Listening to the Giants

P erseverance of the Saints Definition:  The Perseverance of the Saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God's power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again. Did John Calvin teach this doctrine? Absolutely. Calvin’s Commentary on I John 3:9 1 John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. “ And he cannot keep on sinning ” Here the Apostle ascends higher, for he plainly declares that the hearts of the godly are so effectually governed by the Spirit of God, that through an inflexible disposition they follow his guidance.” Later on: “John speaks here far otherwise; for he not only shews that we cannot sin, but also that the power of the Spirit is so effectual, that it necessarily retains us in continual obedience to righteous...

I rresistible Grace Definition : “It is the work of the Holy Spirit by which He inwardly calls the elect of God and enables them to respond in faith to the gospel of Christ. This special work of the Spirit cannot be resisted and thus cannot fail. It so changes the heart of the sinner that he comes freely and willingly to Christ for salvation.”  Did John Calvin teach this doctrine? Yes, he did. Calvin’s Commentary on John 6:41-45 Unless the Father draw him .  To come to Christ being here used metaphorically for believing, the Evangelist, in order to carry out the metaphor in the apposite clause, says that those persons are drawn whose understandings God enlightens, and whose hearts he bends and forms to the obedience of Christ. The statement amounts to this, that we ought not to wonder if many refuse to embrace the Gospel; because no man will ever of himself be able to come to Christ, but God must first approach him by his Spi...

                                            L imited Atonement   Definition: Christ’s death actually paid for the sins of those whom He knew would ultimately be saved (i.e. the elect) Did John Calvin teach this doctrine? Yeah…I don’t know about this one. Here are a couple excerpts from his commentaries:  Commentary on Romans 5:18 "Paul makes grace common to all men, not because it in fact extends to all, but because it is offered to all. Although Christ suffered for the sins of the world, and is offered by the goodness of God without distinction to all men, yet not all receive him."   Commentary on I Timothy 2:5 "This clause is of a similar import with the former; for, as there is one God, the Creator and Father of all, so he says that there is but one Mediator, through whom we have access to the Father; and that this Me...

                                                                 U nconditional Election Definition: God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Did John Calvin teach this doctrine? Ummm…yeah, definitely. Calvin asserts, “Do they ask how it happens that of two men indistinguishable in merit, God in his election passes over one but takes the other? I, in turn, ask: “Do they think that there is anything in him who is taken that disposes God to him?” If they admit that there is nothing, as they must, it will follow that God does not consider the man but seeks from His own goodness the reason to do him good. The fact that God therefo...

Many individuals (both Christian and non-Christian) connect John Calvin (or his followers) to the invention of the acronym TULIP. Yet the truth is its origin should be placed on the followers of Jacob Arminius, who presented the five Remonstrances (which were constructed to oppose the teachings of Calvin’s followers and the Dutch church), at the Synod of Dort in 1618-1619 (roughly 8-9 years after Jacob Arminius died and 54 years after Calvin died). Then, because of the challenge of the followers of Arminius, the followers of Calvin responded to their “five points”, which began the “germinating process” (pun intended) of the infamous TULIP. If this is true, then when and where did the actual acronym TULIP originate? It is hard to say. Richard A. Muller states, “As far as we know, both the acrostic and the associated usage of “five points of Calvinism” are of Anglo-American origin and do not date back before the nineteenth century . It is remarkable how quickly ...

This is the last blog post on Jonathan Edwards. He (as with most of the “giants”) has been influential in “cementing” my theological foundation. There are two areas in particular that Edwards has helped bring me clarity; 1) the nature of free will and 2) the nature of “religious affections”. First, Edwards’ statement regarding the nature of “free will”.   “Free moral agents always act according to the strongest inclination they have at the moment of choice.” Why did this seemingly obvious statement transform my thinking? Well, mainly because it came from the mouth of a staunch Calvinist. Since the bible teaches that God had ordained everything, even the steps we take in this life (Prov. 16:9), the issue of free will is a normal concern for any thoughtful person, especially for any Christian who desires to embrace the biblical teaching of both divine sovereignty and human responsibility . Edwards, through the lens of the doctrine of original sin, makes a clear cas...

This title is likely to “grate” on some of you, especially for those who are still unconvinced of the “sweetness” of this doctrine. But before you stop reading, please read Edwards’ words below: “From my childhood up, my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in choosing whom he would to eternal life, and rejecting whom He pleased; leaving them eternally to perish, and be everlastingly tormented in Hell. It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me. But I have often, since that first conviction, had quite another kind of sense of God’s sovereignty than I had then. I have often since had not only a conviction, but a delightful conviction. The doctrine has very often appeared exceedingly pleasant, bright and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God. But my conviction was not so.” The journey of Edwards, in regards to the doctrine of election, may surprise some. For many, he is viewed simply as the man who preached the l...

Packer was a man of the times. He seemed to always have his thumb on the issues of the day. This is one of the reasons why he was profoundly influential in the 20 th century. This quote gives the reader some insight into Packer’s “thumbprint”. “Packer’s views on predestination and election were strongly Reformed, stressing the sovereignty of God in creation and redemption. Not all students at Tyndale Hall were entirely sympathetic to Packer’s views in this area, particularly in relation to predestination. One issue which emerged as particularly important in the late 1950’s concerned a tension between the sovereignty of God and the need to evangelize. If God was sovereign, why bother to evangelize? It was an issue which had emerged as important at several points in church history. For example, when the Baptist missionary William Carey announced his intention to found a Mission Society, he met with the following response from one of those whose advice he asked, ‘When God is pleased ...

Throughout this month, this blog will examine certain “snapshots” of George Whitefield, which I hope will bring a deeper appreciation for this servant and a greater love for the God whom he gave his life to. Until I read this biography about Whitefield I basically knew two things about the Methodist church, John Wesley and arminianism. And yet one of the “buried treasures” of church history is Whitefield’s discharge of his branch of Methodism (which was Calvinistic and more popular). The quote below frames this incredible event. “It is impossible to conceive what would have been the result if Whitefield and Harris had continued active chiefs of the Calvinistic Methodists. The plain facts are these: within two months after his return from America in 1748, Whitefield determined to put an end to his official relationship to Calvinistic Methodists: this determination was gradually carried out: and during the last twenty years of his life he occupied a new position.” (p. 150) So what ...

Throughout the next few weeks, this blog will examine certain “snapshots” of George Whitefield, which I hope will bring a deeper appreciation for this servant and a greater love for the God whom he gave his life to. Why should you care about the life and ministry of George Whitefield? 1)       He was one of the first in history to do open air preaching. 2)       He was part of the Holy Club (included John and Charles Wesley). 3)       He was arguably one of the greatest preachers in all of human history. 4)       His theological conflicts with John Wesley led to modern day Methodism. 5)       His perspective on denominational loyalty is balanced and refreshing. 6)       His choice of a spouse was unique and the events surrounding it even more noteworthy. 7)       His gifts as an evangelist d...