What
Should We Think of Evangelism and Calvinism
by Ernest C.
Reisinger
One of the greatest evangelists to ever set foot on American soil was
GeorgeWhitefield. Read carefully the following quote and note his pleading with
sinners.
"I offer you salvation this
day; the door of mercy is not yet shut, there does yetremain a sacrifice for
sin, for all that will accept of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will embrace you in
the arms of his love. O turn to him, turn in a sense of your own unworthiness;
tell him how polluted you are, how vile, and be not faithless, but believing.
Why fear ye that the Lord Jesus Christ will not accept of you? Your sim will be
no hindrance, your unworthiness no hindrance; if your own corrupt hearts do not
keep you back nothing will hinder Christ from receiving of you. He loves to see
poor sinners coming to him, he is pleased to see them lie at his feet pleading
his promises; and if you thus come to Christ, he will not send you away without
his Spirit; no, but will receive and bless you. O do not put a slight on
infinite love - he only wants you to believe on him, that you might be saved.
This, this is all the dear Saviour desires, to make you happy, that you may
leave your sim, to sit down eternally with him at the marriage supper of the
Lamb. Let me beseech you to come to Jesus Christ; I invite you all to come to
him, and receive him as your Lord and Saviour; he is ready to receive you. I
invite you to come to him, that you may find rest for your souls. He will
rejoice and be glad. He calls you by his ministers; O come unto him - he is
labouring to bring you back from sin and from Satan, unto himself: open the door
of your hearts, and the King of glory shall enter in. My heart is full, it is
quite full, and I must speak, or I shall burst. What, do you think your souls of
no value? Do you esteem them as not worth saving? Are your pleasures worth more
than your souls? Had you rather regard the diversions of this life, than the
salvation of your souls? If so, you will never be partakers with him in glory;
but if you come unto him, he will supply you with his grace here, and bring you
to glory hereafter; and there you may sing praises and hallelujahs to the Lamb
for ever. And may this be the happy end
of all who hear
me!"
George Whitefield was a
staunch Calvinist. There is one thing certain -Whitefield's Calvinism did not in
any way dampen his holy zeal for the souls of
men.
What
is Calvinism?
The great Princeton theologian, Dr. B. B. Warfield, describes it as
follows:
"Calvinism is evangelism
in its pure and only stable expression,and when we say evangelism we say sin and
salvation. It means utter dependence on God for salvation. It implies therefore,
need of salvation and a profound sense of this need, along with an equally
profound sense of helplessness in the presence of this need, and utter
dependence on God for its satisfaction. Its type is found in the publican who
smote his breast and cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" No question there
of saving himself, or helping
God to save him, or of
opening the way to God to save him. Noquestion of anything but "I am a sinner,
and all my hope is in God, my Saviour!" This is Calvinism, not just something
like Calvinism, or an approach to Calvinism, but Calvinism in its vital
manifestation. Wherever this attitude of heart is found and is given expression
in direct and unambiguous terms, there is Calvinism. Where this attitude of mind
and heart is fallen away from it however small a measure, there Calvinism has
become impossible. "
"The Calvinist, in a
word, is the man who sees God. He hascaught sight of the ineffable Vision, and
he will not let it fade for a moment from his eyes - God in nature, God in
history, God in grace. Everywhere he sees God in His mighty stepping, everywhere
he feels the working of His mighty arm, the throbbing of His mighty
heart....Calvinism is just Christianity. The super-naturalism for which
Calvinism stands is the very breath of the nostrils of Christianity; without it
Christianity cannot exist...Calvinism thus emerges to our sight as nothing more
or less than the hope of the world."
John A. Broadus, one of the great and respected Southern Baptist fathers,in
describing the Calvinism of Dr. James P. Boyce, his fellow-founder of Southern
Seminary, said,
"That exalted system of
Pauline truth which is technically calledCalvinism, compels an earnest student
to profound thinking, and when pursued with a combination of systematic thought
and fervent experience, makes him at home among the most inspiring and ennobling
views of God and the universe He has made.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that great soul-winner, once said, "We onlyuse the term
'Calvinism' for shortness. That doctrine which is called 'Calvinism; did not
spring from Calvin; we believe that it sprang from the great founder of all
truth. Perhaps Calvin himself derived it mainly from the writings of Augustine.
