Calvinism... Is it Biblical?
"Is that grace available to everyone? God's help to be saved?"
Seventeen years ago, a woman asked that question before a panel of three well-known Bible teachers: John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and Ligon Duncan. All three men addressed her query, however, it was R.C. Sproul who said the following:
"You mean regenerative grace? No."
(Please know that "regenerative grace" is a man-made phrase that doesn't appear in the Bible and, in fact, contradicts what we do see in Scripture.) This takes us to the subject of Calvinism, and author Collin Hansen provides us with a helpful definition of the term:
"Calvinism is a denomination of Protestantism that adheres to the theological traditions and teachings of John Calvin and other preachers of the Reformation era."
So, what exactly did John Calvin teach and what does it have to do with R.C. Sproul's response to that woman? Well, in his famous book Institutes of Christian Religion, John Calvin wrote the following:
"All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death."
Essentially, he taught that God has created certain people for eternal life and others for eternal damnation. If such an idea is scriptural, then Mr. Sproul's answer to that woman's question was spot on. Wayne Jackson, a long-time editor of The Christian Courier, noted the critical link between Calvin's theology and Mr. Sproul's answer:
"Calvin argued that God’s grace is poured out upon the elect by a secret and special operation of the Holy Spirit."
According to Calvinistic theology, it makes sense that only the elect receive this special regenerative grace from God. After all, they are the ones who've been preordained for salvation. If Calvinism is not biblical, however, then that lady was terribly misled (by a leading Bible teacher, no less).
Regardless of where your lot falls in this debate, I'm asking you to prayerfully and kindly consider my arguments in light of plain Scripture. Now, are there any passages from the Bible that speak of God's mercy extending toward all people? Consider the following verses from Psalm 145 (a beautiful Psalm about God as the Creator and Sustainer):
"The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works... The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Psalm 145:8-9, 15-18; emphasis added).
Clearly, the scope here encompasses all of creation. God satisfies the desire of everything that lives, and no one can operate independently from God's sustaining power (Job 12:10, Acts 17:28). Moreover, Psalm 145:9 says that "... his tender mercies are over all his works." Human beings certainly qualify as God's works (Psalm 139:14, Ephesians 2:10)! But let's look at another example in Scripture:
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:8-11; emphasis added).
Most likely you're familiar with the Christmas narrative of Jesus' birth in humble Bethlehem. Well, note carefully what you read in the bold text above. If God's mercy is reserved for the elect and the elect only, how could the birth of Jesus possibly be good news for everyone else? After all, Calvinists who believe in a limited atonement would say that Jesus' blood wasn't shed for the non-elect. But according to Scripture, Jesus coming in the flesh is cause for rejoicing for everyone, because He came to die for everyone!
Let's also consider Romans 5:17-19:
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
Sin and death came into the world when Adam sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There was no death or suffering in this world prior to Adam's sin. But we can't stop reading there: "… even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life" (Romans 5:18).
How many men did the free gift come upon? All men! Just as Adam's sin affected the entire human race, the sacrifice of Christ was made on behalf of the entire human race. As you've probably noticed, the language used in these passages (e.g., Psalm 145, Luke 2, and Romans 5) is so plain that you have to do some serious theological gymnastics to try and make them say something else.
In closing, I believe we have extremely solid biblical grounds to proclaim that yes, God's mercy is available to all. Will everyone receive His invitation to be saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God? Sadly, no. But that doesn't negate God's desire that all would be saved, nor His amazing provision of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Consider the Ark that God commissioned Noah to build: Only eight people boarded it and thus were saved from the waters of judgment. There was room in the ship, however, for many more people. Was all that space wasted since no other human beings received God's invitation to be spared from the Flood? No, I don't think we'd say that. Consequently, may our thinking be built upon the strong rock that is Scripture instead of the sand that is man's wisdom and rhetoric!
Thanks for reading,
Angel
