Calvinism has changed The gospel

I didn't know that about ESV. One thing I've seen over and over is Calvinists do not have to change the versus they just read their own ideas into the verses. I think I’ve got to accept what the Bible says, and I must be very, very careful, that out of determination to support a particular view, I do not impose my ideas on the Bible and make it say what it doesn’t say.


I'm sure we've all seen these ones many times. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever . . . ” (It sounds like He means whosoever), and you can go through the Bible and you can take that word, “whosoever,” and I challenge you to find anywhere that it means anything but, whosoever and not only the elect.

When Jesus says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink . . . .” Any man. He says, “If you are weary, heavy laden, come to me, I will give you rest.” But the Calvinist would say, no, that means the elect.

And when Paul writes and says “God is not willing that any should perish,” the Calvinist says, no that means any of the elect.

I don't have a problem; I believe what the Bible says about our salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 


Acts 16:31 - And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.



Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.



Romans 10:9-10 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Read More...)



John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


John 5:24 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.



Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.



1 Peter 3:18-22 - For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.

Romans 9:33 says literally, "...the [one] believing...", not the 'whosoever' we have taken to mean something along the lines of 'random individuals' the last hundred or more years; John 3:16 says pretty much the same, except it uses "...everyone who believes..."

But for a couple of statements, I would have taken you for Calvinist or Reformed. 

You say, "Much of what Calvinism teaches in unconditional election is based upon circular logic and limited capacity." —I don't know where people come up with these constructions. "Limited capacity"? Calvinism may teach limited EFFICACY. Is this where you see circular logic, as though God looks to see who gets saved in order to choose them? That isn't Calvinism's construction. That circular logic belongs to the Arminians!

You say, "If it has nothing whatsoever to do with men, then you should leave men out of it completely." —If WHAT "has nothing whatsoever to do with men"? Man is intimately involved in his salvation; he only has no causative ability in it; it is not by the will of man, but of God. We are born of the Spirit of God; Salvation is by Grace through Faith. Salvific Faith is not something man can generate. Regeneration is by the Spirit of God. 

Agreed 

Calvinism, the understanding of Scripture that stresses God’s sovereignty over all things, including an individual’s salvation, is not as popular as it once was in decades past. However, more recently there has been something of a resurgence, especially among younger people. Nevertheless, even when the term is not used, often the concepts associated with Calvinism (known also as “the doctrines of grace”) continue to play a significant role in the life of both individual believers and in the church. This is especially so amongst churches that trace a Reformed heritage, though by no means limited to such traditions.

My own spiritual pilgrimage began in a context where a weak but clearly present form of Calvinism existed. However, as I progressed in my understanding of the faith and in my own reading of the Bible, I gradually became increasingly aware of a certain discomfort between the Calvinism I heard preached and taught and my own understanding of Scripture. Was it really the case that God unilaterally decided who would be saved and who would not? Was God’s grace really not resistible and, if so, how did my sinning fit in? Was it true that human nature was so depraved that a person was totally incapable of even responding to the gospel invitation apart from God’s effectually causing him to respond? Was faith really a gift of God; if so then who was to be blamed when individuals refused to believe? And so on. These were the sorts of questions I struggled to come to terms with.

It would be many years before I could precisely identify and articulate the source of my discomfort, but even at an early stage of my Christian life I realized that what I heard being taught and believed by godly Christians did not seem to correlate with my own reading of the Bible (especially the New Testament). The result was confusion. How could these preachers, teachers, authors, and friends possibly be mistaken? Even the possibility seemed inconceivable to me. Weren’t they merely expressing what Calvin, Luther, and the other great Reformers of the Protestant Reformation had taught?

The focus of my confusion lay in the doctrine of salvation, formally known as soteriology. However, since this doctrine is intimately connected with other doctrines—in this case the doctrines of Humanity, Grace, God, Christ, the Spirit, and Providence, to name a few—it was not easy to understand the issues and how they related to one another and so bring the needed clarity. Eventually, however, after much reading and after eight years of theological education, clarity did come, confusion was greatly reduced and a peace concerning the truth about the meaning of salvation enjoyed.

This present study arises from the conviction that many sincere Christians are today as confused about this doctrine as I was. This confusion is held by both lay persons and by pastors. My goal is to help us all see more clearly and more accurately what the Bible really teaches about this important doctrine. My hope is that uncertainty and confusion will be replaced by understanding, clarity, and a confidence in working out our salvation borne of insights that faithfully reflect God’s word.