Augustine obtained his views, without doubt, through the Holy Spirit of God,
from diligent study of the writings of Paul, and Paul received them from the
Holy Ghost and from Jesus Christ, the great founder of the Christian Church. We
use the term then, not because we impute an extraordinary importance to Calvin's
having taught these doctrines. We would be just as willing to call them by any
other name, if we could find one which would be better understood, and which on
the whole would be as consistent with the fact." Spurgeon went on to say, "The
old truths that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that I
preach today, or else I would be falseto my conscience and my God. I cannot
shape truth; I know of no such thing
as paring off the rough edges of a
doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. And that gospel which thundered
through Scotland must thunder through England again."
Whichever name we use, however, it can but be regarded as a mereconvenience now
rendered necessary because of its general adoption. Personally, we regard the
name as an entire mistake seeing that it has been the means of fostering many of
the ignorant cavilings which have been heard not only in these days but also in
days which are past. There is a genuine resurgence today of this grand and
glorious Pauline system of biblical truth--particularly among Southern Baptists.
For those of us who are numbered among this group, it is nothing less than
coming home to our doctrinal roots. The founding fathers of the SEC were
immersed in that stream of biblical truth where no man can touch bottom, and
which caused the great Apostle to cry "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways
part finding out! For who har known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His
counselor? Or who hasfirst given to Him and it shall be repaid to him? For of
Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be gloryforever. Amen.
"
Don't Go Further
Than The Scriptures
The importance of the subject discussed should lead us to proceed onlywith
profoundest reverence and caution. While it is true that mysteries are to be
handled with care, and while unwarranted and presumptuous speculations
concerning divine things are to be avoided, yet if we would declare the Gospel
in its purity and fullness we must be careful not to withhold from believers
what is declared in the Scriptures concerning the truth of Calvinism. That some
of these truths will be perverted and abused by the ungodly is to be expected.
No matter how plainly it is taught in Scripture, the unenlightened mind
considers it as absurd, for instance, that one God should exist in three
persons, or that God should foreknow the entire course of world events, as that
his plan should include the destiny of every person. And while we can know only
as much about the Bible as God has seen fit to reveal, it is important that we
shall know that much; otherwise, it would not have been revealed. Where
Scripture leads we may safely follow. There are many misrepresentations by those
who do not know what biblical Calvinism really is. Most of this group call real
Calvinism "hyper- Calvinism." Some think that if you believe in the antinomian
view of "eternal security" you are a Calvinist and everyone else is either an
Arminian or a hyper-Calvinist. There is no question that many who claim to be
Calvinists are not as evangelistic as they should be. It is not because of
Calvinism but because of a cold and indifferent heart. Many Arminians are not
evangelistic but it is not because of their Arminianism. Again, it is because of
a cold and indifferent heart. It is also true that Calvinism will kill some
kinds of evangelism. Some people do not like rock and roll music but that does
not mean that they do notlike music. So it is with some methods men call
evangelism. They are repulsive to Calvinists. But let it be known, Calvinists
love and embrace true God-centered, biblical evangelism. It is important to make
a distinction between God-centered evangelism and man-centered evangelism.
Calvinism may kill man-centered evangelism but true biblical Calvinism gives
true evangelism its only proper doctrinal foundation. And, it also guarantees
its success. God saves sinners - that is Calvinism. He does not just make
salvation possible but actually saves by plan and power.
Doctrine
Is Vital
Evangelism and
Election
The doctrine of unconditional election is one of the foundationaldoctrines of
Calvinism. Before considering some of the biblical evidence for the doctrine of
election, let us distinguish the difference between means and cause. God elected
the means of salvation as well as the persons to salvation. His Word reveals
that He chose to save His own through preaching, prayer, and witnessing - "Go ye
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." "He that goeth
forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." But we must ever remember that
preaching and prayer are the means and not the cause of anyone's salvation. The
cause is God's unconditional electing love - "For God so loved the world that
the 'whosoevers' will believe and will not perish."
