CALVINISM, ARMINIANISM & THE WORD OF GOD – A CALVARY CHAPEL PERSPECTIVE by Chuck Smith


Table of Contents:

  1. Introduction
  2. The “Five Points of Arminianism”
  3. The “Five Points of Calvinism”
  4. Calvary Chapel’s Perspective

Introduction

What does it mean to be a part of the growing number of Calvary Chapel Fellowships?
There are certain distinctions that cause us to stand out among other evangelical
churches. We could point to our shared commitment to systematic Bible teaching or the
emphasis upon love that transcends all cultural and ethnic barriers. Calvary Chapels
have also been known for focus on worship, featuring contemporary music loyal to the
Word of God and the desire of His people to praise their Lord. Without exception,
Calvary Chapels have taken a strong stand for a pre-tribulational and pre-millennial
view of the second coming of Jesus Christ. We have also expressed a steadfast love and
support for the nation of Israel, its right to a historic homeland and its need for the
Messiah. But most importantly, Calvary Chapel has been known for striking a balance
between extremes on controversial theological issues that have often caused division
rather than unity in the body of Christ.

Calvary Chapels have no desire to be divisive nor dogmatic in areas where Bible
believers and teachers have disagreed. However, it is important to state as clearly as
possible the doctrinal basis of our fellowship and unity with one another, especially in
the area of pastoral leadership and teaching. While we welcome believers who disagree
with us to our fellowship, we do encourage a measure of doctrinal understanding and
unity among our pastors who teach us the truths of God’s Word.

Calvary Chapels try to avoid conclusions, terminology, and arguments which are not
clearly presented in the Bible. In no area of controversy is this approach more essential
than in the long simmering debate between Calvinists and Arminians. In the midst of
this heated argument it is easy to ignore or neglect the plain statements of the Bible, or
to believe that we have the ability to fully understand the ways of God (Romans 11:33-
36). But how tragic it is when we become more concerned with being “right” than being
loving. When we discuss the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it is easy to disagree over
terms such as “baptism” and “filling” and to miss the blessing and power of God’s Spirit
in our lives. The way we conduct our debates and express our opinions will sometimes
“quench” as well as “grieve” the blessed Spirit who dwells within the believer. In the
midst of our arguments over spiritual gifts, we can miss the Biblical admonition to love,
which clearly is greater than all the gifts (I Corinthians 12:31 – 14:1) Our desire is to
bring believers together in the love and unity of the Holy Spirit. Our focus is on our
awesome God, not on ourselves. We are committed to glorifying our Lord in all we say
and do.

Perhaps no issue is as important or as potentially divisive as the doctrine of salvation,
reflected in the debate between followers of John Calvin (1509-1564) and those of
Jacob Hermann (1560-1609), best known by the Latin form of his last name, Arminius.
Since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, Christian churches and leaders
have disagreed over such issues as depravity, God’s sovereignty, human responsibility,
election, predestination, eternal security and the nature and extent of the atonement of
Jesus Christ.

Although trained in the reformed tradition, Arminius had serious doubts about the
doctrine of “sovereign grace” as taught by the followers of John Calvin. He was a
pastor of the Reformed congregation in Amsterdam (1588), but during his fifteen years
of ministry there, he began to question many of the conclusions of Calvinism. He left
the pastorate and became professor of theology at the University of Leyden. It was his
series of lectures on election and predestination that led to a violent and tragic
controversy. After his death in 1609, his followers developed the Remonstrance of 1610
which outlined the “Five Points of Arminianism.” This document was a protest against
the doctrines of the Calvinists, and was submitted to the State of Holland. In 1618, a
National Synod of the Church was convened in Dort to examine the teachings or
Arminius in the light of Scripture. After 154 sessions, lasting seven months, the Five
Points of Arminianism were declared to be heretical. After the synod, many of the
disciples of Arminius, such as Hugo Grotius, were imprisoned or banished. When John
Wesley took up some of the teachings of Arminianism, the movement began to grow,
and it affected the Methodist tradition as well as the beliefs of most Pentecostal and
Charismatic churches.