A word about terminology; I use the term Calvinism somewhat reluctantly and only because it concisely encapsulates the distinct set of beliefs associated with the name of the great sixteenth-century Reformer John Calvin. There really is no other term or phrase that can accurately and succinctly take its place. Furthermore, this is the term traditionally and historically used in this sort of context. My reluctance stems from the perception that the term may be used here pejoratively. That is most certainly not my purpose. My purpose has to do only with descriptive efficiency. For the same reason, I have chosen to designate all soteriological views that contrast significantly with Calvinism by the term non-Calvinist.

My approach follows from the desire to bring clarity to the doctrine of salvation in order to remove confusion caused by those who espouse a view that is, I believe, fundamentally flawed. Consequently, I will use the Calvinist’s view of salvation as a foil with which I can interact with the doctrine. This indirect approach will serve on the one hand to show where and why Calvinism fails and, on the other hand, to provide a more biblically faithful and coherent understanding of the doctrine, though the emphasis will necessarily fall upon the former given the focus of this study as stated in the title of the work.

There are several reasons for Calvinism’s popularity and appeal both in the past and also today. First, Calvinism is a well-defined and internally consistent doctrinal system. All the elements that make up a Calvinistic soteriology “hang together” very tightly with no internal contradictions. As we shall see, part of the reason for such internal coherence is the prominent role the Calvinistic understanding of predestination holds within the system. Of course, internal consistency need not necessarily mean the doctrine is true. Consistency is a necessary but not sufficient criterion of veracity. Nevertheless, the coherence of Calvinistic soteriology has a certain appeal that serves to reinforce the belief that the Calvinistic perspective must be true.

Another reason that helps explain Calvinism’s appeal is its concern to uphold the glory of God. This is apparent in John Calvin’s own writings and in the writings of many Calvinists to this day. It is probably true to say that concern for God’s honor and glory is a high motivation for the embracing of the Calvinist’s “doctrines of grace.” (Of course, this may also explain why some Calvinists not only hold fast to their Calvinist convictions, but also why they sometimes appear rather dogmatic in their defense of Calvinism).

Yet a third reason why Calvinism is so popular is due to the comfort to be had in believing that God fully “controls” the situation when one learns, for example, that one has cancer. It is also comforting to believe that one’s salvation can never be “lost” and that one’s ultimate destiny is infallibly certain from the moment one believes the gospel. The comfort a Calvinistic view of God’s sovereignty provides is clearly seen in Robert Peterson’s book on election and free will. Under the heading “The Insecurity of Contemporary Life” Peterson appeals to a Calvinistic understanding of election (God chooses who will be saved) as functioning “to comfort the people of God and assure them that underneath all their meager efforts to live for him are God’s everlasting arms to hold, protect, and caress them.”

Another reason for the appeal of Calvinism is the central role its most prominent theologian, John Calvin, played in the history of the Protestant church. The Reformation is rightly viewed by the evangelical Christian as the key event in church history that liberated the people of God from the ecclesiastical bondage and corruption of the Roman church in the sixteenth century and toward a Scripture-focused faith. Not surprisingly therefore Calvin and the doctrines of salvation associated with his name should come to be viewed as authentic (and orthodox) Christian belief. The fact that Calvin was the first theologian to systematically and comprehensively expound the Bible no doubt reinforces the close connection between the Reformation, Bible centered theology, and the distinctive doctrine of salvation taught by Calvin. In short, part of Calvinism’s appeal is tied to a great event in church history (the Reformation), and a great leader of that Reformation (John Calvin).

A final reason that may explain Calvinism’s current popularity concerns the perception that it provides a strong, robust, and substantial theology—in contrast to what is considered by many to be shallow, emotionally oriented church preaching and life. There is no doubt that many of the church’s intellectual heavyweights, both in the past as well as the present, have espoused Calvinism. Most books on theology and related disciplines (apologetics, philosophy, ethics, and so on) have been written by Calvinists. The rise of “seeker sensitive” churches and the ubiquitous contemporary Christian worship music, often with shallow and highly repetitive lyrics, can lead to a longing for a church life with more substantial theological content. In short, Calvinism is a reaction to much that is perceived to be superficial in the church today.

