O.K., You’ve Taken the Test.
Are these your final answers?
Evaluating your Test
If you answered “True” to all or most of these statements, you are in abundant company today, but you are not in agreement with the evangelical church for most of its history. Based on their careful study of the entire body of Scripture, here is how most of the greatest Christian writers until the beginning of the last century would have answered the statements:
Question 1: Man, though he is born in sin, is never so completely corrupted by sin that he cannot believe the gospel unto salvation when it is put before him.
Answer: FALSE. The biblical doctrine of total depravity teaches not only that man is so depraved that he cannot save himself, but that his depravity extends to every aspect of his being (including his intellect and his will), so that he cannot even believe the gospel unless God enlightens him and draws him to Christ.
Question 2: The free gift of the gospel and all its benefits is conditioned upon man’s decision to accept it.
Answer: FALSE. The doctrine of unconditional election teaches that our salvation is determined by God before the foundation of the world (though all of the elect will indeed receive the gospel and believe), and not by our human decision. I.e., our decision to accept the gospel is a result of our salvation, and not its cause or condition.
Question 3: Regeneration, or the New Birth, is the result of our placing our faith in Christ.
Answer: FALSE. Once again, the historic Christian teaching is that the New Birth is the cause, not the result or effect, of our faith – i.e., we are regenerated, and thereby we are given the gift of faith.
Question 4: God's "election" (or "predestination") of those who would be saved simply means that He "foreknows" -- or knows before it happens -- that they will of their own accord believe the gospel.
Answer: FALSE. The Scriptures teach not merely that God knows who will believe and be saved, but that He determines the elect to salvation, according to His divine decree in eternity past. Thus, foreknowledge and predestination are true of God in the work of salvation, but they are two very different biblical concepts.
Question 5: Christ's sacrifice did not insure (make certain) the salvation of everyone for whom He died.
Answer: FALSE. The doctrine of particular redemption, or limited atonement, which was held by most of the great figures of Christian history, teaches that Christ’s atoning death for His elect insures that all the elect (thus, all for whom He died) will be saved. According to this view which has significant scriptural support, the atonement is limited only in its scope (by God’s determinate will), but not in its power.
Question 6: A Christian's "sanctification" (turning from sin) is determined by his or her surrender to the Holy Spirit, thus leading to a holy Christian walk.
Answer: FALSE. A true answer to this question is to accept the “holiness” view of sanctification, which gained popularity in the 19th century but was contradicted by most of the great doctrinal statements of church history. The historic view, often called irresistible grace(or effectual calling), is essentially that one’s salvation and one’s sanctification are two sides of the same coin; that sanctification is not the result of whether chooses to surrender; rather, it is God working in every true Christian “both to will and to do, for His good pleasure.”
Question 7: Because of the biblical doctrine of "eternal security," the backsliding Christian, though he may have departed from an obedient Christian walk, may still be assured of his salvation.
Answer: FALSE. The traditional, historic Christian belief was a deeper doctrine called perseverance of the saints, which taught that all true Christians will continue in the faith and ultimately be saved from judgment. Though a Christian may backslide, we do not know to what degree, and should never rest in fallen biblical characters like Solomon as a measure of how far we may fall and still be saved. In fact, backsliding in Scripture is a sober warning. The word "backslide" does not appear in the New Testament at all, whereas New Testament assurance of salvation always assumes a steadfast continuance in the Christian walk (1 John 2:3-6, 3:18-19).
Question 8: God does not determine to make anyone in particular believe the gospel.
Answer: FALSE. The traditional Christian doctrine of irresistible (or efficacious) grace teaches that God’s electing grace is always effectual in bringing one to a saving belief in Christ, for “we love Him because He first loved us.”
Question 9: Man is never so completely controlled by God that he cannot reject the gospel.
Answer: FALSE. The historic view is that man tends to give the power of his own choices too much credit. Because God decreed it, the Egyptians, who had just lost all their firstborn children because of the Jews and their God, willingly gave to the Israelites their wealth (Exodus 12:36)! The unsaved person rejects the Gospel by nature, so whether or not the lost can or do reject the Gospel is subservient to the biblical fact that not one of God’s elect will reject it.
Question 10: Christ's work on the Cross does not guarantee salvation for anyone, but merely the possibility of salvation if they believe.
Answer: FALSE. Once again, the old doctrine of particular redemption teaches that Christ’s work on the Cross was specifically for the elect, not for all, and that it does indeed guarantee the salvation of every elect individual.