Who
are the "whosoevers"?
Answer:
John
6:37 "All that the Father giveth. . .shall come. ..
John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice and I know them
and they follow Me.
"Why
is it that some do not believe?
Answer:
John
10:26 "But you believe not because you are not My
sheep.
You see, the Father gave
His Son a certain number of sheep and He has sent us out to preach and witness
because that is the means He employs to call them.
John 17:2 "As thou hast
given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as
Thou hast given Him."
They will come - because
Christ died for them and Christ has prayed for them.
John 17:9 "I pray for
them; I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given me: for they
are thine.
Jesus prayed for the future sheep who would come.
John 17:20 "Neither pray
I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their
word.
John 17:24 "Father, I will that they also, Whom Thou hast given Me, be
with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for
thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world."
Why is God's electing love so important to the preacher and missionary? It is
the doctrine that assures the success of our missionary efforts. The greatest
preacher-evangelists in the history of the church believed in the biblical
doctrine of Election. It is an important part of the doctrinal foundation of
Calvinism.
On this historical event, 150 years
of our existence, it would be wise for our present day SEC Baptists to heed the
exhortation found in Isaiah 51:1 "Listen to Me, you who follow after
righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
And to the hole of the pit from which you were
dug.
The Israelites were commanded to call to
remembrance their past. To remember God's mercy in the past will be profitable
in many ways. A recollection of the past will be sure to excite our
thankfulness. God's people are always happy when they are grateful. But at this
particular time in our history it will be profitable to examine our doctrinal
foundation - "The rock from whence we were hewn .. .". An honest looking back
will teach us the importance of sound doctrine, and especially, the foundation
for gospel preaching.
Southern Baptists, (all
Baptists for that matter) have always been marked by their zeal for evangelism
and missions. That is why we have over 3,000 foreign missionaries in 91
different countries and about 3,200 home missionaries and over 40,000 churches
and 15,000,000 members.
Looking back to the
great warriors in the work of evangelism and missions we should ask, "What did
these men believe about God, man, sin and salvation? By looking back it is easy
to find that they were mostly Calvinists and their evangelistic efforts were
grounded in the doctrinal foundation of Calvinism. A biblical, doctrinal
foundation is more important than most Baptists believe. Sound doctrine
undergirds all true worship and witness, and that is what it is all about.
Doctrine not only expresses the true conversion experience but doctrine
determines the message and methods of
evangelism.
The doctrinal foundation of biblical
evangelism is as important to the work of evangelism as the back bone is to the
human body. Doctrine gives unity and stability.
It is the doctrinal foundation that produces the spiritual strength that enables
evangelism to endure the storms of opposition, hardship and persecution that so
often accompanies true evangelism and missions. Therefore, the church that
neglects the true doctrinal foundation for biblicalevangelism will soon weaken
their efforts.
The lack of a doctrinal
foundation will work against unity and will invite error and instability in all
evangelistic efforts. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of a sound
biblical foundation for true God-centered
evangelism.
Doctrine shapes our destiny, and we
are presently reaping the fruits of unbiblical evangelism. The great apostle,
instructing a young minister to do the work of an evangelist, tells him that
doctrine is the first purpose of Scripture.
II Tim. 3.16 "All Scripture is
given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for DOCTRINE.
..
When I speak of doctrine I am not speaking of
any doctrine but the doctrine that the founders of our fust Southern Baptist
seminary believed and taught. The doctrines that Boyce believed and taught were
the foundation of his devotion and the devotion that he inspired in others.
Today, many recognize the importance of doctrine and keep using the term
doctrine. Jehovah's Witnesses have a doctrine - the Mormons - Christian Science
- All Baptists have some doctrine - But what
doctrine??
What doctrines am I talking
about?
I mean those doctrines that
were defined, defended, expressed and set forth by the Synod of Dort in 1618.
The doctrines that were set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the
Heidelberg Catechism. Those doctrines expressed in the Old Baptist Confession of
1689, later adopted by the Philadelphia Association, out of which Southern
Baptists came.
