John Calvin’s theory or doctrine of predestination is one of the corner
stones of many denominations. His fourth point in this doctrine is
“Irresistible Grace.” This point teaches that since there are those
whom
God has “elected” to be saved and Christ has died for them, but they
are
(since they are totally depraved ‘point one’) unable to respond to
God,
it is therefore necessary for God through some divine intervention
must
“call” these people. In other words it takes a direct action or operation
of the Holy Spirit for these “called” people to know that they are
“called.”
Calvin turned to John 6:44-45 to back up this claim, “No man can come
to
me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise
him
up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be
all
taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned
of
the Father, cometh unto me.” Now on the surface this passage seems
to
teach what Calvin claimed, but as we look at all of God’s word and
not
just one passage it becomes clear that God draw people to Jesus Christ
through His word such as Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the
gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The apostle Paul
by
inspiration of God understood that it was the gospel of Jesus Christ
that
contained the power to bring people to a point that they could become
obedient to the will of God and thus be saved through faithful obedience.
Paul makes it very plain that it is the gospel or the preaching of
the
gospel of Christ that God calls people to His Son Jesus in 2
Thessalonians 2:14, “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Calvin also in this doctrine of Irresistible grace claim that the Holy
Spirit had to impart faith into those who were called by using Acts
16:14-15, “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of
the
city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord
opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
And
when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying,
If ye
have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and
abide
there. And she constrained us.” Calvin’s teaching claims that the Holy
Spirit opened Lydia’s heart, that she was one of the “called” and this
was the direction action or operation of the Holy Spirit on her. Yet
if
you will just look again that the verse, this lady was a worshipper
of
God and she “heard us.” What did she hear? The preaching of the gospel
of
Jesus Christ which contains the power of God unto salvation (Romans
1:16). Lydia’s heart was opened because she listened to the gospel,
not
because the Holy Spirit worked in some way in her life to impart faith
separate and apart from the word of God!
Calvinism claims that you need a direct working of the Holy Spirit in
your life to be saved and yet God’s word claims that faith along with
salvation comes from the word of God (Romans 10:17; Acts 15:7; 17:11;
Luke 8:12; John 20:30-31). Who will you believe John Calvin or God?
© Copyright 2003 Paul D. Fisher. All rights reserved.