I am a missionary in Mexico. I know of Calvinist Reformed Baptist missionaries. There is a great breach between going to the mission field to give the gospel, and to promote Calvinism. One of these guys wanted fellowship with us, and to meet our people. Our members who were rich or gifted speakers, they tried to bribe them to change over to their church, because only Calvinists preach the true gospel. That was no stumbling block for them to come and spy us out. Although there are outliers among the Calvinists, the majority are very “light” on evangelism. They see “evangelism” (to them) as converting already saved Christians to Calvinism. Indeed, which is most important for you when you meet a new person in a waiting room or something, get the gospel to them or convert them to Calvinism? Can you say all of your Calvinist friends would first and foremost want to discuss the Gospel or Calvinism?

I deal with a lot of different people in different religious groups. The JWs want to stress the end of the world and studying with them will save you from those threats. Jesus never used that approach on any unsaved. The Catholics stress a focus on the Virgin Mary and following the Pope. The Mormons Joseph Smith. But what truly reveals a saved Christian is his/her desire to see the other person saved. Calvinism puts the damper on things, “if they are elected”. Are you elect? How do you know you are elect? Show me one very where Jesus taught unsaved people to seek their election so they can go to heaven. You won’t find any. The point is, you just present the gospel, and the election doctrine is for saved folk. God has been guiding them all along. They were never saved by accident. But where the NT evangelists gave a presentation to unsaved people, they never mention the doctrine of election. It is a doctrine for after you are saved. They always present the gospel. If people believe the gospel as given, they will be saved. That is “in the field” all their doing. But in reality, God is working greatly behind the scenes doing all. Keep the doctrine of election out of your gospel presentation. Although it is mentioned in the Bible, it is not the focus. Faith in Jesus as Savior is the focus. Where is the doctrine of election in that?

Now I would like you to do me a favor. Study the cults. The Disciples of Christ, the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc. They all are believers in a Reformist theory. The NT disciples had the truth, and the church of Jesus Christ lost it. Then hundreds of years later, they and they alone picked it up, and they are the only true representatives of God on earth. Only they give the truth. Their world view and their perspective is the true NT doctrine.

This is exactly the Calvinist position. They are the revivers, the Reformists, that have finally returned people to NT Christianity. But although the mention of election is in the Bible, it is a minor doctrine and is not persuasive in the entire Bible, coming up constantly over and over again as against the doctrine of the gospel is. SO tell me this, why or how does John Calvin know and teach and emphasize more election than Jesus did? Why is that? Should me where Jesus or any of the NT writers presented a nice five pillars of Calvinism in a single place or emphasizing them over and over in their sermons? I don’t see it. Show me.

Moreover, Calvinism uses the typical cultist bait and switch. Man is sinful. Yes. Definitely. But then you twist that into meaning man is unable to please God in any way, in anything he does in his life or the whole of his life. So I see one thing is how you get into heaven (by believing in Jesus’ work on the cross and resurrection), and a totally different thing how we live our lives. Noah was “chosen” because he lived a godly life. Enoch was taken because his life pleased God. David was special to God because of his overall commitment to God, even though he did sin. Peter, I believed pleased God even though he had his problems. So the doctrine of total depravity is alien to what I understand of the Bible. You can please God with your life. In fact, every Calvinist pastor has to have a good testimony that pleases God or he should be removed. Do you let Calvinist pastors enter your church to take over that are abusers of children, visit harlots, drunks, or otherwise filthy spiritually speaking? Why are there requirements for pastors in your churches? Because you understand that there is a way, though very hard and difficult, to please God with your life. So don’t force total depravity down my throat. Why would I accept it when I understand that you are going off on an extreme that is not biblical. Nobody can do merit and exchange that for salvation. That is different, totally different than total depravity.

My experience with Calvinists is that they are extremely proud that they are the elect. God chose them out of the mass of depravity out there. Great. But then having concluded that they turn around and don’t live for Christ. Their entrance in heaven is a given for them, so any sins that they do are under the blood, and really repentance and turning away from sin is only an option if you want to do it. Some don’t and remain good Calvinists. I am not Methodist or anything like them. But they do have a tendency to denounce strongly sin, and also to seek holiness. Why didn’t the Calvinists form and are the leaders in being holy? Why don’t they put a lot of energy and effort into exhorting people to be holy instead of teaching them the doctrines of the TULIP? The perseverance of the believer is not Baptist. Eternal security is Baptist. I am a Baptist. Calvinists have twisted (bait and switch again) perseverance from eternal security to “I can sin all I want to and God cannot unelect me”. That is the feeling I get when I hear Calvinists. Every pastor has problems with sin as does every Baptist and Methodist pastor and every Christian. But it seems to me to be a lot more valuable to focus on the hot topic of “be holy for God, your Savior” that cold position you stated, “chosen and frozen.” You know this is what typifies Calvinists.