Your Answers in Historical Context
We understand the current theological trends that would lead many evangelical Christians in our day to answer “yes” to these questions, and to defend them with selected verses or passages Scripture, regardless of what any preacher or writer of the past has believed. Of course, the foundation of our faith is the Bible, not human beings! But we also believe our doctrines must consider of all Scriptural passages on a given topic, and not merely those that support our position. A meticulous consideration of the entire body of Scripture is called “systematic theology,” and it was what the church has used for centuries to challenge and condemn error that leads to apostasy. Regrettably, Most of today’s church has little or no “systematic theology,” and modern congregations have unknowingly absorbed the doctrinal carelessness of their spiritual leaders, despite their sincere belief that their opinions come from the Bible!
Though the “False” answers we have briefly given above may surprise and even offend many Christians today, consider that the Reformed positions not only find clear support in the Bible, but were for the most part held by the greatest Christian writers and preachers of all time. C.H. Spurgeon pointed this out in response to those who, in his 19th century, claimed that their freewill beliefs were those of the historic Christian faith:
"It is no novelty, then, that I am preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines, that are called by nickname Calvinism; but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus. By this truth I make a pilgrimage into the past, and as I go, I see father after father, confessor after confessor, martyr after martyr, standing up to shake hands with me. Were I a Pelagian, or a believer in the doctrine of free-will. I should have to walk for centuries all alone. Here and there a heretic, of no very honorable character, might rise up and call me brother. But taking these things to be the standard of my faith, I see the land of the ancients peopled with my brethren, I behold multitudes who confess the same as I do, and acknowledge that this is the religion of God's own church". (Sermon on Election from the text 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14)
Spurgeon's "pilgrimage into the past" brings forth a great cloud of witnesses to the truths of sovereign grace. They were ably defended by Augustine against the teachings of Pelagius in the 4th century, and later set forth in the Synod of Dort’s response to the unorthodox teachings of Arminius in the 17th century. They were held by John Wycliffe & John Hus in the 15th century, and virtually all of the Reformers of the 16th century including William Tyndale, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox; by John Bunyan and nearly every great English preacher of the 17th century; by Matthew Henry, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John Newton, and nearly every notable preacher of the 18th century; by the first great pioneers of modern missions such as David Brainerd, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, John G. Paton and Andrew Fuller; by most of the great preachers of America's founding period such as William Bradford, Roger Williams, Cotton Mather, and Thomas Hooker; by virtually all of the preachers of the great Scottish revivals, along with C.H. Spurgeon, George Mueller; and by most of the greatest Baptist preachers and Bible scholars through at least the middle of the 19th century; and by many others in modern times including John MacArthur, D. James Kennedy, Al Mohler, J.I. Packer, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul. They have been held by significant numbers of Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Congregationalists, Anglicans, and Baptists, and even Roman Catholics. Furthermore, the answers we have suggested would have been upheld by nearly every widely received doctrinal statement the Christian church has produced since its beginning.
Why is this Important to Me?
“Calvinism is the Gospel, and nothing else,” C.H. Spurgeon once remarked. We believe that the theology usually referred to as “Reformed” or “Calvinism” is that which best fits the entire body of Scripture. Thus, whatever one thinks of the man John Calvin, we generally agree with Spurgeon’s statement in his autobiography, a belief he held throughout his entire ministry, that “Calvin’s fame is eternal because of the truth he proclaimed; and even in heaven, although we shall lose the name of the system of doctrine which he taught, it shall be that truth which shall make us strike our golden harps, and sing. . . . For the essence of Calvinism is that we are born again, ‘not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’”
Why, then, is an understanding of the sovereignty of God so important? It is because God’s sovereignty cannot be separated from the very nature of salvation itself. If salvation is completely of God (the theological term for this is monergism), as we believe it is, then for man to attribute to himself any part of the transaction (which would be called synergism) would be an insult to God and His grace, for God will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8) To put this in practical terms, we are on dangerous ground if we:
...think that God has promised to save anyone who asks Him, when Scripture tells us that many have asked and not been accepted (Gen. 4:4-7; Psalm 18:41 Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 11:11; Ezek. 8:18; Proverbs 1:28; Mt. Mark 10:17-22; Hebrews 12:17)
...think we are saved because we have exercised faith in Christ, when the Bible says that even our faith is a gift of God (John 6:65; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians ).
...think that our salvation was initiated by anything which we have done, even our coming to believe in Christ, the Bible, or our own sinfulness; praying a prayer of confession; asking Jesus into our heart; going forward in a church service, etc., when Scripture teaches that the New Birth is an act of God from start to finish (John 1:12-13; John 3:3-8; James 2:17-18)
...think that we have repented unto salvation, when Scripture plainly teaches that it is God who grants repentance (Acts 3:26; Acts 5:31; Acts 11:18; Acts 16:14; 2 Timothy 2:25).
