Does the Bible Teach Calvinism?

Mark Dunagan
04/08/12 - Sunday Evening

Does the Bible Teach Calvinism?

The five points of Calvinism are total depravity (inherited sin), unconditional election (predestination), limited atonement (Jesus only died for those God chose), irresistible grace (man is too sinful to understand God’s truth, and therefore God must directly act upon their hearts) and perseverance of the saints (once-saved-always-saved).  Calvinism is a domino-like system in which all five points fall or stand together.  That is, if it is true that God has chosen the specific individuals who will be lost and the others who will be saved irrespective of anything each one did or neglected to do, then one’s salvation is certainly locked in.  It would be uniformly clear that Jesus did not die for all men under such a system, but only for the chosen.  It goes to reason then,  if one point of Calvinism is false, then the entire theory collapses.  If passages can be produced that deny once-saved-always-saved, then predestination and limited atonement are likewise false.  If passages can be produced which demonstrate that man has a choice in his salvation and can choose to be saved, then all the other points fall.

Total Depravity

The passage that is often used to establish this doctrine is Psalm 51:5 which states “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me”.  Now this passage could mean that David is saying that he was born a sinner, born inheriting the guilt of his parents and/or Adam, and born completely unable to understand, desire, or do what is good.  Or, it could be interpreted that David is declaring that he was born into a sinful environment. 

The Context

In this chapter the sins that condemn David are obviously not ones he has inherited, rather they are his own sins (51:2-4).  In this Psalm, David is also afraid of losing his salvation (51:11).  Then there is the question of David’s sin in this chapter, that is, his past adultery.  If David was born totally depraved, due to the sins of others, then how could God ever hold David accountable for sinning?  Or, if David was born a sinner, and yet was then converted directly by God and overwhelmed by the Spirit, then how do we explain such a spirit-controlled man going back into sin?  It is clear that in this Psalm David is speaking as a man who has free will.  His sin is inexcusable, because he did not have to sin, and even in sin, he can still desire forgiveness and restoration.

Other Passages

God is abundantly clear that sin is not inherited and that little children are not born sinners and thus opposed to all that is good.

• The very fact that parents are told to train, teach, and discipline their children denies the concept that the child lacks freewill or is totally depraved.  Such would be a fruitless exercise if Calvinism were true. Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4
• The Bible is specific: sin and guilt are not inherited—neither is righteousness: “The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity, the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20).  This same chapter likewise denies both once-saved-always-saved (18:24) and predestination (18:26-28). 
• Jesus did not view children as being sinners, for He told us that in order to be saved, we must become like them (Matthew 18:3).
• Inspired Apostle Paul did not picture children being sinners, rather he pictured children as having no connection with evil (1 Corinthians 14:20).
• There is no plan of salvation revealed in the New Testament for babies and young children.  A very strange thing if one is born a sinner!   All the passages on salvation insist upon the person being baptized to be the same person who hears the gospel, believes it, repents and confesses Christ (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 8:37).
• Paul is clear that the way a person becomes a sinner is by sinning, not by inheriting sin, “...death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Calvinism begs another more question: Why doesn’t conversion stop the process?  If I am a Christian and my wife is, then how can sin be passed to our children seeing that both of us are forgiven of all our sins? 

Once-Saved-Always-Saved

One passage used to support the manmade idea of eternal security is John 10:28 “I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand”.  This verse could mean one of two things:  First, it may mean that it is impossible to sin after one is baptized or it may mean that one will end up saved no matter how he or she lives.  Second, seeing that Jesus’ sheep hear His voice (10:27), these people will avoid being lead astray and will end up saved because they continue to make the choice to hear and obey His voice.

Other Passages

There are just too many passages that deny the idea that one can never lose his or her salvation.

• Every warning against false teachers assumes that God’s people can be lead astray if they are careless: Acts 20:29-30; 2 Timothy 4:3; 2 John 9
• Disciples did fall away: Acts 1:18; 8:22
• The Bible is specific: one can indeed fall from grace: Galatians 5:4; 1:6
• In fact, David is a good example.  David was a saved man, had the Holy Spirit, spoke by inspiration, yet fell into deep sin and longed for the restoration of his salvation (Psalm 51).
• There are specific warnings directed specifically to Christians about the real possibility of falling away and ending up lost:  2 Peter 2:20-22; Hebrews 6:6 “and then have fallen away”; Hebrews 10:26 “If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth”.
• In Hebrews 10:29 a person who has been “sanctified by the blood of covenant” is said to have trampled underfoot the Son of God.  The only thing that the blood of the covenant sets one part for is salvation.  Clearly, a saved person can end up lost.
• 2 Timothy 2:12 “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us”.

Predestination

One verse often used to teach the concept that God determined long before anyone was created who would go to hell and heaven, and that this choice had nothing to do with the choices that each person would make, is Ephesians 1:4-5 “…just as He choose us in Him before the foundation of the world…He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ”.  This could mean that God did indeed arbitrarily select who would be saved and lost and there is nothing we can presently do to change that decision.  Or, it could mean that what was predestined or chosen was that salvation would be in Christ, and that those who choose to get into Christ become God’s people.

Other Passages

There are just too many passages that reveal that man has freewill, can understand God’s truth, can decide between good and evil, and can do something that can alter his or her destiny. May every person attending to these words be inspired to use his or her freewill to choose God’s path to life:

• “So choose life in order that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
• “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
• “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden” (Matthew 11:28).
• “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).
• “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.com
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net