CALVINISM CORRUPTS THE CHARACTER OF GOD
By
Dr. Ralph “Yankee” Arnold
The
attributes of God are reflected through Biblical Doctrine. Doctrine reflects
the attributes of God. To err in Doctrine is to err concerning the character of
God. Therefore all doctrinal errors are attacks upon the character of God. The
Gospel of Jesus Christ reflects every attribute of God.
Calvinism seeks to destroy the very heart of God’s character.
T stands for the.... Total
depravity of man IT IS A LIE
U stands for.......... Unconditional
election IT IS A LIE
L stands for.......... Limited
atonement IT IS A LIE
I stands
for........... Irresistible grace and IT IS A LIE
P stands for the..... Perseverance
of the saints IT IS A LIE
If it is a lie, then it
calls God a liar.
If
Calvinism is true, then God did absolutely nothing to save those who went to
Hell. They were unloved, unwanted, and lived without purpose. This would mean
they were created without value, lived without meaning, died without hope, and
were created to be eternally alone and doomed for punishment without light.
Their destiny was totally determined before they were born.
How
could a holy, just, righteous, compassionate and loving God ever justify his
actions to the believer and to the unbeliever? If Calvinism is true, there can
be no justifications for God’s actions.
“God
forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou
mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art
judged.” (Romans 3:4)
The
Lord must be justified, when he is judged by the unjust. Man must not be able
to find error in the righteous judgments of God.
Calvinism
strikes at the very heart of God’s character. Calvinism corrupts man’s view of
God.
Here’s
the truth: “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing
thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21) And he was sad at that saying,
and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:22)
Notice
that though he was lost, Jesus loved him while he was lost; Christ showed the
lost man that he lacked one thing--perfection. He used the sin of coveting to
prove he did not keep the law, and concluded with the statement that it was
impossible for a man to save himself, but possible with God. The man walked away lost but loved.
If the man was lost, Jesus said he could have been saved. If he was saved, it
is evident that he did not persevere in the faith - which way was it?
The
real test of a Calvinist who truly believes in the saints persevering in the
faith after they are saved, must preach “Turn from Sin” (stop being bad) and
“Make Christ the Lord and Master of your Life” (start being good). Then they
proceed to use their magnifying glasses to see if you are a genuine believer by
using their expertise in determining your qualifying works. This is why most
become judgmental, critical, and prideful with an egotistical attitude.
The
teachings of Calvinism offer no advantages in reaching the lost. It is the
killer of godly motivation.
The
teachings of Calvinism offer no advantages in growing strong Christians. Their
own uncertainty of salvation being brought into question by their failure in
daily performance greatly hinders their spiritual growth.
Omniscient
God knows everything and His knowledge is complete. This is
called His omniscience.
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the
everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. (Isaiah 40:28)
Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous
works of him which is perfect in knowledge?
(Job 37:16)
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is
infinite. (Psalms 147:5)
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart,
and knoweth all things. (1 John
3:20)
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)
Omnipotent
God is able to bring to pass everything that He chooses. He
has no external limitations. His only limits are those He places upon Himself.
The book of Job (42:2) says that He can do all things and that nothing can
restrain him.
I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought
can be withholden from thee. (Job 42:2)
Genesis 18:14 simply asks, “Is anything too hard for the
LORD?” The answer is “no.”
Omnipresent
God’s omnipresence speaks to the fact that He is present in
all places at all times. While God is in Heaven, He is also present in every
place.
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil
and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar
off? (Jeremiah 23:23)
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see
him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:24)
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee
from thy presence? (Psalms
139:7)
Immutable
By nature, God is absolutely unchanging. For this reason,
the attributes He possessed before the creation of the world are the same ones
He has today.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst
formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art
God. (Psalms 90:2)
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob
are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed
and only Potentate, the King of
kings, and Lord of lords; (1 Timothy
6:15)
Who only hath
immortality, dwelling in the
light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to
whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:16)
Holy
Though all the attributes of God are important and dependent
on one another, the fact of God’s holiness seems to be the one He wishes us to
put emphasis upon. When God revealed Himself to man (Moses, Job, Isaiah, Mount
of Transfiguration, etc.) each encounter mentions His holiness. Isaiah called
God “the Holy One” more than 30 times.
Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for
the LORD our God is holy. (Psalms 99:9)
Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not
look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and
holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous
than he? (Habakkuk 1:13)
Righteous
God’s holiness is manifested in His righteousness. Because
He is holy, He is righteous. This attribute of righteousness is the way His
holiness is expressed when dealing with men. Many verses declare His
righteousness (Exodus 9:23-27; Psalm 129:4; 145:17; Jeremiah 12:1; 1 John 1:9)
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is
merciful. (Psalms 116:5)
O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet
escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for
we cannot stand before thee because of this.
(Ezra 9:15)
The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the
wicked. (Psalms 129:4)
Sovereign
God in his sovereignty chose to give man a free will. This
is what makes Him free to do what He knows is best for us. Though He is in
complete control, He has also given us a free will to obey or reject His
leading. The first verse of the Bible says that God does what He chooses to do.
The entire first chapter shows God’s authority and sovereignty over His
creation. The Bible is full of passages that show God leading or commanding
people to do certain things. Man’s freedom of choice justifies God’s choice of
results.
Love
This is one attribute that people love to embrace; it is the
fact that God is love. This word embodies for us His mercy, grace and
loving-kindness. 1John 4 tells us that God has
love, that He is love, but also what is love. (John 3:16)
Merciful
God’s mercy has been defined as God not giving us what we
deserve. We, as sinners, deserve eternal punishment away from His presence, yet
in His mercy He has chosen to offer us a way for salvation (Ephesians 2:4) says
that God is merciful.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8)
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
plenteous in mercy. (Psalms 103:8)