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Sermon Notes

False Doctrines Poisoning The Church
Part 3
“Calvinism–Is It True?”

This time we’re going to look at Calvinism. The key chapters we’ll be investigating are Romans 9-11, where Paul deals with the issues of predestination and election, the two words that Calvinism is built around.

Now, the first 8 chapters of Romans deal primarily with man’s sinful condition and God’s gracious and merciful provision of salvation by grace through faith.

But starting with chapter 9 Paul switches gears to focus on Israel and the Jewish people. He’s going to talk about their election as God’s chosen people whose purpose in history was ultimately to be the channel through which Messiah would enter the world.

He begins by expressing that he is vexed and deeply burdened by the fact that, on the whole, the Jewish people of his day have soundly rejected Christ and the gospel message. It is here that he makes one of the most moving and stunning statements in all of Scripture.

“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh…”–Ro. 9:3
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Now, in order to set the stage for our message I want us to read Ro. 9:6-18.

“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.” 10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.”

Two problem verses emerge fro this text, more than any other, that cause many to stumble. Yet they are also two of the key verses Calvinism is built around. They are vs. 13-15:

“13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

From these verses some have concluded that God providentially picks some people to be saved and some to be condemned–that there are some He sovereignly loves and others that He sovereignly hates.

If this is true, then our salvation is a 50/50 gamble! I’m either picked by God to be saved or I’m picked by God to be lost. And if this is true, no wonder people stumble over it and some even walk away from the Christian faith.

But that’s NOT what it’s saying. Chapters 9-11 are about how God sovereignly chose and predestined the Jewish people to be the means by which he would bring the Messiah, Jesus Christ, into the world.

It was God’s decision to give birth to a nation as revealed in Genesis 12:1-3. Abraham’s descendants were chosen by God for the singular purpose of fulfilling the promise first made in Genesis 3:15 of Messiah Jesus coming to earth to redeem fallen man.

There were no Jews until God called Abraham with the promise that he would become a great nation through which all the other nations of the world would be blessed!
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Unfortunately, throughout the centuries since this was written, some Christians and theologians have reduced these chapters, particularly chapter 9, to make it about individual salvation while missing the bigger picture of God’s sovereignty over the nation of Israel.

The official codifiers of this view are now called Calvinists, based on the teachings of a French theologian by the name of John Calvin who lived from 1509 to 1564.

Calvin and his followers concluded that, since God loved Jacob and hated Esau, not according to their own will, but according to his election and predestination of them, then he must also have chosen men to be saved in the same way.

In other words, if I’m saved then He loved and chose me just like he loved and chose Jacob! And those that don’t turn to Christ are those who, like Esau, God hated and didn’t choose to be saved.

But the problem is, it’s not meant to be about you or me. Chapters 9-11 are about Israel!

If you read the chapters carefully, who is God talking about and focused on? He’s talking about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Esau, Pharaoh, Israel, David, etc. In other words, it’s about Israel’s history!

–These 3 chapters are Israel-centric, not salvation-centric.

The danger with this view of our salvation coming by God’s selective choice, which was indeed Calvin’s view, is that it makes God a cruel, unfair, unmerciful, unloving God who, with the flick of his wrist, casually sends people to hell without giving them a choice or chance to repent!

That is not the character of the God of the Bible I read about, who is loving, patient, merciful, and good. As Abraham rhetorically asked God, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?”–Gen 18:25

Those who hold to this view also believe that Jesus didn’t die for the sins of the whole world. He died for the sins of the elect that are predetermined by God to be saved, which those holding to Calvinism call “limited atonement.”
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Now, a few centuries ago following Calvin’s death, some of his followers encapsulated his teaching into five points. These five points were not compiled by Calvin himself. His followers did so and then decided on a nifty five letter acronym called TULIP, which they believed summarizes Calvin’s teaching on salvation.

T for total depravity
U for unconditional election
L for limited atonement
I for irresistible grace, and
P for perseverance of the saints
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Of course, many believers of Calvin’s day didn’t agree with his conclusions and soon countered with their own five points offering another explanation for how a person is saved. The most influential of these had followed a man named Jacobus Arminius, who lived from 1560-1609. Hence, their view is called Arminianism. Their five points are:

PREDESTINATION simply means God’s purpose and plan for those that come to Him.

ATONEMENT was for the whole world. “Whosoever will, let him come…”

REGENERATION (salvation) depends on the work of the Holy Spirit to convict and convince the sinner of his need of salvation.

Rather than IRRESISTIBLE GRACE–All is of grace, yet not irresistible. As Stephen said to the crowd that martyred him, “you do always resist the Holy Spirit.”–Acts 7:51

Rather than PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS, one can fall away and lose his or her salvation.
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Now here we are, 400 years later and the church is seriously divided over these two views. Is it by irresistible grace after being chosen by God that we are saved? Or is it by a free will choice that is offered to everyone?

I’ve had visitors to our church come up to me in the altar and ask me straight up if I’m a Calvinist or an Arminian? My first response was that I was not a Calvinist, upon which they thanked me and walked out to never return.

With a recent surge in Calvinism, especially among younger people, I really had to rethink this whole issue. And I’ve come to a conclusion. When asked now which one I am I say “Yes!” They say, “You can’t say yes to both. It won’t work. You have to choose!” My response is, “Do I?” Doesn’t the Bible say:

“For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”–1 Cor. 3:3

The truth is I can agree with some on both sides. Calvinism stresses God’s sovereignty, and does not the Bible teach that God is sovereign? Arminianism stresses our responsibility, and doesn’t the Bible do the same? Verses like, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”–Phil 2:12

While I don’t believe God chooses who is to be saved and who lost, I do believe in His sovereignty. And while I don’t believe that a true, born again child of God can lose his salvation, I do believe that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world!

So instead of going around saying “I’m a Calvinist,” or “I’m an Arminian,” can’t we just say “I’m a follower of Jesus Christ?”
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Now, I want to close by explaining probably the most misunderstood and problematic word in the whole controversy–PREDESTINATION.

Let me read one last verse–Romans 8:29, which happens to be another favorite verse of those in the Calvinist camp:

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

Two brief observations. The best way to understand PREDESTINED is to drop back to the word, FOREKNEW. Foreknow simply means God knows beforehand who will be saved.

So, having FOREKNOWN who would come to him, he PREDESTINED or planned some things for them. What were those things?

First, That over time through spiritual growth we would become like His Son.

Also that we would be called, justified, and glorified with him in heaven.

So catch this: PREDESTINED does not mean PREDETERMINED, PRE-DECREED, or PRE-DECIDED. It’s not a word about how you’re saved, but rather what God has included in the salvation package, what He has planned and predestined for those that he knew would come to Him!

LET’S PRAY!