Thank you for writing and exchanging thoughts. I have read a lot of Calvinist works, and I have sat under a lot of Calvinist sermons, Calvinist Pastors, and Calvinist seminary professors. I weigh things, and I find Calvinism is wanting. I am not Arminian nor Calvinist. I think that this is a work of Satan to present only two positions which both are extreme and wrong. I hit on the Holiness and Pentecostal problems just as hard as I do on Calvinism.

Due to the fact that the classic 5 point Calvinist position leads to the conclusion that God purposely creates people knowing they will have no choice in avoiding hell (only give/direct His ‘irresistible grace’ to very few), I reject this position since the teachings in the scripture regarding His mercy would contradict this conclusion (Deut. 4:31; Jer. 3:12). It is true that all who pass the age of accountability deserve to go to hell, for all are born in sin and all freely choose to sin and thereby ratify their position as Adam’s rebellious descendants. However, if those who pass the age of accountability are not given the ability to respond to God’s mercy in order to be saved, then the unavoidable conclusion is that God continues to create the vast majority of people knowing they will have no choice but to be condemned to hell, since He will not direct His “irresistible grace” on them (a concept not taught in scripture). This conclusion leads to impugning the three most important characteristics (from man’s perspective at least) of God’s character – His love, mercy and forgiveness. In addition, scripture contradicts this position (2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:3-4). The Calvinistic notion that Adam’s sin is to blame for our inability to be able to respond to God’s mercy is inconsistent with scripture (Ezekiel 18 et al). Adam’s sin affects all who are born after him and gives them a predisposition of pride and unbelief which deserves God’s just condemnation, but God’s abundant compassion makes a Way for all who will choose to respond to it.

The problem is that Calvinism redefines and changes Scripture’s teaching. I refute the 5 points of Calvinism in other articles, and this one did not have that purpose. I would like for you to comment and defend your statement, about Hypercalvinism. Tell me where is the line between Hypercalvinism and calvinism. I cannot see any difference. I deal with Roman Catholics and Jehovah’s Witnesses all the time, and when a Roman Catholic tells me that they don’t believe the pope is the victor of Christ, or that they don’t worship images, but they still go to the Catholic church, I don’t create a hyperCatholic and a Catholic, and say they are just Catholics, not HyperCatholics. When they go to Mass every Sunday, they are Catholics. It does not matter if they personally refute one or two of the basic Catholic beliefs or practices. Most Catholics have something in their religion that they don’t like and don’t follow. They are still Catholics.

So if you are going to tell me that you can be a Calvinist (good in your sight) and not go to the extremes of hypercalvinism (which is a concept Calvinists dreamt up to hook some that still have problems with obvious Calvinist pillars of doctrine) then I cannot see where you are in any good position. The bottom line is that Calvinism is a false religion. What is your view on election? That it decides whether we are saved or not? This is a false concept according to the Bible. The Bible ALWAYS presents the key to being saved or not is YOUR faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and it doesn’t present that what decides if we are saved or not is election. God offers salvation to us on the basis of his plan. Election is a term that refers to the saved, and it means just as much that we are special, as how we were saved. The point is that nowhere in the Bible is our salvation decided without our participation. God chose for purposes and uses, and this is always true of election (or choosing), but this purposes and uses are not always talking about our eternal destiny, but how we fit into the plan of God here on earth.

The bottom line is if it smells like a fish, and looks like a fish, and tastes like a fish, it is a fish. That is a good guide in life. People who see the saved as getting that way only because God had a divine lottery, and their ticket won, these people are Calvinist. My Bible says that whosoever believes will be saved. The promise of God has no reference to election or this divine lottery, so it is a heresy invented by Calvinists to discourage Christians from witnessing, winning the lost, and praying, and to discourage the unsaved that they have no possibility of being saved. These are lies from hell, and they are given life here in people through Calvinism.