Theological Underpinnings of a non-Calvinist

It seems that poor brother John Calvin gets a bad wrap in modern circles. He is oft misrepresented by the stereotypical view of the Hyper-Calvinist, or those who simply have not thought through the implications of the scriptures they read. What most people mean or speak of when they say “Calvinism,” they are really speaking of “predestinarianism.” Let me say at the forefront, I used to be Arminian, but have since been converted through my study of scriptures. But I digress. John Calvin had a very pastoral heart, and Calvinism or predestinarianism is really a very small portion of this great Protestant Reformers heart.


For those who say that they don’t believe in predestination, they believe that it is unjust for a holy, sovereign God, to elect some to salvation, and others, by logical implication, to damnation. What is man’s merits? How is he described in the Bible, the word of truth? Scripture says 9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick—who can understand it? Jer 17:9. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says: 20 There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins. Psalm 49 tells us: “7 Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God— 8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying — 9 so that he may live forever and not see the Pit” Psalms 49:7-9. In fact, we see this testimony also in the New Testament, in Paul’s systematic exposition to the Romans. He says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom. 3:23. Later in Romans 6:23, we are told, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”


Now, for all those who don’t subscribe to the doctrine (teaching) of predestination, they are generally classified under the category of Arminian. This paper is not meant to deal with the finer subtleties of theological persuasions, so I won’t deal with the finer nuances. Typically, the Arminian belief is that “God elects (or predestines) those whom he foreknew,” as according to the text in Romans 8:29-30.


Okay, so let’s look at this proposition with a little more scrutiny. God elects or predestines those whom He foreknew would choose Him. Okay, that sounds fair. All the people that God knew would choose Him, he just looked forward in time, and ‘elected’ those folks! Ok… so what does this assume? This assumes that it is in our power to choose God. What does the Bible say about that? In Romans 3:10-11, we are told: 10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. According to this verse, how many people choose God? No one. “Well, you say, but those few who God foreknew, right?” No one. So if there is not one, no one, who understands, who seeks after God, then how is man able to choose God in his own power?

This is where Arminians whip up a solution from thin air (and it floats in thin air), called prevenient grace. Don’t bother checking the Bible for it. It’s not in there. This is a made-up doctrine of man according to saviusous faceus.
But I think that this stems from an incorrect understanding of what happened at the Fall. In Gen. 3:17, we read: 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” The Serpent came to Eve, and called into question the very word of God, 4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. But then as we go on, we see in chapter 5, Moses tells us again and again, “then he died” Gen 5:5; “then he died” Gen 5:8; “then he died” Gen 5:11; “then he died” Gen 5:14; “then he died” Gen 5:17; “then he died” Gen 5:20… and so on through the rest of the chapter. So what point is Moses trying to make here? God’s word is truth.


God did not create man to die, but this a result of his rebellion against his Creator. Now, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There were two types of deaths that occurred. It at first didn’t seem that there was death, but there was. At the instant the human heart rebelled and decided to follow Satan’s advice over God’s command, he died spiritually. The human relationship of righteousness that he enjoyed with his maker, who gave him everything good (Eden was paradise!), and only intended good for him, was broken. Humanity was now spiritually dead, and all offspring of Adam and Eve from this point on, that is, the entire world, is born spiritually separated from God, that is, dead, since God is the giver of life.


How can a man who is spiritually dead choose God? Well, the Arminians say that this is where prevenient grace comes into play. God’s prevenient grace ‘suspends’ this state of ignorance and rebellion toward God and allows that person to decide if they want to follow God or not. Okay, we have already seen that the Bible says man is born spiritually dead, and Jesus testifies to this when he speaks to Nicodemus in John chapter 3: 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again” John 3:6,7, (HCSB). But the Arminian doctrine says that God ‘resuscitates’ that spiritual life for a few short minutes, to allow the person to choose, and if they choose wrongly, drops them back into death. Can you imagine a doctor doing this? Although some do, and Barrack Obama voted for doctors to have to do this to the babies who survive (though mangled) abortive procedures.

But if God already knew what they were going to choose, why should He need to give a ‘prevenient grace’ to allow them to choose.


What did Jesus have to say on this issue? Let’s look at a few of His teachings on the matter. In John chapter 6, where Jesus is known for His ‘hard’ sayings, telling the crowds that if they want to receive eternal life, they must eat his flesh and drink his blood (v. 53) But shortly before this, Jesus made this statement: 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 (HCSB).


Later, when his disciples were complaining to Him that this was a hard teaching, he said: 65 He said, “63 The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted to him by the Father” John 6:63, 65 (HCSB). When his disciples affirmed that they did not want to leave Him, for they believed He had the words of eternal life (v. 68), “70 Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil!” John 6:70. Here again, we see the sovereign work of God, having chosen twelve disciples, yet one of them destined to hell.


John 15 has one of my favorite verses, providing me the most comfort. In v. 16 he states: 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. John 15:16 (HCSB). In John 17, Jesus is praying to the Father (a good passage in refute of modalism, but that’s a different paper). Jesus didn’t thank God for the people who by some merit of their preference, chose to follow Him. No, he prayed for the people “you gave me out of the world” (vv. 6-16).


As I said earlier, scripture contains some hard sayings. Election is hard, eternal destruction in flames of hell is hard. Did Jesus go back and amend his words to make his followers feel better? Did he soften his teachings so more people would get on board and follow Him? No, in fact, what did Isaiah the prophet say about the matter?

37 Even though He had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in Him. 38 But this was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said: Lord, who has believed our message? And who has the arm of the Lord been revealed to? 39 This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said: 40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them. John 12:37-40 (HCSB)

Wow. These are hard sayings.


Bur really, is it just? How did Paul understand the issue? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! 15 For He tells Moses: I will show mercy to whom I show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 16 So then it does not depend on human will or effort, but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture tells Pharaoh: For this reason I raised you up: so that I may display My power in you, and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 18 So then, He shows mercy to whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills. Romans 9:14-18 (HCSB)


19 You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?” 20 But who are you—anyone who talks back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21 Or has the potter no right over His clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? 22 And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath ready for destruction? 23 And [what if] He did this to make known the riches of His glory on objects of mercy that He prepared beforehand for glory— 24 on us whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? Romans 9:19-24 (HCSB)


ALL OF US were born spiritually separated from God, unable to choose Him, dead in our sins, and deserving of eternal punishment for our rebellion against an infinitely glorious and holy God. An offense against such an infinitely glorious and just God must be served with eternal punishment. AND WE ALL DESERVE IT. It is only due to God’s great love and kindness that He has chosen to not send ALL OF US to hell. He was pleased in His grace to redeem us by sending His only Son to die a sacrifice of atonement for those whom God, in His infinitely perfect wisdom, determined He would be gracious to.


Put simply, we ALL deserved to go to hell. And God would be perfectly just in sending us all there and starting over, but according to His great love and graciousness He planned before the creation of the world to save some of us filthy, vile wretches, and wash us white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). And all this results to the maximum glory of an infinitely wise God who has knowledge of all possible futures. “He did this to make known the riches of His glory on objects of mercy that He prepared beforehand for glory—“ Rom. 9:23.


Sitting in a Bible course on the book of Romans in a little Baptist church somewhere in the midst of Bucharest, Romania, I came to terms with what God’s word said. This is the verse that changed my outlook forever: 16 “So then it does not depend on human will or effort, but on God who shows mercy” (Rom. 9:16).


* All scripture is taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.