Arminianism

The “Five Points of Arminianism” included the following:

  1. FREE WILL
    Arminius believed that the fall of man was not total, maintaining that there was enough
    good left in man for him to will to accept Jesus Christ unto salvation.
  2. CONDITIONAL ELECTION
    Arminius believed that election was based on the foreknowledge of God as to who
    would believe. Man’s “act of faith” was seen as the “condition” or his being elected to
    eternal life, since God foresaw him exercising his “free will” in response to Jesus
    Christ.
  3. UNIVERSAL ATONEMENT
    Arminius held that redemption was based on the fact that God loves everybody, that
    Christ died for everyone, and that the Father is not willing that any should perish. The
    death of Christ provided the grounds for God to save all men, but each must exercise
    his own “free will” in order to be saved.
  4. OBSTRUCTABLE GRACE
    Arminius believed that since God wanted all men to be saved, He sent the Holy Spirit
    to “woo” all men to Christ, but since man has absolute “free will,” he is able to resist
    God’s will for his life. He believed that God’s will to save all men can be frustrated by
    the finite will of man. He also taught that man exercises his own will first, and then is
    born again.
  5. FALLING FROM GRACE
    If man cannot be saved by God unless it is man’s will to be saved, then man cannot
    continue in salvation unless he continues to will to be saved.

Calvinism

Interestingly, John Calvin, the French reformer, did not formulate what today we know
as the Five Points of Calvinism. This came out of the Canons of the Council of Dort
(1618), and subsequent statements among the many Reformed Confessions have
expanded upon these matters. Calvinism has been known for outstanding scholars,
theologians, preachers, and reformers, men such as John Owen, George Whitefield,
William Wilberforce, Abraham Kuyper, Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield, J. Gresham
Machen, and Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Those in the reformed tradition who answered the teachings of Arminius chose the
word “TULIP” as an acrostic to summarize their answer to the Five Points of
Arminianism”:

  1. “T” = TOTAL DEPRAVITY – The Calvinists believed that man is in absolute
    bondage to sin and Satan, unable to exercise his own will to trust in Jesus Christ
    without the help of God.
  2. “U” = UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION – The Calvinists believed that
    foreknowledge is based upon the plan and purpose of God, and that election is not
    based upon the decision of man, but the “free will” of the Creator alone.
  3. “L” = LIMITED ATONEMENT – The Calvinists believed that Jesus Christ died to
    save those who were given to Him by the Father in eternity past. In their view, all for
    whom Jesus died (the elect) will be saved, and all for whom He did not die (the non
    elect) will be lost.
  4. “I” = IRRESISTIBLE GRACE – The Calvinists believed that the Lord possesses
    irresistible grace that cannot be obstructed. They taught that the free will of man is so
    far removed from salvation, that the elect are regenerated (made spiritually alive) by
    God even before expressing faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. If a totally depraved
    person wasn’t made alive by the Holy Spirit, such a calling on God would be
    impossible.
  5. “P” = PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS – The Calvinists believed that
    salvation is entirely the work of the Lord, and that man has absolutely nothing to do
    with the process. The saints will persevere because God will see to it that He will finish
    the work He has begun.

Calvary Chapel’s Perspective

It is not our purpose to take sides on these issues or to divide the body of Jesus Christ
over human interpretations of these Biblical truths concerning our salvation. We simply
desire to state how we in the Calvary Chapel fellowships understand the Bible’s
teaching regarding these matters.

