Deciphering a Calvinist Church's Statement of Faith
(This is taken from How to Tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist, with some additions. Remember that this is only my opinion, my assessment, and my suggestions, based of what I've learned about Calvinism so far.)
A church's Statement of Faith tells you a lot about the theology of that church. But some Calvinist churches are careful to hide their Calvinist views because they know it's controversial and might scare people off. So they might be very careful with their wording and will not clearly identify themselves as "Calvinist" or "Reformed." Sometimes it takes reading between the lines - being able to identify the "covert Calvinism" - to know if the church is Calvinist or not.
1. First off, pay attention for one or more of these kinds of words and phrases:
election, predestination, decree, ordains or fore-ordains, sovereignty or sovereign control, "doctrines of grace," covenant theology, reformed theology
"Man is utterly depraved and totally wicked from birth." [To Calvinists, we are not just "depraved," as in "The Fall affected every part of us and our world, separating us from God and filling us with sin, leading to the need for a Savior to make salvation possible for mankind." To them, we are "utterly depraved," as in "We are so depraved that we are born as wicked God-haters who can only sin and reject God and who are totally unable to even want God or think about God or seek God, unless God makes us do it. (Well, the elect only, that is. Everyone else is out of luck.)" Big difference!]
"We cannot do anything to save ourselves; we are totally dependent on God for salvation." [Calvinists include "believing in God" in this "can't do anything to save ourselves" thing. They believe that "believing in God" is the same as "working for our salvation," and so since we cannot work for salvation, they believe we cannot choose to believe in God either. Therefore, they reason, God has to be the one to cause someone to believe or not. Now, of course, we can't work for salvation, but they are wrong from the beginning to define belief as a "work." It is not. It is our God-given responsibility to decide how we will respond to the choice God gave us to accept Him or reject Him. And I think it's wise and biblical to believe that if God tells us over and over again to "believe" - to choose whom we will worship, to choose obedience to Him over disobedience, to seek Him - then it is most definitely a decision we have to make, and He expects us to make the right one.]
"Man is totally dead and unable to respond to God without the work of the Holy Spirit." [Calvinists say that a spiritually-dead person is like a physically-dead body that can't do anything on their own. And therefore, according to them, a spiritually-dead person cannot even think about God or want God on their own, and so God (Calvi-god, my name for Calvinism's god) has to make them do it (well, the elect only!). But they are wrong to equate spiritual death with a physically-dead body. Two totally different conditions. One does not have a working brain, and one does. And God expects us to use our working brain to see Him in His creation and to seek Him, so that we might find life, and there's no excuse for not doing this because He is so clear to us (Acts 17:27, Romans 1:20). Besides, if a spiritually-dead person can't do anything (not even think or make decisions), then how can they sin or reject God or hate God? And so if they can't do anything then it means they are doing nothing, which means that the non-elect are predestined to hell for doing nothing. What does that say about Calvi-god!?! And what a conundrum!]
"The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners so that they can believe." [So in Calvinism, being regenerated comes before believing in God and before even being able to understand the Gospel. And being elected - chosen for salvation - comes before being regenerated. So essentially, being saved comes before hearing the Gospel and believing in God. So ... Calvinists aren't saved because they believe; they believe because they are saved. And so I wonder, if the non-elect are predestined to never be able to understand/respond to the Gospel and the elect cannot understand/respond to it until the Holy Spirit regenerates them (after they are predestined for heaven and guaranteed salvation), then what good is the Gospel really, if it really has no effect on whether or not we are saved? Essentially, Calvinism uses the Gospel to destroy the need for the Gospel! I call that "satanically brilliant"!]
"Faith is a gift from God, and He chooses whom to give it to." [See "Is Faith a Gift God Gives (forces on) Us?"]
"God didn't have to save any of us, but in His wonderful grace He choose to save a group of people for Himself. See how loving, gracious, and merciful He is - to save some of us when He didn't need to save anyone!" (Well, Calvi-god also didn't have to predestine most people to hell because he had more than enough power to save everyone, but he did it anyway. So what's that say about him? Apparently, Calvi-god did it because he gets glory for putting people in hell. Seriously, what's that say about him!?!)
"God fore-ordained all things since before time began."
"Before earth was created, God chose to redeem for Himself a group of people." [Many of us would interpret this as God choosing to take a group of people to heaven with Him, but that we have to decide to be part of that group or not. But Calvinists would see it as God chose who got to be in that group and who didn't. Another big difference!]
Yes, Calvinists use biblical ideas and words, but they put an unbiblical spin on them. So be discerning and know your Bible! (Such as predestination. They say it means God chooses whether we go to heaven or hell. But biblically, I would say that predestination means that God has predestined that true believers will grow to be more like Christ and to bring Him glory and to be glorified eventually. Big difference! I explain it to my kids this way: Imagine that there are two buses, one to heaven and one to hell. Biblically, God has predestined where the buses will end up, but He hasn't predestined who rides which bus. He leaves that up to us. And He invites us all to get on the bus to heaven. There is a seat on that bus for anyone who wants it and who will accept it. And important point: If we refuse to get on the bus to heaven, we end up on the bus to hell, by default.)
(And be aware that many Calvinist pastors know that Calvinism is a hotly-contested and highly-inflammatory subject, so they will do their best to avoid the terms “Calvinism” and “Calvinist.”)
2. Here is a section from the "How to tell ..." post (actually, it's one I recently added after finally getting around to writing it) to show you some of this in action, to help you identify the Calvinism in a church's Statement of Faith.
This is a look at the well-known Calvinist churches of Sovereign Grace. Notice that most of it sounds fine, worded in such a way to not set off any alarms. But here are the things that should alert and alarm you:
... "reformed" and "doctrines of grace"
... the role of the Holy Spirit is to basically give us faith, instead of Him responding to our choice to put our faith in Jesus. [Calvinists don't believe faith is a choice, but that it's something Calvi-god gives to the elect, and only the elect.]
