The Bible vs. Calvinism:
an Overview
an Overview
Patrick Myers
Introduction
Calvinism is a centuries-old human philosophy that historically has had periodic waves of influence in the Christian faith. Each time, it fades back again due to its inherent logical and biblical inconsistencies. It is currently surging in popularity, especially affecting people and churches in the United States.
As with any belief system, there is a spectrum of ideology within Calvinism. There are traditional believers in reformed-oriented denominations who simply seek to follow Christ, and may be unaware of, or disagree with, many of Calvin’s tenets. But there is also a hardline core of adherents who seek to consistently follow every idea set forth in Calvin’s systematic, including a majority of those caught up in the current popular wave. This form, as it was taught by John Calvin himself, has been referred to as ‘True Calvinism’, ‘Hyper-Calvinism’, ‘Consistent Calvinism’ or ‘High Calvinism’. It teaches Determinism, a belief that God decrees, plans, and creates absolutely everything, both good and evil, including the most heinous crimes. Calvinism presents a subtly different gospel than the one presented in scripture, ultimately debasing the very character and holiness of God.
Though Christians have been writing and teaching against this philosophy for centuries, it must be done in each generation, especially now during this trend. Leading Calvinist proponents today have fame, power, money, and media savvy, reaching young adults by the thousands. Traditional understandings of common scripture passages going back to the early Christian church are being lost in the hype.
The Lord has made clear to my spirit to write out an orderly biblical defense against Calvinism. It is written in faith, hope, and love, that it will shed Christ’s light on your path.
Calvinism is a centuries-old human philosophy that historically has had periodic waves of influence in the Christian faith. Each time, it fades back again due to its inherent logical and biblical inconsistencies. It is currently surging in popularity, especially affecting people and churches in the United States.
As with any belief system, there is a spectrum of ideology within Calvinism. There are traditional believers in reformed-oriented denominations who simply seek to follow Christ, and may be unaware of, or disagree with, many of Calvin’s tenets. But there is also a hardline core of adherents who seek to consistently follow every idea set forth in Calvin’s systematic, including a majority of those caught up in the current popular wave. This form, as it was taught by John Calvin himself, has been referred to as ‘True Calvinism’, ‘Hyper-Calvinism’, ‘Consistent Calvinism’ or ‘High Calvinism’. It teaches Determinism, a belief that God decrees, plans, and creates absolutely everything, both good and evil, including the most heinous crimes. Calvinism presents a subtly different gospel than the one presented in scripture, ultimately debasing the very character and holiness of God.
Though Christians have been writing and teaching against this philosophy for centuries, it must be done in each generation, especially now during this trend. Leading Calvinist proponents today have fame, power, money, and media savvy, reaching young adults by the thousands. Traditional understandings of common scripture passages going back to the early Christian church are being lost in the hype.
The Lord has made clear to my spirit to write out an orderly biblical defense against Calvinism. It is written in faith, hope, and love, that it will shed Christ’s light on your path.
Historical Context
Scholarship today gives us a fairly accurate history of the Christian church. Calvinistic philosophy was simply not taught in the predominant Christian church during its first few hundred years. Christian church leaders during that time did not support these ideas; the only times they are mentioned in prominent early church writings is to oppose them. It was pseudo-Christian sects such as Gnosticism that began to perpetuate early forms of these worldviews, and that eventually influenced their first formal introduction into the church around 400 AD. 1 But this ideology didn’t become more pervasive until Calvin codified, expanded, and promoted it much later in the 16th century. That’s why Calvinists are typically far more excited about the Reformation than the actual beginnings of the Christian church and its original teachings.
Scholarship today gives us a fairly accurate history of the Christian church. Calvinistic philosophy was simply not taught in the predominant Christian church during its first few hundred years. Christian church leaders during that time did not support these ideas; the only times they are mentioned in prominent early church writings is to oppose them. It was pseudo-Christian sects such as Gnosticism that began to perpetuate early forms of these worldviews, and that eventually influenced their first formal introduction into the church around 400 AD. 1 But this ideology didn’t become more pervasive until Calvin codified, expanded, and promoted it much later in the 16th century. That’s why Calvinists are typically far more excited about the Reformation than the actual beginnings of the Christian church and its original teachings.
Beliefs and Culture
Calvinism is codified into the acronym TULIP or TULIPS:
Calvinism is codified into the acronym TULIP or TULIPS:
• Total Depravity (meaning Total Inability): all people are so spiritually dead that they can’t hear God calling or respond to God’s love unless He first supernaturally regenerates them. While Bible-believing Christians agree that people are naturally depraved and sinful, the Bible teaches that God's initiatives through general revelation (Romans 1:20), conscience, the Holy Spirit, and Scripture, are sufficient for people to respond positively. The responsibility for rejecting these and ending up in hell is on each person, not God. The concept of Total Inability is rooted in Gnostic philosophy.
• Unconditional Election: God’s mysterious and apparently arbitrary predestination of people from the beginning of time, literally programming each person for either heaven or hell, with no opportunity for a person to choose otherwise.
• Limited Atonement: Christ only died for the preselected Elect, not for all people.
• Irresistible Grace: God ultimately controls people to answer His call and follow Him; they cannot resist or choose otherwise.
• Perseverance of the Saints: God manipulates people to follow His pre-determined script all the way through their life to reach heaven. This is different from a traditional view held by many Christians referred to as the ‘eternal security of the believer’.
• Sovereign Decree: God has pre-planned and scripted every detail of the universe and each person’s life from beginning to end. To be clear, in this view God has scripted not only the life of every Christian, but also every detail of the broken life of every murderer, and the life of the every murdered child.
Calvinism culturally portrays itself as a return to conservatism and formality, especially filling a void with some young adults today. Calvinists focus on people disillusioned by the shallow, self-indulgent ‘prosperity gospel’ (itself an unbiblical philosophy - see my sermon on this topic), but insert their own philosophical slant as its antidote instead of the depth of traditional Christian teaching going back to the time of New Testament church.
Many hardline Calvinists sneer at other denominations or practices of the Christian faith as inferior - even strongly biblical, faithful churches – because they don’t adhere to Calvinist ideology and culture.
Calvinism claims to exalt God more than traditional Christianity, not because it exalts His love and mercy for all people, but because it exalts an idea of His extreme control of all people. In the Calvinistic view, God unilaterally controls and determines literally everything in a universal puppet show so that all the glory is His. In this absurd view of sovereignty, the more control, the more glory. The ‘love’ and ‘worship’ given to God are as genuine as a doll who says “I love you” when you push its button. This God creates some puppets for heaven and some for hell, each person dangling from cosmic strings with no will or choice in their destination. In this worldview, from the beginning of time God has already created, ordained, and authored absolutely every detail of this world - including the horrific details of every abortion, rape, murder, molestation, holocaust, plane crash, etc. – for his “ultimate glory.” This view boils down to God being the author of sin, which in traditional biblical Christianity is blasphemy. By John Calvin’s own admission: "The decree, I admit, is dreadful." 2
You may say this misrepresents Calvinism; perhaps you claim the name without fully embracing all its interconnected tenets. Here are the words of Calvin himself:
“Creatures are so governed by the secret counsel of God, that nothing happens but what he has knowingly and willingly decreed.” 3
“I concede more—that thieves and murderers, and other evil-doers, are instruments of Divine Providence, being employed by the Lord himself to execute the Judgments which he has resolved to inflict.” 4
“For myself, I take another principle: Whatever things are done wrongly and unjustly by man, these very things are the right and just works of God.” 5
Calvinism culturally portrays itself as a return to conservatism and formality, especially filling a void with some young adults today. Calvinists focus on people disillusioned by the shallow, self-indulgent ‘prosperity gospel’ (itself an unbiblical philosophy - see my sermon on this topic), but insert their own philosophical slant as its antidote instead of the depth of traditional Christian teaching going back to the time of New Testament church.
Many hardline Calvinists sneer at other denominations or practices of the Christian faith as inferior - even strongly biblical, faithful churches – because they don’t adhere to Calvinist ideology and culture.
Calvinism claims to exalt God more than traditional Christianity, not because it exalts His love and mercy for all people, but because it exalts an idea of His extreme control of all people. In the Calvinistic view, God unilaterally controls and determines literally everything in a universal puppet show so that all the glory is His. In this absurd view of sovereignty, the more control, the more glory. The ‘love’ and ‘worship’ given to God are as genuine as a doll who says “I love you” when you push its button. This God creates some puppets for heaven and some for hell, each person dangling from cosmic strings with no will or choice in their destination. In this worldview, from the beginning of time God has already created, ordained, and authored absolutely every detail of this world - including the horrific details of every abortion, rape, murder, molestation, holocaust, plane crash, etc. – for his “ultimate glory.” This view boils down to God being the author of sin, which in traditional biblical Christianity is blasphemy. By John Calvin’s own admission: "The decree, I admit, is dreadful." 2
You may say this misrepresents Calvinism; perhaps you claim the name without fully embracing all its interconnected tenets. Here are the words of Calvin himself:
“Creatures are so governed by the secret counsel of God, that nothing happens but what he has knowingly and willingly decreed.” 3
“I concede more—that thieves and murderers, and other evil-doers, are instruments of Divine Providence, being employed by the Lord himself to execute the Judgments which he has resolved to inflict.” 4
“For myself, I take another principle: Whatever things are done wrongly and unjustly by man, these very things are the right and just works of God.” 5
The prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament warned against this kind of ideology: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20).
Calvin sneered at anyone who believed God simply 'permits' evil. He believed God has to author it. In his treatise 'The Eternal Predestination of God' 10:11, Calvin wrote:
“…how foolish and frail is the support of divine justice afforded by the suggestion that evils come to be, not by His will but by His permission…It is a quite frivolous refuge to say that God otiosely permits them, when Scripture shows Him not only willing, but the author of them…Who does not tremble at these judgments with which God works in the hearts of even the wicked whatever He will, rewarding them nonetheless according to desert? Again it is quite clear from the evidence of Scripture that God works in the hearts of men to incline their wills just as he will, whether to good for His mercy’s sake, or to evil according to their merits.”
But do Calvinists today believe this ideology? Popular leading Calvinist John Piper’s website, ‘Desiring God’, contains this unmistakable statement: “…it isn’t just that God manages to turn the evil aspects of our world to good for those who love him; it is rather that he himself brings about these evil aspects for his glory (see Ex. 9:13-16; John 9:3) and his people’s good (see Heb. 12:3-11; James 1:2-4). This includes—as incredible and as unacceptable as it may currently seem—God’s having even brought about the Nazis’ brutality at Birkenau and Auschwitz as well as the terrible killings of Dennis Rader, and even the sexual abuse of a young child. Nothing that exists or occurs falls outside God’s ordaining will. Nothing, including no evil person or thing or event or deed. God’s foreordination is the ultimate reason why everything comes about, including the existence of all evil persons and things and the occurrence of any evil acts or events.” 6
Many Calvinists deny that they place God as the author of sin, while they still cling to the belief that He has, for instance, authored and sovereignly decreed every detail of every child abuse, as stated in the Desiring God website. This perverse idea is refuted in Jeremiah 32:35, where God says:
Many Calvinists deny that they place God as the author of sin, while they still cling to the belief that He has, for instance, authored and sovereignly decreed every detail of every child abuse, as stated in the Desiring God website. This perverse idea is refuted in Jeremiah 32:35, where God says:
"They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin."
