#5 of 5
rebuttals of Calvinism/Reformed/Sovereign Grace Movement
TULIP is the acronym used to describe
Calvinism.
“P” stands for "PERSERVERANCE OF THE SAINTS".
The story is told of a man driving through the Alps in a Rolls Royce, when a rear axle broke. He notified his dealer, who in turn, called the factory. The factory flew a mechanic and a new axle to the scene, and the motorist was on his way after only a day or two. Several months went by, and having never received a bill, the man wrote the factory, requesting one. The answer was promptly received and it read, “Rolls Royce’s do not break axles.”
The doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints is not biblical, but it is very useful to Calvinism and its bastard child, Lordship Salvation. Since the true emphasis of the term is on what saints do, rather than what Christ has done for us, it is not Biblical when used as assurance of salvation. It is this misapplication which then allows the luminaries of Calvinism to lop off the offending pretenders to salvation as mere shams when they fail.
In the mind of Calvinists’ (and many other theological persuasions as well) failure in the Christian life is prime evidence the “failure” never had true spiritual life. Allowance is sometimes made for momentary or short-lived declines in zeal, and even some periodic dabbling in sin, but true converts will never, fully and finally fail. So goes the party line, since failures in any system bring it into question. Questioning this teaching, as in any in Calvinism proclamation, will be answered by their apologists with the haughty, “Who are you, oh man, to reply to God?”
Here’s a quote from Matt Slick, a Calvinist who authors “Got Questions?” on the web, which clarifies their belief on this important subject. “Those who are saved will indeed be conformed to the image of Christ through the process of sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:11). When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit breaks the bondage of sin and gives the believer a new heart and a desire to seek holiness. Therefore a true Christian will desire to be obedient to God and will be convicted by the Holy Spirit when he sins. True Christians will never “live any way they want” because such behavior is impossible for someone who has been given a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).” (end quote)
Is this a Biblical truth? No, the scripture is replete with examples of true believers who failed to continue in the process of sanctification and yet did not lose their eternal salvation. The fact is, true sanctification is no more automatic for the believer than his initial salvation experience. Both being born-again and then becoming like Christ require the believing participation of the Christian. It’s another example of the convoluted theology of Calvinism which declares all of salvation happens as a result of Irresistible Grace and Unconditional Election to then throw assurance of salvation back on the believer’s works!
Here are examples of completely full and final failure in the Christian life (denied as possible by the Reformed crowd) as recorded in Scripture. In Acts 5, we have the first two Christians who died in the newly born church: Ananias and Sapphira. They were no martyrs, but were slain by the Lord for lying to the Holy Spirit. This pretty much curtailed their earthly sanctification, but the Apostle Peter, not being a Calvinist, and having missed out on a seminary where Reformed theology is taught as scripture, never suggests these objects of the Lord’s correction were not saved.
The Apostle Paul deals with a similar situation in Corinth where the emphasis was on gifts and earthly knowledge instead of sanctified living:
“5:1 It is actually
reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual
immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s
wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned,
that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For
I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as
though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my
spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such
a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved
in the day of the Lord Jesus.”“P” stands for "PERSERVERANCE OF THE SAINTS".
The story is told of a man driving through the Alps in a Rolls Royce, when a rear axle broke. He notified his dealer, who in turn, called the factory. The factory flew a mechanic and a new axle to the scene, and the motorist was on his way after only a day or two. Several months went by, and having never received a bill, the man wrote the factory, requesting one. The answer was promptly received and it read, “Rolls Royce’s do not break axles.”
The doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints is not biblical, but it is very useful to Calvinism and its bastard child, Lordship Salvation. Since the true emphasis of the term is on what saints do, rather than what Christ has done for us, it is not Biblical when used as assurance of salvation. It is this misapplication which then allows the luminaries of Calvinism to lop off the offending pretenders to salvation as mere shams when they fail.
In the mind of Calvinists’ (and many other theological persuasions as well) failure in the Christian life is prime evidence the “failure” never had true spiritual life. Allowance is sometimes made for momentary or short-lived declines in zeal, and even some periodic dabbling in sin, but true converts will never, fully and finally fail. So goes the party line, since failures in any system bring it into question. Questioning this teaching, as in any in Calvinism proclamation, will be answered by their apologists with the haughty, “Who are you, oh man, to reply to God?”
Here’s a quote from Matt Slick, a Calvinist who authors “Got Questions?” on the web, which clarifies their belief on this important subject. “Those who are saved will indeed be conformed to the image of Christ through the process of sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:11). When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit breaks the bondage of sin and gives the believer a new heart and a desire to seek holiness. Therefore a true Christian will desire to be obedient to God and will be convicted by the Holy Spirit when he sins. True Christians will never “live any way they want” because such behavior is impossible for someone who has been given a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).” (end quote)
Is this a Biblical truth? No, the scripture is replete with examples of true believers who failed to continue in the process of sanctification and yet did not lose their eternal salvation. The fact is, true sanctification is no more automatic for the believer than his initial salvation experience. Both being born-again and then becoming like Christ require the believing participation of the Christian. It’s another example of the convoluted theology of Calvinism which declares all of salvation happens as a result of Irresistible Grace and Unconditional Election to then throw assurance of salvation back on the believer’s works!
