"Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God
says, ‘Jesus be cursed,' and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,' except by the
Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3). People in their natural state are not going to
receive Christ. They will not even understand a presentation of the gospel:
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing
but never perceiving" (Mat 13:14). The only ones who understand are those
whom God the Holy Spirit has awakened.
Unconditional Election
Who is awakened by God? The elect, says the Calvinist. The second letter,
"U" stands for unconditional election.
There are some related terms that are helpful in understanding election. The
first is foreordination, which is "God's sovereign plan, whereby He
decides all that is to happen in the entire universe" (Edwin H, Palmer, The
Five Points of Calvinism.
The next term to understand is predestination, which is a part of
foreordination. Predestination refers to "man's eternal destiny: heaven or
hell" (Ibid.). Election means to choose. When a group elects a candidate,
it makes a choice. Why does anyone come into a relationship with God? The Bible
teaches that we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). "The man
without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they
are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). If man cannot understand
spiritual matters, he needs a supernatural work of God's Holy Spirit to bring
him to life so that he can understand why Christ came and died upon the cross.
Without the work of the Holy Spirit no one would ever believe in Christ. No one
can say, "I am better or smarter or more moral, having been astute enough
spiritually to believe in Christ." If that were the case, then believers
would have something to boast about. The Calvinist believes that man has
nothing to boast about in salvation.
The term "new birth" teaches us truth about
regeneration – the work of the Holy Spirit, which makes us spiritually alive.
When a person is born physically, he has no choice in the matter. What's true
physically is also true spiritually. John 1:13 tells us that believers are
"children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbands's will, but born of God." The reason we
believe in Jesus is because we have been born of God. When Calvinists say that
election is unconditional they mean that God does not elect people based upon
foreseen goodness, since people are not good in God's sight. Arminians, on the
other hand, believe that election is conditioned upon what man does. An
Arminian illustration is this: "God votes for you. The devil votes against
you. You cast the deciding vote." In this illustration the devil and man
are equally as strong as God.
Arminians normally choose one of two ways of understanding election. The first
is election based on foreknowledge. Romans 8:29 is cited as evidence for this
view: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."
Harold Lindsell comments on this view: "Some
explain predestination as conditioned upon a foreknowledge by which God simply
foresees what men are going to do, and then ordains that it shall come to pass
as He foresaw it. This involves an interpretation of God's foreknowledge which
is hard to reconcile with His absolute sovereignty. Perhaps it is better to
conclude that here we are confronted with a divine mystery in which God works
out his sovereign will in such a way as to preserve inviolate that prerogative
of free will which is implicit in the divine image (Gen 1:27) in which man was
created. Thus man may act freely, i.e., he can accept or reject God's free
offer of the gift of eternal life through Christ, though only the Holy Spirit
can move him to accept it. At the same time his response to God's grace and
truth are fully certain, foreknown, and foreordained in the mind and will of
God" [Harper Study Bible,
John R. W. Stott also believes that predestination based on foreknowledge is
incorrect: "First, in this sense God foreknows everybody and everything,
whereas Paul is referring to a particular group. Secondly, if God predestines
people because they are going to believe, then the ground of their salvation is
in themselves, and their merit, instead of in him and his mercy, whereas Paul's
whole emphasis is on God's free initiative of grace" [Romans,
Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1994, pp. 248-249].
The second method, which other Arminians use, is the view that God has
predestined an organization – the church – and people must choose to become a
part of the church. This view is expressed by Robert Shank: "Thus it is
evident that the passages positing foreknowledge predestination must be
understood as having as a frame of reference primarily the corporate body of
the Israel of God and secondarily individuals, not unconditionally, but only in
association and identification with the elect body, the Body of Christ (the
Israel of God) – an identification that is contingent on identification with
Christ Himself through abiding faith (John 15:1-6)" [Elect in the Son,
Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1970, 1989, pp. 154-155].
But for the Calvinist, election is personal: "You did not choose me, I
chose you..," said Jesus (John 15:16).
Election, says the Calvinist, is not based on the goodness of mankind nor the persuasiveness of an evangelist. If it were, then it
would be conditional election. Calvinists say that election is unconditional.
All evangelicals agree that some people accept Christ, while others reject Him.