The biblical view is that God gives people real choice to love or reject Him, to follow His ways or turn to their own ways. In this higher view of sovereignty, God allows and can handle the authentic free choices of people and nations – along with the consequences or blessings - yet redeems all things for His ultimate purposes and the good of those who love Him. Thus the famous scripture, Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
The biblical view is that God gives people real choice to love or reject Him, to follow His ways or turn to their own ways. In this higher view of sovereignty, God allows and can handle the authentic free choices of people and nations – along with the consequences or blessings - yet redeems all things for His ultimate purposes and the good of those who love Him. Thus the famous scripture, Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
These two passages further refute God decreeing evil and sin:
Proverbs 15:26: “The Lord detests the plans of the one who is evil.”
How can God detest His own plans for evil in a person that He supposedly sovereignly and unchangeably decreed?
Ephesians 4:30: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you are sealed.”
Why is God grieved over our sins if He supposedly sovereignly decreed every one of them?
We see the blameless character of God in Christ Jesus, His Son. Jesus was sinless, and even challenged those who questioned it: “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46). The goodness and holiness of God are found in countless verses throughout scripture, but here are two: Psalm 25:8 : “Good and upright is the Lord.” Exodus 34:6: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”
A Calvinist ‘proof text’ that God creates evil is Isaiah 45:7: “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” The most basic look at this verse in its context, and in looking at the actual meaning of the Hebrew words, indicates that this doesn’t mean God creates moral evil (sinful actions), but He initiates just punishments as consequences. Discipline is what any loving father does to guide and teach his children for their ultimate good. The text juxtaposes opposites: light and dark, prosperity and disaster. Evil is not the opposite of prosperity. 7a4
Scripture is clear in separating the holiness of God from the sins of people:
We see the blameless character of God in Christ Jesus, His Son. Jesus was sinless, and even challenged those who questioned it: “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46). The goodness and holiness of God are found in countless verses throughout scripture, but here are two: Psalm 25:8 : “Good and upright is the Lord.” Exodus 34:6: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”
A Calvinist ‘proof text’ that God creates evil is Isaiah 45:7: “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” The most basic look at this verse in its context, and in looking at the actual meaning of the Hebrew words, indicates that this doesn’t mean God creates moral evil (sinful actions), but He initiates just punishments as consequences. Discipline is what any loving father does to guide and teach his children for their ultimate good. The text juxtaposes opposites: light and dark, prosperity and disaster. Evil is not the opposite of prosperity. 7a4
Scripture is clear in separating the holiness of God from the sins of people:
1 John 2:16: “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—come not from the Father but from the world.”
In contrast, Calvinism claims that lust and pride are sovereignly designed and decreed by God.
In contrast, Calvinism claims that lust and pride are sovereignly designed and decreed by God.
James 1:13: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.”
Calvinism claims that God directly designs and ordains every evil thought and act.
Thus in Calvinist philosophy, God has sovereignly decreed and scripted every sin that Jesus came to die on a cross to forgive. It is like a fire department setting an apartment building on fire so they can come put it out to save people, or like a police department paying criminals to commit crimes so the police can come in, stop the criminals and save the neighborhood.
Calvinists attempt to reconcile this logical and moral fallacy by an aspect of their philosophy called ‘Compatibilism’. They say that people are still accountable for their sin because they are acting upon their sin nature, and that somehow gets God off the hook for being responsible for their sin. This irrationally overlooks their concurrent belief that God sovereignly decreed their sin nature and every single sin they commit.
No matter how they try to spin it, in Calvinism, a person does not have a real choice to do anything other than what they are programmed by God to do. This puts the ultimate responsibility for their sin on God. In biblical Christianity, each person is responsible for their own choices and actions.
Like many Christians, some Calvinists vocally oppose abortion. They rightly denounce those who would murder a child within what should be the safety of her mother’s womb. But true Calvinism also teaches that from the beginning of time God specifically planned every detail of every abortion that would ever occur, from the mother’s decision to the ripping apart of the baby limb by limb.
Calvinists love to quote Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” Yet like most of their proof texts, they stop reading after they hear what they want. Psalm 115 goes on to say in verse 16: “The heavens are the Lord's, but the earth he has given to the children of man.” The Bible teaches, from Genesis to Revelation, that God in His sovereign pleasure created people not as robots, but in His image. Genesis 1:27: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” His image is not that of a robot or puppet, but the capacity to love, lead, create, and choose.
Calvinists love to quote Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” Yet like most of their proof texts, they stop reading after they hear what they want. Psalm 115 goes on to say in verse 16: “The heavens are the Lord's, but the earth he has given to the children of man.” The Bible teaches, from Genesis to Revelation, that God in His sovereign pleasure created people not as robots, but in His image. Genesis 1:27: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” His image is not that of a robot or puppet, but the capacity to love, lead, create, and choose.
In Matthew 6:10, Jesus teaches His disciples, and us, to pray: "May your kingdom come. May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus teaching us to pray this makes no sense if God's will is always done on earth as it is in heaven.
Another popular Calvinist proof text is Proverbs 16:9: "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." (NIV) This verse actually disproves Calvinism, because it says that humans actually plan their own course. This demonstrates that people are created in the image of God, and are able to use their minds and free will. God is sovereign and can ultimately establish those steps, or allow them to stumble. Instead of accepting the plain meaning of the biblical text, Calvinists read irresistible forced control of people onto passages such as this.
20th century Christian theologian C.S. Lewis was strongly opposed to Calvinism. Commenting on the Calvinist doctrine that God authors every evil act, Lewis wrote:
“…if God’s moral judgement differs from ours so that our ‘black’ may be His ‘white’, we can mean nothing by calling Him good; for to say ‘God is good’, while asserting that His goodness is wholly other than ours, is really only to say ‘God is we know not what’. And an utterly unknown quality in God cannot give us moral grounds for loving or obeying Him. If He is not (in our sense) ‘good’ we shall obey, if at all, only through fear—and should be equally ready to obey an omnipotent Fiend. The doctrine of Total Depravity—when the consequence is drawn that, since we are totally depraved, our idea of good is worth simply nothing—may thus turn Christianity into a form of devil-worship.”
“…if God’s moral judgement differs from ours so that our ‘black’ may be His ‘white’, we can mean nothing by calling Him good; for to say ‘God is good’, while asserting that His goodness is wholly other than ours, is really only to say ‘God is we know not what’. And an utterly unknown quality in God cannot give us moral grounds for loving or obeying Him. If He is not (in our sense) ‘good’ we shall obey, if at all, only through fear—and should be equally ready to obey an omnipotent Fiend. The doctrine of Total Depravity—when the consequence is drawn that, since we are totally depraved, our idea of good is worth simply nothing—may thus turn Christianity into a form of devil-worship.”
Core Calvinist Proof Texts
Each Calvinist proof text is taken in isolation, out of context with its chapter, its book, its historical context, and the Bible as a whole. There are excellent scholarly resources on these core passages - Romans 8-11, John 6:44, Ephesians 1-2, Psalm 139:16, and others - revealing the colored lenses Calvinists use to interpret them.7
Following are overviews of traditional, historical Christian understanding of the primary biblical texts Calvinists read their philosophy into. In these most controversial passages, I use the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible, which was largely translated by Calvinist theologians, so that there is no question of using a different translation to skew the meaning.
Romans 8:29-30
This classic passage is a powerful and true statement of God’s loving, omniscient sovereignty when read without presupposition, allowing the actual meaning of each word to stand:
This classic passage is a powerful and true statement of God’s loving, omniscient sovereignty when read without presupposition, allowing the actual meaning of each word to stand:
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.“
In this passage and others (Acts 2:23, 1 Peter 1:2, Psalm 139:4, Romans 11:2), God is said to have ‘foreknowledge‘, that he ‘foreknew’ (Greek: ‘proginōskō’) who will choose him. The meaning of this word is never ‘foreordained’ or ‘fore-decreed’, but always ‘foreknew’, as detailed scholarly analysis demonstrates. 8
Calvinists argue that God can only know what He ordains, which is a logical fallacy at the most basic level. Even we, who are created in His image, can know things that will happen, even if we don’t ordain them to. For instance, we as parents know that our teenager will get fired from her job for spending too much time on her phone, even after we have warned her repeatedly about it. We didn’t ordain her losing her job, or ordain her to waste her time on her phone. We warned her, and know the outcome when she doesn’t change course.
Who are those “whom He foreknew” in these passages? The answer we can all agree upon is that they are His chosen, His ‘Elect’. However, these passages teach that God’s election is not ‘unconditional’ as Calvinists claim, but based on something that God ‘foreknows’ will happen.
Through the entire book of Romans, there is one theme that comes up over and over regarding salvation. Romans 3:21-30:
Calvinists argue that God can only know what He ordains, which is a logical fallacy at the most basic level. Even we, who are created in His image, can know things that will happen, even if we don’t ordain them to. For instance, we as parents know that our teenager will get fired from her job for spending too much time on her phone, even after we have warned her repeatedly about it. We didn’t ordain her losing her job, or ordain her to waste her time on her phone. We warned her, and know the outcome when she doesn’t change course.
Who are those “whom He foreknew” in these passages? The answer we can all agree upon is that they are His chosen, His ‘Elect’. However, these passages teach that God’s election is not ‘unconditional’ as Calvinists claim, but based on something that God ‘foreknows’ will happen.
Through the entire book of Romans, there is one theme that comes up over and over regarding salvation. Romans 3:21-30:
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”
The entire book of Romans demonstrates that God chooses those who humbly choose Him by faith, not by self-righteousness in their own works or lineage.
God is outside time, and sees the past, present and future at once. At the same time, the Bible is clear that He wants all people to be saved, and that He gives people free will. Some take His foreknowledge and election to refer to individuals, while others view His election as corporate (He chooses a people for Himself in Christ, just as He chose Israel). Either way, He doesn’t arbitrarily or unconditionally elect people to eternal life or eternal torment. Scripture is clear that it is based on His foreknowledge, a knowledge that transcends time. He sets His love upon those who have a tender heart toward Him, who will humble themselves and freely come to Him like a child in faith. He calls them, justifies them, and glorifies them. Matthew 18:1-4:
God is outside time, and sees the past, present and future at once. At the same time, the Bible is clear that He wants all people to be saved, and that He gives people free will. Some take His foreknowledge and election to refer to individuals, while others view His election as corporate (He chooses a people for Himself in Christ, just as He chose Israel). Either way, He doesn’t arbitrarily or unconditionally elect people to eternal life or eternal torment. Scripture is clear that it is based on His foreknowledge, a knowledge that transcends time. He sets His love upon those who have a tender heart toward Him, who will humble themselves and freely come to Him like a child in faith. He calls them, justifies them, and glorifies them. Matthew 18:1-4:
“And calling to him a child, Jesus put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
In this passage, and countless others in the Bible, God presents a real choice to people, to humble themselves and follow Him, or don’t and miss out on the fullness of life now and eternal life in Heaven. These passages make no sense when viewed through the lens of Calvinistic philosophy - that God has already scripted and ordained every action and choice. These passages never say, "The person I effectually and irresistibly humble is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." God calls, initiates, and provides His Spirit, but the responsibility is ours.
In the end, if we followed and obeyed Him, we will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:23). This doesn't diminish God receiving all the glory for the good in our lives, it only enhances it. Any true believer will fall on their knees at that moment, lift their hands in broken humility to Him, and give Him all the glory.
Other controversial passages that indicate God's foreknowledge and calling (Acts 13:48, Revelation 13:8) become clear when understood in light of Romans 8:29-30. None of these passages teach Calvinistic determinism. It has to be simplistically read into them.
As Jesus showed us during His earthly ministry, God allows us to live our lives, yet He compassionately listens to us, interacts with us, and responds to our prayers and cries to Him in real time. He is not a computer programmer interacting with avatars that are just following coded actions and responses.
