I recently had a conversation with a friend in which evangelism and Calvinism came up. My friend mentioned a missionary couple that she has befriended; they said the notion of predestination gives them comfort while they evangelize because they know the results don't really depend on them. Our conversation on the topic was over a text-message, so I had the benefit of both the questions and my answers recorded. With my friend's permission, I have slightly modified the conversation to make it into a format that will address the topic for any audience; my modifications were primarily to remove names and add clarity to some of the phrasing of the questions and the answers. Before that, let's address the general topic of Calvinism.
A Brief Introduction to Calvinism
Calvinism, formulated by John Calvin, could be described as a theological "lens" through which people view Scripture. It is often explained using the acronym TULIP: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. The benefit of this acronym is that it provides a quick, easy-to-remember snapshot of the theological view. Furthermore, we should recognize that this particular acronym uses some biblical language. Unfortunately, that is where the benefits stop. The biblical language and "quickie" explanation make Calvanism sound reasonable, but under close biblical examination Calvinism simply does not hold up. In particular, the ULI portion (unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace) combine to form an unbiblical doctrine of predestination.
Like most unbiblical doctrine, Calvinism takes concepts from Scripture and simply misapplies them.
Total depravity (the complete wickedness of mankind) is biblical, but Calvinism applies it to too far by saying mankind is therefore incapable of choosing to accept Christ for salvation.
Unconditional election sounds good - it even uses some biblical language - but what the Calvinist means is that since we cannot make the choice due to total depravity, God does the choosing for us.
Limited atonement takes Christ's sacrifice and limits it only to the elect. In other words, He did not die for everyone, but only for those He chose under unconditional election.
Irresistible grace means that the chosen were not only incapable of choosing (hence God's choosing the elect) but that they are also incapable of denying God's choice. In essence, they are the elect, and they will be saved, whether they like it or not.
Perseverance of the saints takes the biblical doctrine of eternal security, but applies it only to the elect.
These misapplied and misinterpreted biblical doctrines are the heart of Calvinism, and the theological view is held by many sincere, intelligent Christians who eagerly wish to understand Scripture and serve the Lord. That's what makes it so heartbreaking to me, and why I thought it would be valuable to explore the topic in a question-and-answer format based on the conversation I had with my friend. So, with that foundational understanding in place, let's get to the conversation!
Question: Is Calvinism (meaning the doctrine of predestination) biblical?
Answer:
My objection to Calvinism's version of predestination is that it runs contrary to the plain “whosoever” statements, like John 3:16, Acts 2:31, Romans 10:13, and Revelation 22:17. If there are only select individuals that God determined to save, then it cannot be offered to "whosoever" like in those verses. That there are individuals He has already chosen to send to hell also runs contrary to II Peter 3:9. Of the four mentions of predestination in Scripture (two in Romans and two in Ephesians) the context shows that what God has pre-determined is the result of every person’s free-will choice, not the choice itself. It’s like getting on a bus headed for Tallahassee - I can choose to get on that bus, or not. But either way, everybody who chooses to get on that bus is going to Tallahassee. Likewise, faith in Christ is my choice - if I choose to “get on the bus” then I am in Christ Jesus (the phrase used repeatedly in Ephesians) and I’m headed for heaven.
Question: So, God knows what we are going to pick, but lets us pick still?
Answer:
God’s foreknowledge is not forced-knowledge. Just because He knows, doesn’t mean He forces it to happen. The heart of the issue for your missionary friends is "How much depends on us when evangelizing?" It seems that at least one reason why they subscribe to Calvinism's idea of predestination is that they take comfort knowing the results aren't really up to them. Some Calvinists hold predestination as an excuse not to evangelize because God has already made up His mind and no one can do anything about it. Your friends' efforts to evangelize show that they are genuinely trying to follow all of Scripture rather than allowing the Calvinist notion of predestination to negate other clear doctrines in Scripture. But back to the issue: how much really depends on us when we evangelize?
We spread the seed (Luke 8:5-15), but that is all we can do, and all we are expected to do. After that, God must work in their hearts, which He most assuredly does (Isaiah 55:10-11, II Peter 3:9), but then each person has to make their own choice (Romans 10:13). Since I'm a school teacher, I'll use that as a comparison: textbook companies publish a book that gets into my students hands (sowing seed), but then I have to actually teach (which I am reverently using as a comparison for God’s part). Each student then has to make a choice about what he or she is going to do with all of that. As the teacher observing and interacting with the class day after day, I may know who’s going to respond to the question, complete the assingment, or study for the test, but I don’t force anything to happen, nor do I prematurely put grades in the gradebook. I have to let everyone make a choice. It is the same with evangelism: seed is sown, God's
Holy Spirit impresses that seed upon the person, but then the person must make his or her own free will choice. No one will stand before God and be condemned to hell with any excuse - He offered salvation, and they rejected it. If the Calvinist notion of predestination were true, people would have a very legitimate objection against God, as would a student who saw his or her test grade appear in the grade book weeks before the material was taught and the test was administered.