These precious doctrines are
those that set forth a God who actually saves. He does notjust make salvation
possible for sinners to save themselves by a decision or cooperation in their
salvation, but a God who actually saves by Plan by Purpose and by
Power.
I mean those doctrines that reveal the
three great ACTS of the TRIUNE GOD in recovering poor lost
sinners.
1.
The Electing love by the Father
2. The Powerful Redemption accomplished by the
Son
3. The
Effectual Calling by the Spirit.
Each Person of the Trinity is directed to the salvation of the same people thus
securing their salvation infallibly.
These are
doctrines that make salvation depend on the work of God, not on the ability or
will of man.
These doctrines give all the glory
to God for the saving of sinners - not dividing that glory between God and
sinners. Salvation is of the Lord. These doctrines say that history is nothing
less than the working out of God's preordained
plan.
These doctrines set forth a God who was
sovereign in creation and sovereign in redemption, both in planning and
perfecting. The Trinity works together for the salvation of the sheep. God the
Father planned it. God the Son achieves it. God the Spirit communicates and
efficaciously applies it.There is no war in the Trinity. They all work together
for the same people "My sheep hear My voice. ..
We do not support this erroneous idea that God has done all He can, and is now
standing idly by waiting to see what these sovereign sinners are going to do
with this impotent, pathetic Jesus. No, no, God saves sinners - salvation is of
the Lord. We must not weaken this great truth by disrupting the unity of the
Trinity or by dividing the achievement of salvation between God and
man.
Calvinists believe and teach the cross was
not a place just to make salvation possible but to actually secure the salvation
of His people (Isa. 53:11). These doctrines show the cross as revealing God's
power to save, not His impotence. God was not frustrated at the cross. He was
the Master of Ceremonies. Cf. Acts 2:23 "Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified
and slain."
A Calvinist does not believe that
God's decision to save man by a decree leaves man passive or inert. No! No! The
very opposite takes place! The covenant of grace does not kill man, it does not
regard him as a tin can or a piece of wood or a robot - but it takes possession
of the man, it lays hold of his whole being with all his faculties, and power of
soul and body, for time and eternity.
God's
sovereign grace does not annihilate man's powers, but it does remove his
powerlessness. It does not destroy his will, but Frees it from sin. It does not
stifle or obliterate his conscience, but sets it free from darkness. It
regenerates and recreates man in his entirety, and in renewing him by grace
causes him to love and consecrate himself to God most
freely.
I am aware that as I write these words a
deep seated prejudice exists in many parts of the church against this kind of
systematic exposition of the doctrines of the Bible. It probably falls within
the experience of every pastor to see the gathering frown, the averted shoulder,
and the drooping head, as soon as certain doctrines are announced as the theme
for discussion. It does not excite or surprise us that the world of the ungodly
should manifest this displeasure for the same 'carnal mind' which is at enmity
against God, is at enmity likewise against the truth of God. But the fact that
professing Christians should engage in this unholy crusade against doctrinal
religion, and that even ministers of the gospel should sigh over the earnest
proclamation of its truths, and accuse the faithful witness of'daubing with
untempered mortar, is certainly a most afflictive and atrocious
scandal.
Look
Back
I have a long cherished conviction, when I say, that next to the Bible, from
which all that relates to God and the soul must be drawn, there are nobooks I
would rather recommend for an experimental and devotional use than those written
by our Calvinistic fathers, such as, John Bunyan, Andrew Fuller and Charles
Haddon Spurgeon, Basil Manly, James P. Boyce and John L.
Dagg.
In looking back to the rock from which we
are hewn we cannot overlook some of our great Southern Baptist Convention
fathers and leaders who were committed, articulate
Calvinists.
One historian said of Basil Manly,
Sr., that he played the part of a concertmaster in orchestrating the events that
resulted in the call for a conservative convention of Baptists. Manly produced a
strongly worded six-point resolution which led to the separation of Northern
Baptists and Southern Baptists. This resolution was "passed standing and
unanimously". Basil Manly was a Calvinist of the first
order.
James P. Boyce was the principal founder
of our first seminary (now Southern Seminary). Long after Boyce's death, one of
his former students, Dr. David Ramsey, gave a Founders Day address on January
11, 1924, entitled James Petigru Boyce: God's gentleman. A few quotes from Dr.
