John Calvin vs. Jesus Christ

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How a Calvinist and a Christian See the Scriptures

 

Everyone here has heard me mention Calvinists before in other sermons. They are not followers of Jesus Christ. Instead, they follow the false teachings of John Calvin, a man who lived in the 1500’s. So instead of turning to Christ, who founded the Church, many people in various false denominations turn to the teaching of John Calvin. Calvinists have managed not only to bring their false beliefs to most denominations, they have made inroads into the Lord’s Church as well.  Calvinists are wrong in most of the things they teach. In our study this morning, we are going to take a look at just three verses from the book of Ephesians. These are words of blessing which Paul wished for the brethren in Ephesus. The blessings that he promises are severely misunderstood by Calvinists. Calvinists believe that the salvation of God is limited to the few people God chooses to receive it. They also believe that the salvation He promises them is without condition. They mistakenly read the text we will study today in that way and they assign it that meaning.

 

What we are going to do this morning is to look at the verses in question in their proper context, and we are going to consider the uniformity of the rest of the New Testament to show that Paul does in fact attach conditions to the promised blessings.

 

Let’s look at that first passage we spoke of earlier that is misused by the Calvinists. 

Ephesians 1: 3

 

The Calvinists mistakenly believe that God has done everything, and so man must do nothing in order to be saved. They believe, due to their misunderstanding of this scripture, that God has blessed His chosen elect with every spiritual blessing, and that these chosen ones will receive those blessings no matter what they do or don’t do. 

 

The proper view of that passage is that God’s spiritual blessings are to be found in Christ. The Christian wonders how to get in Christ, where the blessings are to be found. We then conclude that the bible must in fact tell us how to change the condition of being outside of Christ to being in Christ. 

 

The Calvinist sees God as favoring a chosen few with all blessings. The sanctifying blood of Jesus is only for those chosen few. The Christian does not presume that we have no duty toward God, and we understand this text not as a barrier to us if we are not one of God’s chosen, but as an invitation for all men to seek Christ, and a promise to those who are in Christ that they will receive all spiritual blessings. 

 

The viewpoint we take can be proven contextually in Scripture, while the Calvinist viewpoint finds contradiction after contradiction with other passages of the Bible. Let’s look at a few. We see that it is God’s desire that ALL men be saved, not just some chosen elect few. 

I Timothy 2: 4

Titus 2: 11

II Peter 3: 9

 

None of these passages say anything about God having a chosen few who will be saved. They say that God wants everyone to be saved. As such, He shows us how to get in Christ in order to have these blessings. 

Galatians 3: 27

 

The Calvinist teaching of an elect chosen few who will be saved contradicts what is taught elsewhere in the Bible. So either the Calvinists are wrong, or the Bible contradicts itself. Since the Bible is perfect and never contradicts itself, we can only conclude that in this teaching, the Calvinists are wrong. 

 

Let’s look at another one in the very next verse. 

Ephesians 1: 4

 

The Calvinist only sees the words: “He chose us…before the foundation of the world…” He does not recognize in this any personal responsibility placed on believers.

 He ignores completely that this verse establishes the important

 condition of living as “holy and without blame before Him in

 love.” The Calvinist presumes that Paul is telling the elect that

 they have been made holy and without blemish by God’s sovereign choice of each individual to receive such a blessing in

Christ.

 

The proper view once again notes the connection of these spiritual blessings and being in Christ. We see that Paul also mentions a condition on the receipt of these spiritual blessings. This time it is that one must be “holy and without blemish before Him in love.”

 

Those of us in the Lord’s Church do not see this as a condition forced upon us by God’s sovereign designation. Instead we see it as a commanded condition to seek out and adopt in fulfillment of the Lord’s Will. 

Luke 17: 10

 

We do not discount election, but instead we are concerned about the “how” of it. The Calvinist sees himself as blessed and elect without any requirement at all, but we recognize that God has always placed conditions on those who would be in fellowship with Him.

 

Calvinists also believe that Paul is teaching what is required in order to be among the “chosen”. The word “should” is very important to understanding the REAL meaning of this passage. “Should” indicates a duty on our part. It expresses what we are expected to do. “Should” also anticipates the possibility that the duty might be rejected, in which case the desired outcome will not be achieved and the desired blessing will not be received. 

 

Now let's look at the very next passage in Ephesians. 

Ephesians 1: 5

 

The Calvinist only sees the words “predestined” and

 “adoption.” He notes that this is by the “good pleasure of His

 will” and presumes that Paul is teaching that predestination and

 adoption involves God’s selection of certain individuals for

 salvation, as purely a matter of God’s sovereign choice.They mistakenly believe that this is the most natural way to

 understand this grouping of words. Predestined…adoption…good pleasure of His will

 screams to the Calvinist that God chooses some for

 adoption into His family and rejects all others, offering

 them no hope.

