Page 215 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

ELECT

man-centered theology and evangelism that is so sinners; they do not even believe that God loves all
popular today. Four things come to mind readily: men. According to Murray’s definition, these are “hyper
1. Calvinism exalts God as the sole Author of salvation Calvinists.”
and gives glory to Him alone. In this, it is exactly correct Charles Spurgeon refused to try to reconcile every
and perfectly biblical and right on target. There is no seeming contradiction in the Bible, and he was wise
salvation apart from God. There is no good in man and enough to know that he could not understand every
there is nothing he can do to achieve his salvation. It mystery of God. He said:
must be of God entirely. Except that God in His mercy “That God predestines, and that man is responsible,
and grace has provided salvation in Christ and has are two things that few can see. They are believed to
drawn men to this salvation, convicting them and be inconsistent and contradictory; but they are not. It
enlightening them and granting them faith and is just the fault of our weak judgment. Two truths
repentance (which are both gifts of God), no man would cannot be contradictory to each other. If, then, I find
be saved. All glory to God. taught in one place that everything is fore-ordained,
2. Calvinism humbles man and gives him no role in that is true; and if I find in another place that man is
responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my
salvation and nothing to glory of. This is the flip side of folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever
the previous point, and in this, Calvinism is perfectly contradict each other. These two truths, I do not
scriptural. The Bible gives man nothing whatsoever of believe, can ever be welded into one upon any human
which to glory. Salvation is entirely of God and nothing anvil, but one they shall be in eternity: they are two
of man. Romans 4:2 says that if Abraham’s salvation lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that
were not entirely of God he would have something to shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that
boast of, but of course that is impossible because no they converge; but they do converge, and they will
man can ever boast of anything before a thrice holy meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of
God. Even man’s righteousness, his very best deeds, are God, whence all truth doth spring” (C.H. Spurgeon,
New Park Street Pulpit, Vol. 4, 1858, p. 337).
but filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). Spurgeon warned about creating theologies that
3. Calvinism gives eternal security to the believer. attempt to reconcile every biblical difficulty:
Calvinism promises eternal security to the believer,
because it knows that (1) salvation is entirely of God’s “Men who are morbidly anxious to possess a self-
consistent creed, a creed which will put together and
grace and thus depends nothing whatsoever on man’s form a square like a Chinese puzzle,--are very apt to
puny works whether good or bad, (2) God has elected narrow their souls. Those who will only believe what
and ordained the saved person to a glorious eternal they can reconcile will necessarily disbelieve much of
inheritance, and (3) the saved persevere in the faith divine revelation. Those who receive by faith anything
through the effective working of the indwelling Holy which they find in the Bible will receive two things,
Spirit. In this it is right on target. twenty things, ay, or twenty thousand things, though
4. Calvinism teaches that the elect will give evidence of they cannot construct a theory which harmonises them
their calling. The Calvinist knows that salvation all” (C.H. Spurgeon, “Faith,” Sword and Trowel, 1872).
produces a dramatic change in a person’s life, and in In these matters, Charles Spurgeon was a Calvinist
this he is right on target. Any “salvation” that does not but he was much more than a Calvinist; he was a
result in a change of life and direction and thinking and Biblicist. It has been said of Spurgeon, that if you
purpose is not a biblical salvation. pricked him, even his blood was “bibline.” He loved
NOT ALL CALVINISTS ARE THE SAME theology and studied theology earnestly, but the bottom
line was that he had childlike faith in everything the
It is important to understand that there is a great Bible says.
variety of doctrine and practice among Calvinists, and And while Spurgeon was a Calvinist, he was at the
by no means do I consider a man to be an enemy of the same time a great evangelist and believed in offering
truth just because he accepts some of the Calvinist the gospel to all men and urging all men to be saved.
theology. The book Spurgeon vs. Hyper Calvinists: The Spurgeon believed that more sinners could be saved if
Battle for Gospel Preaching by Iain Murray (Edinburgh, the gospel was preached to them, and he did not try to
Banner of Truth Trust, 1995) does an excellent job of reconcile such a view with God’s election. He believed
describing some of the differences among Calvinists. his responsibility was to preach the gospel to as many
There are soul winning Calvinists, Calvinists with great sinners as possible. He believed that tools such as prayer
evangelistic and missionary zeal; and there are could result in a greater harvest of souls. He had prayer
Calvinists who condemn these things. Some interpret meetings before the preaching services and every
Calvinism in such a way that they do not believe in Monday night and on other occasions. Sometimes when
offering salvation to or preaching the gospel to all
the auditorium of the Metropolitan Tabernacle was full,

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