CALVINISM’S DISTORTED CONCEPT OF GOD

Calvinism, also known as Reformed Theology, is a serious erroneous interpretation of Scripture that has captivated millions of nominal Christians. Calvinists teach that God will be glorified by bringing billions of people into the world for no other purpose than having them burn in hell for eternity. In my opinion, that is as close to heresy as you can get! To deny that Christ’s death makes salvation available for "whosoever will" is nothing less than ‘another gospel’ as it deviates radically from the fundamental teachings of Scripture.

In all honesty, I believe the teachings of Calvinism is a heretical theology that distorts the attributes and character of God, undermines the gospel of salvation and grace, and has created grievous chaos and division in the church. However, I think we should be cautious about consigning those who adhere to Calvinist doctrine to eternal damnation. Despite their many teachings contrary to Scripture, a person can be born again under their ministry because they firmly believe and teach the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. If you think I am beginning to sound like an apologist for Calvinism, be assured I am not. I abhor their theological heresies: their denial of the possibility of falling away from the faith and their dangerous assertions of eternal security, also known as "Once Saved Always Saved," legitimizing sin. I cannot see this debate being resolved soon – if ever – during our temporary journey on this earth. 

Calvinism asserts that man is completely unable to repent and believe the Gospel of his own accord, and must, therefore, be regenerated first without faith by a sovereign act of God and only then will he be given the gift of faith to believe. I do NOT believe a lost person must be “born again” BEFORE he can repent and believe. I do NOT believe the Bible teaches that man is dead in his trespasses and sins to the extent that an unbeliever is totally incapable of responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I do NOT believe the Bible ANYWHERE teaches that God’s call to salvation is an irresistible call of selective regeneration that the lost person is compelled to respond to contrary to their own volition. I do NOT believe in unconditional eternal security – I DO NOT believe it is impossible to depart from the faith and forfeit your salvation.
In Acts 17:30 God commands all men everywhere to repent so they can be forgiven and saved, but according to Calvinists, man does not have free will to choose, and the only way they can repent is if God irresistibly overpowers their will and gives them the ability to do so. Yet He holds those who fail to repent accountable by sending them to the Lake of Fire even though He has arbitrarily chosen them to be lost, and they have no choice [free-will] to either believe or not to believe. Why would God have given ‘all men everywhere’ the command to repent if it is impossible to obey, and He has already elected which ones are going to spend eternity with Him and which ones are assigned to eternal damnation?

There is not one verse in the Bible that says prior to or after becoming believers, we are incapable of choosing our actions and making spiritual choices. Deuteronomy 30:19: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live..” Did only Old Testament believers have the ability to make choices? There is no biblical evidence that God cancels our ability to make decisions of our own. To deny we have free will means all choices are made for us by God – including the choice to sin.
Calvinists always counter those of us who believe in free-will with the question, “Did the Apostle Paul have a choice when he met the Lord on the road to Damascus?” Paul had no choice in Jesus appearing before him, but he most certainly did have a choice to obey or not. Acts 26:19 gives us unequivocal proof of his choice. “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” Apostle Paul makes it clear he could have chosen to disobey the vision of Jesus but instead he chose to obey.
When Jesus said in John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you . . . " He was referring to his choosing of his twelve disciples, NOT election, and predestination! Disciples (followers, students, learners) in Jesus' day usually chose the particular rabbi, or teacher, whom they wanted to follow. That is what this verse is referring to, and any diligent study of the text will make that crystal clear. Do not let anyone deceive you. Jesus calls ALL, and it is His desire that not ANY should perish. God does not "choose" or appoint some to salvation and others to hell. It is up to each of us to choose whom we will serve and where we will spend eternity. It is our choice to stay in the faith or depart from it. We have free will and that free will remains intact - yes, even after we accept Christ.
The fundamental conflict I have with Calvinism is not sovereignty but God’s character. Calvinism distorts the very nature and character of God and misrepresents His divine attributes and His goodness, destroying His righteous judgment and mercy. Their distortion of God’s character is so unyielding it sounds more like the Quran than the Bible. The Quran also refers to Allah as the most beneficent, merciful, and compassionate, while he passionately hates the infidels (non-Muslims, non-elect) and encourages killing and shedding the blood of men if they refuse to convert.