We can't predict who will accept Christ or who will reject Him. It's not
"good" people who accept Jesus, since none is good (Rom. 3:10). The
Calvinist believes the answer to that question lies with God: "...all who
were appointed for eternal life believed." (Acts 13:48) "For
he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through
Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will" (Eph 1:4-5).
Calvinists also believe that people have a free will. But the free will is a
small circle operating in the larger circle of God's will. And even when we use
our free will, there are other influences. If I go into a restaurant and have a
choice between broccoli and beets, I am going to exercise my free will and
choice broccoli every time. Why? I like broccoli. I don't know if it is due to
my genes or social conditioning. Similar influences may determine why certain
people accept Christ – they come from a Christian family or friends receive Christ.
But the Calvinist doesn't believe this is due to blind chance. God, who works
the miracle of the new birth, is in control of our genes and the circumstances
that influence us.
Limited Atonement
The "L," stands for limited atonement. This
is the hardest point for many to accept, which is the reason that some
Christians are four-point Calvinists. But the five-point Calvinist does not see
Christ's saving power as limited. A better description might be
"definite" atonement. This means that Jesus, when He died upon the
cross, actually purchased the redemption of certain individuals. Christ's death
was not a shot in the dark. The Arminian, who would hold to a general
atonement, would believe in theory that Christ would have died even if no one
accepted Him. This would have meant Christ's death could have been in vain with
no one being saved. And believing that people do come to Christ leaves God
"hostage" to human kind: God sent His Son to save those who do accept
Christ.
By limited atonement the Calvinist does not believe that Christ's death is
limited in its power to save: Jesus died for each one who will come to Him. His
death accomplishes the redemption of those who are saved. The Bible does give a
picture of Christ dying for His church, which "He purchased with His own
blood" (Acts 20:28).
Early Baptists were divided into general Baptist, who believed that Jesus died
for every person who has ever lived, and particular Baptists, who believed that
Jesus died for His sheep.
Thomas J. Nettles, who formerly taught Church History at MidAmerica
Seminary in
Robert P. Lightner, a professed moderate Calvinist
who is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, says, "In fact there
are many passages that speak of Christ's death for the entire world of
men" (Evangelical Theology, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986,
p, 210). I like the way some Calvinists express it: Christ's death is
sufficient for all, but efficient for the elect.
Irresistible Grace
The "I" stands for irresistible grace. This
means that when God does a work of grace in a person's life it is so powerful
and influential that such an individual will definitely come to Christ. This is
also known as effectual calling, which means that God's call fulfills its
purpose. A court of law can summon one into court by legal authority. But such
a call to court is not effectual – a person could still refuse to come.
Milliard Erickson, who is now at Southwestern Seminary, sums it up this way: ",..some action by God must intervene between his
eternal decision and the conversion of the individual within time. This
activity of God is termed special or effectual calling" [Christian
Theology, Vol. 3, 1985, p. 930]. How is it that sometimes the most unlikely
people become Christians, while some relatively "good people" don't
commit their lives to Christ. Sometimes the vilest individual is the very one
who receives Jesus. The Calvinist says it's the result of God's irresistible
grace.
Calvinists recognize the general calling of all to salvation: "Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mat 11:28).
Yet the Bible does make a distinction between the general call of God to
salvation and the choosing of those who are special objects of God's calling:
"For many are invited, but few are chosen," (Mat 22:14).
"Armenians sometimes argue that, on Calvinistic grounds, someone might
choose to accept salvation, but not permitted to be saved. But according the
Calvinistic understanding, this scenario never takes place, for no one is able
to will to be saved, to come to God, to believe, without special enablements. God sincerely offers salvation to all, but all
of us are so settled in our sins that we will not respond unless assisted to do
so" [Ibid., p. 927].
Without God's enablement no one will accept Christ due to the effects of humankind's
total depravity. "Is anyone who is specially called free to reject the
offer of grace? The position taken herein is not that those who are called must
respond, but that God makes his offer so appealing that they will respond
affirmatively" [Ibid.].