...attribute an obedient Christian walk to our own efforts, when we are told it is God working in us both to will and to do (Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13)
...rely on feelings to believe we are saved, when the Scripture teaches our hearts may so easily deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9; Hebrews 3:12)
It is for such dangerous misconceptions as these in the heart of man that the great evangelist George Whitefield felt such a sense of urgency and put his reputation on the line when he wrote a passionate letter to his longtime friend and fellow minister John Wesley in 1740 to challenge him on what he considered to be fatal errors in his theology, the same Arminian errors that had been repeatedly repudiated as heresy in centuries past. “If I am faithful to God, and to my own and others' souls,” Whitefield wrote, “I must not stand neutral any longer. I am very apprehensive that our common adversaries will rejoice to see us differing among ourselves. But what can I say? The children of God are in danger of falling into error. ... This letter, no doubt, will lose me many friends: and for this cause perhaps God has laid this difficult task upon me, even to see whether I am willing to forsake all for him, or not.”
While it is Scripture, not men, that determines what we believe, we hold that it is dangerous to ignore the weight of nearly twenty centuries of careful and spiritual biblical interpretation by God’s choicest servants, whose views received broad acceptance among the believers to whom they ministered. “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremian 6:16).
The So-Called “Five Points”
We are fully aware of people’s misconceptions about the following teachings, which we refer to as the “Doctrines of Grace,” especially the oft-repeated charge that those who preach them are divisive and love creating controversy for its own sake. Whatever negative labels are attached to us, we do not wear them as martyrs or as a source of intellectual or spiritual pride, nor do we use them to build a wall around ourselves. To us, these are beloved Bible truths, and therefore we strongly identify with the following statement made by J.I. Packer, which explains why we and many others hold to these truths so passionately:
Without realizing it, we have during the past century bartered that gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing. Hence our troubles; for the substitute product does not answer the ends for which the authentic gospel has in past days proved itself so mighty. Why? We would suggest that the reason lies in its own character and content. It fails to make men God-centered in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this is not primarily what it is trying to do. One way of stating the difference between it and the old gospel is to say that it is too exclusively concerned to be 'helpful' to man - to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction - and too little concerned to glorify God. The old gospel was 'helpful', too - more so, indeed, than is the new - but (so to speak) incidentally, for its first concern was always to give glory to God. It was always and essentially a proclamation of divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace. Its center of reference was unambiguously God. But in the new gospel the center of reference is man. This is just to say that the old gospel was religious in a way that the new gospel is not. Whereas the chief aim of the old was to teach people to worship God, the concern of the new seems limited to making them feel better. The subject of the old gospel was God and his ways with men; the subject of the new is man and the help God gives him. There is a world of difference. The whole perspective and emphasis of gospel preaching has changed.
To those who would be tempted to dismiss this very topic on the basis that "these things have been argued before and never resolved," We remind our readers of Gamaliel's advice in John 5:38-39 to the Pharisees who opposed Jesus and His disciples: "Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." Though the doctrines we preach have indeed been attacked and maligned for centuries, no false teachings have survived the prolonged scrutiny of the people of God as have the Doctrines of Sovereign Grace! Doctrines such as dualism, gnosticism, montanism, and arianism, that once plagued the Bible-believing churches of God, have been repeatedly rejected, and are now relagated to the cults or have disappeared completely. But from Christ, to the Apostles, to Augustine, to Wycliffe and Huss, to the Reformation, to the Great Awakenings, and into our century, the theology of Sovereign Grace has survived and is once again gaining in approval and acceptance among the saints!
With that said, we humbly encourage you to carefully examine the Scriptures given after each Reformed teaching listed below. Do not merely ignore them or try to nullify them with a verse that appears to teach the opposite (for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable). Pray and ask God to enlighten you as you meditate upon them. Do not take the easy way out: Resist the temptation to dismiss these claims simply because you have heard others speak negatively of “Calvinism,” “Calvinists,” the “Five Points of Calvinism,” or “T.U.L.I.P.”. Study them as if your soul depends on it, and indeed it may, for to exalt man, minimize God, and devalue His great salvation has been the undoing of many. Though we cannot give an exhaustive defense here of the answers we have given to the questions above, we believe that if these difficult passages are sincerely meditated upon, prayed over, and believed, they will challenge your prejudices and give you a deeper understanding of God, of yourself, of the gospel, and of the world.
