What if Calvin Was Wrong?

By Billy Prewitt

Timing is everything. Nothing could be truer as it relates to John Calvin and his teaching. If Calvin had lived a century earlier, his teaching would have been swallowed up in the Catholic tradition, and he would likely be a footnote in Christian history rather than a pillar. If he had come a century later, his teaching would have faced the daunting task of shaping a movement that was already in motion. When Calvin developed his doctrine, it was the perfect time. The Western World was ready for a new theological system as it had not been since the time of Constantine. This time, however, the system was able to ride the wings of revolution that bore the historically powerful impetus of freedom from religious tyranny. But, what if Calvin was wrong?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Billy Prewitt
• Release date: Jul 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311875266

Billy Prewitt

Billy M. Prewitt holds a PhD in Biblical Studies, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership, a Master of Arts in Theology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Music. His most recent accomplishments include authoring three Pentecostal Commentaries: Matthew, Galatians, and Acts 1-12. Additionally, along with his professional teaching experience in both the private and public sectors, he has served in the Church as a youth pastor, associate pastor, and currently serves as the pastor of Family Fellowship Church in Lake City, Florida.

Book preview

What if Calvin Was Wrong?

by

Billy Prewitt

Copyright 2015 by Billy and Rebekah Prewitt

All rights reserved.

Other titles by Billy and Rebekah Prewitt:

Leave & Cleave by Rebekah Prewitt

Women Pastors by Rebekah Prewitt

Evidence for Tongues: Fanning the Flames of Revival by Billy Prewitt

Help! I Am a Teacher! by Billy Prewitt

Billy Prewitt is also the founder of:

TrinityBibleSchool.com

"He that is first in his own cause seemeth just;

but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him"

(Proverbs 18:17).

C o n t e n t s

Chapter 1 – Perfect Timing

Chapter 2 – Eve's Deception

Chapter 3 – The Ezekiel Principles

Chapter 4 – How Are the Mighty Fallen!

Chapter 5 – Why Fear the Parables?

Chapter 6 – Fish Bait

Chapter 7 – 10 Myths of Calvinism

Chapter 8 – Suicide Is Not the Unpardonable Sin

Chapter 9 – Salvation Killers

Chapter 10 – The Age Old Problem

Chapter 11 – Holding the Holy Spirit Hostage

Chapter 12 – Hazard Lights

Chapter 13 – When Sovereigns Collide

Conclusion

Connect With the Author

Chapter 1

Perfect Timing

Timing is everything. Nothing could be truer as it relates to Calvin and his teaching. If Calvin had lived a century earlier, his teaching would have been swallowed up in the Catholic tradition, and he would likely be a footnote in Christian history rather than a pillar. If he had come a century later, his teaching would have faced the daunting task of shaping a movement that was already in motion. When Calvin developed his doctrine, it was the perfect time. The Western World was ready for a new theological system as it had not been since the time of Constantine. This time, however, the system was able to ride the wings of revolution that bore the historically powerful impetus of freedom from religious tyranny.

The politics of Europe in the early sixteenth century, particularly relations between the Roman Church and the German nobility, were highly unstable. The pattern of corruption in the ranks of Roman pontiffs and disputes as to the right to the office of the papacy led to gradual disintegration of the infrastructure of the church in general. Adding this to the growing distaste of subjugated monarchs and wealthy landowners, there was a growing sense that outright conflict between the church and the various sovereign states was impending. It was difficult, however, for state sovereigns to muster the force of the people. One primary reason for this was the dominant power the church claimed over the eternal state of the soul. Put simply, the common people were sincerely afraid that any effort against the Roman Church would end in damnation to Hell. Leaders may also have shared this fear. The papacy and its proponents were always ready to capitalize on this fear utilizing both the threat and the reality of excommunication as often as necessary.

Another fear that had some precedence was the fear of Rome's military power. All of Europe had seen wars and rumors of wars in which the power of the pope was forcibly maintained. National leaders could discern many of the insidious techniques of the church but were at somewhat of a loss as to how to deal with the problem. It was as if all of Europe was a tinderbox awaiting a spark. Martin Luther was the spark. When Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the church in Whittenberg, flames leaped into the open in more than one way.

Religiously speaking, Luther's Ninety-Five Theses sparked the flames of the Reformation which swept Europe by storm in a very short time. Politically, however, Luther provided an option to the nobility. They did not see a way that they could fight the Roman Church up to this point. It seemed too much like joining forces with the enemy of darkness to fight against the Church of Christ. Now that Luther, a religious man, was willing to defy Rome, all they had to do was take sides in an ongoing religious war. As a result, Luther was protected. This was something new in Europe. Many had opposed the pope, but they did not often live to tell the tale. Just read Fox's Book of Martyrs, and the point is abundantly clear. This time, the pope could not simply eliminate the competition. Europeans, for the first time in over a thousand years, saw a hope of being both religiously and politically free from Rome's clutches, and they went for it.

