Calvinist’s fixation on a man-made TULIP acronym to confine the whole Bible to these five points is tantamount to the biblical phrase to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. In their high-minded arguments using highfalutin words and human reasoning to propound their unscriptural theology, some would label anyone who disagree with them as subscribing to the will of the flesh theology. Others would go as far as to accuse blood bought saints who do not come to their understanding of TULIP Calvinism as unregenerate. This is not only unfortunate but shameful.
Salvation is of the Lord and based on faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ not five-point Calvinism. When a sinner turned from idols to believe in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, must such a sinner immediately learn about TULIP theology otherwise there is no sure salvation? This is silly to say the least, very much like the Church of Christ salesman having to drag a full bathtub of water to dunk a sinner into water the moment this sinner confesses faith in Christ because without water baptism, there is no salvation according to their self-conceited understanding on the gospel of Christ.
Such proponents forget biblical revelation often needs no interpretation. Scriptures are simply statement of facts in time and history of men and are progressive from Adam to the new heaven and new earth in the book of Revelation. Dabbling with terms like chosen, election and predestination in the Bible to the exclusion of free will and responsibility placed on sinners from different ages with regards to God’s expectation of them is painting the Bible to follow a script based on fallen human understanding.
Coining extra-biblical terms like total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement and irresistible grace is not helpful to understanding scriptural revelation from the words of the living God. Hence, it is critical to take a look at those scriptures where Calvinists claim to support their philosophy and speculation. It is important to note scriptures must be allowed to stand as statement of fact and not interpretation based on fallen human logic.
Predestination
Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:30: Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
The term predestinate here refers to a category of people to conform to the image of God’s Son and not to be saved from hellfire. A sinner cannot be conform to the image of Christ unless he is saved. Interestingly, God foreknowing who are those He would predestinate to conform to the image of His Son is not often mentioned by Calvinists.
Ephesians 1:5: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Those predestinated here concerns adoption and not salvation. It is done according to the good pleasure of God’s will. No sinner can include himself into this will to be adopted as children. Predestination is not salvation. Predestination concerns the saved individual for a particular purpose in the plan of God.
Ephesians 1:11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Those who are predestinated besides adoption as children also includes an inheritance and again, this is done according to the counsel of God’s own will. No sinner can be involved in the plans God has designed for saved sinners responding according to what God expects from him with regards to the gospel of Christ.
Predestination is not used to decide who is going to be saved and who is lost. Predestination concerns the saved sinner to be adopted, to conform to the image of Christ and to obtain an inheritance. Continue reading Is Calvinism Scriptural?