I. Total Depravity teaches that man’s nature is so depraved that he cannot even believe on Christ unless God draws him. The Scriptures indicate that man in his sins is, among other things, dead (Ephesians 2:1-5), blind (Ephesians 4:18); powerless (Rom. 5:6); stoney-hearted (Ezek. 36:26); an enemy of God (Rom. 8:7); all of which imply a complete inability (John 6:44) to do anything to remedy his condition.
Key Scripture passages:
Jer. 13:23: Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
1 Cor. 2:14: The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are spiritually discerned.
Rom 3:10-12: As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one; There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God...
Eph 2:1-3: And you did He make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins..
Other references: Gen 2:17; Job 14:4; John 3:19; John 6:53; Rom. 3:10-12; Rom 5:12; 2 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor 1:9; Eph. 2:12
II. Unconditional Election teaches that those who will be saved are chosen before the foundation of the world, based not on whether one chooses to believe but on God’s eternal decree. The Scriptures teach that God chose His elect completely apart from any merit of our own, even that of believing, which in itself can become a work and a point of boasting. In a key passage on this subject of unconditional election, Romans chapter 9, the Apostle Paul, knowing that this doctrine would be offensive to his readers, does not soften its meaning, but asserts God’s right to do as he pleases: "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" (Romans 9:20-21)
Key Scripture passages:
Psalm 65:4: Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.
John 5:21: For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom He will.
John 13:18: I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen.
John 15:16: Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit.
Acts 13:48: And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Acts 16:14: 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.
Acts 18:27: And when he [Paul] wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.
Rom 8:29-30: For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren; and whom He foreordained, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
Rom 9:11-12: The children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth, it was said to her, The elder shall serve the younger. Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.
Eph 1:4-5: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love; having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."
2 Thess 2:13: God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.
Rom 9:15-18: For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.... 18, Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom. 11:7-10: What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
Jude 1:4: For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Other references: Exodus 8:23; Ex. 33:19; Deut. 7:6-8. Deut 10:15. 1 Kings 19:18 Ps. 147:20.. Prov. 16:4; Prov. 21:1; Amos 3:2. John 6:37: John 6:65: John 15:16: John 17:9: Romans 9:12-24; 1 Cor. 1:27-29; Eph. 1:4-14; 1 Thess. 5:9.
III. Limited Atonement, or Particular Redemption, teaches that Christ died on the Cross specifically for the elect, and thus all for whom He died will be saved. While this point among the five may raise the greatest objection because of verses that appear to teach a universal atonement, the Scriptures indicate that Christ died for His own people (i.e., the elect) and that His death was completely effectual in accomplishing its purposes, despite the fact that much of mankind does not believe unto salvation. As noted above, unless one is prepared to say that all mankind shall be saved, one is limiting the atonement. We believe it is more in keeping with God’s character to limit the purpose or scope of the atonement than to limit its power.
Key Scripture passages:
Isaiah 53:11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many [not all]; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Acts 13:48: As many as were ordained to eternal life [and only they] believed.
Mat 1:21: And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people [and only they] from their sins.
Mat 26:28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many [not for all] for the remission of sins.
Mark 14:24: And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many [but not for all].
Luke 1:68: Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people.
John 6:39: This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
John 6:45: 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.
John 10:11: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Act 20:28: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Other references: John 10:14-15, 27-28; John 11:49-52; John 15:13; John 17:2, 6, 9, 12; Rom. 5:19; Rom. 8:28-30.
IV. Irresistible or Efficacious Grace (or, "Effectual Calling") teaches that when God’s electing, saving grace is extended to man, man will respond and the effects will be life-transforming, for God’s purposes will not be thwarted.
Key Scripture passages:
Jer 32:40: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will not turn away from following them, to do them good; and I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.
Ezek. 36:26: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ps. 51:6: Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psalm 110:3: Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power.
John 3:8: The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
John 15:16: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit.
Acts 16:14: 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.
2 Cor. 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Cor 9:8: God is able to make all grace to abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work.
Eph 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
2 Thess 3:3: The Lord is faithful and will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
Tit 2:14: who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Tit. 3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
1 John 3:9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Other references: Ezek. 11:19-20; Jer. 31:18; Rom. 6:14; 1 Cor. 10:13; Eph. 1:19; 1 Pet 2:9; Col. 2:13.