It should not be too difficult for us to grasp these two truths: 1) God is sovereign and omniscient, and 2) He gives all people real free choice that He sovereignly ordained us to have. 7a1 This is what the Bible consistently teaches from beginning to end. As humans we like things to neatly fit in one box or the other, but God doesn’t fit into any human-made philosophical box.
Other controversial passages that indicate God's foreknowledge and calling (Acts 13:48, Revelation 13:8) become clear when understood in light of Romans 8:29-30. None of these passages teach Calvinistic determinism. It has to be simplistically read into them.
As Jesus showed us during His earthly ministry, God allows us to live our lives, yet He compassionately listens to us, interacts with us, and responds to our prayers and cries to Him in real time. He is not a computer programmer interacting with avatars that are just following coded actions and responses.
It should not be too difficult for us to grasp these two truths: 1) God is sovereign and omniscient, and 2) He gives all people real free choice that He sovereignly ordained us to have. 7a1 This is what the Bible consistently teaches from beginning to end. As humans we like things to neatly fit in one box or the other, but God doesn’t fit into any human-made philosophical box.
Romans 9 and Biblical Salvation
Romans 9 is the foundational proof text of Calvinism; without their isolating, out-of-context interpretation of it, the philosophy largely falls apart.
To understand it correctly, the 9th chapter of Romans must be read in the context of the entire book of Romans, in the context of its Old Testament references, in the context of who Paul was referring to at each point, and in the context of various types of election that are seen in the Bible.
First, it’s important to remember that Paul’s writing is very dense, poetic language, with strong roots in the Old Testament, the Jewish Torah. It can be easily misunderstood if that fact is breezed over. As non-Jewish people two thousand years and thousands of miles away from the Israel of Jesus’ time, we tend to gloss over Paul’s extensive Jewish and Old Testament references.
Even the Apostle Peter acknowledged the dangers of taking Paul’s letters shallowly or out of context.
2 Peter 3:16-17: “…just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”
As referenced above in Romans 3, the major theme of the book of Romans contrasts the hopeless efforts of people to be saved through their works or religious heritage vs. God’s heart for people to be saved by humble faith. The theme of faith as the only way to God is clear throughout the Bible. Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Abraham is the ‘father’ of faith – called by a God he never heard of, to journey to a land he didn’t know, and to wait decades to see God’s promise fulfilled to have a child when he and his wife were far beyond physical capability to do so (Genesis 12-25). Paul refers to those who follow in Abraham’s footsteps of faith as ‘children of the promise’.
But there is another major theme woven through Romans, of Paul’s broken heart over Israel’s overall rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah. How could God’s ‘chosen people’ Israel reject God’s Messiah when He finally appeared? As a Jew himself, Paul is deeply troubled that his ‘brothers’ and ‘kinsmen’ - who share the great heritage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, etc. – had turned against Jesus. And so begins Romans 9:1-5 (ESV):
Romans 9 is the foundational proof text of Calvinism; without their isolating, out-of-context interpretation of it, the philosophy largely falls apart.
To understand it correctly, the 9th chapter of Romans must be read in the context of the entire book of Romans, in the context of its Old Testament references, in the context of who Paul was referring to at each point, and in the context of various types of election that are seen in the Bible.
First, it’s important to remember that Paul’s writing is very dense, poetic language, with strong roots in the Old Testament, the Jewish Torah. It can be easily misunderstood if that fact is breezed over. As non-Jewish people two thousand years and thousands of miles away from the Israel of Jesus’ time, we tend to gloss over Paul’s extensive Jewish and Old Testament references.
Even the Apostle Peter acknowledged the dangers of taking Paul’s letters shallowly or out of context.
2 Peter 3:16-17: “…just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”
As referenced above in Romans 3, the major theme of the book of Romans contrasts the hopeless efforts of people to be saved through their works or religious heritage vs. God’s heart for people to be saved by humble faith. The theme of faith as the only way to God is clear throughout the Bible. Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Abraham is the ‘father’ of faith – called by a God he never heard of, to journey to a land he didn’t know, and to wait decades to see God’s promise fulfilled to have a child when he and his wife were far beyond physical capability to do so (Genesis 12-25). Paul refers to those who follow in Abraham’s footsteps of faith as ‘children of the promise’.
But there is another major theme woven through Romans, of Paul’s broken heart over Israel’s overall rejection of Jesus as the promised Messiah. How could God’s ‘chosen people’ Israel reject God’s Messiah when He finally appeared? As a Jew himself, Paul is deeply troubled that his ‘brothers’ and ‘kinsmen’ - who share the great heritage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, etc. – had turned against Jesus. And so begins Romans 9:1-5 (ESV):
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”
Then Paul again weaves in the theme of salvation by works vs. salvation by faith. He contrasts those who like Abraham are true Jewish believers by humble faith in God (‘children of the promise’), vs. Jews who rely on their cultural identity and legalistic, self-righteous works (‘children of the flesh’). Romans 9:6-13:
“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: 'About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.' And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, 'The older will serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'”
Calvinists zoom in with colored lenses and read only the words “election”, “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad”, and “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” In so doing they have torn the words from their historical and biblical context.
Again, the word ‘election’ means ‘choice’. Along with being chosen for salvation, there are a variety of things in the Bible for which people can be chosen or elected.
Election of a nation:
Deuteronomy 14:2: "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession."
Election to service or leadership:
1 Samuel 16:10-13: “The Lord has not chosen any of these. Are these all the sons you have?” There’s still the youngest one,” Jesse answered. “He’s tending the sheep…so Jesse sent for him. He had a healthy complexion, attractive eyes, and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go ahead, anoint him. He is the one.” Samuel took the flask of olive oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers. The Lord’s Spirit came over David and stayed with him from that day on.”
Election to carry on a lineage:
Psalm 135:4: “For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.”
Paul in Romans, and the Psalmist who wrote Psalm 135, are referring to ‘Jacob’ and ‘Esau’ as chosen people groups of lineage, again making the same overarching contrast of Jacob’s legacy of faith in God’s promise vs. Esau’s legacy of selfishness and preoccupation with the things of the world.
Again, the word ‘election’ means ‘choice’. Along with being chosen for salvation, there are a variety of things in the Bible for which people can be chosen or elected.
Election of a nation:
Deuteronomy 14:2: "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession."
Election to service or leadership:
1 Samuel 16:10-13: “The Lord has not chosen any of these. Are these all the sons you have?” There’s still the youngest one,” Jesse answered. “He’s tending the sheep…so Jesse sent for him. He had a healthy complexion, attractive eyes, and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go ahead, anoint him. He is the one.” Samuel took the flask of olive oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers. The Lord’s Spirit came over David and stayed with him from that day on.”
Election to carry on a lineage:
Psalm 135:4: “For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.”
Paul in Romans, and the Psalmist who wrote Psalm 135, are referring to ‘Jacob’ and ‘Esau’ as chosen people groups of lineage, again making the same overarching contrast of Jacob’s legacy of faith in God’s promise vs. Esau’s legacy of selfishness and preoccupation with the things of the world.
In Romans 9:12, Paul refers back to Genesis 25:23, when Rebekah asked God why the two children in her womb seemed to struggle with each other: "And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” The passage in Genesis also speaks of election to serve and carry on a lineage ("the older shall serve the younger"), not being irresistibly chosen for individual salvation.
The Apostle Paul further clarifies his intended meanings in his letter to the Galatians, saying that in his references to historical Jewish individuals, he intends a higher layer of meaning that these people and their stories “may be interpreted allegorically.” Galatians 4:21-31:
The Apostle Paul further clarifies his intended meanings in his letter to the Galatians, saying that in his references to historical Jewish individuals, he intends a higher layer of meaning that these people and their stories “may be interpreted allegorically.” Galatians 4:21-31:
“Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written,
‘Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be
more than those of the one who has a husband.’
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be
more than those of the one who has a husband.’
"Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? ‘Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.’ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.”
Throughout Paul’s epistles, he similarly contrasts salvation by faith available to Jews, Gentiles, and all who will believe, vs. false salvation by ‘slavery’ to religious heritage and works.
Further, the term ‘hated’ used in verse 13 (“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”) doesn’t mean “unconditionally hated by their Creator before they were born.” In Luke 14:26, Jesus makes this apparently harsh statement: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Taken out of context, Jesus tells us to hate our parents and children and siblings. To literally do this would be to violate all of His inspired word which tells us to honor our parents and love our families. Jesus’ point is: our love for God is to be so wholehearted that we must consider distancing ourselves from any human relationships that pull us away from God. Or put another way, the love we have for God is to be so strong that other relationships seem like hate by contrast.
Jesus tells us to “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Why would the Son of God teach us to love our enemies if His Father hates His enemies? Jesus laid down His life in sacrifice for His enemies, including us. Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Jesus reflects the character of His Father through His love for His enemies.
Further, the term ‘hated’ used in verse 13 (“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”) doesn’t mean “unconditionally hated by their Creator before they were born.” In Luke 14:26, Jesus makes this apparently harsh statement: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Taken out of context, Jesus tells us to hate our parents and children and siblings. To literally do this would be to violate all of His inspired word which tells us to honor our parents and love our families. Jesus’ point is: our love for God is to be so wholehearted that we must consider distancing ourselves from any human relationships that pull us away from God. Or put another way, the love we have for God is to be so strong that other relationships seem like hate by contrast.
Jesus tells us to “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Why would the Son of God teach us to love our enemies if His Father hates His enemies? Jesus laid down His life in sacrifice for His enemies, including us. Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Jesus reflects the character of His Father through His love for His enemies.
Taking these majestic themes and dumbing them down into a philosophical claim that Jacob and Esau – and by extension all individuals – are programmed for heaven or hell before they are born, is not supported by the plain reading of the text. It has to be forced onto it.
Continuing on in Romans 9:14-18:
Continuing on in Romans 9:14-18:
“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.' So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”
What is the “injustice on God’s part” Paul is referring to? That He has sovereignly and arbitrarily predestined some individuals for heaven and most for hell? Where in the text does it say that? It doesn’t. It is a human philosophy that has to be read into the passage, because it’s not there.
Paul’s style of writing in Romans and other epistles includes passages where he anticipates the questions that will arise from his statements. These objections are raised by an anticipated ‘objector’, the primary type of person that will question the ideas presented. Calvinists assume the objector in Romans 9 is a person arguing against Calvinistic determinism of individuals to heaven or hell. They have plucked their proof words out of context, and they pluck the objector out as well to debate them. But that’s not who the objector is. The objector in Romans 9 is the same objector throughout Romans, especially seen back in Romans 3. It is a first-century Jew resentful that God appears to no longer esteem the Jews as His only chosen people, instead now pouring out His spirit on all who believe - even to prostitutes and tax collectors. From Romans 3:1-5: “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us?”
By widening our lens, we see Paul’s overall theme throughout Romans 9, his broken heart over Israel’s overall rejection of Christ. God’s chosen people were largely rejecting their Messiah, while Gentile sinners were coming to Jesus by the thousands in faith. How could God have mercy and compassion on these Gentile tax collectors and prostitutes while He has apparently hardened the hearts of His own chosen people? Does God arbitrarily harden some people’s hearts so that they will never believe?
The theme of hardening culminates in a metaphor in the next passage.
