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"The term "Calvinism" is used by various groups to identify
their beliefs with one of the most prominent leaders of the
reformation, John Calvin. Groups that call themselves "Calvinists" agree
with the teachings of Calvin in varying degrees: from holding simply
to the "five points of Calvinism" (regarding man's salvation by the
grace of God) to adhering to the teachings of Calvin not only in
matters of man's salvation but also in matters relating to how we
should worship God, how we should live the Christian Life, and what
sort of government and order should be used in God's Church. Those who
do so, do not do so because they would follow the teachings of men, but
because they believe these teachings, revived at the time of the
reformation in Switzerland, the Netherlands, other countries, and
especially Scotland, were in truth the teachings of the Prophets,
Apostles, and Christ himself, as laid down in the Holy Scriptures,
though for the most part hidden for many centuries under the erroneous
teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
The
"Five Points of Calvinism" were not formulated by Calvin, but rather
by the Synod of Dort in 1618-1619, which was a gathering of many great
leaders and teachers of the reformed churches throughout Europe. This
Synod, in response to the heresies of James Arminius, then spreading
throughout the Dutch churches, released "The Canons of Dort," which
addressed five major doctrines then in dispute. Since then these
doctrines, as asserted at Dort, have been summarized and labeled as the
"Five Points of Calvinism." Although Calvin himself never set forth
such a system of five points, these teachings are a compendium of what
John Calvin and others (such as Martin Luther, Augustine, the Apostle
Paul, & Christ himself) taught regarding salvation and are all
founded on the holy Scriptures. Often the "Five Points" are referred to
as "TULIP":
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
"Total
Depravity" refers to the doctrine that, man in his fallen nature is
wholly fallen,—he is "flesh". It does not mean that man is as wicked as
he could possibly be, but that he is corrupted and wicked in every
member of his body and every faculty of his soul. Not only his body is
inclined to sin, but his understanding is darkened, he is blinded in his
mind, and his will is inclined to sin. Because his will is inclined to
sin, even it is in rebellion against God. Man therefore does not have a
"free-will" to do good or evil as he pleases, the way that he did
before the fall, because he DOES NOT will to will good. To assert that a
sinful will is free to will good is to assert that it is able to will
not to will what it does in fact will. Therefore, being in rebellion,
and not being inclined to turn from that hatred against God to love to
God, man can only be restored by being reborn by the spirit of God as a
new creature. Thus, man is in need of salvation not only from the wrath
of God due for the sins he is guilty of, but is also in need of being
saved from his own sinfulness and rebellion. "There is none that
seeketh after God." (See Romans 3, John 8:34.)
"Unconditional
Election" is the doctrine that man's salvation flows completely from
God's grace—it is not conditioned upon man's good works or faith, but
is wholly unmerited. The fact that some persons are saved and that
others are not, together with the fact that God is the one that does
the saving and that he in his infiniteness is able to save all, clearly
indicates that God chooses to save some and not to save others. The
Bible refers to this often by the term "Election". Thus his people,
both in the Old and the New Testament are called his "Elect". The Bible
presents this election as part of God's eternal decree, wherein he
chooses whom he will save before all time (Eph. 1, 2 Thes. 2.13...) The
Bible also teaches that God does not choose BECAUSE of anything in us
or anything that we do (or will do), but rather he chooses according to
his own good pleasure. God did not look into the future to see what
man would do or what man would believe, but fixed what He would do with
HIS creation before anything was even created. Thus, "it is not of him
that wills, or of him that runs, but of God who showeth mercy." Paul
in Romans 9 clearly indicates this when he discusses the fact that
mercy was shown to Jacob and not to Esau so that the purpose of God
according to election might stand. At the same time he insists that the
decision of election was made before either of the brothers had done
any good or evil.
. (Rom. 5.8-9, John
6.35-40, 10.11, 14-18, 24-29.). He has not died to make salvation
possible for all so that those who will choose by their own "free will"
(which none have since the fall into Sin) to improve upon what he has
done may be saved, but he has completely perfected salvation for his
people. He is the good shepherd who gave his life for "Limited
Atonement" is the doctrine that Christ has died for all those who have
been elected to Eternal Life in Christ Jesus and that all those for
whom Christ has died have been perfectly atoned for. Their ransom is
complete. The debt of their sins has been paid off. By the blood of
Christ the forgiveness of their sins has been purchased, as well as the
gift of the Spirit, which works in them faith and repentance unto
life, whereby that purchased forgiveness and the righteousness of
Christ are made theirs as they through faith rest in Jesus Christ and
his work of Redemption. Salvation has been fully accomplished by Jesus
Christ for his people and
"Irresistible
Grace" is the doctrine that Christ has sent his Spirit to effectually
apply salvation to his flock. Man may resist the "common operations" of
the spirit such as convictions of conscience, but the Irresistible
Grace of God is the powerful working of his Spirit whereby he does
always effect without failure the conversion of his elect from being
sinners, fallen with the rest of the seed of Adam, to being saints, the
seed of Christ the Second Adam. This work of Irresistible Grace is
referred to as the Birth of the New Man. Christ refers to it as being
"Born of the Spirit" (John 3) and thus teaches that Conversion is just
as much a Divine work as Creation, and that, as "Spirit is born of
Spirit", so no unconverted man (who is "Flesh") can do anything to
Convert himself into a Spiritual man. "No man can come to me, except
the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the
last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught
of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the
Father, cometh unto me."—John 6:44, 45.
