Calvinism (7)

Jonathan Ledbetter

Back to the Basics • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

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Back to the Basics:

Calvinism

We’re Not Going Back to the Basics of Calvinism…

But Back to the Basics of What the Scriptures Say…

On the Topics that Calvinism Addresses

I’m No Expert on Calvinism

I’ve Never Studied it Deeply

But, I’ve Listening to Several Calvinists Explain Their Positions/Beliefs…

And I Think We’ll Be Able to Discuss this Topic…

Without Doing Too Much Straw-Manning it’s Teachings

So We’re Going to Try to Approach this with Grace & Humility

Calvinism is All about the Sovereignty of God…

And How His Sovereignty Relates to Our Salvation

Essentially, is God Completely in Control of All Things?

And How Does that Effect Our Salvation?

The 5 Main Teachings of Calvinism are Often Summed Up with the Acronym:

T.U.L.I.P.

Total Depravity

Unconditional Election

Limited Atonement

Irresistible Grace

Perseverance of the Saints

LearnReligions.com:

“Calvinism teaches that the Elect cannot lose their salvation. Because salvation is the work of God the Father; Jesus Christ, the Savior; and the Holy Spirit, it cannot be thwarted. None whom God has called will be lost, they are eternally secure. Technically, however, it is God who perseveres, not the saints themselves.”

Allen Parr:

“Those who are truly elect, and thus saved, will persevere in following God for the rest of their lives. The proof of election and salvation is if you persevere until the end. Some refer to this ‘P’ as the ‘Preservation of the Saints’ instead of ‘Perseverance’ because it is God who keeps us from falling”

GotQuestions.Org:

The simplest explanation of this doctrine is the saying: “Once saved, always saved.” The Bible teaches that those who are born again will continue trusting in Christ forever. God, by His own power through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, keeps or preserves the believer forever.

Passages “in Favor” of Perseverance of the Saints:

Philippians 1:6 (NASB95)

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

See, God Began His Work of Salvation in the Philippians…

And He will Perfect/Complete it Until Jesus Returns

When God Saves Someone…

He Completes Their Salvation Forever

Except for the Fact that…

This Passage isn’t Talking about the Philippians’ Salvation

A Simple Understanding of Paul’s Relationship with the Philippians…

And the Immediate Context of this Verse…

Shows Us that:

Paul was Talking about a Certain Work the Philippians were Involved in

What was the “Good Work” the Philippians were Involved in?

Just Read the Surrounding Verses:

Philippians 1:3–7 (NASB95)

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

Notice 2 Key Words in this Passage…

That are a Huge Clue as to What Paul is Communicating:

“Participation” in the Gospel = Fellowship/Sharing

koinōnia

“Partakers” = Partners/Sharers

synkoinōnos

Both of These Words Share the Root Word koinos

The Philippians were Participants/Partners/Sharers…

In the Gospel with Paul

What Does that Mean?

The Answer is Easily Found…

When We Follow the Root Word koinos Through Philippians

In Philippians 4, Paul Talks about How the Philippians…

Were Concerned for Him When He was on His Missionary Journeys

They Wanted Him to Be Taken Care of Financially…

But They weren’t Able to Help Him for Some Time

He Tells Them that He was Able to Endure Being Without…

Because Jesus Gives Him the Strength

Then He Says:

Philippians 4:14–16 (NASB95)

14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. 15 You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

The Philippians were Some of the Most Generous Churches…

To Help Financially Support Paul During His Missionary Journeys

So What “Good Work” was Paul Talking about in Our Original Text…

That God Began & Would Bring to Completion?

The Good Work of Their Being Partners with Paul in the Gospel…

By Supporting Him in His Journeys to Share the Gospel

Paul was Confident that God…

Who Began this Good/Generous Work in Them…

Would Complete it in Them as Well

Romans 8:31–39 (NASB95)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God has a Special Love for His Elect

No One can Bring a Charge Against God’s Elect

They are Forever Free from Sin

Nothing can Separate Them from God’s Love

This is Taken to Mean that God’s Elect are Saved Forever

That Their Salvation is Totally Secure…

And Nothing can Take it Away from Them

There’s No Doubt about it…

This is an Incredibly Hopeful Passage

It’s Meant to Build Up Our Hope in Christ

Just as Chapter 8 Started:

There is No Condemnation for Those in Christ

I will Proudly Say that Those Who Follow Jesus…

Will Never Be Condemned & will have Eternal Life No Matter What

I Do Believe that God Preserves His Saints…

So Long as They Remain Faithful to Him

That’s Where the Calvinist would Disagree

It’s Important to Remember that Romans is a Letter

That Means, the Recipients of this Letter Already Read Chapter 6…

Where Paul Tells These Romans Christians to Not Continue Committing Sin

Some of Them Believed that…

Since God’s Grace is Great Enough to Cover All Our Sins…

The More We Sin, the More Grace We will Receive

Paul Says, “No Way!”

If You were Baptized into Christ (Converted to Become a Follower of Him)…

Then, with Your New Life, You’re Expected to Live Holy to God

And in Chapter 7, Paul Speaks of the Life of a Christian that We’ve All Experienced:

That We Want to Do What’s Right…

But We Still Choose to Do What is Wrong

We Still Sin Even Though in Our Spirits We Don’t Want to

That’s When Paul Gives Us the Hope of No Condemnation

There is Eternal Security for Those Who Remain Faithful to Christ…

And Continue to Struggle Against Sin

There is No Eternal Security for the One Who Abandon Their Faith…

And Stop Struggling Against Sin, But Rather Give in to it

Of course this same truth is seen in many other passages of Scripture as well. In John 10:27-30.

However, the Bible indicates otherwise, and it teaches that people such as those who profess Christ as Savior at one time only to later walk away and deny Christ were never truly saved in the first place. For example, 1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out from us, in order that it might be made manifest that they all are not truly of us." The Bible is also clear that not everyone who professes to be a Christian truly is. Jesus Himself says that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21-22).

Jude 24 NASB95

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,

Romans 8:1, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and Philippians 1:6.

6. Christians Can Fall From Grace – The Calvinists teach the doctrine of “Once Saved Always Saved.” The idea that if someone truly becomes a Christian, it is impossible for him to fall from grace. If you were to ask as Calvinist, “Can a person fall from grace?” Surely, the Calvinist would answer with a resounding, “No! There is no way a person can fall from grace.” Which baffles me, in light of Galatians 5:4, “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” Surely that answers this question for all time, doesn’t it?!

Jesus Himself taught that one could fall from grace, “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned” (John 15:6). If you need more convincing on this point, you can read my previous post on “Once Saved Always Saved.”

The TULIP acronym arranges the five points of Calvinism logically and progressively, with each point contingent on the other. If humans are totally depraved, then they are unable to make an initial response to God. God must call people to salvation through unconditional election. God must also provide the way of salvation by the death of Jesus Christ. He makes salvation secure by the effectual call of the Holy Spirit. He keeps his saved ones secure so they will inherit the eternal life he has promised them.

7 Reasons Why I’m Not a Calvinist

7. The Bible is My Standard – I believe in a simple gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3 NASB). I believe that God has revealed everything to us, through Scripture, that we need to know to be saved (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Salvation is not a great mystery, that only great theologians can decipher. Salvation is simple, easy to understand, and available to all through Jesus Christ.

This is what Jesus told the apostles, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:-15-16). The words of Jesus, and the words of the rest of the New Testament, could not be any further from Calvinism. Therefore, I want nothing to do with it!