Romans 9:19-29:
Paul’s style of writing in Romans and other epistles includes passages where he anticipates the questions that will arise from his statements. These objections are raised by an anticipated ‘objector’, the primary type of person that will question the ideas presented. Calvinists assume the objector in Romans 9 is a person arguing against Calvinistic determinism of individuals to heaven or hell. They have plucked their proof words out of context, and they pluck the objector out as well to debate them. But that’s not who the objector is. The objector in Romans 9 is the same objector throughout Romans, especially seen back in Romans 3. It is a first-century Jew resentful that God appears to no longer esteem the Jews as His only chosen people, instead now pouring out His spirit on all who believe - even to prostitutes and tax collectors. From Romans 3:1-5: “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us?”
By widening our lens, we see Paul’s overall theme throughout Romans 9, his broken heart over Israel’s overall rejection of Christ. God’s chosen people were largely rejecting their Messiah, while Gentile sinners were coming to Jesus by the thousands in faith. How could God have mercy and compassion on these Gentile tax collectors and prostitutes while He has apparently hardened the hearts of His own chosen people? Does God arbitrarily harden some people’s hearts so that they will never believe?
The theme of hardening culminates in a metaphor in the next passage.
Romans 9:19-29:
"You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?' But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea,
'Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved’.”
And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved’.”
And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: 'Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.' And as Isaiah predicted,
'If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.'”
we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.'”
Again note the constant emphasis on the two groups being contrasted: Verse 25: “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people.” There is nothing about contrasting individuals sovereignly predestined for heaven vs. those predestined for hell. The text is contrasting God’s original chosen people, Israel, who have become hardened and calloused, with the Gentiles who are coming to Him by faith, Paul’s consistent thesis.
Paul’s analogy to God as a Potter shaping vessels in this passage is a reference to Jeremiah 18:1-10. The passage would be very familiar to Paul’s Jewish audience. Unlike the Calvinistic interpretation that some individual people are vessels of destruction hated by their Creator from birth, Paul’s point is that God can redeem and reshape a vessel (a person or nation) that seems hardened and useless, if they will simply humble themselves and repent:
“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 'Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.' So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 'Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.'”
Paul's reference to the passage in Jeremiah gives context to all of Romans 9. God in His mercy looks for people and nations who are willing to humble themselves in faith, and He will turn their lives around. Their destiny is not unconditionally and arbitrarily predetermined. Nations, and the individuals who make up nations, are free to choose God or not, and He will have mercy on them or not.
The perfect, holy God didn’t mar the clay by sovereign decree. The clay, as a metaphor for Israel, was marred by its own sin and rebellion. As individuals we can also become marred, spoiled clay. But there is no sovereign decree about our destiny. Calvinists gloss over it, but the good news contained in the final verses of the passage in Jeremiah are unmistakably about our real choices as nations and individuals: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”
Paul also clarified his symbolic use of 'vessels' in 2 Timothy 2:20-21:
The perfect, holy God didn’t mar the clay by sovereign decree. The clay, as a metaphor for Israel, was marred by its own sin and rebellion. As individuals we can also become marred, spoiled clay. But there is no sovereign decree about our destiny. Calvinists gloss over it, but the good news contained in the final verses of the passage in Jeremiah are unmistakably about our real choices as nations and individuals: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”
Paul also clarified his symbolic use of 'vessels' in 2 Timothy 2:20-21:
"Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."
Consistent with the meaning of 'vessels' in Romans 9, Paul speaks of a person choosing to be a vessel for honorable use, rather than for dishonorable. There is no reference to vessels being decreed to be one or the other.
The concluding sentences of Romans 9 bring Paul’s themes home, contrasting Jewish legalism vs. Gentile righteousness by faith. Romans 9:30-33:
“What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.'”
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.'”
Again, there is nothing in these concluding sentences of the chapter that point to unconditional salvation or damnation of individuals. Paul again makes it very clear in his conclusion that he is contrasting Gentiles who were coming to Christ in faith vs. Jews who were attempting to reach God through legalistic works.
Judicial Hardening
The Potter analogy doesn’t end in Romans 9. Many Israelites had hardened their own hearts and become calloused to God; Jesus strongly denounced these Jews for their hardness of heart on many occasions. Why would He denounce those He had arbitrarily hardened before the foundation of the world? The meaning of the word ‘harden’ in these passages is ‘to strengthen in one’s resolve,’ not hardening something that is otherwise pliable.
Like a parent who has to push their drug-addicted teen out of the house to fully ‘give them over’ to their own calloused lifestyle, there are times in the Bible when God shows tough love by giving people or nations over fully to their own callousness. Pharaoh in the story of the Exodus is the classic example that is referenced in Romans 9, but the Bible clearly says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart before and during God’s judicial hardening of him.
In Paul’s time, God had judiciously hardened the Israelites, giving them over to their own hardness for a time. But in Romans 11:11-12, Paul declares the triumphant and hopeful conclusion that the Jews will not be cut off forever: “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!”
The text clearly says that these Israelites were judiciously hardened in their own stubbornness so that salvation would go beyond them into the whole world - “to make Israel envious.” But they did not ‘stumble’ beyond recovery. Rather than a narrowing of who can be saved, God purposed this temporary hardening of His original chosen people to bring the gospel to the world. Individuals and nations can be chosen (elected) by God as instruments, to bring this good news to the world.
In contrast to the clear contextual meanings of Romans 8-11, John Calvin twisted these passages to mean that some individuals are, in Calvin’s own words, “doomed from the womb”:
“He arranges all things by his sovereign counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death, and are to glorify him by their destruction.” 9
Unlike the dark fatalism of Calvinist philosophy, the Bible teaches that God wants people to freely choose Him and have life. Ezekiel 33:11:
Judicial Hardening
The Potter analogy doesn’t end in Romans 9. Many Israelites had hardened their own hearts and become calloused to God; Jesus strongly denounced these Jews for their hardness of heart on many occasions. Why would He denounce those He had arbitrarily hardened before the foundation of the world? The meaning of the word ‘harden’ in these passages is ‘to strengthen in one’s resolve,’ not hardening something that is otherwise pliable.
Like a parent who has to push their drug-addicted teen out of the house to fully ‘give them over’ to their own calloused lifestyle, there are times in the Bible when God shows tough love by giving people or nations over fully to their own callousness. Pharaoh in the story of the Exodus is the classic example that is referenced in Romans 9, but the Bible clearly says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart before and during God’s judicial hardening of him.
In Paul’s time, God had judiciously hardened the Israelites, giving them over to their own hardness for a time. But in Romans 11:11-12, Paul declares the triumphant and hopeful conclusion that the Jews will not be cut off forever: “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!”
The text clearly says that these Israelites were judiciously hardened in their own stubbornness so that salvation would go beyond them into the whole world - “to make Israel envious.” But they did not ‘stumble’ beyond recovery. Rather than a narrowing of who can be saved, God purposed this temporary hardening of His original chosen people to bring the gospel to the world. Individuals and nations can be chosen (elected) by God as instruments, to bring this good news to the world.
In contrast to the clear contextual meanings of Romans 8-11, John Calvin twisted these passages to mean that some individuals are, in Calvin’s own words, “doomed from the womb”:
“He arranges all things by his sovereign counsel, in such a way that individuals are born, who are doomed from the womb to certain death, and are to glorify him by their destruction.” 9
Unlike the dark fatalism of Calvinist philosophy, the Bible teaches that God wants people to freely choose Him and have life. Ezekiel 33:11:
“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’"
Calvinism teaches that God glorifies himself by arbitrarily assigning people from birth to eternal torment in hell. The Bible says that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but gives people the real opportunity to choose life.
Calling and Election
Over and over, the Bible says to seek wisdom and to have “eyes to see and ears to hear.” In Matthew 13:13-15, Jesus quotes Isaiah to explain why people are blind and deaf to the truth:
“This is why I speak to them in parables:
‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’”
‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’”
Are those without eyes to see and ears to hear sovereignly and unchangeably decreed to be that way from the beginning of time? No, both Isaiah and Jesus declare why they are that way: “For this people’s heart has become calloused, they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.” Did God sovereignly shut their eyes? Again, no: “they have closed their eyes.” He “would heal them” if they would turn to Him. But they refuse His light again and again, so He turns away and leaves them in the darkness they desire.
Calvinism conflates the calling and election of God as two synonymous terms, but in Matthew 22:14, Jesus said: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” If God’s calling is effectual in the Calvinistic sense of total manipulative control, then why aren’t all who are called chosen? If “God so loved the world,” why doesn’t His total manipulative control make everyone love Him back?
To fit their systematic, Calvinists sometimes answer this and other logical disconnects by creating two different kinds of everything – two different types of calling, two different types of love. There is a general calling and an effectual calling, there is a general love and an effectual love, etc. The problem is the Bible doesn’t teach this anywhere. It is a human philosophy that has to be forced onto the pages of scripture to perpetuate itself.
Coming to God in faith is not coming to God attempting to be saved by works. Calvinism also confuses and conflates these, equating a person’s faith as being a work. The Bible in numerous places contrasts faith and works. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ” In the original Greek sentence structure of this passage, the “gift of God” is not faith, but the whole clause: “by grace you have been saved through faith.” The gift is salvation by grace, and we come to Him by faith to receive this gift. Faith is always distinct from works, as Paul and other New Testament writers consistently teach.
Calvinism conflates the calling and election of God as two synonymous terms, but in Matthew 22:14, Jesus said: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” If God’s calling is effectual in the Calvinistic sense of total manipulative control, then why aren’t all who are called chosen? If “God so loved the world,” why doesn’t His total manipulative control make everyone love Him back?
To fit their systematic, Calvinists sometimes answer this and other logical disconnects by creating two different kinds of everything – two different types of calling, two different types of love. There is a general calling and an effectual calling, there is a general love and an effectual love, etc. The problem is the Bible doesn’t teach this anywhere. It is a human philosophy that has to be forced onto the pages of scripture to perpetuate itself.
Coming to God in faith is not coming to God attempting to be saved by works. Calvinism also confuses and conflates these, equating a person’s faith as being a work. The Bible in numerous places contrasts faith and works. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ” In the original Greek sentence structure of this passage, the “gift of God” is not faith, but the whole clause: “by grace you have been saved through faith.” The gift is salvation by grace, and we come to Him by faith to receive this gift. Faith is always distinct from works, as Paul and other New Testament writers consistently teach.
Even if we misread the passage and claim that faith by itself is a gift from God, to whom is it given? Calvinists claim it is effectually, irresistibly given to some and withheld from everyone else. What definition does the Bible give for faith?
Hebrews 11:1 (ESV): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
If faith is assurance, to whom is this assurance given? It is given to all:
Acts 17:30-31 (ESV): "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
This passage says that God "commands all people everywhere to repent," not a preselected few. And it says he has given assurance - the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1 - to all. Each person can accept or reject the gift, but God's glory and love are demonstrated in His offering it to all unconditionally.
Even the order of how people are saved through faith is backward in Calvinism. 10 The Bible says that by faith anyone can believe to become saved and regenerated. Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Calvinism teaches the Gnostic view that all flesh is wicked, people are corpse-like dead, and supernatural regeneration must occur first to even hear the gospel and have faith. They use the analogy of the raising of Lazarus from the dead to illustrate this, though the biblical text doesn’t equate this story with regeneration.
Ephesians 2:1 does say “And you were dead in your offenses and sin.” Jesus also told Christians in the church at Sardis: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1). Deadness in biblical analogy generally means separated from God’s life-giving Spirit, and therefore not bearing fruit (for instance the vine and branches analogy in John 15:1-8). But it does not mean total inability to hear and respond, or how could the church at Sardis hear Jesus speaking to them if they were “dead”? The Bible has many examples of people who have the ability to listen, but who choose to harden their own hearts over time and refuse to hear His voice.
