As I wrote in a recent post, “I have no desire to be a Calvinist in the Corinthian sense of the word – a follower of John Calvin, per say. Though I believe Calvin was a tremendous expositor of the Scriptures and had many great insights, I am not someone who believes he was in any way infallible. I am with Spurgeon who declared, “There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrines of grace than I do, and if any man asks me whether I am ashamed to be called a Calvinist, I answer – I wish to be called nothing but a Christian; but if you ask me, do I hold the doctrinal views which were held by John Calvin, I reply, I do in the main hold them, and rejoice to avow it.” (C. H. Spurgeon, a Defense of Calvinism)”

I also pointed out that, “Its unfortunate that a man’s name is associated with the doctrines that came out of the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was not the first to articulate these truths, but merely was the chief systematizer of such doctrines. There was actually nothing in Calvin that was not first seen in Martin Luther, and much of Luther was first found in Augustine. Luther was an Augustinian monk, of course. We would also naturally affirm that there was nothing in any of these men that was not first found in Paul, Peter and John in the New Testament, and Jesus Himself.”

In coming to understand the doctrines of grace that are now so precious to me, I realize that there were fortresses built in my mind to defend against the idea of God being Sovereign in the matter of salvation. Such was my total depravity! These fortresses were not made of stone and brick but of man made ideas – concepts that I believed Scripture taught with clarity. These fortresses did not come down easily. In fact, I believe it is a work of Divine grace in the heart not only to regenerate His people, but also to open hearts and minds, even of His own people, to the truth of His Sovereignty in election.

There are many false concepts about Calvinism. Here are five that are very common: Continue reading →

I guess the secret is out. I am a Calvinist.

Actually, I do not think it was much of a secret, yet I hesitate to use the term Calvinist because it seems to mean many different things to different people. There are so many straw men built in the minds of people as to what it means, that I think its often best to not use the term at all. Many have been taught some very erroneous things in this regard.

Its unfortunate that a man’s name is associated with the doctrines that came out of the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was not the first to articulate these truths, but merely was the chief systematizer of such doctrines. There was actually nothing in Calvin that was not first seen in Martin Luther, and much of Luther was first found in Augustine. Luther was an Augustinian monk, of course. We would also naturally affirm that there was nothing in any of these men that was not first found in Paul, Peter and John in the New Testament, and Jesus Himself.

So having laid my theology bare, so to speak, I would quickly add that I have no desire to be a Calvinist in the Corinthian sense of the word – a follower of John Calvin, per se. Though I believe Calvin was a tremendous expositor of the Scriptures and had many great insights, I am not someone who believes he was in any way infallible. I am with C. H. Spurgeon (the man known as the Prince of Preachers) who declared:

“There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrines of grace than I do, and if any man asks me whether I am ashamed to be called a Calvinist, I answer – I wish to be called nothing but a Christian; but if you ask me, do I hold the doctrinal views which were held by John Calvin, I reply, I do in the main hold them, and rejoice to avow it.” (C. H. Spurgeon, a Defense of Calvinism)

The issues involved in the Calvinism v. Arminian controversy are important – I think far more than people realise. They speak to the very character of God, His Sovereignty and His glory in saving sinners and go to the heart of the gospel itself and the nature of God’s grace. To be sure, these are not trivial issues. God will not share His glory with another. Yet although the Arminian and I may strongly disagree on some vital issues, we do not have to be strongly disagreeable. We can engage in conversation in a Christ-like spirit as brothers and sisters in Christ. Continue reading →