Here are examples of completely full and final failure in the Christian life (denied as possible by the Reformed crowd) as recorded in Scripture. In Acts 5, we have the first two Christians who died in the newly born church: Ananias and Sapphira. They were no martyrs, but were slain by the Lord for lying to the Holy Spirit. This pretty much curtailed their earthly sanctification, but the Apostle Peter, not being a Calvinist, and having missed out on a seminary where Reformed theology is taught as scripture, never suggests these objects of the Lord’s correction were not saved.
The Apostle Paul deals with a similar situation in Corinth where the emphasis was on gifts and earthly knowledge instead of sanctified living:
Please note, Paul does not question this offender’s salvation, but his unsanctified behavior. The Apostle gives this man a death sentence (there is “a sin unto death”). This would have ceased any further earthly sanctification, but in this case, the brother took the rebuke to heart and repented. This was part of the reason for Paul’s action in this case. The other part was to restore a sense of righteousness to the whole assembly, which is crucial in effectual sanctification.
Perhaps the Apostle John refers to these and similar unrecorded incidents when he said, “16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.” ( 1 John 5:16-17) I repeat; early death of sinning Christians negates both the main idea of the Perseverance of the Saints and the implication true Christians will continue in the earthly sanctification process.
The Apostle Paul gives a reason for the believer’s loss of growth in practical sanctification, and the sometimes lethal consequences of allowing oneself to drift away from the Lord. This scripture was written to the Corinthians whose practice at the communion service had been corrupted from honoring the Lord’s atoning death, and in anticipation of His soon return.
So, the Apostle wrote;” 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”
To paraphrase what Paul wrote, we can say, “You are not really participating in the communion service unless you are remembering Christ, who made your salvation a reality by dying in your place. Continually missing the vital experiencing again of His Presence and the joy of your salvation is having dire consequences among you! Many are weak, sick and many sleep! (note the incremental nature of these corrections from the Spirit! The progressive severity is meant to bring believers back to Christ, not to merely punish).
It should be concluded from these scriptures that the believer has a large part in his own sanctification and the law of sowing and reaping has not been rescinded, even though we are under grace.
The Apostle Peter urged a continuation in the spiritual life which he promised would reap great eternal rewards. Yet he also spoke of those who neglect the means of growth in Christ. Did he suggest they weren’t saved? Or that they had lost their salvation? Not at all, but he does teach the true source of their lack of progress.
2 Peter 1:5: “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly
Note verse 9, which does not say these blind, stumbling brothers are mere shams and lost after all. Rather, chief among their spiritual defects is forgetting the most important thing in their lives: the fact that they have been cleansed from their sins! One can easily see how such forgetfulness is promoted by an incorrect communion experience. Stumbling occurs when one is spiritually blind and forgetful of one’s own eternal standing before God because of Christ.
Believers can become discouraged and exhausted by spiritual defeat in their own lives. This leads to fleshy resolves, foolish oaths or even abandonment of any outward action associated with a life of faith. Poorly instructed “teachers” use such failures to highlight misunderstood scripture, which seem to teach a believer can lose their salvation.
Like all error, there is some truth here. But let us be clear such “loss of salvation” is usually the nullifying or abandonment of the sanctifying process. Thus, Paul warned the Galatian Christians, (who were already saved forever by grace) of the dangers of “falling from grace”. He was cautioning them not to try and add some work to Christ’s already completed work of atonement to make themselves acceptable to God. If they allowed themselves to be circumcised, they were accepting the obligations of the Law to gain God’s favor, something they already had fully in Christ! A similar ploy was used on Eve by the Serpent,” You shall be as God.” She and Adam were already like God, and the believer is already saved forever.
An Old Testament example of a righteous person who completely failed God in his earthly life is Lot. He stands in sharp contrast to Abraham, although they both had the same saving faith. Abraham was just as weak as Lot, but he continued to grow in grace while Lot pursued earthly goals which led to a life of spiritual disaster. One could easily build a scriptural case against Lot’s salvation by simply compiling his fleshy deeds and listing the many spiritual actions missing from his life. Yet Peter, writing by the Holy Spirit hundreds of years after Lot’s sorry earthly tale was completed, called him “righteous” and even “Godly”. (2 Peter 2:7) Imputed righteousness given us because Christ took our sin, is only visible to men by our outward actions. God, however, sees the heart and true righteousness from Christ.
Perhaps it’s the difficult cases like Lot’s which prompted the Apostle Paul to remind us when we are trying to discern whether a fellow human being is a true believer or not; “19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
In context, Paul wrote this because some “teachers” were saying things which undermined the truth of salvation. This was having a deleterious effect on the weaker brothers, leading to shoddy life styles. So as always, Paul reassures instead of condemning,and urges a clean-up of life since God’s promises are true and He has not forgotten the weakest believer. Believe again the promises of God and leave bad habits of spiritual childhood. Let us grow!
In conclusion, let us look at the clearest statement Christ ever gave on the eternal state of anyone who has ever trusted the Son of God for salvation. It’s found in John 5:24 and like the blacksmith’s anvil, it has outlasted all the hammers of the Enemy throughout the centuries.
Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
The weakest believer presently possesses eternal life, is promised he will not ever be condemned and has passed out of death (separation from God) and is right now in life.
Grow strong here, in this clear, fundamental truth of God and you are set to grow continually. Grab this mighty sword of the Spirit and slay all your doubts every time they lift their naysaying heads. And then use this light to discover new, life enhancing truths in the Word of God. Feed your soul the Word of grace, train your mind in the scriptures and share all good things with all, especially the saints of God.
Perseverance of the Saints is possible, but not automatic.
Preservation of the saints is of God and cannot fail.
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