Regarding salvation and regeneration, Jesus uses the analogy of people being sick and needing healing. Mark 2:17: “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Even the order of how people are saved through faith is backward in Calvinism. 10 The Bible says that by faith anyone can believe to become saved and regenerated. Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Calvinism teaches the Gnostic view that all flesh is wicked, people are corpse-like dead, and supernatural regeneration must occur first to even hear the gospel and have faith. They use the analogy of the raising of Lazarus from the dead to illustrate this, though the biblical text doesn’t equate this story with regeneration.
Ephesians 2:1 does say “And you were dead in your offenses and sin.” Jesus also told Christians in the church at Sardis: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1). Deadness in biblical analogy generally means separated from God’s life-giving Spirit, and therefore not bearing fruit (for instance the vine and branches analogy in John 15:1-8). But it does not mean total inability to hear and respond, or how could the church at Sardis hear Jesus speaking to them if they were “dead”? The Bible has many examples of people who have the ability to listen, but who choose to harden their own hearts over time and refuse to hear His voice.
Regarding salvation and regeneration, Jesus uses the analogy of people being sick and needing healing. Mark 2:17: “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Bible teaches that people are naturally depraved and sinful, but that we all have the ability to respond to God, first through His general revelation to all people. Romans 1:20: “From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.” If people are totally depraved to the point we can’t see or hear God’s calling and revelation without supernatural regeneration, why does this scripture say that His eternal power and divine nature can be clearly observed by all people, who therefore have no excuse?
We have the further ability to respond when the good news of His word is shared. Romans 10:17-18: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: ‘Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Claiming that some kind of mystical internal regeneration must occur before a person can respond to the gospel doesn’t make sense logically. A person can understand advanced math and science, plays by Shakespeare, great musical compositions - or even read the Quran and believe it - but they can’t understand the clear words of the Bible?
It also doesn't match the teaching of scripture. In contrast to a systematic philosophy requiring pre-faith regeneration, the Bible teaches this about itself in Hebrews 4:12:
We have the further ability to respond when the good news of His word is shared. Romans 10:17-18: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: ‘Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Claiming that some kind of mystical internal regeneration must occur before a person can respond to the gospel doesn’t make sense logically. A person can understand advanced math and science, plays by Shakespeare, great musical compositions - or even read the Quran and believe it - but they can’t understand the clear words of the Bible?
It also doesn't match the teaching of scripture. In contrast to a systematic philosophy requiring pre-faith regeneration, the Bible teaches this about itself in Hebrews 4:12:
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
2 Timothy 3:15 “…and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
The Bible says the Scriptures are able to make us “wise for salvation” through faith in Christ. There is no mention of pre-faith regeneration anywhere in the Bible.
Isaiah 55:11 teaches a similar truth:
“…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."
Three scripture passages in the upcoming section on Ephesians 1:1-14 teach the correct order of salvation.
In both the Old and New Testaments, people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to come to God by faith. Throughout the Bible, God often humbles the self-righteous who think only their narrow group can come to God, by highlighting the faith of people in other cultures. In answer to a question of how to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25), Jesus told a story to demonstrate what a saving faith in God looks like. In the story, an innocent man was robbed, beaten and left for dead in the road. The supposedly religious Jewish people, including a priest, repeatedly walked by him. Only a Samaritan – a citizen of a culture considered by the Jews to be heathens – lifted the injured man, tended his wounds, paid for his lodging, and returned to check on him (Luke 10:26-37).
Calvinists often accuse non-Calvinists of being ‘Synergistic’, that salvation is the result of a synergy between human effort and God’s effort. Calvinism boasts of being ‘Monergistic’, that God does everything and therefore receives all the glory.
This is a false, unbiblical dichotomy. All true Christians believe that salvation is 100% initiated by and accomplished by God. Our humble repentance and faith are not works that merit salvation. If they did, then Christ’s sacrifice for our sins is unnecessary.
In which of these two scenarios is a person more responsible for his or her own sin?
1) From the beginning of time, God doomed her and planned for her destruction. She was born completely dead, unable to see or hear truth due to Adam’s original sin and her own. She could never see God’s goodness and majesty in creation or hear God’s voice calling to her because God did not choose her for regeneration and eternal life. Like Esau, she is hated by her Creator before she was born. Jesus did not die for her because she was not elect. He sovereignly decreed every sin she would commit. She rejects this God and lives a life of sin, facing eternity in hell, with no choice or ability to choose otherwise due to God’s sovereign decree.
Calvinists often accuse non-Calvinists of being ‘Synergistic’, that salvation is the result of a synergy between human effort and God’s effort. Calvinism boasts of being ‘Monergistic’, that God does everything and therefore receives all the glory.
This is a false, unbiblical dichotomy. All true Christians believe that salvation is 100% initiated by and accomplished by God. Our humble repentance and faith are not works that merit salvation. If they did, then Christ’s sacrifice for our sins is unnecessary.
In which of these two scenarios is a person more responsible for his or her own sin?
1) From the beginning of time, God doomed her and planned for her destruction. She was born completely dead, unable to see or hear truth due to Adam’s original sin and her own. She could never see God’s goodness and majesty in creation or hear God’s voice calling to her because God did not choose her for regeneration and eternal life. Like Esau, she is hated by her Creator before she was born. Jesus did not die for her because she was not elect. He sovereignly decreed every sin she would commit. She rejects this God and lives a life of sin, facing eternity in hell, with no choice or ability to choose otherwise due to God’s sovereign decree.
2) God creates her, gives her breath and heartbeat, and grace for each day. Throughout her life, God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Romans 1:20). She has the ability to respond to the good that she perceives of God and seek Him, and the scriptures promise He will be found (see verses below). He “stretches out His hands all day long” (Isaiah 65:2) to her in love and mercy. But she hardens her heart and chooses her own path, living a life of sin, repeatedly and intentionally rejecting God. A friend shares with her the good news about forgiveness and eternal life through Christ. God has initiated love toward her through His revelation in creation and through His word, but she rejects His love.
Calvinists often like to say their worldview shows how desperately depraved we are without God, but their worldview ironically ends up giving people an excuse because they were not chosen, they were hated from the beginning of time, Jesus didn’t die for them, they never had supernatural regeneration to see the love of God, and God ordained and planned every one of their sins. Traditional Christian belief is that God loves all people throughout the world, Jesus died for all, sin is our own responsibility, and people are without excuse. It is offensive to put the blame for sin back on God as the Calvinist system clearly does.
God promises in scripture that He will be found if people simply respond to His love and seek Him:
Jeremiah 29:13
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."
Calvinists often like to say their worldview shows how desperately depraved we are without God, but their worldview ironically ends up giving people an excuse because they were not chosen, they were hated from the beginning of time, Jesus didn’t die for them, they never had supernatural regeneration to see the love of God, and God ordained and planned every one of their sins. Traditional Christian belief is that God loves all people throughout the world, Jesus died for all, sin is our own responsibility, and people are without excuse. It is offensive to put the blame for sin back on God as the Calvinist system clearly does.
God promises in scripture that He will be found if people simply respond to His love and seek Him:
Jeremiah 29:13
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."
Deuteronomy 4:29
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Psalm 145:18
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
In Luke 15, Jesus told the famous story of the prodigal son, a picture of God’s merciful salvation. After squandering his father’s money on reckless living, the son humbled himself and returned to his father. He was so ashamed that he just hoped to be hired as a servant to his father. He didn’t demand that his father would count his humility and repentance as earning restoration. Before the father even heard the son’s words, he “felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” The father didn’t mysteriously ‘regenerate’ and then ‘irresistibly’ draw the son back home; the father let him go freely, and he freely returned. The picture of salvation offered in this story is 100% God’s grace, and He receives 100% of the glory for it. The son couldn’t save himself, and we can’t save ourselves.
1 Peter 5:5: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In verse 6, a phrase is given that is repeated throughout the Bible, “humble yourselves.” “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” The call to “humble yourselves” makes no sense if He has already unilaterally and irresistibly forced you to be saved. It is God’s sovereign choice to give grace to the humble, but “salvation belongs to our God.” (Revelation 7:10)
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Psalm 145:18
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
In Luke 15, Jesus told the famous story of the prodigal son, a picture of God’s merciful salvation. After squandering his father’s money on reckless living, the son humbled himself and returned to his father. He was so ashamed that he just hoped to be hired as a servant to his father. He didn’t demand that his father would count his humility and repentance as earning restoration. Before the father even heard the son’s words, he “felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” The father didn’t mysteriously ‘regenerate’ and then ‘irresistibly’ draw the son back home; the father let him go freely, and he freely returned. The picture of salvation offered in this story is 100% God’s grace, and He receives 100% of the glory for it. The son couldn’t save himself, and we can’t save ourselves.
1 Peter 5:5: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In verse 6, a phrase is given that is repeated throughout the Bible, “humble yourselves.” “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” The call to “humble yourselves” makes no sense if He has already unilaterally and irresistibly forced you to be saved. It is God’s sovereign choice to give grace to the humble, but “salvation belongs to our God.” (Revelation 7:10)
Ephesians 1:1-14
The word ‘predestined’ appears twice in Romans 8:29-30 that we examined earlier, and twice in the first chapter of Ephesians. The word ‘predestined’ literally means ‘a destination is set beforehand’. Thus when we see this word, we need to consider two questions, and look at the actual text of scripture to answer them: Who is being predestined? And, what is their destination?
The first question is answered in the opening statement:
The first question is answered in the opening statement:
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God;
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul is addressing Christians, “saints” who are “faithful in Christ Jesus.” The pronouns ‘us’, ‘we’ and ‘you’ that follow refer to people who are already followers of Christ. The people being predestined in the following verses are Christians, not unbelievers.
The second question - What is the destination? - is answered in the next verses. Continuing in verse 3:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
Notice what the Bible says. It does NOT say “he chose us TO BE IN HIM before the foundation of the world.” It says “he chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world.” Remember who the Bible says is being predestined – Christians are being predestined for the spiritual blessings listed, not unbelievers being predestined to become Christians. It’s a huge difference, and the Bible is clear about what is meant.
The phrase ‘in him’ or ‘in Christ’ is said 10 times in Ephesians. God has predestined that anyone who is in Christ will become “holy and blameless” and adopted as a child of God.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
Notice what the Bible says. It does NOT say “he chose us TO BE IN HIM before the foundation of the world.” It says “he chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world.” Remember who the Bible says is being predestined – Christians are being predestined for the spiritual blessings listed, not unbelievers being predestined to become Christians. It’s a huge difference, and the Bible is clear about what is meant.
The phrase ‘in him’ or ‘in Christ’ is said 10 times in Ephesians. God has predestined that anyone who is in Christ will become “holy and blameless” and adopted as a child of God.
The “adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ” doesn’t refer to unbelievers receiving salvation, it refers to “the faithful in Christ” one day receiving glorified bodies with which we can be with God as His children forever. Paul makes this clear in Romans 8:23, referring to people who are already believers but are still awaiting “adoption” and “redemption”. Romans 8:23: “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” God has predestined people who have put their faith in Christ to be resurrected to eternal life.
A few verses earlier in Romans 8:15, Paul writes that we receive the "Spirit of adoption" when we become believers: "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Though we receive the "Spirit of adoption" upon receiving Christ, the Bible is clear that we as believers are waiting for the full adoption, when we trade our temporary earthly bodies for eternal ones. We don't have to wonder about whether that will happen. God has predestined it.
Here's an analogy. Let’s say I decided to buy a vacation package to Hawaii for everyone in the community where I live. It’s free for anyone who chooses to go on the trip. All you have to do is choose to go and accept the free tickets. The package includes many blessings, including airplane flights, a cruise ship, hotels, beaches, mountains, great meals, concerts, etc. I’ve set the destination and the many blessings that come with it. And I’ve offered it to everyone. Those who freely choose to go on the trip are predestined to enjoy the blessings of it. In the same way, God offers his free gift of salvation to all. He has predestined those who accept his free gift to have many blessings in this life and to ultimately be in Heaven with Him forever.
