Author	Thread: What is Calvinism and is it biblical?
dljrn04 View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 10 Aug, 2013 02:26 PM Answer: The five points of Calvinism can be summarized by the acronym TULIP. T stands for total depravity, U for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, I for irresistible grace, and P for perseverance of the saints. Here are the definitions and Scripture references Calvinists use to defend their beliefs: Total Depravity - As a result of Adam�s fall, the entire human race is affected; all humanity is dead in trespasses and sins. Man is unable to save himself (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-18). Unconditional Election - Because man is dead in sin, he is unable to initiate a response to God; therefore, in eternity past God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional; they are not based on man�s response (Romans 8:29-30;9:11; Ephesians 1:4-6, 11-12) because man is unable to respond, nor does he want to. Limited Atonement - Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God�s unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect alone. All whom God has elected and for whom Christ died will be saved (Matthew 1:21; John 10:11; 17:9; Acts 20:28; Romans 8:32; Ephesians 5:25). Irresistible Grace - Those whom God elected He draws to Himself through irresistible grace. God makes man willing to come to Him. When God calls, man responds (John 6:37, 44; 10:16). Perseverance of the Saints - The precise ones God has elected and drawn to Himself through the Holy Spirit will persevere in faith. None whom God has elected will be lost; they are eternally secure (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-14). While all these doctrines have a biblical basis, many people reject all or some of them. So-called �four-point Calvinists� accept Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints as biblical doctrines. Man is definitely sinful and incapable of believing in God on his own. God elects people based on His will alone � election is not based on any merit in the person chosen. All those whom God has chosen will come to faith. All those who are truly born-again will persevere in their faith. As for Limited Atonement, however, four-point Calvinists believe that atonement in unlimited, arguing that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not just for the sins of the elect. �And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world� (1 John 2:2). Other verses in opposition to limited atonement are John 1:29; 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:6; and 2 Peter 2:1. The five-point Calvinists, however, see problems with four-point Calvinism. First, they argue, if Total Depravity is true, then Unlimited Atonement cannot possibly be true because, if Jesus died for the sins of every person, then whether or not His death is applicable to an individual depends on whether or not that person �accepts� Christ. But as we have seen from the above description of Total Depravity, man in his natural state has no capacity whatsoever to choose God, nor does he want to. In addition, if Unlimited Atonement is true, then hell is full of people for whom Christ died. He shed His blood in vain for them. To the five-point Calvinist, this is unthinkable. Please note: this article is only a brief summary of the five points of Calvinism. For a more in in-depth look, please visit the following pages: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. Recommended Resources: Logos Bible Software and Chosen But Free, revised edition: A Balanced View of God's Sovereignty and Free Will by Norm Geisler and The Potter's Freedom by James White. Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/calvinism.html#ixzz2bbUaeXxa Post Reply
dljrn04 View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 14 Aug, 2013 11:45 AM Verses 22-24 Sentence being passed upon the offenders, we have here execution, in part, done upon them immediately. Observe here,I. How they were justly disgraced and shamed before God and the holy angels, by the ironical upbraiding of them with the issue of their enterprise: "Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil! A goodly god he makes! Does he not? See what he has got, what preferments, what advantages, by eating forbidden fruit!�� This was said to awaken and humble them, and to bring them to a sense of their sin and folly, and to repentance for it, that, seeing themselves thus wretchedly deceived by following the devil�s counsel, they might henceforth pursue the happiness God should offer in the way he should prescribe. God thus fills their faces with shame, that they may seek his name, Ps. 83:16 . He puts them to this confusion, in order to their conversion. True penitents will thus upbraid themselves: "What fruit have I now by sin? Rom. 6:21 . Have I gained what I foolishly promised myself in a sinful way? No, no, it never proved what it pretended to, but the contrary.��II. How they were justly discarded, and shut out of paradise, which was a part of the sentence implied in that, Thou shalt eat the herb of the field. Here we have,1. The reason God gave why he shut man out of paradise; not only because he had put forth his hand, and taken of the tree of knowledge, which was his sin, but lest he should again put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life (now forbidden him by the divine sentence, as before the tree of knowledge was forbidden by the law), and should dare to eat of that tree, and so profane a divine sacrament and defy a divine sentence, and yet flatter himself with a conceit that thereby he should live forever. Observe, (1.) There is a foolish proneness in those that have rendered themselves unworthy of the substance of Christian privileges to catch at the signs and shadows of them. Many that like not the terms of the covenant, yet, for their reputation�s sake, are fond of the seals of it. (2.) It is not only justice, but kindness, to such, to be denied them; for, by usurping that to which they have no title, they affront God and make their sin the more heinous, and by building their hopes upon a wrong foundation they render their conversion the more difficult and their ruin the more deplorable.2. The method God took, in giving him this bill of divorce, and expelling and excluding him from this garden of pleasure. He turned him out, and kept him out.