If God’s mercy is only for some people and not for others, if His offer of salvation is only available for a few and not for all, if He predestines some to eternal life and some to eternal damnation and they have no choice in the matter, how can Jesus’ words “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” be trusted?
The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew chapter 22 strongly refutes Calvinistic doctrine that asserts God’s grace is ‘irresistible’ and that man has no free will to refuse, resist or reject His invitation. Yet, in the parable, those who the king initially chose to invite to the wedding refused to come. They were invited in and they declined and willingly rejected the king’s gracious invitation. Christ concludes the parable with the sad fact that “many are invited, but few are chosen.” In other words, many people hear the call of God, but only a few heed it. This defies Calvinism’s theology that man plays no part in their salvation.
The main reason for this gross misrepresentation is because they deny God’s universal agape love for all humanity and His offer of divine grace and forgiveness to ‘whosoever will’ hear and respond to the gospel of salvation which is forever entrenched in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 5:39-40] God predestined that whosoever will accept His free gift and then abide in Christ, remain steadfast in the faith, and endure to the end will be "chosen" and "elected" to be admitted to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Why would anyone desire to be in the presence of a God who chooses to extend mercy to some sinners, for no apparent reason, yet deny His mercy to others, for no apparent reason, and allow them to remain in their condemned condition? According to Calvinistic doctrine, God damns them forever in the Lake of Fire for not believing the gospel, yet they cannot believe unless He regenerates them and gives them the faith to believe--and yet He refuses to do so? These are characteristics that are inconsistent with God’s goodness. This is not the "God" of the Bible as revealed in Jesus Christ. The Lord despises injustice and partiality [Leviticus 19:5]
Many Calvinists will claim that “God has a right to dispose of His creatures in any way He chooses.” But that is not in debate. I am not accusing God; I am accusing a certain belief about God—with being either morally ambiguous or making Him indistinguishable from Satan.
I do, however, have some good news! God can, and does, save individuals who hear the gospel preached by a Calvinist preacher. But you also need to understand, God can save someone listening to John Piper, John Arthur or Joseph Prince as well IF they present a gospel message along with the rest of what they preach. Fortunately for the lost, God can and does use inept presentations of the gospel to touch lost men’s hearts and bring them to repentance and reconciliation. And we cannot deny that many have come to faith and brought forth fruit in keeping with their repentance as a result of Calvinist preachers who teach you must repent, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and forsake your sins.
Scripture warns us that in the end times God will send a Strong Delusion; This deception is directed not only at those of the world that are lost in their sins, but specifically at false teachers within the Church and those who accept them, and believe their ungodly teachings. God is sending this strong delusion to all lukewarm, undecided, and disobedient Christians who do not love the truth. [Rev. 3:16; 2 Thess. 1:8; 2 Thess. 2:10-11] Those who have no love for the truth, will believe the smoke and mirror doctrines that are being taught today.
Sound doctrine has value for godly living; false doctrine leads to ungodly living. Sound doctrine originates with God; unsound doctrine originates with someone or something created by God and can lead to heresy. It is our sacred responsibility to examine every doctrine to determine if it is true or false. It is of utmost importance that we examine the fruit of all those who claim to represent Jesus. Do not be indifferent to the voice of God. Read God’s Word for yourself with an open mind and pray that He would show you His truth as He meant it to be. Listen when God speaks to you and obey without hesitation.
Turn away from lying prophets, preachers and teachers that are within many of the corrupt churches today. Hold no man or woman up as being worthy of your worship. Faith in anything or anyone other than Christ is a delusion that will cause you to be finally and eternally lost. God has not predestined you to eternal life without having any free choice in the matter, neither has he predestined you to eternal destruction without any possibility of being saved. The choice is yours whether you will accept God’s path or reject it; it is also your choice to either stay on God’s path or take a detour.

By Lynette Hughes