Continuing on with the rest of this passage in Ephesians, notice when believers are placed in Christ. It’s not “before the foundation of the world,” but “when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him.”:
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
The straightforward reading of this passage doesn’t teach that God has predestined certain individuals before the foundation of the world to believe and others to burn in hell. It teaches that God has predestined those who have put their faith in Christ to be “holy and blameless,” and to have “spiritual blessings in the heavenly places,” “redemption,” “forgiveness,” and “adoption.”
Continuing on with the rest of this passage in Ephesians, notice when believers are placed in Christ. It’s not “before the foundation of the world,” but “when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him.”:
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
The straightforward reading of this passage doesn’t teach that God has predestined certain individuals before the foundation of the world to believe and others to burn in hell. It teaches that God has predestined those who have put their faith in Christ to be “holy and blameless,” and to have “spiritual blessings in the heavenly places,” “redemption,” “forgiveness,” and “adoption.”
In its historical context, Paul was writing to Christians who were facing imprisonment, beatings, burning, and being thrown to lions in an arena. They needed real encouragement as to their future as believers.
Ephesians 1, like many other passages, also refutes Calvinism’s backward and unbiblical order of salvation, where supernatural regeneration must occur before a person irresistibly responds to Christ. This passage teaches the correct order:
1) “you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation”
2) “and believed in Him”
3) you “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”
This order of salvation is consistent throughout the New Testament.Ephesians 1, like many other passages, also refutes Calvinism’s backward and unbiblical order of salvation, where supernatural regeneration must occur before a person irresistibly responds to Christ. This passage teaches the correct order:
1) “you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation”
2) “and believed in Him”
3) you “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”
John 20:30-31:
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
Again:
1) God gives revelation through the scriptures “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”
2) A person responds “by believing…”
3) Then “…you may have life in His name.”
“Life in His name” comes after hearing His truth and responding to it in faith.
Jesus Himself affirms the order of salvation in John 5:39-40:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”
1) Scripture bears witness to Christ
2) We can come to Him, or refuse to
3) If we come to Him, we may have life
According to Jesus Christ’s own words, we don’t get life from pre-faith regeneration, then come to Him. We hear about Christ in the scriptures, come to Him in faith, and receive regeneration and new life.
Acts 4:27-28
"...for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place."
This passage clearly says that Jesus' sacrifice for our sins was predestined by God. Acts 2:23 also indicates the same thing, but adds "foreknowledge" as part of the way God brought it to pass: "...this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."
Dozens of Old Testament prophetic passages about the crucifixion also confirm God's foreknowledge and will for the crucifixion to occur. There's no question that God foreknows and plans unique things to occur out of His love. He is sovereign, existing outside of time, having foreknowledge of the evil choices of people, and can work all things together to bring about His purpose.
This becomes especially clear when Jesus says that He intentionally chose Judas, knowing his evil character and intentions. John 6:70: "Jesus answered them, Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil." God did not create Judas to be evil, Judas chose that himself. By God's foreknowledge of Judas' evil thoughts and actions, Jesus chose him as one of the twelve to accomplish His purpose in the atonement. Why would the word "foreknowledge" be included in the passage if it's not an important element? Otherwise it would just be God programming robots to accomplish His purpose.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a 'non-sequitur' is "an inference that does not follow from the premise." Calvinists take these two passages in Acts and extrapolate them using their philosophy to teach that God predestines and decrees absolutely everything. We saw earlier in Jeremiah 32:35 that God "never commanded" "nor did it enter my mind" that the people should sacrifice their sons and daughters to the false God Molek. Throughout the entire Bible. God expresses anger or heartbreak over the evil done by people. This would be irrational on God's part if God has decreed all evil actions by people - He would be angry at Himself for His own decrees.
As another example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, the Apostle Paul writes: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you His Holy Spirit."
What is God's will in this passage? Essentially that we should be sanctified, avoiding sexual immorality by learning to control our own bodies in a way that is holy and honorable. It then says that if we reject this instruction, we are rejecting God.
How then can it be God's opposite will to predestine some to reject this instruction, and so also reject Himself?
In 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, Paul is angry at the Corinthians for the same behaviors: "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you."
God's will in this passage is also very evident. But Calvinism teaches that God has decreed all things, so in Calvinism it's actually God's SECRET will that there is this disgusting sexual immorality in the Corinthian church. Thus Calvinists constantly have to split God's will, God's love, and other aspects of God's character into different categories to make their philosophy fit Scripture. Calvinism comes out of Gnosticism, with the root word 'gnosis' which means a higher secret knowledge. Calvinists will often say it is a deeper, higher form of Christianity. However, none of it is based on what the Bible actually says, but what their philosophy demands.
John 6:44
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
This is another common Calvinist proof text pulled out of context. Those unfamiliar with the whole of scripture are misled when this is thrown at them. By widening our lens to include the entire passage, and the whole teaching of scripture, the meaning of this short sentence becomes clear.
Jesus is God in the flesh, and He died for the sins of all. 1 John 2:2: “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Contrary to the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement, all people have the opportunity to receive this free gift of forgiveness and salvation. Those before and after Jesus who never hear of Him, but who humbly repent of their sins and put their faith in God the Creator of the universe, have put their faith in Jesus’ Father. 10 This includes Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Nebuchadnezzar, Rahab, Ruth, Esther, and countless others in the Old Testament. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). For those who truly put their faith in God the Father, and listen to His voice, He will naturally draw them to His Son, Jesus. This is the plain meaning of John 6:44. Taken out of context, it would seem to support Calvinism’s 4th point, ‘Irresistible Grace’. But we need to back up to verse 41 for Jesus’ audience - Jews that were not truly listening to God the Father anymore. And we need to continue reading through verse 47, where Jesus clearly tells these Jews that 1) all people who will listen are taught by God the Father, 2) everyone who truly listens to the Father comes to Jesus, and 3) whoever believes has eternal life.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
This is another common Calvinist proof text pulled out of context. Those unfamiliar with the whole of scripture are misled when this is thrown at them. By widening our lens to include the entire passage, and the whole teaching of scripture, the meaning of this short sentence becomes clear.
Jesus is God in the flesh, and He died for the sins of all. 1 John 2:2: “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Contrary to the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement, all people have the opportunity to receive this free gift of forgiveness and salvation. Those before and after Jesus who never hear of Him, but who humbly repent of their sins and put their faith in God the Creator of the universe, have put their faith in Jesus’ Father. 10 This includes Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Nebuchadnezzar, Rahab, Ruth, Esther, and countless others in the Old Testament. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). For those who truly put their faith in God the Father, and listen to His voice, He will naturally draw them to His Son, Jesus. This is the plain meaning of John 6:44. Taken out of context, it would seem to support Calvinism’s 4th point, ‘Irresistible Grace’. But we need to back up to verse 41 for Jesus’ audience - Jews that were not truly listening to God the Father anymore. And we need to continue reading through verse 47, where Jesus clearly tells these Jews that 1) all people who will listen are taught by God the Father, 2) everyone who truly listens to the Father comes to Jesus, and 3) whoever believes has eternal life.
Here is the full passage:
“So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
Jesus’ conclusion of this passage, “whoever believes has eternal life”, is an open invitation to all, not to the unconditionally preselected few. Those who have closed their ears to the Father will not be drawn to Jesus, while those with open ears and hearts to the Father will naturally be drawn to Jesus.
Who is drawn to Jesus? Later in John 12:32, Jesus tells us. "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Christ draws all people through His death and resurrection, but some accept it and some reject it. Calvinistic determinism is read onto isolated passages to support a philosophy, but biblical context erases Calvinism.
Again, to whom does God choose to reveal Himself? Calvinism teaches it is those unconditionally elected before the foundation of the world. The Bible is clear who He draws close to. For example, Psalm 25:12:
“Who is the person who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.”
Two verses later, Psalm 25:14:
“The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make known to him His covenant.”
Jesus even commended those who never heard of Him, but who came to His Father by faith. For instance, what message did God call Jonah to preach to over 100,000 people in the ‘great city’ of Nineveh? (Jonah 3:1-10). Whatever it was, it caused them to repent and believe in God - the Father of Jesus Christ. Jesus commended these ancient people of Nineveh for their faith and repentance, and indicated they will inherit eternal life, even though they didn’t know of Him: “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” (Matthew 12:41). Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross covers all who come to His Father in repentance and faith. 11
John 6:63-65
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
With their philosophical framework, Calvinists assume ‘granted’ here means ‘irresistibly and unconditionally forced to happen’. But throughout Scripture, granting is conditional based on a response of listening and learning what God reveals through creation, through a person’s conscience, and through the Scriptures. Those who listen and learn from the Father are granted to come to the Son.
For instance, in Acts 11:18, the same word ‘granted’ is used:
“When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” This doesn’t mean every Gentile is effectually caused to repent and have life.
Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
Why are some not granted the opportunity to come to Jesus? Because they suppress the truth by their own unrighteousness. It is not because of God’s unconditional ‘Sovereign Decree’ that they don’t come to Jesus, it is their own unrighteous choice to suppress the truth given to them.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 9 also clearly shows that people are responsible for refusing to accept the truth, and that they could have chosen otherwise and been saved:
“The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.”
The truth was not insufficient. Their destruction was because “they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.”
Does God know who will choose Him? Yes. As John 6:64 indicates: “For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.” Just a few verses later, in John 6:70, Jesus says:
“Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.” Jesus knew Judas would chose evil, and Jesus chose Judas. Jesus was not the source of Judas’ evil. Reiterating 1 John 2:16: “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—come not from the Father but from the world.”
Rather than the simplistic, linear view of sovereignty that God has to control people like robots to accomplish His purposes, God can take the evil decisions of Judas and countless others who suppressed the truth by their own unrighteousness, and sovereignly bring about the most important event in human history – the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
Psalm 139:16
Psalm 139:16
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” ESV Translation
Psalm 139 is a beautiful portrayal of God’s intimate knowledge and foreknowledge of us. But when verse 16 is read in the ESV and other translations done by Calvinistic organizations, this verse teaches that God has unilaterally and unchangeably ordained every single day of your life. Thus, all the pages of scripture that call people to choose to seek wisdom and follow God are meaningless, because every moment of your life is scripted anyway. Praying for the sick or those in danger becomes meaningless. Physicians, nurses, and medical missionaries with a heart to heal and save people’s lives are wasting their time. For a Calvinist to preach this verse as the ESV translates it is insulting to people in the medical field, first responders, and countless others. We might as well smoke and drink and eat junk food, because in this fatalistic view nothing will change the days God has unchangeably decreed for each of us.
God’s supposed foreordaining of the number of days of your life and what happens in each day can be painted in a positive light, that God cares about you so intimately that He planned every detail of your life. But if that’s true for you, it’s also true for every other single person on Earth. Calvinists don’t talk about it, but this philosophy requires that God also planned the number of days and every detail of the baby’s life that is violently ended by elective abortion, the girl who is raped and murdered, and the person who commits suicide.
Throughout scripture, God gives each person choices. As a general principle, if they follow His calling, it ultimately leads to life. If they reject Him and turn away, it ultimately leads to death, sometimes premature death. This is a general principle in the whole of scripture, not a hard promise. The Christian life will definitely include suffering and may even include martyrdom. But Jesus promised in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
God speaks in Psalm 91 about His response to a person who “holds fast to me in love.”