Let me say a word about the approach taken in this study. Each chapter will begin with some introductory remarks intended to orient the reader with respect to the topic to be discussed. This will be followed by a clear presentation of the Calvinist’s position consisting of quotes from Calvinist writers. I want to present the Calvinist position as fairly as possible and avoid any kind of misrepresentation. I will then identify a few of the most commonly cited biblical texts used by Calvinists to support their viewpoint. These texts will be carefully evaluated and analyzed to see whether the Calvinist interpretation is in fact the correct one. Biblical texts supporting a non-Calvinist understanding of the doctrine will also be given. Following the biblical examination, I will provide a theological critique of the doctrine under consideration. This is accomplished by a series of theological issues related to the doctrine at hand. For example, under the study of election I raise and discuss eight theological issues, and under the irresistibility of grace I raise and discuss eleven theological issues.

The study is structured around the so-called five points of Calvinism summarized by the acronym TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints.

In the first chapter I seek to provide a historical perspective. It will be seen that the issues raised in the present study are not new. In fact, the debate between a Calvinist and non-Calvinist soteriology go back at least to Augustine’s dispute with Pelagius in the fifth century AD. This chapter will also serve to show that godly Christians on both sides have existed down the centuries right up to the present time. It also reminds us of the need to exercise humility and love whenever we find ourselves in debate with Christians with whom we disagree doctrinally. Unfortunately, the lack of such Christian virtues has sometimes marred the debates over this doctrine in the past.

In the second chapter we examine the Calvinistic perspective on the human condition, i.e., the nature of human nature. We will see that Calvinism takes a very dim view of human nature subsequent to the fall of Adam and Eve into sin. Human nature is held to be totally depraved, which is understood to include a total inability to even respond to the gospel call to be saved. In this chapter both the doctrine of original sin as well as the doctrine of total depravity will be critiqued.

The third chapter examines the difficult doctrine of election. Here, it will be seen that Calvinism is quite insistent that God chooses who will be saved—and therefore also, either directly or indirectly, those who will not be saved. Here is where the concept of an eternal, all determining divine decree comes to the fore. In addition to examining the key biblical scriptures used to justify the Calvinist position, theological considerations around the ideas of election and predestination are discussed.

Chapter 4 considers the scope of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and some implications of the Calvinist’s view that the benefits of Christ’s death (salvation) was intended only for the elect. Variations on this theme (four-point Calvinism, Amyraldism) are examined for their validity. Since Scripture closely ties the atonement to the love of God, then an atonement limited by God necessarily carries implications for the scope of God’s love. The implication of a limited atonement for the task of evangelism is also examined.

In chapter 5 we will examine the Calvinist belief that God’s grace, insofar as the application of salvation is concerned, is irresistible. Those whom God chooses to save cannot resist God’s grace that inevitably leads to that person coming to salvation. Here, the concept of grace is discussed as well as the different ways God’s grace finds expression in Scripture. Of crucial importance in this chapter is the reality and role of free will insofar as a person’s response to the gospel call is concerned. Other crucial issues concern faith as a God-given gift and what that entails, as well as the idea that regeneration (new-birth) must precede faith.

Finally, in chapter 6, the view that those whom God calls to be saved will infallibly continue in the faith until the end—the perseverance of the saints—will be carefully assessed. Does the Bible support the notion that a believer may never “lose” his or her salvation? Crucial related issues will also be examined, including assurance of salvation, and the possibility and reality of apostasy. Finally, some pastoral implications of the doctrine will be discussed.

In the concluding chapter, several important problems associated both with Calvinism’s methodology and content are identified and discussed.
As we examine these five aspects of salvation, we will inevitably be discussing other closely related doctrines. Examples would include the nature of faith, the nature of divine sovereignty, the basis for assurance, the relation between redemption accomplished (at the cross) and redemption applied (to the individual Christian). Several hermeneutical issues will also be noted as they often play a key role in interpreting any particular passage or text.

Throughout this study it will be apparent that the concept of the decree of God is crucial to a Calvinistic soteriology. A divine decree refers to God’s unilateral, unconditional decision or action. For example, God decreed to make a world. Having made a world, he decreed that its human inhabitants who willfully violated the Creator’s moral precepts would suffer punishment. So, in principle, there is nothing problematic with the idea of divine decree. But I shall argue that, within consistent Calvinism, the decrees of God are comprehensive, fine grained, particular—ultimately responsible for everything that occurs within the created order. This includes an individual’s salvation. It is this notion of decree that is shown to be very problematic for a doctrine of salvation that seeks to be biblically faithful.



Saved by Grace through Faith or Saved by Decree?

A Biblical and Theological Critique of Calvinist Soteriology

By Geoffrey D. Robinson

A very informative post. The part where it mentions Judas that he was chose confirms what you've stated that  he and the other disciples were chosen for service. If it meant some type of irresistible  grace choosing Judas would never have fell back.