Ramsey's address will tell the story that Boyce was a committed Calvinist and
that he loved the souls of men:
Dr. Ramsey said,
"My contention is that no other theology than that of an overwhelming and soul
consuming love for men will account for James P. Boyce and his career. This
passionate love was the motif that directed his thinking in those early
conferences and in the preparation of those papers which led to the
establishment of the seminary.
"This purpose to
help his fellowmen ran through all his plans, through his conversation, his
writings and his preaching and teaching as the scarlet thread that runs through
every foot of cable of the English Navy. "This zeal for souls called out the
finest of his being as the morning sun causes the dew laden flowers and plants
to bend toward the god of day. Dr. Boyce not only loved men, he loved God. Dr.
Ramsey said, concerning this point, "Let the thought embrace both the subjective
and objective love; man's love for God and God's love for man. Boyce's close
friend and fellow founder of the seminary, John A. Broadus, expressed his own
feelings about the theology of Boyce which we call Calvinism: "It was a great
privilege to be directed and upborne by such a teacher in studying that exalted
system of Pauline truth which is technically called Calvinism, which compels an
earnest student to profound thinking, and when pursued with a combination of
systematic thought and fervent experience, makes him at home among the most
inspiring and ennobling views of God and the universe He has
made.
Dr. Boyce's legacy to us and to our
posterity is the biblical theology expressed in the Abstract of Systematic
Theology, which is nothing other than his classroom teaching. It was pure
Calvinism.
William A. Mueller, author of A History of Southern BaptistTheological
Seminary, said, "As a theologian Dr. Boyce is not afraid to be found 'in
the old paths'. He is conservative, and eminently Scriptural. He treats with
great fairness those whose views upon various points discussed he declines to
accept, yet in his own teaching is decidedly Calvinistic, after the model of
'the old divines'. Difficulties as connected with such doctrines as the federal
headship of Adam, election and the atonement he aims to meet, not so as to
silence the controversialist, but so as to help the honest inquirer.
Rev. E.E. Folk, in the Baptist
Reflector commented on Boyce's abilities and fruits as a teacher of
theology: "You had to know your systematic theology, or you could not recite it
to Dr. Boyce. And though the young men were generally rank Arminians when they
came to the seminary, few went through this course under him without being
converted to his strong Calvinistic views." Boyce was a strong Calvinist.
W.B. Johnson First President of the SEC was a
Calvinist.
R.B.C. Howell Second President of the SEC
was a Calvinist.
Richard Fuller Third President of
the SEC was a Calvinist.
Patrick Hues Mell, who was
known as "The Prince of Parliamentarians" was Professor of Creek and Latin at
Mercer University, Georgia. One of the outstanding things about P.H. Mell is
that he was president of the SEC 17 times - twice as many times as any other
man. Mell was a polemic defender of Calvinism.
Mrs. D.B. Fitzgerald, a member of the Antioch Church in Oglethorpe, Georgia and
a resident in Mell's home for a number of years, recalls Mell's initial efforts
at the church:
"When first called to
take charge of the church Dr. Mell found it in a sad state of confusion. He said
a number of members were drifting off into Arminianism. He loved the truth too
well to blow hot and cold with the same breath. It was a Baptist church and it
must have doctrines peculiar to that denomination preached to it. And with that
boldness, clearness, and vigor of speech that marked him, he preached to them
the doctrines of predestination, election, free-grace, etc. He said it was
always his business to preach the truth as he found it in God's Word, and leave
the matter there, feeling that God would take care of the results." A
Southern Baptist Looks at the Doctrine of Predestination, pp
58,59.
I could go on and on giving names and biographical sketches of our Founding
Fathers who were committed Calvinists and strong on evangelism but I will just
name one more and give a powerful quote:
Dr.