God’s supposed foreordaining of the number of days of your life and what happens in each day can be painted in a positive light, that God cares about you so intimately that He planned every detail of your life. But if that’s true for you, it’s also true for every other single person on Earth. Calvinists don’t talk about it, but this philosophy requires that God also planned the number of days and every detail of the baby’s life that is violently ended by elective abortion, the girl who is raped and murdered, and the person who commits suicide.
Throughout scripture, God gives each person choices. As a general principle, if they follow His calling, it ultimately leads to life. If they reject Him and turn away, it ultimately leads to death, sometimes premature death. This is a general principle in the whole of scripture, not a hard promise. The Christian life will definitely include suffering and may even include martyrdom. But Jesus promised in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
God speaks in Psalm 91 about His response to a person who “holds fast to me in love.”
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
This Psalm doesn’t say God satisfies him with long life because He ordained to do so from before the foundation of the world, it says the long life is a result of him holding fast to God in love.
Similarly, Proverbs 10:27 says:
"The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened."
The choices we make can prolong our lives, or shorten them. It is not God's will or decree for us to make bad choices that will shorten our lives.
The choices we make can prolong our lives, or shorten them. It is not God's will or decree for us to make bad choices that will shorten our lives.
In Isaiah 38:1-5, King Hezekiah is dying:
“In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, and said, ‘Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly."
"Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.”
Did God lie to Hezekiah the first time when He told him he would die and not recover? If the days of Hezekiah’s life were ordained from beginning of time, why would God first lie to him and then later add 15 years? Calvinistic philosophy makes God a liar in this passage and many others such as Jonah 3:10: “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”
With the whole teaching of scripture in mind, let’s look again at Psalm 139:16.
This verse has a complex history of translation that varies considerably between versions. 7f The original King James Version (KJV) translated it this way:
With the whole teaching of scripture in mind, let’s look again at Psalm 139:16.
This verse has a complex history of translation that varies considerably between versions. 7f The original King James Version (KJV) translated it this way:
“Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”
In this and other translations, the Hebrew is translated to mean that all the intricate parts of our bodies are accounted for and formed in the womb by God’s design, a plan in place even before conception.
In the International Standard Version (ISV), the focus is also on God’s intimate and sovereign design of pregnancy:
In the International Standard Version (ISV), the focus is also on God’s intimate and sovereign design of pregnancy:
“Your eyes looked upon my embryo, and everything was recorded in your book. The days scheduled for my formation were inscribed, even though not one of them had come yet.”
The ERV is another contemporary translation that strives for faithful accuracy to the original Hebrew and Greek, in clear, easy-to-understand English. The same verse is translated this way from the Hebrew:
“You could see my body grow each passing day. You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing.”
The JPS (Jewish Publication Society) translation of the original Hebrew is consistent with these translations:
“You could see my body grow each passing day. You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing.”
The JPS (Jewish Publication Society) translation of the original Hebrew is consistent with these translations:
“Your eyes saw my unformed limbs; they were all recorded in your book. In due time they were formed to the very last one of them.”
One reason translations of verse 16 vary in meaning is that the original Hebrew text is unusually sparse and not in a typical structural order. Ironically, even Calvin himself acknowledged that the order of verse 16 is unclear, and that the most likely meaning is not pre-ordained number of days of each person’s life, but the formation of the human body: “…the other is the more natural meaning, that the different parts of the human body are formed in a succession of time.” 12
Modern deterministic translators insert words and arrange the sentence structure to stretch the verse into an artificial philosophical proclamation about every detail of every individual’s life and lifespan being foreordained. Translations such as those shown above maintain a meaning consistent with the entire Psalm and the entire Bible - a view even Calvin had to acknowledge, though it didn’t support his philosophy.
Modern deterministic translators insert words and arrange the sentence structure to stretch the verse into an artificial philosophical proclamation about every detail of every individual’s life and lifespan being foreordained. Translations such as those shown above maintain a meaning consistent with the entire Psalm and the entire Bible - a view even Calvin had to acknowledge, though it didn’t support his philosophy.
1 Corinthians 2:14
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
This passage is often used by Calvinists to support the claim of Total Depravity/Total Inability. As with all Calvinist proof texts, it is taken out of context. We simply have to read the passages before and after to understand Paul’s meaning and intention. In the preceding verses, it’s clear that Paul is addressing and discussing that believers in Christ need to rely on the Spirit to discern and grow in understanding. Three verses later Paul calls these same Christians unspiritual:
3:1-3: “Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t talk to you like spiritual people but like unspiritual people, like babies in Christ. I gave you milk to drink instead of solid food, because you weren’t up to it yet. Now you are still not up to it because you are still unspiritual. When jealousy and fighting exist between you, aren’t you unspiritual and living by human standards?”
Paul tells these Christians they can’t accept “the things of the Spirit of God” because they are choosing to follow the flesh rather than the Spirit. The point is, whether Christian or not, setting your mind on the things of the world/flesh will close you off to God. Only out of context can Calvinistic philosophy be read into this verse.
Following Jesus or Calvin?
Their beliefs aside, Calvinists violate the clear teaching of scripture right out of the gate. For any Christian to follow one human man and bear his name, especially with cult-like fervor, is specifically forbidden in scripture. In 1 Corinthians chapters 1-3, the Apostle Paul strongly admonished some in the Corinthian church who were saying, “I am of Paul” while others said “I am of Apollos” or “I am of Cephas.” Saying “I am a Calvinist” or “I am an Arminian” is no less offensive to God today.
Even if Calvinists backpedal and use the term ‘Reformed’ instead, why stake your entire theological foundation on a reformation of bad theology, rather than the original teachings of Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament church? The Reformation had many important accomplishments that we must never forget. But as a theological foundation it is based on the achievements and mixed ideas of fallible humans, many centuries after Christ and the apostles.
Like his philosophy, Calvin was personally obsessed with control. While historical accounts vary in the details, and Calvinists take great pains to minimize the facts, it’s clear from Calvin’s own letters and other historical documents that he was involved at some level in the executions of those who disagreed with him.
Even other leaders of the Reformation rejected Calvin’s ideology. Philip Melancthon, who succeeded Luther as head of the Lutheran Church in 1546, commented on Calvin’s teachings about God decreeing every sin and predestining people to hell before they are born: “This opinion ought everywhere to be held in horror and execration; it is a stoical madness, fatal to morals, monstrous and blasphemous.”13
When Thomas Jefferson was 80 years old, he wrote to fellow former US President John Adams: “I can never join Calvin in addressing his god. He was indeed an Atheist, which I can never be; or rather his religion was Demonism. If ever man worshipped a false god, he did. The being described in his 5 points is not the God whom you and I acknowledge and adore, the Creator and benevolent governor of the world; but a demon of malignant spirit. It would be more pardonable to believe in no god at all, than to blaspheme him by the atrocious attributes of Calvin.”14
Their beliefs aside, Calvinists violate the clear teaching of scripture right out of the gate. For any Christian to follow one human man and bear his name, especially with cult-like fervor, is specifically forbidden in scripture. In 1 Corinthians chapters 1-3, the Apostle Paul strongly admonished some in the Corinthian church who were saying, “I am of Paul” while others said “I am of Apollos” or “I am of Cephas.” Saying “I am a Calvinist” or “I am an Arminian” is no less offensive to God today.
Even if Calvinists backpedal and use the term ‘Reformed’ instead, why stake your entire theological foundation on a reformation of bad theology, rather than the original teachings of Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament church? The Reformation had many important accomplishments that we must never forget. But as a theological foundation it is based on the achievements and mixed ideas of fallible humans, many centuries after Christ and the apostles.
Like his philosophy, Calvin was personally obsessed with control. While historical accounts vary in the details, and Calvinists take great pains to minimize the facts, it’s clear from Calvin’s own letters and other historical documents that he was involved at some level in the executions of those who disagreed with him.
Even other leaders of the Reformation rejected Calvin’s ideology. Philip Melancthon, who succeeded Luther as head of the Lutheran Church in 1546, commented on Calvin’s teachings about God decreeing every sin and predestining people to hell before they are born: “This opinion ought everywhere to be held in horror and execration; it is a stoical madness, fatal to morals, monstrous and blasphemous.”13
When Thomas Jefferson was 80 years old, he wrote to fellow former US President John Adams: “I can never join Calvin in addressing his god. He was indeed an Atheist, which I can never be; or rather his religion was Demonism. If ever man worshipped a false god, he did. The being described in his 5 points is not the God whom you and I acknowledge and adore, the Creator and benevolent governor of the world; but a demon of malignant spirit. It would be more pardonable to believe in no god at all, than to blaspheme him by the atrocious attributes of Calvin.”14
The New Resurgence of Calvinism
In this latest surge, Calvinist pastors and teachers today are entering church after church, seeking to ‘reform’ them, often gradually, surreptitiously introducing a cultural and theological shift. The tone and atmosphere slowly change, but most don’t know why. Many of these churches end up splitting and becoming reduced down to what Calvinists consider the ‘Elect’ in their own eyes. In the process many are turned away from Christ and His church. There is often no heart for the lost, the seeking, the questioning, the broken, the poor, or the downtrodden. Instead, hardline Calvinists frequently attack all these, and gather with an inward focus to celebrate their own presumed status as the Elect. Jesus said: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13).
With their worldview and ugly portrayal of God, true Calvinists don’t often successfully start their own churches. And many who are initially drawn to Calvinism today don’t fully understand what Calvin actually taught. Calvinism is most effective by coming alongside and mimicking traditional biblical Christianity, then slowly attempting to replace it with a convincing, neatly-packaged ideology, using lofty but unbiblical terms such as ‘Doctrines of Grace’ that sound good but mean something very different.
In this latest surge, Calvinist pastors and teachers today are entering church after church, seeking to ‘reform’ them, often gradually, surreptitiously introducing a cultural and theological shift. The tone and atmosphere slowly change, but most don’t know why. Many of these churches end up splitting and becoming reduced down to what Calvinists consider the ‘Elect’ in their own eyes. In the process many are turned away from Christ and His church. There is often no heart for the lost, the seeking, the questioning, the broken, the poor, or the downtrodden. Instead, hardline Calvinists frequently attack all these, and gather with an inward focus to celebrate their own presumed status as the Elect. Jesus said: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13).
With their worldview and ugly portrayal of God, true Calvinists don’t often successfully start their own churches. And many who are initially drawn to Calvinism today don’t fully understand what Calvin actually taught. Calvinism is most effective by coming alongside and mimicking traditional biblical Christianity, then slowly attempting to replace it with a convincing, neatly-packaged ideology, using lofty but unbiblical terms such as ‘Doctrines of Grace’ that sound good but mean something very different.
Salvation Offered to All
The Bible is filled with God’s appeal to all people to come to Him in faith. Here are just three more of these verses:
1 Timothy 2:3-6 "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."
2 Peter 3:9 "Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Not “all kinds of people”, or “all the predetermined Elect”, as Calvinists twist these verses to fit their systematic, but all people.
This is the ‘good news’ – the ‘gospel’ – found in the Bible. Calvinism is literally ‘bad news’. Turn instead to the love of Jesus Christ, who created and sustains the universe, who laid down His life for all to have the opportunity to be reconciled to God, who rose from the dead, who reigns with God the Father, and who will return to make a new heaven and a new earth for all who respond to Him in faith.
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The Bible is filled with God’s appeal to all people to come to Him in faith. Here are just three more of these verses:
1 Timothy 2:3-6 "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."
2 Peter 3:9 "Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Not “all kinds of people”, or “all the predetermined Elect”, as Calvinists twist these verses to fit their systematic, but all people.