 

We recognize the doctrines of predestination and adoption of Christians, but we ask“How, and by what means does the adoption occur?”

Ephesians 1: 6 - 12

 

We see that predestination and adoption comes through “the

 Beloved.”

 

We see that redemption is through His Blood and is according to the riches of His grace. We see that it involves the mystery of His Will having been preached to those who are adopted. We see that the elect are those who first trusted in Christ, who had been made known to them through the preaching. The word “trusted” is a verb indicating something is a choice to make. It is a

 choice on which one may affix his confidence. Trusting in Christ is not a feeling magically put into one’s heart if he is lucky enough to be chosen, trust is a thing one decides to do. He puts his trust in Christ based upon hearing the gospel.

Ephesians 1: 13 - 14

 

Paul says that trust comes after the elect heard the word of truth, the Gospel. He also states that the elect are those who believed what they heard. The Holy Spirit is the means by which the Gospel is delivered to men. He is the agent God uses to instruct men to have faith in Christ and to believe and trust Him. 

 

Calvinists see everything ever written in the Bible (this text included) through the perspective of Calvinism.That is, God chooses who will be saved, and then He draws them by the Holy Spirit to salvation. 

All of this happens without any condition whatsoever being required of the elect ones. TULIP is their default position on all of scripture. They see every passage concerning salvation as

 confirmation of the notion that man is born totally

 depraved and needing God to save him unconditionally,

 and then to draw him irresistibly to salvation.

 

We understand this whole chapter within the larger context of the whole New Testament. This passage speaks on the topic of redemption for itself without interpreting it in light of the Calvinist Reformation. A Christian doesn’t approach this or any other text with any preconceived human notions. As a result, he understands that God has chosen the elect by choosing the means of their election. Jesus Christ was revealed by the Holy

 Spirit, and the elect are those who hear, believe, and trust

 in the Lord for His redemption. Those who comply are the

 recipients of “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly

 places in Christ.”

 

What all of this shows is that rightly handling the Word is a necessity. 

II Timothy 2: 15

 

We must allow the Bible to speak. This point is the determining factor in our understanding of Scripture. 

Mark 4: 11 - 12

Ephesians 3: 3 - 4

If we read scripture for the express purpose of assigning it a meaning, our understanding can be limited. Calvinists and all other sectarians fail miserably in this department. They approach the scriptures with an agenda to justify their dogmas rather than to understand the truth.

 

A Christian searches for the truth, not a position.When kept in the proper context, that is the context of the rest of the Bible teachings, it is easily understood. 

John 8: 32

II Timothy 3: 16 - 17

 

Jesus even asked a man to read the law and to explain it. This shows that the Bible is capable of speaking for itself, and that we are capable of understanding it without any miraculous aids. 

Luke 10: 26

 

As we’ve said several times today, Christians must respect the context. The context of any statement is every bit as important as the statement itself. In fact, it is impossible to reliably understand any statement outside of its context. In the context of the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul said that there are good works which one must do in order to be saved. 

Ephesians 2: 10

 

Therefore, the Calvinistic interpretation of Ephesians

 1:3-6 is incorrect.

 

Even within the first chapter of the Ephesian letter, Paul openly avows that something must be done by us in order for us to be saved. 

Ephesians 1: 19

 

He said that His power is exerted “toward us who believe.” What about those who do not believe or who reject faith in Christ? Does Jesus’ power work in those people for salvation?

 

A Christian respects the harmony of the scriptures. No one properly understands the Bible who does not consider all of what the Bible says about a given topic. When a Calvinist turns to a text like Ephesians 1:3-6 and assigns it the meaning that they do, they deny the rest of the scriptures which teach obedient faith. All of the New Testament teaches one must do something in order to be saved. We must obey Christ.

John 3: 36

Hebrews 5: 9

 

Christ and the Holy Spirit tell us that we must repent and be immersed in water.

Mark 16: 16

Acts 2: 38

We must walk in the light, remaining faithful unto death.

1 John 1:5-7

Revelation 2: 10

 

The Calvinist teachings that we are saved or lost depending on whether God chose us for that fate before creation is an absolute lie. We can clearly see from scriptures that God’s chosen and elect are those who hear His Word, believe His Word, and obey His Word. 

James 1: 22

 

Calvinists have taken Paul’s teachings out of context and perverted them into their own false doctrine. Just like Peter said would happen. 

II Peter 3: 15 - 16

 

So which J.C. will you believe? John Calvin, who is contradicted by the Bible? Or Jesus Christ, the author of it?