REFUTING 5-POINT CALVINISM (TULIP) “My wrath is kindled against thee….for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right.” Job 42:7. continuation v) Man has ability in the state of depravity, as seen from: a) A sinner who has never heard the gospel has “ability” because of his conscience: “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law….their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.” Romans 2:14,15. This accusing and excusing proves that the fallen conscience still faces the choice between doing good or evil. b) Jesus stated a principle that appeals to man’s free will: “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John 7:17. Whenever the heart is right, God gives the ability to know God’s truth. c) Many Scriptures show that unsaved men do have the ability to do good. - “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children….” Proverbs 13:22. - “But glory, honour and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.” Romans 2:10. - “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.” 1 Peter 2:18. - “If ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.” Luke 6:33. - God stated that the wicked could do good: “God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.” Gen. 31:24. - Jesus said that good deeds may be done with a wicked heart: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children…” Matthew 7:11. A deed can be good no matter what the motive. Question: If unsaved men can do good, how do the above Scriptures fit with other Scriptures saying that no one does any good? (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:12). Answer: Total Depravity does not mean that there is no good in man, but that there is no good in man that can earn his salvation. Man sins because of his own desire, not because his will can only follow his nature. (Romans 6:16). “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” James 1:14. Several steps occur when any man sins: 1) Presentation, 2) Illumination as to whether it is right or wrong, 3) Debate, 4) Decision, 5) Action. Key: The unsaved man sins because he yields to his depraved nature and chooses to sin, not because he is unable to do good. When faced with such clear evidence of man’s free will, the Calvinist retreats and admits that man has free will, but not pertaining to his acceptance of salvation. If we dispute this Calvinist claim they accuse us of denying salvation by grace and endorsing works for salvation or of making man his own saviour. Question: If man cannot believe, then how can he be held responsible for what he cannot do? The Calvinist idea that man cannot accept Jesus Christ of his own free will, is based on 2 pillars: i) John 1:13 ‘were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ The 2 phrases “nor of the will of man” (John 1:13) and “it is not of him that willeth” (Romans 9:16), are applied by Calvinists to the will of man to receive Jesus Christ. ie: that man does not have a free will when it comes to salvation. Calvinists have taken the phrase “received him” out of John 1:12 and substituted it for “born” in v.13, giving: “which received him, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13 gives the source of the new birth, not the reason why men receive Christ. a) The source of the new birth is not of blood, not physical generation, inheritance or natural descent. b) The source of the new birth is not of the will of flesh, not reformation, self-development or self-effort. c) The source of the new birth is not of the will of man, not relatives, preachers or priests. d) The source of the new birth is “of God”, not of man. Question: Why does God give anyone the new birth? Answer: God gives the new birth to “as many as received him.” v.12. Conclusion: The new birth is God’s work, but receiving Christ is man’s responsibility. ii) ‘So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.’ (Romans 9:16). Calvinists apply the phrase “not of him that willeth” to claim that man does not have the will to receive Christ and salvation. The Bible shows that man has the ability to respond to the gospel while in a state of depravity: - “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” (Romans 6:17). The reason men don’t receive Christ is not because they have the inability, but because they will not: “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” John 5:40. By comparing a lost sinner to a dead man, a baby, and a creature, Calvinists attempt to prove that man has inability to repent and believe the gospel. a) Dead man: “You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1). All Calvinists compare Total Depravity to a physically dead man or to Lazarus (John 11:43,44), saying “A corpse does not cry out for help.” This may be true of physically dead men, but spiritually dead people are still biologically active and alive, able to walk, talk and fulfil desires. A spiritually dead man can lift up his eyes, see, speak, pray, hear, reason, and feel torment (Luke 16: 23-28). A true analogy showing how a sinner is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) is the prodigal son who “was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:24). b) Baby: “Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). Some Calvinists liken regeneration to the birth of a baby to prove Total Depravity. Physical birth brings into the world a personality which had no existence before conception, but one who is regenerated did have a complete living personality before he was born again. Question: Is a baby responsible for any of its actions before it is born? NO! Then neither would an unsaved man be responsible for any of his actions, if the analogy were true. c) Creature: Calvinists analogise that just as any creature cannot cause its own creation, neither can any individual make himself a new creature in Christ. This analogy is false because regeneration is not creating a person with no prior existence, but is the renewing and restoring of a person whom sin had unfitted for communion with God. All these 3 analogies break down because of responsibility: Question: Is an uncreated creature responsible for anything? No. Is an unregenerate sinner responsible for anything? Yes. To be continued
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 07:01:13 +0000
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