  1. DEPRAVITY
    We believe that all are sinners (Romans 3:23) and unable by human performance to
    earn, deserve, or merit salvation (Titus 3:5). We believe that the wages of sin is death
    (Romans 6:23), and that apart from God’s grace, no one can be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).
    We believe that none are righteous, or capable of doing good (Romans 3:10-12), and
    that apart from the conviction and regeneration of the Holy Spirit, none can be saved
    (John 1:12-13; 16:8-11; I Peter 1:23-25). Mankind is clearly fallen and lost in sin.
  2. ELECTION
    We believe that God chose the believer before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6), and based on His foreknowledge, has predestined the believer to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29-30). We believe that God offers salvation to all who will call on His name. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We also believe that God calls to Himself those who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 1:9). However, the Bible also teaches that an invitation (or call) is given to all, but that only a few will accept it. We see this balance throughout scripture. Revelation 22:17 states, “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” I Peter 1:2 tells us we are, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called, but few are chosen (elected).” God clearly does choose, but man must also accept God’s invitation to salvation.
  3. ATONEMENT
    We believe that Jesus Christ died as a propitiation (a satisfaction of the righteous wrath of God against sin) “for the whole world” (I John 2:2; 4:9-10), and that He redeems and forgives all who will believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation from sin, death, and hell (Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:18-19). We believe that eternal life is a gift of God (Romans 6:23), and that “whosoever believeth” in Jesus Christ will not perish, but will have eternal life (John 3:16-18). I Timothy 4:10 says “we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.” Hebrews 2:9 states that Jesus, “was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.” The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ was clearly sufficient to save the entire human race.
  4. GRACE
    We believe that God’s grace is not the result of human effort or worthiness (Romans
    3:24-28; 11:6), but is the response of God’s mercy and love to those who will believe in His Son (Ephesians 2:4-10). Grace gives to us what we do not deserve nor can earn by our performance (Romans 11:6). We believe that God’s grace and mercy can be resisted by us. Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.” We are not condemned because we have no opportunity to be saved, but a person is condemned because he makes a choice not to believe (John 3:18). In John 5:40 we read “And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.” Jesus also said in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:40 states, “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone who seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life.” In John 7:37 Jesus said “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” In John 11:26 He adds “whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”
    • Jesus clearly acknowledges the fact of human resistance and rejection. In John 12:46-48 He said, “I am come as a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came, not to judge the world but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
    • In Stephen’s message in Acts 7:51, he concluded by saying, “Ye stiff-necked and
      uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye.” In Romans 10:21, the apostle Paul quotes Isaiah 65:2 when he speaks of God’s words to Israel, “All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” In one of the five warning passages of the book of Hebrews, we read in Hebrews 10:26, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” Verse 29 adds, “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” Clearly, God’s grace can either be resisted or received by the exercise of human free will.
  5. PERSEVERANCE
    We believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord
    (Romans 8:38-39), and that there is no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ
    (Romans 8:1). We believe that the promise of Jesus in John 10:27-28 is clear: “My
    sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them
    eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My
    hand.” Jesus said in John 6:37, “him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” We
    have this assurance in Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who
    hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We
    believe that the Holy Spirit has sealed us unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-
    14; 4:30).
    • But we also are deeply concerned over the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Apparently there are many who claim to be believers that in fact are not.
    • Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” I Corinthians 6:9-10 insists that “the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” and warns us not to be deceived. A list is then given of various kinds of sinful lifestyles with an ending remark that they will not inherit the kingdom of God. Similar statements and conclusions are given in Galatians 5:19-21 and Ephesians 5:3-5.
    • Galatians 5:4 says “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are
      justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” Colossians 1:22-23 says about Jesus Christ “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight, if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature that is under heaven, of which I, Paul, am made a minister.” II Timothy 2:12 says “if we deny Him, He also will deny us.” Hebrews 3:12 says, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Can true believers (“brethren”) depart from the living God? I Timothy 4:1 says that “in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith.” II Thessalonians 2:3 speaks of “a falling away” or an apostasy. II Peter 2:20-21 makes these remarkable statements: “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”
    • It is no wonder that Peter says in I Peter 1:10, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” We thank God for the encouragement of Jude 24 – “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”

Maintaining a Bible-centered balance in these difficult issues is of great importance.
We do believe in the perseverance of the saints (true believers), but are deeply
concerned about sinful lifestyles and rebellious hearts among those who call themselves “Christians.” We don’t have all the answers to these matters, but we desire to be faithful to the Lord and His word. If we find ourselves basing our view of salvation on the performance and attitudes of people we become discouraged and concerned. But when we keep our eyes on the Lord, and trust in Him alone and in His power, we say with Peter in I Peter 1:3-9:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according
to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through
manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be
found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ,
whom, having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not,
yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory,
receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

It is not easy to maintain the unity of the Spirit among us on these matters. It seems that
the sovereignty of God and human responsibility are like two parallel lines that do not
seem to intersect within our finite minds. God’s ways are “past finding out” (Romans
11:33), and the Bible warns us to “lean not unto thy own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
To say what God says in the Bible – no more and no less – is not always easy,
comfortable, or completely understandable. But Scripture tells us that the wisdom from
above will be loving and kind toward all, seeking the unity of the believers, not trying
to find ways to divide and separate from one another. May God help us all to love each
other, to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as Jesus Christ has forgiven us
(Ephesians 4:32)! In difficult doctrinal matters, may we have gracious attitudes and
humble hearts, desiring most of all to please Him who has called us to serve Him in the
body of Christ. Discussion – YES! Disagreements – YES! Division – NO!

Jesus said, “By their fruit ye shall know them.” When a particular position on the
Scriptures causes one to become argumentative, legalistic, and divisive, I question the
validity of that position. I seek to embrace those things that tend to make me more
loving and kind, more forgiving and merciful. I know then that I am becoming more
like my Lord. If you have come to a strong personal conviction on one side of a
doctrinal issue, please grant us the privilege of first seeing how it has helped you to
become more Christ-like in your nature, and then we will judge whether we need to
come to that same persuasion. Let us always be certain to look at the fruit of the
teaching.

Seek those things that produce the loving nature of Jesus in our lives. I would rather
have the wrong facts and a right attitude, than right facts and a wrong attitude. God can
change my understanding of the facts in a moment, but it often takes a lifetime to effect
changes of attitude.

Yours in love,
Chuck Smith

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates (A Proper Resistance to Tyranny and a Repudiation of Unlimited Obedience to Civil Government) by Matthew J. Trewhella

America has entered troubling times. The rule of law is crumbling. The massive expansion of Federal government power with its destructive laws and policies is of grave concern to many.