(1.) He turned him out, from the garden to the common. This is twice mentioned: He sent him forth (v. 23), and then he drove him out, v. 24. God bade him go out, told him that that was no place for him, he should no longer occupy and enjoy that garden; but he liked the place too well to be willing to part with it, and therefore God drove him out, made him go out, whether he would or no. This signified the exclusion of him, and all his guilty race, from that communion with God which was the bliss and glory of paradise. The tokens of God�s favour to him and his delight in the sons of men, which he had in his innocent estate, were now suspended; the communications of his grace were withheld, and Adam became weak, and like other men, as Samson when the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. His acquaintance with God was lessened and lost, and that correspondence which had been settled between man and his Maker was interrupted and broken off. He was driven out, as one unworthy of this honour and incapable of this service. Thus he and all mankind, by the fall, forfeited and lost communion with God. But whither did he send him when he turned him out of Eden? He might justly have chased him out of the world (Job. 18:18 ), but he only chased him out of the garden. He might justly have cast him down to hell, as he did the angels that sinned when he shut them out from the heavenly paradise, 2 Pt. 2:4 . But man was only sent to till the ground out of which he was taken. He was sent to a place of toil, not to a place of torment. He was sent to the ground, not to the grave,�to the work-house, not to the dungeon, not to the prison-house,�to hold the plough, not to drag the chain. His tilling the ground would be recompensed by his eating of its fruits; and his converse with the earth whence he was taken was improvable to good purposes, to keep him humble, and to remind him of his latter end. Observe, then, that though our first parents were excluded from the privileges of their state of innocency, yet they were not abandoned to despair, God�s thoughts of love designing them for a second state of probation upon new terms.(2.) He kept him out, and forbade him all hopes of a re-entry; for he placed at the east of the garden of Eden a detachment of cherubim, God�s hosts, armed with a dreadful and irresistible power, represented by flaming swords which turned every way, on that side the garden which lay next to the place whither Adam was sent, to keep the way that led to the tree of life, so that he could neither steal nor force an entry; for who can make a pass against an angel on his guard or gain a pass made good by such force? Now this intimated to Adam, [1.] That God was displeased with him. Though he had mercy in store for him, yet at present he was angry with him, was turned to be his enemy and fought against him, for here was a sword drawn (Num. 22:23 ); and he was to him a consuming fire, for it was a flaming sword. [2.] That the angels were at war with him; no peace with the heavenly hosts, while he was in rebellion against their Lord and ours. [3.] That the way to the tree of life was shut up, namely, that way which, at first, he was put into, the way of spotless innocency. It is not said that the cherubim were set to keep him and his for ever from the tree of life (thanks be to God, there is a paradise set before us, and a tree of life in the midst of it, which we rejoice in the hopes of); but they were set to keep that way of the tree of life which hitherto they had been in; that is, it was henceforward in vain for him and his to expect righteousness, life, and happiness, by virtue of the first covenant, for it was irreparably broken, and could never be pleaded, nor any benefit taken by it. The command of that covenant being broken, the curse of it is in full force; it leaves no room for repentance, but we are all undone if we be judged by that covenant. God revealed this to Adam, not to drive him to despair, but to oblige and quicken him to look for life and happiness in the promised seed, by whom the flaming sword is removed. God and his angels are reconciled to us, and a new and living way into the holiest is consecrated and laid open for us. 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DontHitThatMark View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 14 Aug, 2013 12:26 PM I'm not really following your point here. Did Adam freely choose to disobey God or not? If He didn't, then He was not very guilty. If he did, God created him with free will. If God created him with free will, then there is very strong biblical support for my beliefs. Support can be found throughout the bible, but the beginning is a good place to start. And yes, I do understand that sin utterly depraves the mind, and we have no hope of repentance without God, but that is not the point. The question is, do we have free will? :peace::peace: Post Reply
dljrn04 View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 02:28 AM "I do understand that sin utterly depraves the mind, and we have no hope of repentance without God" This is what i have been saying for days. Humanism wants to think they have a will, they do it is depraved and wishes only to be their own master. They are at enmity with God. Then God does this, Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your body, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Then we have a will that loves God and makes us able and willing to serve him and not self. without God you have no will. God came first not your faith, before faith you were dead, God breathed life into you like he did Adam. You have faith because of God. You strip God of his glory when you have faith in a decision you think you made on your own. You make NO decisions without the renewing of your heart by our creator. Post Reply