"Perseverance
of the Saints" is the doctrine that, as God changes a man's soul in
His effectual calling by irresistible grace, and not just the man's
outward life, so those who are truly saints, being given the Spirit of
God to work in them "to will and to do according to his good pleasure"
(Phil. 2.13) are turned away from their sins and do advance in
mortification of sins and vivification of the new man, continuing all
their days in the faith. And although they may fall into sin at times
as the "Flesh lusteth against the Spirit," yet God by his grace does
continue to uphold them and gives them repentance and forgiveness
whenever they fall so that they never finally and totally fall away
from the faith. This doctrine of the Bible is contrary to the teaching
that man can fall away from the faith and "lose his salvation," for it
affirms God's infinite power to accomplish his will in saving his
people so that "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ" who is not only the author but also
"finisher of our faith." This is also contrary to the antinomian
(anti-law) teaching of "eternal security" which teaches once a man
"accepts Jesus as his personal saviour" he will never go to hell, even
if he lives like the devil himself. Instead, Calvinism teaches that a
man who is truly saved, and so united to Christ in faith, is united
through the Spirit of Love dwelling in him and so, out of love to God,
is compelled to live a life of loving obedience to his heavenly Father.
In
regard to worship this principle of obedience out of love controls the
way the Christian worships formally as well as how he lives a life of
constant worship in subjecting his every act and every daily task to
the will of God. His worship is both in "Spirit and in Truth." It is
spiritual in that the whole man, body and soul, is involved in the
praise, thanksgiving, and service of God. He does not merely worship
God with his hands and mouth, but loves him with all his heart, mind,
soul, and strength so that the service of God is not grievous but is
considered his chief end and greatest good. It is true worship in that
it is such worship as God has instituted and authorized as his service.
It is not like the false worship of those who worship God through
their own invented ceremonies and practices, thinking that God is well
pleased with a fair show or that God benefits from what they do.
Rather, this true worship confesses in humility that God has no need of
us, while we are completely in need of him for life and salvation.
Thus we must set aside all thoughts of pleasing God by our own works
while at the same time not setting aside those works which God has
commanded us. When we have done "all those things that are commanded
us," we must yet confess that we are "unprofitable servants" (Luke
17.10) for we have merely done "that which was our duty to do"—if that.
God's Command then, becomes the rule of service to God, whether it be
in worship, or in our other duties. The True Christian not only obeys
and loves the Gospel, or the "Testimony" but also the "Law" as David
speaks of in Psalm 119. See Isaiah 8.20.
In
worship this strict adherence to God's Law is called the "Regulative
Principle of Worship." Stated simply, a true Christian believes that he
must worship God in whatsoever way God has commanded, and that all
other worship without God's command is idolatrous. Thus Nadab and Abihu
were slain by the Lord for offering up "STRANGE fire" to the Lord.
Thus Christ condemned the traditions of the Pharisees which they
adhered to without God's command. Deuteronomy 12:32 states "What thing
soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor
diminish from it." It is the prerogative only of our high priest Jesus
Christ to institute such worship as is acceptable unto him and
whosoever shall presume to either take away from or add to his service
usurps his office and so "opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." 2 Thes. 2.4.
This
description of an idolatrous usurper of Christ's Kingly, Priestly, and
Prophetical office has particular application to Antichrist.
Antichrist is the man that overthrows God's worship by instituting his
own ceremonies and overthrows the Gospel of Salvation by Christ alone
by propagating a gospel of salvation by man's merit. In time this has
been fulfilled by the Pope of Rome who has arrogantly presumed to make
himself the "head of the Church," "God on earth," and "the high priest
of the Church of God."
, as opposed to
the false unity that is found in the world among unbelievers.Instead of
an hierarchy of priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and pope,
the true Christian Church endeavors to preserve the ancient form of
Church government taught in the Bible with officers of teaching and
ruling elders or "presbyters," none of which are to exercise dominion
over the others (Matt. 20.25-26). Individual congregations are
interrelated as local presbyteries, regional synods, and national
general assemblies so that the Church is united in the
creation.
All this we patiently expect in accordance with the purpose of God,
knowing that He will bless the endeavors of his Church to bring this to
pass, as he has promised, and in his own time. Calvinists (or
Presbyterians, or Reformed Christians) hope that the world will be
subdued to the government of Christ, that the fullness of the Gentiles
and the Jews as well might be grafted into the body of Christ by faith,
and that the reign of Antichrist in this world both in Church and in
State may be overturned to the end that all creation may serve and
glorify God as he exercises his power and authority over All things are
to be done and believed in accordance with God's word. By the preaching
of the true Gospel of
Often today
Calvinism is opposed because it teaches the "harsh" doctrine of
predestination. This however is taught because it is taught in the
Bible and because it is the root of the Gospel. Predestination to
salvation according to the good pleasure of God is that which assures
the believer that he may truly rest in God's grace in Christ Jesus as
sufficient to save him from all his sins. None who are predestinated to
destruction shall ever be damned on account of anything but their
sins. Likewise none that are predestinated to glory shall ever be saved
on account of anything but the active and passive obedience of Christ
alone. Christ's blood has purchased and so secured salvation for God's
elect. But, for those whom God has made to be to the glory of his
Justice, to them the wages of sin is death, and they have purchased
their eternal death and destruction in hell by a multitude of sins
against an infinitely holy, just, and gracious God. Those who are saved
know that it is only of God's free grace that any are saved, as he is
obliged to save none from their sins, all which are against him—and so
they rejoice in their salvation with hope and great thanksgiving,
holding the Gospel of Grace as a precious treasure in their hearts, and
the cause of all true joy in their life. This is the Christian's joy.
This is the Christian's hope.
Very
simply, "Calvinism" is Biblical Christianity in both its purity and
fullness. Those who dissent from this, do not hold to the Christianity
of the Bible. May the LORD hasten the day when all of the dissenters
from Christ's Church shall be granted repentance unto life and saving
faith by the grace of God, and so be turned into the right way. This he
has promised:
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth:
In that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
—Zech. 14:9."
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