Why I'm A Calvinist

I know some people who think that the word Calvanism is equal with arrogance, or maybe even ignorance. I know others who used to think Calvanism was wrong purely on anecdote. I know still more who have never even heard of Calvansim, but I'm not a calvanist, nor do I delcare so, for any of these people or reasons. The reason is because I don't judge doctrine  by how sinful, utterly sinful people live it out. That would be dumb.

I call myself a Calvanist for the same reasons I call myself a Christian. I'm trying to identify with a belief system, in the hopes that through communication  you might understand more quickly what I believe. This is a problem for a language like American-English.

Yes, it's a problem because while words do have meaning, even in the strictest sense, Calvanism doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Nor should it really, since it has so many definitions. "Why....don't you Calvanists believe that you don't have to preach the Gospel?" You might hear someone say. I've heard people say that before, but I've never met ONE calvanist who believes that. I even know of a famous hyper-calvanist, whose particular brand of hyper calvanism predisposes him to the non-evangelizing type...yet at every funeral for american soliders and at gay parades, there he is; evangelizing.

There are so many things to think about but if I boil it down to the simplest component, it's hard determinism. God plans and executes his sovereign, immutable will on his creatures. This is what I spend the most time thinking about. Why? Because it affects every part of the way I think about things. Does evangelism do that? Hardly. Does feeding the poor? Hardly. And like I said, I don't go around trying to create false dichotomies, whose evidence for veracity is rooted in sinful people not adhereing to the true and right doctrine of the Gospel. My belief is, thinking about God's sovereign, immutable will, eventually creates a disciple. And those disciples WILL go forth and preach and teach and feed the poor. I'm living proof to myself that, that is true.

To believe any different is to assume God doesn't have all this under control; or worse...you DO!

Improper Feelings About Doctrine

I was traveling through my various links of inspirational material this morning and I came upon a post, whereupon I was confused by something that the author of the site said.

You can read the post here; I like this site and in particular it's been useful to me, but something about today's post smacked of humanism...and while I do not judge the author, in the sense that I think there's anything more wrong with him, more so than any of us, and also in the sense that he may have violated some rule of faith that only I abide by, I am forced to correct what seems in error with the scriptures.

He speaks of an experience, to which I can relate, which is working with Arminians. In his case he says it's an Arminian pastor. The author of this site relates; 

" I know he is a good man who is concerned for the souls of men. He weeps for souls. " 

Wait...first issue. We've got a logic problem. What is a good man? Why do you call him good? There is none good but God..."Jesus".

Perhaps he means to relate his 'former' sentiment and not be specific to his doctrinal thesis and thus imprecise. Perhaps. Yet, we have more evidence of humanistic arguments that follow. If that were all, I might be well enough to leave it alone. Yet there is more.

The Arminians belief system is not rooted in logic nor the scriptures. His weeping is not for having the truth, but for his emotional in ability to accept reality; namely that men are born unto vessels of wrath. Since there is no truth in him (at this moment at least), why would we expect to believe his weeping? "For many walk...and now tell you weeping, they are enemies of the cross....who's end is destruction..." (Paul)

So then, he has no heart for the lost because he has no mind for truth. He rejects truth and replaces it with his own vain philosphy and elementary principle of the world. How hard is it to be sad that someone will not understand the root principle that hope alights the soul of fear?

Then the author, when he hears "Jesus Loves You", questions it. Rightly so...and says "does He really?"

Let's finish with the evidence...

Here is the remainder of his work - un-edited. First, he makes his case on so-called 'hyper-calvanism, thereby setting up his straw-man argument and then he attacks it. As-if his definition of hyper-calvanism, yet undefined is equal with all untruth...yet no explanation of why Arminans can be "good" and "love people". Yet, unbeknownst to him, he attacks his own unscriptural application of his theology.

I grew up a typical Southern Baptist, which means I believed in Jesus and eternal security, but that was about it. After my conversion, I met a man who was a pastor of a Primitive Baptist church. He loved Jesus, and he was the only one who would talk to me about Romans 9. This pastor was a hyper-Calvinist, though I did not have a category for such a thing at the time. I testify that such men exist, and not just as boogey-men in the dreams of Arminian evangelists. He was the first man to ever tell me God had no intention of saving every man, and even that God did not love all men. After all, God hated Esau. 

I hear the pastor plead with us. He tells us that God will save whoever will come to him, but I know that when he says it he doesn't just mean the elect. This pastor wants all men to come. This pastor believes God might save every man who hears him; he believes that Jesus loves every child in VBS; this man would have pled with Esau even if he had read Romans 9. 

I decided that day that I would plead for the souls of men as if God could and would save every man that I talked to about Christ. I decided that God's love for every child is genuine, even if they do not number amongst the elect. I decided that election would be a comfort to me and not a sorrow; it guaranteed the salvation of many, and yet damned no man to hell. Only sin can do that, and every man's sin is not due to his status in election. 