V. Perseverance of the Saints teaches that true saving faith cannot be lost but will cause one to continue in the faith and ultimately be eternally saved. “The saints, even in this world, are compared to a tree that does not wither (Ps 1:3); to the cedars which flourish on Mount Lebanon (Ps 92:12); to Mount Zion which cannot be moved, but which abideth forever (Ps 125:1); and to a house built on a rock, Matt 7:24. The Lord is with them in their old age (Isa 46:4) and is their guide even unto death (Ps 48:14), so that they cannot be totally and finally lost” (Boettner). This is stronger than today’s replacement term, “Eternal Security,” which focuses on eternal life in the future but does not give due recognition to the Holy Spirit’s power in this life to keep the child of God faithful in the Christian walk.
Key Scripture passages:
Ps 34:7: The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them.
Ps 138:8: Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me.
John 5:24: He that heareth my word, and believeth Him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life.
Rom 8:29: For whom He foreknew, He also foreordained ... and whom He foreordained, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified.
Rom 11:29: The gifts and calling of God are not repented of.
Rom. 14:4: Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
2 Cor 4:8-9,14: We are pressed on every side, yet not straightened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; ... knowing that He that raised up the Lord Jesus Christ shall raise us also with Jesus.
Phil 1:6: Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.
2 Tim 4:18: The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto His heavenly kingdom.
Other references: Ps. 23:6 Jer 31:3, John 4:14. John 6:47. John 6:51. John 10:28. John 14:19. 2 Cor 2:14. Eph 1:5. Eph 4:30. Phil 3:20 2 Tim 2:19. Heb 10:14. 1 Pet. 1:5 1 John 5:13.
For Further Reading
If your thinking has been challenged by the Scriptures presented above, we encourage you to read further and consider how a biblical bunderstanding of God's soveignty includes all of the above points, especially as they relate to practical Christian living. The articles and books suggested below will help you to do that.
When reading older material on this subject, including some of the works below, one must bear in mind the following: (1) The T.U.L.I.P. acronym that was later popularized to explain the five points described above did not come into vogue until later in the 19th century. Thus, many early works will present the same Biblical truths, but in a different format. (2) Most of those who took the Arminian (or semi-Pelagian) position prior to the 20th century did not believe in what later was called "eternal security": they believed a Christian could backslide to the point of losing his or her salvation. Thus, the Calvinistic writers often spent much of their effort refuting this unbiblical doctrine. (This is especially notable in Spurgeon's "Defense of Calvinism," below.) This may seem strange to us in our day when the prevailing modern Arminian thought has added "eternal security" to its tenets, and it may cause many today who do not understand the sovereignty of God and all it implies, to mistakenly consdier themselves "Calvinists." (3) As with any biblical doctrine that has by necessity been debated in the past, things were written in the heat of controversy that may have been retracted or softened later if their authors had had the opportunity to do so. We must continually remind ourselves that "earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3) is sometimes a messy business, requiring even the inspired Apostles to use strong language including sarcasm (for example, 1 Corinthians 4:8-9) to defend God's precious truth. May our response to their words and methods be forgiving when necessary, so that we may carefully consider what they are presenting without being too easily offended at how they are presenting it.
Articles:
"Arminianism and Evangelism," from The Forgotten Spurgeon by Iain Murray. A look at Spurgeon's view of evangelism in light of his Calvinistic theology, in light of the Arminian practices so prevalent in "evangelism" today.
"Decisional Regeneration," by James E. Adams. A discussion of modern evangelistic techniques that contradict the Biblical truths above, and thereby do more damage than good.
"Election," by J.C. Ryle. In this article we see the doctrine of election presented from the heart of a man who loved the Scriptures and loved the souls to whom he ministered.
"Objections to God's Sovereignty Answered," by A.W. Pink.
The Bondage of the Will, by Martin Luther. This is an abridged version of Luther's famous treatise against the notion of man's free will, written in reply to Erasmus, who in taking the Arminian (or semi-Pelagian) position was arguing for the Roman Catholic Church.
"Objections Commonly Urged Against the Reformed Doctrine of Predestination," from The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, by Lorraine Boettner.
"A Defense of Calvinism," by C.H. Spurgeon. Spurgeon's famous defense of Calvinism which he believed formed the basis for the very definition of the gospel.
"Sovereignty and Salvation," another well-known sermon by Spurgeon in defense of Calvinism.
"Divine Election Illustrated from the Parable of the Great Supper," by evangelist Asahel Nettleton. In this short excerpt from a sermon, Nettleton uses the great parable to show how man's natural tendency, when invited to accept the terms of the gospel, is to "make excuse."
Books:
The Five Points of Calvinism, by R.L. Dabney. Full text available online.
The Forgotten Spurgeon, by Iain Murray. Published by Banner of Truth books. (We consider chapter 4, "Arminianism & Evangelism," which may be viewed on this site, to be a MUST READ!)
The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, by Lorraine Boettner. Full text available online.