John Calvin was only about seven years old when Luther pinned his Ninety-Five Theses. France, being somewhat removed from the upheaval in Germany, would have only heard of the heroic tales of a monk withstanding the pope. And yet, history discloses the evident change in the political and religious climates that took place all over Europe. Calvin would not have been able to escape the tremors of change that were all around him. It was the perfect time.

Change is an interesting thing. It inevitably produces insecurity, but the insecurity often has an element of excitement. The excitement presses the change forward, but the insecurity always reaches for something familiar to which to cleave. Most people are only willing to make a change when they can see the destination clearly. They will leave one state and move to another or even migrate to another country. In the end of the change, they will almost always look to cleave to something familiar. Rarely will people leave the known for the completely unknown. That takes a bravery that most people do not possess.

When people began to consider leaving the safety of the known Catholic Church, they needed something they could grasp. They needed something that would provide stability. Martin Luther was heroic, and many were willing to follow him out of the Catholic Church but to where? Where were their feet going to land?

Even though the Catholic Church had displayed abundant instability throughout the past several hundred years, there was a stable theological system in place. People knew how the system worked. There were no surprises. By the time Luther rebelled, the Catholics had enjoyed an established theology for about three centuries that had been formulated by Thomas Aquinas. Was the rebellion going to simply be a new-and-improved version of the old Catholic religion? Luther certainly had intentions of that very thing. He envisioned reform rather than departure, but departure was to be the day. Now that the breach had opened, there was no turning back. This made a new theological framework imperative. The people and the churches needed a system. Calvin provided that system at the perfect time, and protestant Europe grabbed hold of it with fervor.

Only thirteen years after Luther's rebellion began, Calvin, at about 21 years of age officially cut his ties with the Catholic Church. Six years later, he published The Institutes of the Christian Religion. While some of the ideas of the work were not entirely original, they were fresh. They were also brilliantly organized. Even more important, they were Protestant. A Protestant theology was exactly what the fledgling movement needed, and Calvin was willing to supply that need.

Published Theology

John Calvin was a classic scholar. Even though his formal training had been in law rather than theology, it seems as if he became more interested in Biblical scholarship than anything else. Like others of his day, he authored great quantities of literature. He also served as a pastor in a somewhat controversial setting, but none of these things brought him to the forefront of well-known Christian intellectuals. You will not likely find any of his books at your local bookstore, and you might even have a hard time finding a full length biography on his life at a public library. What you will find, however, are volumes upon volumes of books analyzing, emphasizing, and even criticizing his theological framework. It was this framework that has become Calvin's greatest contribution to the Christian community, yet the nagging question that forms the thesis for this book remains. What if Calvin was wrong?

The basis for Calvin's approach to theology was a complete credence to the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of the Almighty God is the absolute bedrock of Calvinistic thinking. Without this, the whole system completely falls apart. Christians of various theological persuasions share a common interest in the sovereignty of God. For Calvin, however, this was paramount. Everything rises and falls on God's sovereignty with no exceptions. Whether or not this agrees with the Bible is another matter, but for Calvin and those that followed him, it was a non-negotiable. Out of this regard for God's sovereignty, Calvin made a theology that was later developed into five seemingly simple points. The five points form the famous acrostic for Calvin's work which is most often referred to as the TULIP.

The T stands for total depravity. This teaching places man in a position of complete and utter moral destitution from conception. Because man is totally depraved, he is utterly destined to fulfill the lifestyle and appetites of the morally base. The totality of this depravity goes further than simply to describe man's present condition but also has strong implications on man's ability. The system of total depravity places man in a position of inability to help himself. He is utterly incapable of even looking to God for a solution. His despair is complete and, left to himself, permanent.

The U stands for unconditional election. At this point, God enters the scene. He looks down on the total depravity of mankind and elects some for salvation. The keyword in this point is not so much the election but the concept of unconditional. Seeing that man is totally depraved, it is incomprehensible that he could do something that would merit anything from God. It is God, therefore, that unconditionally elects. There is nothing a man can do to become elected, and no set conditions that God is looking to find.

The L stands for limited atonement. Once God elects, He provides atonement for only the elect through Jesus Christ. It would be completely worthless to provide atonement for those that are not elected, and God does not do worthless things. The efficiency of God's sovereignty is demonstrated in that He literally narrows the scope of the death of Christ to be only of value to those that are elected.

The I stands for irresistible grace. Once a totally depraved person has been elected and the limited atonement provided, then it is impossible for that person to resist the grace of God. They may be able to run for a while, but ultimately, they will come into the fold. There are no exceptions. If you have been elected, you will come into fellowship with Christ.

The P stands for perseverance of the saints. If a person is elected, atoned for, and the subject of grace that cannot be resisted, then it is impossible for that person to fall away. In the end, they will persevere through all trials and temptations and ultimately be ushered into the Heavenly Kingdom.