DontHitThatMark View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 05:17 AM Ok, I think we only disagree on a tiny mechanic, and I'll only just briefly mention Israel being cut off because of lack of belief(what happened to their new heart?), but the question is, is there a biblical record of men having free will? And if you can show me where having faith robs God of glory, that would be appreciated too. :peace::peace: Post Reply
dljrn04 View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 11:45 AM "faith robs God of glory" I do not see how your "free will" is faith. They are 2 different subjects. You have no faith until God changes your heart. When God writes his law upon our hearts, our mind, will and affections are to him alone, not self, not the world, not the devil. Do we struggle with indwelling sin this side of glory, yes always till we are glorified and become like Christ. As Paul talks about in Romans 7. When one trust in the decision one makes is robbing God. Not all Israel is God's chosen people, just like all who profess to be "Christians" are Christians. You shall know them by their fruit. Post Reply
dljrn04 View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 11:55 AM .There is much mystery in how God works grace in the hearts of the elect, but the Bible tells us some definite things about the process. God sovereignly opens the dead hearts of the elect (Acts 16:14). It is not that they opened their hearts to receive Christ; Christ opened their hearts that He might enter. Only as a result can it be said that they opened the door. So, He opens our hearts, and with the doors of our hearts being opened we can hear His voice (John 10:16,27). This is not, of course, a literal voice but rather the special call of Christ is Scripture. In the process, God sovereignly gives the elect the new birth (John 3:1-8; 5:21; James 1:18). They did not regenerate themselves; they were regenerated sovereignly by God's free grace (John 1:13). No spiritually dead man can make himself alive any more than a corpse can. Matter cannot create itself, and the new birth is a new creation that is sovereignly given by God's grace (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal 6:15). It is a spiritual resurrection (Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13). The elect are not born again because they believe; rather, they believe because they have been born again (1 John 5:1). The new birth is a sovereign gift, and so is faith (2 Pet. 1:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 1:29; John 3:27, 6:65; 1 Cor. 3:6; 4:7; Rom. 12:3). Repentance is also a free gift that is sovereignly bestowed (2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 5:31; 11:18). Because the elect now have faith, God justifies them and they are saved. The distinctive of Calvinism on this point is that "Salvation is of the Lord"(Jonah 2:9). If any man is ever to be saved, it is only by God's free grace from first to last. ...Dr. Curt Daniel Post Reply
dljrn04 View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 12:13 PM Mark, Could you please listen to this sermon. I think it will help you understand what i have been saying. http://www.heritagercus.org/sermons/difficulty-saving-faith/ Post Reply
teach_ib View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 07:50 PM Definition of FREE WILL:�voluntary choice or decision� Matthew 4:19�And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.� 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. ***they could have CHOSEN not to follow Matthew 6:14�For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:� 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. **** we make a free CHOICE to forgiven or not forgive Matthew 10:32�Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.� 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ****this is a CHOICE and depending on one's choice, they will reap the results Matthew 16:25�For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Mark 14:36�And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me:nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. **** Jesus had a choice to execute a different will than that of the Father... Hebrews 3:16�For some, when they had heard, did provoke:howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.� 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?� 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?� 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. **** the Israelites HEARD but did not believe... Acts 16:30�And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?� 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. ***Paul and Silas didn't tell the jailer, if you're elected you will be saved... 1 Timothy 2:4�Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. God offers us a choice: accept His offer of eternal life bought by Christ's death or reject His offer and receive the punishment of eternal separation from Him... Post Reply
teach_ib View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 07:56 PM Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt:for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. Post Reply
dljrn04 View Profile History	What is Calvinism and is it biblical? Posted : 16 Aug, 2013 01:04 AM None of this is possible without God chaning your stones clod heart. See Ezekiel 36:26. God came first, not you. Post Reply

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