This is the ‘good news’ – the ‘gospel’ – found in the Bible. Calvinism is literally ‘bad news’. Turn instead to the love of Jesus Christ, who created and sustains the universe, who laid down His life for all to have the opportunity to be reconciled to God, who rose from the dead, who reigns with God the Father, and who will return to make a new heaven and a new earth for all who respond to Him in faith.
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References and recommendations for further study:
1. Dr. Ken Wilson, ‘The Foundation of Augustinian-Calvinism’, 2019. Dr. Wilson received his doctorate from the University of Oxford with the thesis, ‘Augustine’s Conversion from Traditional Free Choice to ‘Non-free Free Will’: A Comprehensive Methodology’. This book is a condensed version of the thesis for the general public.
Even Calvinist scholars, at least honest ones, acknowledge that determinism was not taught by any leading Christians in the church until about 400 AD. Augustine had accepted Christ and lived as a traditional Christian like the majority of Christians of his time, who believed people have the ability to choose to follow Christ or not. But later in his life, Augustine began to revert back to the Manichaean Gnostic philosophy of his pre-Christian years. This was the first formal introduction of determinism into the church, though it didn't really spread until a thousand years later, when Calvin took the late writings of Augustine and expanded them into a systematic theology. While Augustine was highly esteemed for his writings on other aspects of Christianity, his later promotion of determinism was not accepted by the predominate church.
Augustine's Gnostic philosophy also prompted his belief that unbaptized infants who die will go to hell. He wrote a lengthy treatise, 'On Merit and the Forgiveness of Sins, and the Baptism of Infants' (Book I). His pattern of anguished human reasoning, rather than relying on the clear teaching of the Bible, is evident in these writings:
Chapter 35
“…infants, unless they pass into the number of believers through the sacrament which was divinely instituted for this purpose, will undoubtedly remain in this darkness.”
Chapter 55
“Nor is there any middle place for any man, and so a man can only be with the devil who is not with Christ. Accordingly, also the Lord Himself (wishing to remove from the hearts of wrong-believers that vague and indefinite middle condition, which some would provide for unbaptized infants — as if, by reason of their innocence, they were embraced in eternal life, but were not, because of their unbaptized state, with Christ in His kingdom) uttered that definitive sentence of His, which shuts their mouths: He that is not with me is against me. Take then the case of any infant you please: If he is already in Christ, why is he baptized? If, however, as the Truth has it, he is baptized just that he may be with Christ, it certainly follows that he who is not baptized is not with Christ; and because he is not with Christ, he is against Christ; for He has pronounced His own sentence, which is so explicit that we ought not, and indeed cannot, impair it or change it. And how can he be against Christ, if not owing to sin? For it cannot possibly be from his soul or his body, both of these being the creation of God. Now if it be owing to sin, what sin can be found at such an age, except the ancient and original sin?”
“…infants, unless they pass into the number of believers through the sacrament which was divinely instituted for this purpose, will undoubtedly remain in this darkness.”
Chapter 55
“Nor is there any middle place for any man, and so a man can only be with the devil who is not with Christ. Accordingly, also the Lord Himself (wishing to remove from the hearts of wrong-believers that vague and indefinite middle condition, which some would provide for unbaptized infants — as if, by reason of their innocence, they were embraced in eternal life, but were not, because of their unbaptized state, with Christ in His kingdom) uttered that definitive sentence of His, which shuts their mouths: He that is not with me is against me. Take then the case of any infant you please: If he is already in Christ, why is he baptized? If, however, as the Truth has it, he is baptized just that he may be with Christ, it certainly follows that he who is not baptized is not with Christ; and because he is not with Christ, he is against Christ; for He has pronounced His own sentence, which is so explicit that we ought not, and indeed cannot, impair it or change it. And how can he be against Christ, if not owing to sin? For it cannot possibly be from his soul or his body, both of these being the creation of God. Now if it be owing to sin, what sin can be found at such an age, except the ancient and original sin?”
2. John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Chapter 23, section 7.
3. John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Chapter 16, section 3.
4. John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Chapter 17, section 5.
5. John Calvin, Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God, p.169.
6. From the Desiring God website: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/all-the-good-that-is-ours-in-christ-seeing-gods-gracious-hand-in-the-hurts-others-do-to-us, accessed 1/21/21.
7. The resources here are far too numerous to include, but here are just a few starting points:
7. The resources here are far too numerous to include, but here are just a few starting points:
a. Mike Winger, biblethinker.org or https://www.youtube.com/c/MikeWinger/featured
Mike is gracious and humble as he teaches the whole biblical view of both God’s complete sovereignty and the real free choice of people. He is neither Calvinist nor Arminian. His teachings are in-depth but easy to follow. Besides the messages listed below, there are also three messages on Romans 11 showing the ultimate redemption available for those that seemed doomed in Romans 9.
Mike is gracious and humble as he teaches the whole biblical view of both God’s complete sovereignty and the real free choice of people. He is neither Calvinist nor Arminian. His teachings are in-depth but easy to follow. Besides the messages listed below, there are also three messages on Romans 11 showing the ultimate redemption available for those that seemed doomed in Romans 9.
1) ‘Calvinism, Arminianism, Election & Predestination: Romans 8:29-30, 33’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO92L11L9jc&t=24s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO92L11L9jc&t=24s
2) ‘A Non-Calvinist Interpretation of Romans 9’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y4yjSwEkfY
3) ‘Why God Hardens Hearts: Romans 9:17-24’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMuiT_R0zFQ&t=202s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMuiT_R0zFQ&t=202s
4) ‘Did God Create Evil? A Misunderstood Bible Verse: Isaiah 45:7’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSToZ_4yh54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSToZ_4yh54
b. A.W. Tozer, ‘Calvinism and Divine Sovereignty’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_jdenfTPJ8
Tozer is one of the most respected Christian theologians of all time. He had a high view of God’s sovereignty, while rejecting Calvinistic determinism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_jdenfTPJ8
Tozer is one of the most respected Christian theologians of all time. He had a high view of God’s sovereignty, while rejecting Calvinistic determinism.
c. Dr. Leighton Flowers, ‘The Potter’s Promise: A Biblical Defense of Traditional Soteriology’. Written by a former hardline Calvinist, this book examines Calvinist proof texts in biblical and historical context. Flowers also has extensive resources on his website, soteriology101.com, plus interviews with both Calvinistic and non-Calvinistic scholars, sermon reviews, etc. on YouTube and other social media platforms. I don't agree with Flowers' interpretation of Romans 8:29-30; there are more solid non-Calvinist interpretations of that passage by others. But Flowers' detailed study of Romans 9-11 - in historical context with the whole of scripture - is one of the clearest and most accurate there is. It reveals where Calvinistic interpretations are presumptuous and taken out of context. The entire book humbly brings Christ’s light and truth into the issues surrounding Calvinism.
d. Alana L, 'In and Out of Calvinism: Finally, the Whole Story'
https://youtu.be/9m-Of-VMbRE
Alana is a popular Christian video podcaster focusing on Christian living, Biblical marriage, faith, and parenting. Her perspective on her family's journey out of Calvinism is biblically faithful, humble and very honest.
d. Alana L, 'In and Out of Calvinism: Finally, the Whole Story'
https://youtu.be/9m-Of-VMbRE
Alana is a popular Christian video podcaster focusing on Christian living, Biblical marriage, faith, and parenting. Her perspective on her family's journey out of Calvinism is biblically faithful, humble and very honest.
e. Kevin Thompson, ‘Romans 9 De-Calvinized’. Neither an Arminian nor a Calvinist, Thompson examines the pitfalls of each system. He has teachings on each of the common Calvinist proof texts. This is a comprehensive verse-by-verse contextual study of Romans 9, the core text used by Calvinists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFbKeIbrDWw
f. Dennis Bratcher, Christian Resource Institute, ‘Psalm 139:16 and Predestination: Text Criticism and Interpretation’. http://www.crivoice.org/psa139.html
g. Scott Mitchell, 'Rediscovering Romans 9: How Calvinism Distorts the Nature and Character of God, 2021. This is an excellent in-depth look at Romans 9 in its full biblical context.
8. Dr. Thomas Edgar, Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis at Capital Bible Seminary. ‘The Meaning of Proginōskō (‘To Foreknow’)’, 2003. https://versebyversecommentary.com/articles/doctrine/concursus/the-meaning-of-proginosko-to-foreknow-thomas-r-edgar/
8. Dr. Thomas Edgar, Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis at Capital Bible Seminary. ‘The Meaning of Proginōskō (‘To Foreknow’)’, 2003. https://versebyversecommentary.com/articles/doctrine/concursus/the-meaning-of-proginosko-to-foreknow-thomas-r-edgar/
9. John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Chapter 23, section 6.
10. Leighton Flowers, ‘Does Regeneration Precede Faith?’
https://soteriology101.com/2018/06/27/does-regeneration-precede-faith-2/
10. Leighton Flowers, ‘Does Regeneration Precede Faith?’
https://soteriology101.com/2018/06/27/does-regeneration-precede-faith-2/
11. Mike Winger, ‘What About People Who Never Hear the Gospel?’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiyxpE5UBz4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiyxpE5UBz4
12. John Calvin on Psalm 139:16:
“16. Interpreters are not agreed as to the second clause. Some read ימים, yamim, in the nominative case, when days were made; the sense being, according to them — All my bones were written in thy book, O God! from the beginning of the world, when days were first formed by thee, and when as yet none of them actually existed. The other is the more natural meaning, that the different parts of the human body are formed in a succession of time; for in the first germ there is no arrangement of parts, or proportion of members, but it is developed, and takes its peculiar form progressively.”
- Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. 12: Psalms, Part V, tr. by John King, [1847-50]
“16. Interpreters are not agreed as to the second clause. Some read ימים, yamim, in the nominative case, when days were made; the sense being, according to them — All my bones were written in thy book, O God! from the beginning of the world, when days were first formed by thee, and when as yet none of them actually existed. The other is the more natural meaning, that the different parts of the human body are formed in a succession of time; for in the first germ there is no arrangement of parts, or proportion of members, but it is developed, and takes its peculiar form progressively.”
- Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. 12: Psalms, Part V, tr. by John King, [1847-50]
13. Philip Melancthon, Corpus Doctrinae Christianae, 1560.
14. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, April 11, 1823. National Archives.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/98-01-02-3446
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/98-01-02-3446
15. Another newer book that provides an excellent biblical summary of the differences between the Calvinist 'gospel' and the gospel of the Bible: 'Saved by Grace through Faith or Saved by Decree?: A Biblical and Theological Critique of Calvinist Soteriology' by Geoffrey D. Robinson.
16. Austin Fischer, a pastor from the 'Young, Restless and Reformed' movement, wrote a book explaining why he left Calvinism: 'Young, Restless, and No Longer Reformed'. 2014, Wipf & Stock Publishers.
17. Heather, a licensed counselor and homeschooler of four children, writes a blog called the Anti-Calvinist Rant. Its purpose is "Confronting the errors and dangers of Calvinism - a theology that flips the Bible on its head and does great harm to Gospel Truth, God's character, Jesus' sacrifice, and our faith."
https://anticalvinistrant.blogspot.com/
17. Heather, a licensed counselor and homeschooler of four children, writes a blog called the Anti-Calvinist Rant. Its purpose is "Confronting the errors and dangers of Calvinism - a theology that flips the Bible on its head and does great harm to Gospel Truth, God's character, Jesus' sacrifice, and our faith."
https://anticalvinistrant.blogspot.com/
Photo: Jacob's Ladder Wildflowers, Colorado - Patrick Myers, public domain.