Why I am not a Calvinist and other observations made this week. Why is a doctrine put forth as a foundational truth, defined by a words found nowhere in scripture, introducing a point not specifically mentioned by God or man in any text, and said to have originated in an event that does not contain a single reference to it’s topic, even on our radar as believers? Why do we have so many issues we are willing to struggle over that, apparently, are not very important to God? As I stated earlier this week, we are constantly asking questions and seeking answers on all the wrong things. I have been working on my blog post of Why I Am Not a Calvinist. Frankly, its too long and boring if you are not really interested in the topic and I doubt many will take the time to read it. But as I wrote it and continue to edit it I have also been writing post for this Facebook page. The responses remind me of this doctrine. One of my main issues I have with Calvinism is the many claims that it makes seem irrelevant to actual scripture. It makes claims using terms and conclusions that not one single verse or person in the entire bible thought was important enough to mention. When I was first investigating Calvinism it was because I became friends with a teacher at a Presbyterian church here in Memphis. He was a great and loving brother. I had always wondered about this whole predestined thing. He taught classes on the five points of Calvinism at his church. I asked him to spend some time and teach me. We studied together off and on for five months. The very first point in Calvinism is Total Depravity. He went into great detail on this topic. For me, this tenet came to define a problem not just with Calvinism, but also with almost every theological position put forth by people that tout systematic theology. Total Depravity is a term not found in the bible. It is said to take place at the fall after creation but the creation story in the bible never mentions it. Jesus never mentions it, Paul never mentions it and in all the OT no one ever mentions it. But I am told it is a foundational truth. Very simply put, Total Depravity is a point of Calvinism that states that man lost his free will to even choose God or repentance or faith when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. It states that man is so depraved that it takes a special miracle to believe in God or repent. It is the cornerstone of a Calvinism system that purports that God has either chosen you before the foundation of the earth to be saved or He has chosen you to burn in hell. There is nothing neither you nor anyone else can do about it. Being a simple guy my first impression from this teaching, which I have abbreviated terribly here, is that I agree with the term depraved. If, by that, you mean we are truly sinners. Bad sinners. If by that you mean we really need a savior and mercy from our heavenly Father to be saved. If you mean that we need Jesus to come and die for us to be redeemed and could not save ourselves, then I am good with that. I also believe that salvation is a miracle. I was miraculously saved. But to say that man lost his free will in the garden and is incapable of repenting is quite another thing all together. So, I go to the book of Genesis and began to look and study and read over the events recorded in the bible about this event. Nothing. No mention of free will, no mention of a curse in the garden being the loss of free will, nothing. Curses are mentioned but this total depravity thing is not one of them. The very foundational act, according to Calvinism, of man losing his free will is supposed to happen here at this time and the bible knows nothing of it. In fact, when the curse or warnings to Adam were given before he sinned, this was not even mentioned as being a curse. Then when the actual punishment is explained and doled out by God to Adam, Eve and the Snake, again, it is not mentioned. Indeed, not one author in all the NT or OT seems to know anything of man losing his free will nor does the issue even arise. Right after the garden incident occurs we see Cain and Able. According to Calvin’s doctrine, the first two guys to be born without free will. They are now at a key point in their lives and biblical history. I’m not going to post the conversation from God with Cain but you need to read it. God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door and that he must choose what to do. No mention of the loss of free will, no mention of Cain being unable to be good or destined to sin. In fact there is every indication that the ball is clearly in Cain’s court. The verse seems to clearly state the exact opposite of Calvinism’s claim of total depravity. God deals with Cain in a way that can only be described as talking to a person defined as a free agent. To say otherwise is to bring in a point of view not observed in the conversation at all. Here is my point. I made a post this week that mentioned fog and smoke in a worship service and dozens connect with me publicly and privately concerned I am criticizing great methods to gather sinners to church. I point out that the Great Commission is not obeyed by attracting the lost, but rather by GOING to the lost. Here we are trying to solve a dilemma we are not meant to address; attracting instead of going. Later I am challenged about church buildings. People defend them. I understand in America we are heavily invested in them. But they are another thing that is not even supposed to be in the equation. We are, again, to go to the lost not attract them to a physical location. There are no church building in the NT. So while you can certainly have one, there is no verse outlawing them, they cannot be allowed to change your emphasis. Going not attracting. By their very nature they can be a hindrance. Do what you want with them but Go. Forget the attract model, it is not the Kingdom model. Later someone took issue with my comments about making disciples. Really? I am challenged about a direct quote from Jesus? Not unusual. We are so off base on so many things we don’t even know the right questions to ask, much less the right answers to questions. Why are we so ready, willing and able to promote and defend and fight over things that God’s Word does not even mention specifically and then neglect all that is clearly mentioned as important. Again I ask, why is a doctrine put forth as a foundational truth, defined by a words found nowhere in scripture, introducing a point not specifically mentioned by God or man in any text, and said to have originated in an event that does not contain a single reference to this topic, even on our radar as believers? Here is my point this week. Why are we always making important what God does not make important? And why do we relegate the very commands of our Lord to the category of non-essential or irrelevant verses while we dwell on trying to accomplish a mission we were never given. Attracting people to a place we were never told to build?
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 17:00:43 +0000
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