Why We Are Reformed or "Calvinists"

In a time when most people are opposed to labels and designations, we at GCRBC believe that they can be quite helpful in trying to communicate to others our biblical convictions.  By unashamedly declaring that we are ‘reformed’ or ‘Calvinistic’ in our biblical thinking, we are conveying to others a large amount of our theological background, and how we interpret God’s sacred Word to us, the Bible. 

In a nutshell, one who ascribes to a ‘reformed’ view of the Bible places a great deal of emphasis upon God’s sovereign rule over all of His creation, since we believe that the Bible also does so.  However, it must be stressed that such thinking in no ways minimizes or negates God’s sovereign love, mercy, and grace over all of His creation.  The Bible presents a balanced view of God’s attributes, and like every other Christian, we are trying to be as consistent in our thinking as the Bible is in its inspiration. 

Now many Christians believe in a ‘sovereign’ God who is all-powerful and able to do as He pleases, but often pull up short when it comes to His rule over the ‘free-will’ of mankind in regards to salvation. 

In fact, most Christians believe that mankind is the ultimate determiner of his own destiny, and that he can accept or reject God’s free offer of salvation as they please.  Such thinking purports that God has done His share in sending His Son to die for the sins of the world, and now awaits the free-will decisions of who will be saved by the gospel.  Indeed, this line of thinking presents a God who wants and desires all people to be saved, but is unable to bring this about because He has decided not to abrogate man's freedom to choose.

The Calvinist, however, disagrees somewhat with this assertion.  Though we absolutely concur that all people are entirely responsible for believing the gospel and therefore entirely culpable for rejecting it, we also believe that the Scriptures teach that only those whose eyes God has sovereignly opened up will be ultimately be saved.  Reformed theology says that if God truly desired that all people be saved, all people would be saved, since nobody, including man with his 'free' will, can stop Him from doing all His good pleasure.  Indeed, as the prophet Daniel writes,

"All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (Daniel 4:35).

Certainly this is what Paul means when he tells the Ephesian believers that God has a great and eternal plan for the fullness of time, which is being carried out precisely according to His perfect and sovereign will (see Ephesians 1:9-10).  As King, God not only knows what will happen before time, He declares it!  Isaiah writes:

"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose'" (46:9-10).

Despite the fact that we as Calvinists believe that the Bible teaches that God has the right to save some people and pass over, this doctrine is perhaps one of the most odious stenches in the nostrils of most Christians.  Odious it would be indeed, unless the Bible declared this to be so!  What else could Paul be saying in so clear a text as Romans 9:14-13?

"What shall we say then?  Is there injustice on God's part?  By no means!  For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'  So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'  So then He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills.  You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault?  For who can resist His will?'  But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use?  What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory."

Though Arminians have interpretations to texts such as these that would try to dismantle God's absolute sovereignty in the area of His electing and saving purposes, we believe that the Scriptures overwhelmingly favor the reformed, or Calvinistic view regarding how people are saved.  

However, for those who do not avow God's sovereign supremacy in such areas as unconditional election or particular atonement, the Calvinist ought not to castigate or mock them.  All who believe that salvation is the free gift of God that comes about by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16) are not to be seen as enemies, but co-laborers in God's vineyard, as we try to work side-by-side for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27), making disciples of all the nations for the sake of Jesus Christ's name (Matthew 28:18-20).

This set of papers is by no means an attempt to pick a fight; rather it is to be used as a tool to better understand why we as Calvinists believe what we do.  Like those who disagree with us, we are trying to be as faithful as possible to the Word of God.  My goal is to lessen the hostility that many Arminians feel towards Calvinists by showing that we indeed have a very strong Scriptural defense for our position.  I have been called a heretic for being a Calvinist.  May the reader prayerfully search the Scriptures as he or she follows along to see whether our assertions be so.

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