Why Calvinists Have No Understanding
Think “colabor.” And by the way, that’s a biblical word. It should be understood that salvation is completely of the Lord. In our day, it’s just best to leave it at that though some finer points could be argued. Election is what it is, but I think it not a good idea to draw logical conclusions that lead to hardcore determinism. The apostle Paul evangelized like it depended on us to some point—that’s irrefutable. At any rate, if God didn’t make a way for reconciliation—there wouldn’t be any. So, should He get all the glory? Absolutely. Does that mean we have no role at all? I doubt it.
But one thing is clear: the Christian life is a colaboring with God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our role is learn and do. That’s what a “disciple” is. And one of the doings, perhaps the most important one, is….THINKING.
Throughout the Bible, the colaboring of God and the Christian is seen. Unlike salvation and justification, the Christian life (sanctification) is full of conditions, promises, commands, encouragement, warnings, and instruction. If you take note in your daily Bible reading, you will see this colaboring concept throughout. Perhaps the most profound is 2Timothy 2:7. Here is what the apostle Paul said to Timothy:
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
The Lord will give us understanding, BUT, we have to THINK. No thinking—no understanding. To say that Christians in our day believe that God will give us understanding without thinking is quite the understatement.
Clearly, in Reformed circles, the elders think for the parishioners, and the elders get their information from a bunch of Calvinistic dead people, also known as “orthodoxy.” Even when Calvinists do pick-up their own Bibles to read they are anticipating that God will show them “pictures of Jesus” in every verse. Look, those are John Piper’s very words, not mine. Bible reading in Reformed circles has become always been like watching TV; you just watch and let your brain chemicals to the rest. As you read, Jesus will show Himself and whatever Jesus shows you will be imputed to your life because Jesus came to live for our sanctification and die for our justification. The death and resurrection was for our justification, but His life prior to the cross was for our sanctification.
Also implicit in Paul’s charge to Timothy is the fact that Paul expected people to verify for themselves what he taught. Let me show you a picture since we like them so much: When Susan and I are discussing Reformed issues with people while enjoying the perplexity on their faces as we accuse the big names of heresy, this question often follows: “So, who do you follow?” Initially, Susan and I were too shocked at the response to even answer. The question is, at times, also followed by, “You can’t say that about him—he has a lot of followers.”
Not sure I can add to that point. Have a wonderful colaboring day in Christ.
paul
Calvin’s False Gospel: 8 Contradictions in Romans 5
5:1—Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
I. Calvinism teaches that we are also sanctified by faith alone. The same faith alone that justified us also sanctifies us.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
II. Calvinism teaches that trouble serves to better show us our weakness in order that the gospel be glorified (made bigger while we are made smaller). Verses 3-5 state the opposite. Remember, Calvinism teaches that all reality is the understanding of our sinfulness (as Christians) as set against God’s holiness.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
III. Verse eight clearly states “sinners” in the past tense. This refers to being under the dominion of sin which is synonymous with being “under the law” (Romans 6:14). We are no longer under the bondage of sin as Christians. Calvinists clearly teach that we are.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
IV. Not all, but a large vein of Calvinists believe that Christ’s death alone did not justify us, but He also lived a perfect life that is imputed to our sanctification in order to complete justification. We were justified by His death and resurrection alone (Romans 4:24, 25).
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
V. In Calvinism, the receiving of the atonement must be maintained by faith alone in sanctification. We are not sealed by the resurrection of Christ or the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30, Romans 5:10).
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
VI. One reason that Christians cannot be called sinners is because there is no law in which to judge our just standing. We were justified APART from the law (Romans 3:21). In Calvinism, the fact that the law is still the standard for our justification is abundantly clear. The law informs our sanctification, but is APART from our justification (Galatians 4:21). The law is APART from our justification, but it is the truth we obey in sanctification (Galatians 5:, 6,7).
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
VII. This clearly contradicts the Calvinist view that we are also justified by the life Christ lived. Clearly, we were justified by “one act.”