The Calvinist can confidently pray for people to come to know Christ and to
witness for Him. God doesn't just bring about the end result; He brings about
the means to the end. People are not saved in vacuum. The Arminian, on the
other hand, is guaranteed no results. The Calvinist knows there are definite
people who will respond to the gospel. Calvinists present the gospel knowing
that those ordained before the foundation of the world will eventually come to
Christ. With the Calvinist it is as though the owner of a company has said,
"I want you as a salesman. You are guaranteed sales. People will
definitely respond. You only need to present the message." And God, who is
much greater than any man, brings about results when believers faithfully share
the gospel. And Calvinists also make confident witnesses who don't have to be
uptight about sharing their faith. They can relax while they tell others about
God's love, and Christ's death on the cross for sin,
and the need to receive Christ. God's Spirit will bring the results.
Erickson draws four implications of God's predestination of specific
individuals to Christ:
"1. We can have confidence that what God has
decided will come to pass. His plan will be fulfilled and the elect will come
to faith.
"2. We need not criticize ourselves when some people reject Christ, Jesus
himself did not win everyone in his audience. He understood that all those whom
the Father gave to him would come to him (John 6:37) and only they would come
(v.44). When we have done our very best, we can leave the matter with the Lord.
"3. Predestination does not nullify incentive for evangelism and missions.
We do not know who the elect and the nonelect are, so
we must continue to spread the Word. Our evangelistic efforts are God's means
to bring the elect to salvation. God's ordaining of the end includes the
ordaining of the means to that end as well. The knowledge that missions are
God's means is a strong motive for the endeavor and gives us confidence that it
will prove successful,
"4. Grace is absolutely necessary. While Arminianism often gives strong
emphasis to grace, in our Calvinistic scheme there is no basis for God's choice
of some to eternal life other than his own sovereign will There is nothing in
the individual which persuades God to grant salvation to him or her" [pp.
927-928].
Perseverance of the Saints
The perseverance of the saints, also known as eternal
security, or the preservation of God, is believed by most Southern Baptists.
Eternal security stresses the fact that God saves us eternally. The
preservation of God emphasizes that God will keep us. The perseverance of the
saints shows that once God begins His work in us He will bring it to completion
(Phil. 1:6).
The perseverance of the saints is the natural outcome of the other points of
the TULIP. God is not going to elect an individual He is not going to bring to
heaven ultimately.
Perseverance of the saints does not mean that Christians are perfect. Believers
do sin, and they may experience backsliding. If erring believers do not
ultimately heed God's voice, He will take them home prematurely to avoid
embarrassment to the family name (1 Cor. 11:30).
Perseverance of the saints means that genuine believers heed God's warning
about apostasy (Heb. 6:1-6), so that they do not finally fall away completely
(Heb. 6:9).
Perseverance of the Saints helps the believer have assurance for his salvation.
The Arminian, on the other hand, must hold out faithful every moment, of which
there is no guarantee. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and an ardent
Arminian, said, "To cease to exercise faith is tantamount to relinquishing
all Christian status" [Wynkoop, p, 67].
"The Christian, Wesley explained, is not like a tree that lives from its
own root system. Rather he is a branch ‘in Christ,' which if it is separated
from the Tree dies and is destroyed.... We must be covered every moment by the
atoning blood of the lamb of God" [Ibid., p. 69].
Wesley argues that a constant faith is needed to maintain salvation. This would
make an assurance of salvation difficult since no one can be sure his faith
will not waver. The Calvinist recognizes that his salvation is not dependent
upon himself. Calvinists believe that God saves believers even if their faith
lapses: "If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot
disown himself' (2 Tim 2:13). What God begins He finishes. This gives added
assurance to salvation (John 10: 28-29; Phil. 1:6; 1 John 5:11-13).
What about the person who says, "I would like to come to Christ, but I'm
afraid I'm not of the elect." The late evangelist D. L. Moody had a good
answer for this: "The elect are the ‘whosoever wills'; the non-elect are
the 'whosoever won'ts"' [H, A. Ironside in his
book Full Assurance cites Moody, p. 93].
The Southern Baptist Convention, founded 150 years ago, initially had a strong
Calvinistic influence. These Calvinistic Baptists were not anti-missionary,
hyper-Calvinists, who allowed good biblical truth to "go to seed."
The early Southern Baptists were missionary, evangelical Calvinists, knowing
that they should witness because God commands it. I don't believe that
Calvinism should ever be a point of division, as good Christians will disagree
on these points. But I do want what Calvinists believe to be presented
accurately. And whether Southern Baptists hold to Calvinism
or not should ultimately be determined by whether the view is biblical or not.
~ The Baptist Banner