John A Broadus, a great preacher and one of the founders of our mother seminary
said, "The people who sneer at what is called Calvinism might as well sneer at
Mont Blanc. W,,, not bound in the least to defend all of Calvin's opinions or
actions, but I do not see how any one who really understands the Greek of the
Apostle Paul or the Latin of Calvin or Turretincan fail to see that these latter
did but interpret and formulate substantially what the former teachers
taught"
No preacher or evangelist since the day
of the Apostle Paul ever laid so much stress on the absolute sovereignty of God
as did that great soul-winner, Jonathan Edwards. And it may come as a surprise
to the promoters of man-centered evangelism of our day, to discover that the
preaching of God's sovereignty was very fruitful. Under the ministry of Edwards,
revival swept through his church. Let me quote the great evangelist himself on
this point.
I think that I have found that no
discourses have been more remarkably blessed than those in which the doctrines
of God's absolute sovereignty, with regard to the salvation of sinners were
stressed.
The man who did more for biblical
evangelism internationally than anyone in our generation was the late Dr. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones saw himself
primarily as an evangelist. Those who knew him best also saw him in the same
way. Mrs. Lloyd-Jones was once present with a group of men who, in her husband's
absence were paying compliments to his abilities. As she listened to them she
evidently thought that they were missing the main thing and surprised them by
quietly remarking, "No one will ever understand my husband until they realize
that he is first of all a man of prayer and then, an
evangelist."
Dr. Lloyd-Jones' known opposition
to some of the most popular features of modern evangelism led those who were
uncomfortable under his strictures to allege that he was "a teacher, not an
evangelist." A critic once questioned his commitment to evangelism with the
question, "When did you last have a campaign at Westminster Chapel?" The answer
he received was not intended to be humorous, "I have one every Sunday. When
Martyn Lloyd-Jones was instructing students for the ministry he said,'I contest
very strongly and urge that there should always be one evangelistic service in
connection with each church every week." In his case it was the Sunday night
service which had this purpose, and he continued that practice from the
beginning of his ministry in 1927 until he concluded his pastoral oversight in
1968.
Where
is the hope for the success of evangelism?
Calvinism is the certainty of success in the work of evangelism. It is the
foundation and hope of missionary endeavor.
If
the hope of preachers and missionaries was in their own power and ability to
convert sinners, or, if our hope was in the power or ability of dead sinners to
give themselves life, all would despair. But when the worker's hope for results
is in the work of the Holy Spirit, who alone can quicken, we labour with hope
and expectation in what God will do, as He effectually callsHis sheep by His own
will and power through prayer and preaching.
I
hear some one say: 'After all these pages of explanation and somany new thoughts
I still do not understand what Calvinism is." Well, let me state what it is
not.
What Calvinism
is not.
Calvinism is not anti-missionary, but gives the biblical foundation formissions.
John 6:37; 17:20,21; II Tim. 2:10; Isa. 55:11; II Pet.
3:9,15.
Calvinism does not destroy the
responsibility of man. Men are responsible for whatever light they have, be it
conscience (Rom. 2:15), nature (Rom. 1:19,20), written law (Rom. 2:17-27), or
the gospel (Mark 16:15,16). Man's inability to do righteousness no more frees
from responsibility than does Satan's inability to do
righteousness.
Calvinism does not make God
unjust. His blessing of a great number of unworthy sinners with salvation is no
injustice to the rest of the unworthy sinners. If a governor pardons one
convict, is it injustice to the rest? I Thess.
5:9.
Calvinism does not discourage convicted
sinners, but welcomes them to Christ. "Let him that is athirst come" (Rev.
17:17). The God who convicts is the God who saves. The God who saves is the God
who has elected men unto salvation. He is the same God who
invites.
Calvinism does not discourage prayer.
To the contrary, it drives us to God, for He it is who alone can save. True
prayer is at the Spirit's prompting; and thus will be in harmony with God's
will. Rom. 8:26.