But what can be done to quell the abuse of power by civil authority? Are unjust or immoral actions by the government simply to be accepted and their lawless commands obeyed? How do we know when the government has acted tyrannically? Which actions constitute proper and legitimate resistance?

This book places in your hands a hopeful blueprint for freedom. Appealing to history and the Word of God, Pastor Matthew Trewhella answers these questions and shows how Americans can successfully resist the Federal government’s attempts to trample our Constitution, assault our liberty, and impugn the law of God.

The doctrine of the lesser magistrates declares that when the superior or higher civil authority makes an unjust/immoral law or decree, the lesser or lower ranking civil authority has both the right and duty to refuse obedience to that superior authority. If necessary, the lower authority may even actively resist the superior authority. Historically, this doctrine was practiced before the time of Christ and Christianity.

How to get this resource:

See if the book is available from your local library – It’s free (Minnesota Viking Library System)

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates (ChristianBook) at: https://www.christianbook.com/magistrates-resistance-repudiation-unlimited-obedience-government/matthew-trewhella/9781482327687/pd/327687

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates (Amazon) at: https://www.amazon.com/Doctrine-Lesser-Magistrates-Resistance-Repudiation/dp/1482327686

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates (Defy Tyrants) at: https://defytyrants.com/store/book-the-doctrine-of-the-lesser-magistrates/

Whatever Happened to Worship? (A Call to True Worship) by A. W. Tozer

In the book Whatever Happened to Worship, A. W. Tozer opens with the following statement:

Christian Churches have come to the dangerous time predicted long ago. It is a time when we can pat one another on the back, congratulate ourselves and join in the glad refrain, “We are rich, and increased with goods, and are in need of nothing!” It certainly is true that hardly anything is missing from our churches these days – expect the most important thing. We are missing the genuine and sacred offering of ourselves and our worship to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With a call back to true worship, A. W. Tozer gives us an inspiring perspective on worship, and invites us to take a deep look into the ways in which we worship and why. He reminds us that we were created solely for the purpose of worshiping the Father and seeking fellowship in His delight.

How to get this resource:

See if the book is available from your local library – It’s free (Minnesota Viking Library System)

Whatever Happened to Worship? (ChristianBook) at: https://www.christianbook.com/whatever-happened-to-worship-call-true/a-w-tozer/9781600663239/pd/663239#CBD-PD-Description

Whatever Happened to Worship? (Amazon) at: https://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Happened-Worship-Call-True/dp/1600663230

Whatever Happened to Worship? (Moody Publishers) at: https://www.moodypublishers.com/whatever-happened-to-worship/

Uncanceled (Finding Meaning and Peace in a Culture of Accusations, Shame, and Condemnation) by Phil Robertson

This book gives you a blueprint for standing up for the truth of Jesus Christ in a culture that has forgotten how to have respectful conversation and often suppresses conservative opinions and biblical values.

After Phil Robertson quoted Scripture in an interview with a national magazine, his hit show on A&E, Duck Dynasty, was put on hiatus. It was then that Robertson knew he had been a target of Cancel Culture. Since then, he has spoken out against widespread public shaming, strategic campaigns to get folks fired, and other tactics that have wreaked havoc in our society. While our country is so deeply divided and so many people are bent on condemning others, Robertson calls for us to carry out the uniting message of Jesus Christ.

In Uncancelled, Robertson uncovers the motivations and faulty thinking behind our human desire to cancel other people, including our sinful desire to “play God.” He reminds readers that the goal is not to win the public relations war, or to convince the masses to love (or even like) us, but to win the war for our own integrity by refusing to bow down to the god of political correctness.

Instead, it’s time to trade cancelling and retaliation for the love and forgiveness that God continually offers. When we recognize who the real opposition is-the Evil One-and embrace that Jesus Christ already paid an enormous debt to cancel our sins, we will find a path to redemption, a way to forgiveness, and a means for godly connection.


How to get this resource:

See if the book is available from your local library – It’s free (Minnesota Viking Library System)

Uncancelled (ChristianBook) at: https://www.christianbook.com/uncancelled-finding-meaning-culture-accusations-condemnation/phil-robertson/9781400230198/pd/117335EB

Uncancelled (Amazon) at: https://www.amazon.com/Uncanceled-Finding-Meaning-Accusations-Condemnation/dp/1400230179

Uncancelled (Walmart) at: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Uncanceled-Finding-Meaning-and-Peace-in-a-Culture-of-Accusations-Shame-and-Condemnation-Pre-Owned-Hardcover-9781400230174-by-Phil-Robertson/1832959124