It is also worth noting this about the analogy: I don't need the textbook as the teacher. That is how I chose to operate, but if a student were to have a reason why he or she could not access the textbook, I am more than capable of teaching that student without it. That special case is much different than a student who has the textbook and simply refuses to use it. The same is true of God: He doesn't need us to sow seed, but that is how He has chosen to operate. In scenarios where the seed cannot reach a person (like the question "What about unknown tribes deep in the jungle?") then God is more than capable of using an alternative method to reach them. However, His primary method is to use us to sow seed. If we neglect this God-given responsibility, or if the recipients of the seed ignore what God has provided, then that becomes a separate issue, like the student who refuses to use the textbook, or a textbook company that fails to provide the requested textbooks.
Question: Since God created everyone uniquely, certain people tend to be more stubborn in their ways and need more persuasion than others, right? So, is He favoring certain people and positioning them towards salvation and not others? Obviously not, but that’s a question I’ve thought about.
Answer:
Yes, some people do require more persuading than others, and sometimes we must earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3, Acts 23:1). You've seen some of that as you've given the gospel out to people, and I’m sure your missionary friends see it all the time! And as we give the gospel, we should be aware of that. Even Jude verses 22-23 tells us that we will need to use different approaches to best give the gospel to different people. But that does not mean God is favoring some over others. Romans 1 starting at verse 18 shows the series of steps of people who are turning from God. At each step along the way it shows that they knew some degree of the Truth. But when they knew - however little it may have been - and rejected that light, then God gives them over to the consequences of that rejection. The reverse would also be true - God gives a little at a time (Isaiah 28:10) and when we accept that Truth, He gives a little more.
Question: And as spreaders of the gospel, we reap the harvest as talked about in Matthew 9. So, if people are predestined to accept Christ, it is only up to us to obey and share and not our place to change hearts. If it is only by free will, we would play more of a role in persuading, right? So, the concept of predestination puts less pressure on the sharer, which essentially is what my missionary friends were saying.
Answer:
Well, yes and no. Yes, it is only up to us to share, but it is not our place to change hearts. That is God’s work, not ours. All He asks of us is to faithfully share the gospel with others. And that does involve persuasion. It also involves wisdom, patience, and hard work. And it should involve a lot of prayer. We reap like in Matthew 9, but part of reaping is sowing, like the parable in Matthew 13 and Luke 8. That sower went forth to sow. He encountered all kinds of ground, but he kept right on faithfully sowing. Some of it sprouted up for a harvest, and some did not. We can earnestly share the gospel, and earnestly care for other’s souls, but we’re not God. There’s part that only He can do. We may be laborers, but the harvest is His (Matthew 9:38).
Question: But what about if we don’t word it right or know all the answers to a lost person's questions?
Answer:
That's a valid question, because it’s going to happen! We all word things poorly sometimes. Nobody knows all of the answers. Some of the best gospel-givers I know openly confess that sometimes they get stumped and have to go home and study to find the answers in Scripture because they don’t want to get stumped again! We’re human, and still sinful - mistakes are going to happen. And if it was all up to me, that would be a tragedy; so praise God that it’s not all up to me! The Lord paid a terrible price with His own blood for the sin of every person (Hebrews 10:10). He does not want anyone to go to hell, but His will is that everyone be saved (II Peter 3:9). He commands every saved person to share the gospel (Mark 16:15), He preserves His written word (Psalm 12:6-7) and promises that His words will be effective (Isaiah 55:11). If He has gone to such great measures to offer salvation to everyone (the "whosoever" in John 3:16, Romans 10:13, etc) then is it all really dependent on me, or on Him? Who is the One who has done and is doing the majority of the work? Who is the One with the most to lose? Who is the One greater than my mistakes, misspoken words, or lack of an answer to a question? Yes, we should take sharing the gospel seriously, and we should do the work well for the sake of the lost and the sake of His glory, but my mistakes are a relatively small thing compared to what God is investing. We may be the sowers, but Who made the sowers? Who made the seed? Who made the ground? Moses was worried about speaking poorly too, and how did God respond to that? “And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:11-12). That’s why the best way to share the gospel is to quote Scripture! He said it right, we just have to repeat what He said!
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The conversation with my friend went well, and I was grateful for the opportunity to think through it all with her. These can be difficult waters to navigate; I remember having to navigate them myself as a young believer, and it has been one of many experiences that taught me to place God's word above all else. It is the final authority! As I said before, many sincere, eager, intelligent Christians have grappled with Calvinism, and it is not always easy to see through the errors of that theological view. Hopefully the conversation recorded above can be of some benefit to those who are wrestling with the topic.
If you still have questions about Calvinism, or you want to explore this subject further so that you can help others, I would recommend The Other Side of Calvinism by Laurence Vance. It's a big book, but it addresses the topic so thoroughly that it would answer any question you may have on the subject. After an overview of Calvinism, it takes each point of TULIP in turn; it also includes a subject and name index in the back if you're looking for something specific. Vance's book can address any lingering questions I failed to answer. You purchase a copy here or find a used copy on sites like Amazon, EBay, AbeBooks, or Thiftbooks.
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