A
Word Of Caution
1. |
It is not
wise to make derogatory remarks about what is in theBible whether you
understand it or not. |
2. |
It is not
wise to reject what the Bible teaches on any subject, especially if you
have not studied what the Bible has to say
about |
3. |
It is not
wise to make a hobby out of any one doctrine. Although this doctrine is of
vital importance, it |
4. |
It is not
wise to reject any doctrine because it has been abused, misused and
confused. All the key doctrines have been perverted and
abused. |
5. |
It is not
wise to try to learn what a Calvinist is from those who are not
Calvinists. |
A Word Or
Warning
Calvin's warning against undue speculation in respect to the loftydoctrine of
Predestination can well be applied to all the doctrines of
Calvinism:
"Human curiosity renders the
discussion of predestination, already somewhat difficult of itself, very
confusing and even dangerous. No restraints can hold it back from wandering in
forbidden bypaths and thrusting upward to the heights. If allowed, it will leave
no secret to God that it will not search out and unravel. If this thought
prevails with us, that the Word of the Lord is the sole way that can lead us in
our search for all that it is lawful to hold concerning him, and is the sole
light to illumine our vision of all that we should see of him, it will readily
keep and restrain us from all rashness. For we shall know that the moment we
exceed the bounds of the Word our course is outside the pathway and in darkness,
and that there we must repeatedly wander, slip and stumble. Let this, therefore
first of all be before our eyes; to seek any other knowledge of predestination
than what the Word of God discloses is not less insane than if one should
purpose to walk in a pathless waste (cf. Job 12:24), or to see in darkness. And
let us not be ashamed to be ignorant of something in this matter, wherein there
is a certain learned ignorance" (Institutes, III. 21.
1-2).
Another has aptly noted: "We are not under
obligation to 'explain' these truths; we are only under obligation to state what
God has revealed in His word, and to vindicate these statements as far as
possible from misconception and objections. In the nature of the case all that
we can know concerning such profound truths is what the Spirit has seen fit to
reveal concerning them, being confident that whatever God has revealed is
undoubtedly true and is to be believed although we may not be able to sound its
depths with the line of our reason. In our ignorance of His inter-related
purposes, we are not fitted to be his counselors. 'Thy judgments are a great
deep,' said the psalmist. As well might man attempt to swim the ocean as to
fathom the judgments of God. Man knows far too little to justify him
in
attempting to explain the mysteries of God's
rule.
"The importance of the subject discussed
should lead us to proceed only with profoundest reverence and caution. While it
is true that mysteries are to be handled with care, and while unwarranted and
presumptuous speculations concerning divine things are to be avoided, yet if we
would declare the Gospel in its purity and fullness we must be careful not to
withhold from believers what is declared in the Scriptures concerning Calvinism.
That some of these truths will be perverted and abused by the ungodly is to be
expected. No matter how plainly it is taught in Scripture,the unenlightened mind
considers it as absurd, for instance, that one God should exist in three
persons, or that God should foreknow the entire course of world events, as that
his plan should include the destiny of every person. And while we can know only
as much about Calvinism as God has seen fit to reveal, it is important that we
shall know that much; otherwise, it would not have been revealed. Where
Scripture leads we may safely follow" (L. Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of
Predestination, pp. 54-55).
Calvinism
and EvangelismExpressed in a Hymn
I
sought the Lord, and afterward I knewHe moved my soul to seek him, seeking
me;
It was not I that found, O Saviour
true,
No, I was
found of thee.
Thou
didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed
sea,
'Twas not so
much that I on thee took hold,
As thou, dear Lord on
me.
I find, I walk,
I love, but, O the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord to
thee;
For thou wert
long before-hand with my soul,
Always thou lovedst
me.
The Apostle John put it this way: "We love him because he first lovedus" (John
4:19).
Joshiah Conder expressed Calvinistic
evangelism in a hymn:
'Tis not that I did choose
thee, For, Lord that could not be;This heart would still refuse thee, Hadst thou
not chosen me. Thou from the sin that stained me hast cleansed and set me free;
Of old thou hast ordained me, that I should live to thee. "Twas sov'reign mercy
called me and taught my op'ning mind; The world had else enthralled me, to
heav'nly glories blind. My heart owns none before thee, for thy rich grace I
thirst; This knowing, if I love thee, Thou must have loved me
first."
DID
YOU KNOW? Little-known
or remarkable facts about George Whitefield
(1714-1770) |
|
Whitefield
pushed himself so hard andpreached with such intensity that often
afterward he had "a vast discharge from the stomach, usually with a
considerable quantity of blood." |