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
VIII. Again, “under the law” only increases sin because we are in bondage to it and death reins accordingly. We are “under grace” were righteousness reins. That doesn’t mean the “old man” that was put to death does not get the upper hand from time to time. But that sin cannot be counted against our justification because we are no longer “under the law” (Romans 6:6), and because we are born again of God’s seed (1John 3:9), it is really not we who are sinning (Romans 7:20).
paul
The Pedestrian Christian: You would be Surprised and it is Coming to a Reformed/Calvinist or Evangelical Church Near You
….OR MAYBE NOT:
The Pedestrian Christian . blogspot .com
Revised: Seven Points of Protestantism’s Anti-Gospel
1. Progressive Justification
John Calvin’s fourteenth chapter of book three in the Calvin Institutes is entitled, “The Beginning of Justification. In What Sense Progressive.” He then proceeds in sections 9, 10, and 11 to explain how Christians are still under the law, and helpless to obey it for any merit before God; i.e., any attempt at works in sanctification is works salvation (his Sabbath Rest Sanctification CICR 2.8.29,30). He then propagates sanctification by faith alone for the remedy.
2. Redemptive Historical Hermeneutics
This interpretive method reduces the Bible to a gospel narrative only. It’s not about anything that God wants us to do, but rather “what He has done.” “It’s not about our doing, but His doing and dying.” “Jesus isn’t a precept, He’s a person,” ad nauseam. This circumvents learning and doing (the very definition of a disciple), and replaces it with gospel contemplationism. It also circumvents love on the part of believers because anything short of perfect love according to the law is worthy of God’s condemnation according to orthodoxy. This is because the law is the justification standard rather than the new birth. Hence, one does not read the Bible to learn how to love God and others more, but to search for salvific truth in every verse that adds to one’s progression in salvation. In no uncertain terms, Protestant orthodoxy propagates “beginning justification,” “progressive sanctification” (really, progressive salvation/justification), and “final justification.” In Protestantism, the Bible is a tool for the progression of salvation, at least according to authentic orthodoxy.
3. Double Imputation
This is the idea that Christ not only died for our justification, but lived a perfect life on earth for the purpose of imputing that obedience to our sanctification. This view of double imputation goes hand in hand with progressive justification. Not to be confused with the correct view that God’s righteousness is INFUSED within us via the new birth while our sins were imputed to Christ. However, more accurately, all sin is imputed to the Old Covenant law of sin and death and Christ died to end that law. Double imputation is a staple Protestant doctrine, and obviously, if it was necessary for Christ to live a perfect law-keeping life so it can be imputed to our lives, we are still yet under law and thereby unsaved.
4. Gospel Sanctification
This propagates the idea that regeneration is powered by justification, and regeneration is a “process” or “progressive” instead of a one time act through Spirit baptism. Supposedly, Christians “reflect” godliness by continually “revisiting the gospel afresh.” This is a gospel contemplationism that focuses on the same things that originally saved us: Christ’s death for our sins and our own sinfulness. We supposedly “preach the gospel to ourselves every day” to keep ourselves saved. In this “process,” we obtain a greater and greater gratitude for our original salvation which glorifies God and not us. A greater view of the cross is the goal, not an increase of godly character among God’s people.
5. Mortification and Vivification
This is another undeniable staple doctrine of Protestant orthodoxy. By returning to the same gospel that saved us to receive forgiveness of “present sin,” (mortification), we also experience “vivification” which is a “reliving of our original baptism.” Hence, the baptism of the Spirit, or new birth, occurs over and over gain instead of just once. Again, this is stated Protestant orthodoxy. And of course, this is a process that can only be obtained through formal church membership. This is what qualifies Protestantism as one of the most unimpressive religions of the world because most Protestants don’t even know what a true Protestant believes. At least Catholics know they are saved by church membership and most other religions possess participants that are educated according to their religion’s true tenets.
6. The Total Depravity of the Saints
Obviously, if we need the gospel every day, it is for good reason; we remain in need of the same gospel that originally reconciled us because our status as “sinners” does not change. For all practical purposes this denies the new birth regardless of the fact that Christ stated, “You must be born again.”
7. Law Determines Justification
In Protestantism, Justification is not apart from the law; law is still the standard and therefore must be kept by Christ for us in sanctification. A perfect keeping of the law is required for us to be declared righteous; otherwise, it would supposedly be “legal fiction.” However, the apostle Paul made it clear that the “righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (Romans 3:21). Justification does not have to be maintained via a perfect keeping of the law by anyone; we are justified by the infusion of righteousness within us via the new birth. We still fail to love perfectly because our weak humanity has not yet been redeemed.
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
7 comments