The Calvinism Issue
Among the body of Christ, the issue of Calvinism is a boiling-hot topic, with the majority of Christians rejecting it. So, what exactly is Calvinism? It is the doctrine that God sovereignly chose those He would have mercy on and offer salvation to before the foundation of the world.
Romans 8:29–30 (NIV) tells us:
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
This means that before you and I were born, God had already chosen to save us from eternal damnation in hell, and He chose to let His wrath fall on those He did not choose.
Romans 9:13 (NIV) says:
“Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’”
This is an incredibly hard doctrine to accept because it challenges our human sensibilities and our view of God. People reject it because, in their view that “God is love,” this doctrine simply cannot be true. They argue, “A God of love can’t send people to hell who couldn’t possibly choose Him since they weren’t elected for salvation.”
Paul addresses this in Romans 9:20–21 (NIV):
“But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”
I truly believe that only God can give people the grace to accept the doctrine of election, which says in Ephesians 1:4 (NIV):
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
He also says in His Word in Exodus 33:19 (NIV):
“And the Lord said, ‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’”
The above verse clearly shows that God is sovereign and has every right to elect some as vessels of His mercy and leave others to demonstrate His justice. The truth is, we were all conceived in sin, as David said, and we are all born on the highway to hell because of Adam’s sin. However, God, out of His loving, merciful, and gracious heart, chose to save some.
Therefore, God cannot be accused of injustice because He chose to have mercy on some when He didn’t have to. Those who are not vessels of mercy cannot say God is unjust. God is love, but He is also holy—and His holiness must punish sin. We should be on our knees thanking Jesus for His sacrifice on the Cross and for even saving one sinner, let alone billions.
Accepting this doctrine of election as truth humbles us profoundly because we know we weren’t chosen for salvation based on any goodness in us. The Word tells us that there is no one good on this earth and that we are in rebellion against God from the womb.
People who argue against this doctrine have not yet received the revelation of God’s holiness and sovereignty. They also have a low view of sin. Sin is terrible, and God hates sin and the evil it causes. We see the effects of sin in this broken world—sin condemned the whole world, and all the child cancers, rapes, murders, and deaths are the result of sin.
God is love, but the one thing that Love hates is evil. Once you grasp the gravity of your sin juxtaposed against the holiness of God, you will fall down and repent in dust and ashes. You will truly know that the sin you commit is against a holy God and that you are a sinner deserving of hell. Once this realization hits, you will fall on your face in thanksgiving and worship the God who chose to have mercy on you—bought by the Blood of Jesus.
You will realize that you were favored by God when He chose you in eternity past, and it will cause your heart to cry out, “Oh, amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” You will be devoid of pride because you realize how much God loves you.
Ephesians 1:4–6 (NIV) says:
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
All Glory to God