Proliferation in Europe

A perusal of Church history reveals that Calvin's system of theology entered into the mainstream of Christian thought to that point that all of Europe was affected. The casual student may not notice this as Calvin's name does not appear all that much, but when you consider the early post-Reformation church movements, Calvin's stamp is clearly seen because it became the accepted theology of both the Presbyterian and Baptist movements.

For example, the Calvinistic theological system did not differ greatly from that of Luther. As a result, the most relevant concerns between these two systems were related to distinguishing marks of Protestantism in opposition to Catholicism. As an example, the arguments between early post-Reformation Protestants were about things like transubstantiation (the Catholic teaching that the Communion elements actually became the body and blood of Christ).

As another example, shortly after the Reformation, there was a significant doctrinal schism that extensively divided the Protestant churches, but the issue was not related to Calvin's TULIP. It was over baptism. Was a person supposed to be baptized as an infant or as a believing adult? For those who are not aware, this is still the dividing line between Baptists and Presbyterians. To this day, Presbyterians teach infant baptism, while Baptists teach the baptism of believers.

As time progressed, there were some dissenters who dared to question Calvin's system. Two factors, however, made it difficult for these theologians to become prominent. First, they were overwhelmingly in the minority. Second, open religious conflict was not exactly welcome in a Europe that had been torn apart by religious war over and again. Even still, some were willing and able to voice their religious ideas openly. One of these was Jacobus Arminius. Having been theologically trained by men who were not sympathetic to Calvinistic teaching, Arminius developed a system, based on the Bible, that contrasted significantly with the accepted Reformed theology. His system questioned Calvin's concepts of predestination, atonement, grace, and perseverance. Like Calvin, the theology of Arminius was put into five points after his death by his followers.

While the following of Arminius was not as large as that of Calvin, there was a constituency that has continued to this day. Along the way, the teaching of Arminius produced the most influential opponent to the Calvinistic tradition that history has known to this point. This was none other than John Wesley. The influence of John Wesley, particularly on the English speaking world, is nothing less than profound. It might be bold to say so, but if it had not been for John Wesley, it is unlikely that the English speaking world would know any Christian theology apart from Calvinism. When you consider mainstream Protestant churches, (i.e. church organizations that started in Europe and migrated to America), the only prominent one that does not subscribe to Calvinism is the Methodist Church. Most of the modern church movements owe their roots to either Calvinistic mainstream churches such as Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Puritan or the non-Calvinistic Methodists from which come the holiness movement churches like the Nazarenes, Christian and Missionary Alliance, and even the Pentecostal denominations of the twentieth century. Even today's move toward non-denominational churches shows that these are usually a version of Calvinist or non-Calvinist churches. In short, this matter is unquestionably divisive.

Realizing how divisive the issues related to Calvinistic theology are, when given the opportunity to observe the arguments over history, it is interesting to observe that there has been significant variation in the topics discussed. As an example, one of the more famous ministerial arguments between a Calvinist and a non-Calvinist was between two very close friends. The argument that has divided churches for almost five hundred years was not able to sever this pair. They were more akin to Jonathan and David than anything else. As has already been mentioned, John Wesley stood out among his peers as an antagonist to the Calvinistic doctrine. George Whitefield, on the other hand, was a devout Calvinist. Throughout the length of their life-long friendship, they argued the matter with one another to no avail. Reading the accounts, however, it becomes strikingly obvious to the modern observer that their argument was quite different from the prominent argument that we enjoy now. Their argument was primarily over the doctrine of election. They did not really concern themselves with the heated debate that divides modern believers. Today, the most heated debate is not election but rather perseverance.

Perseverance of the Saints

The fifth point in Calvin's TULIP is now known as the doctrine of eternal security. Simply put, the doctrine states that once a person is truly saved, it is impossible for that person to ever be lost. In his book, Grace Unknown, R. C. Sproul teaches,

A simple way to remember the essence of the doctrine of perseverance is to learn this ditty: If we have it, we never lose it. If we lose it, we never had it. This is a cute way of affirming that full and final apostasy is never the lot of the Christian. Another shorthand expression of this doctrine is the aphorism Once saved, always saved.

While on the surface, this may seem simple enough, there are some intricate theological matters that this doctrine requires.

For example, how does the proponent of eternal security deal with the often observed reality of a believer that falls away from the faith and dies in a backslidden condition? This is not a hypothetical situation as we will see later in this book. Many people have started well only to end up dying in pitifully ungodly conditions. For the Calvinist that stringently adheres to the doctrine of eternal security, this presents a real quandary. There are two Calvinistic solutions to this problem that we will analyze individually.

Truly Saved

One answer to the problem of backslidden believers that is somewhat rote says, Well, if the person fell, they must not have been truly saved to begin with. This is, of course, cyclical reasoning based on a