It was in this way that I finally began to be Reformed. Not simply by confession or creed, but by an overwhelming need for the gospel to be good news to all men, especially for those that believe.

"I hear the pastor plead with us, he tells us that God will save whoever will come to him"...

This is a TRUE STATEMENT! The pastor is right in so saying. Preach the gospel and make disciples. Who cares what the pastor "MEANS"...he does rightly to plead with the wicked to turn to God. He must!

Then in the final analysis, the thesis statement comes forth. "I decided that God's love for every child is genuine, even if they are not numbered among the elect"...

"I decided [calvanism] would not be a sorrow, but a comfort...[calvanism] guaranteed the salvation of many and damned no man to hell. Only sin can do that and every man's sin is not due to his status in election.

If we replaced calvanism, since it's implied here and stated elsewhere with "the gospel", I wonder if he would believe his thesis to stand up? The Gospel states that, so that the counsel of God's own will would stand, he would, have mercy on whom he desires and harden those he desires.

God does not love everyone in the same way. It could be said that even giving you life is to love you, by common grace. However, the Bible is repleat with examples of God hating the wicked and saying so! He HATES the wicked. It would be better that they were never born, yet save his immutable purpose...he provides them as vessels of destruction. While that author may know that, what he appeals to his humanistic argumentation and emotion rather than the scripture. The falsity of his claim is that somehow Calvanism or even Hyper-Calvanism erodes the loving nature or the decree of God to expound the gospel to all men. You are to share with all. The problem that this person has is that they cannot seperate the biblical exegesis of sound evangelism and the popularly taught "Come to Jesus" movement of America.

Jesus doesn't want and will not accept the wicked and the apostate. He only accepts his elect. It just so happens that only He knows who they are, and we're to love everyone until they prove to be wicked and support, by means of your capability, everyone, regardless of their status as you understand it. Period. Get over the traditions of men, they send people to hell.

From Sea To Shining Sea!

Amos 8:12 People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.

It is a dubious honor to be one of the only nations in the world where, in concurrence to the time in which it was written, this prophecy largely describes the United States. The very idea that in America, you could go anywhere, and not hear the word of the LORD is akin to saying that I could be dropped in the ocean and not feel it's wetness. Yet, often times we do not consider the possibility that the 'hearing' of the word of the LORD is not merely the passing of words over our ear canals, but rather the sound exposition of the word of the LORD.

We know, if we have indeed read the scriptures that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing, by the word of the LORD". What most in this age have been taught is that faith is a mountain of dirt that I myself must erect and maintain; and when they hear this text they hear that faith "magically" puts more dirt on "my" hill.

Yet, this is not even close to the meaning of the text. The text is making abundantly clear that faith - which is a gift from God - is, via meta-physical means, routed to your spirit through the secondary means of hearing. And hearing, is enabled and made possible through the first cause of GOD HIMSELF! By His very word, your ears percieve those things which are spiritually appraised. This is why he can call those who are spiritually broken down and dilapidated on the side of the road, in a heap of moral and sinful ruin - dull of "hearing"!!!

So then, we think of nations that are less educated, perhaps less enlightened, perhaps bereft of a McDonalds, as being under the plight of traveling from sea to sea - which is a metaphor at the least of intense searching in every place - and not hearing the word of the LORD. Yet, in our country, people or inundated with sermons and mesasges and teachings that seem to have their root in honoring this person named Jesus Christ. How can it be then that I say that we travel from sea to sea and do not hear the word of the LORD.

Do you not know and have you not read of ancient Judah? Judah was not hauled off to captivity in Babylon because they didn't honor God with their speeches, loud prayers and public humiliations of themselves, that certainly had their resemblence to Godliness. No! They did not honor God because they knew him not! They faked their abiding in God. They used rituals and sacrafices as a means to cover what their hearts desperately wanted. And they wanted, not to serve the living God in strict obedience to His command. For this, they paid dearly. They were hauled to Babylon.

In our country, we do the very same. We falsify the testimony of Jesus Christ, we empty the power of His word and we defame his name with our ignorant, yet boastfully arrogant words. We speak mightly against the Most High God. We utter claims of ignorance and tell jokes at His expense. Did not the people of Judah's time, do the same? Where is your God? Is He delaying?

We have stupid and ignorant people leading the weak and the helpless. They hate God and they desire to kill the sheep. If your Pastor tells you something that's illogical and doesn't square with the scriptures, he's wrong.

If he tells you that you don't make God Lord, but you "let" him be LORD of your life...he's a LIAR! God does not ask your permission; HE demands your OBEDIENCE. And all who aren't obedient are cast in to hell.