... because of the fall, man became "inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive." [Calvinists love to emphasize how "depraved" we are, as if to show how supremely humble and "God-honoring" they are to reduce themselves so low and elevate God so high. (Yet they do this in a way that is not biblical, that God Himself doesn't even support - such as by deciding that "God is sovereign" must mean that "God has to control every tiny detail, even our sins, or else He's not really a sovereign God." Yet God Himself shows us in His Word that He has chosen to not use His sovereign power to control everything. He is over and above all and has the final say in everything and works all things into His plans, but He has allowed us to have certain freedoms and to make real choices within boundaries. This is how He has decided to use His power, as seen all throughout His Word. And I wonder, if Calvinists alter the Gospel and God's character to show how "humble" and "God-honoring" they are, can that really be considered humble and God-honoring? Another satanic scheme, using humility and the desire to honor God against God, against Truth.) And it takes a "special work of grace" (Calvi-god's election of certain pre-chosen people and their regeneration by the Holy Spirit) to cause people - the elect only! - to return to God.]
... This depravity "extends to his mind, will, and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan." [This doesn't just mean that the Fall affected all parts of us negatively, that it separated us from God and put us under the influence of sin and Satan. It doesn't just mean that depraved people don't generally want God or seek God. It means that depraved, unregenerate people (ultimately meaning those predestined to hell, because the elect are predestined to be regenerated) are incapable of seeking God, wanting God, or thinking about God. They can only always want to sin and choose to sin. They can never want to - never have the ability to - seek God, want God, choose God, or obey God, because Calvi-god predetermined they would get the "unregenerate" nature, which only comes with the desire to sin and rebel and reject God. Whereas, Calvi-god regenerates the elect by giving them the Holy Spirit to "wake them up spiritually," giving them the "regenerate" nature which contains the desire to seek him, obey him, repent and be saved. Calvi-god determines which nature you get, and you can only do what your nature tells you to do. And you can never do anything to change or affect your Calvi-god-determined nature, meaning that the unregenerate can never be or want to be regenerated. If you weren't chosen as one of the elect, then your mind, will, and affections (desires) will always be depraved, and you will always be incapable of wanting/seeking/choosing/obeying God, and you will never be able to do anything to change your condition. Because you weren't chosen.]
... "Man's response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the free and unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory." [This means that Calvi-god decides who responds to the Gospel and who doesn't, for his pleasure and glory. And this means that Calvi-god is pleased to predestine some people to heaven and the rest to hell, that it's for his glory that some are in heaven and the rest are in hell. Both are equally glorifying to him, just as evil and good are, since he causes both things - all things - for his glory. (Think about the implications of that!) The "unconditional" part doesn't mean that Calvi-god offers salvation unconditionally to everyone. The "free and unconditional" part is only for the elect, meaning that Calvi-god gives faith/salvation to the elect without any conditions they must meet first, not even "choosing to believe the Gospel" or "choosing to put your faith in God" or "accepting Jesus." Because Calvinists believe these things are "working for salvation." And since we can't work for salvation, they say that we can't do these things either. (But the problem is they mis-define these as "works," which changes the whole Gospel and how we get salvation.) And so the elect are prechosen for salvation and regenerated (filled with and regenerated by Calvi-Holy Spirit) before they can even understand/respond to the Gospel and before they believe and repent. In Calvinism, being chosen and regenerated has to come first, so that the elect have the ability to hear/respond to the Gospel and to believe and repent. Everyone else - those not chosen - remain prisoners to their depraved "sin nature" and can never be saved.]
... "the gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God's grace, put saving faith in Christ." [In Calvinism, this doesn't mean that anyone can repent, just that those who do repent - which will only be the elect! - will be saved. (Just like Calvinists say that God calls everyone to repent and that anyone can come to Christ if they "want to," knowing full well that they believe only the elect can and will want to repent, that the non-elect can never want to repent. It's word trickery, to make you think they are saying that anyone can come to Christ, that salvation is truly available to all, when they are really not saying this at all.) In Calvinism, "God's grace" determines who has faith and who doesn't. And Calvi-god's grace is only for the elect. So if he didn't choose to give you his grace, then you never have the chance to find saving faith in Jesus.]
... "Anyone turning from sin in repentance" [I only include this because, while it is a critical part of salvation, Calvinists say this instead of anything having to do with someone putting their faith in Jesus, or accepting Jesus, or choosing to believe in Jesus. There is no room in Calvinism for these things because, as I pointed out, they believe this is "working for our salvation." And so in the absence of those kinds of phrases, they say "repenting of sins." Although I don't know how they can think that choosing to believe in Jesus is "works," but repenting of sin is not. Interesting! Although they would probably say that the elect don't repent to become saved, but that they repent because they were already chosen to be saved, because the Holy Spirit regenerated them. See the *Update below for more on this.]
... "persevere in the faith (one of the five petals of the Calvinist TULIP] ... the believer's ultimate confidence to persevere is in the sure promise of God to preserve his people to the end." [This means that if you are definitely one of the elect then God will cause you to persevere, to keep your faith till the end. But the downside is that if you don't persevere, you must not have been one of the elect. And you won't know for sure whether you are truly elected or not until the end, until and unless you persevere to the end. Talk about "working" for your salvation! See the section on "evanescent grace" in this post, to see how "secure" a Calvinist's salvation really is.] ... God "creates the Church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race" [To me, this sounds like they are NOT saying that God calls all sinful men of the world to repent and become part of the Church, but that Calvi-god has called and chosen certain, specific men from the whole human race to be part of the Church. Big difference!]
[*Update July 2020: I couldn't figure out why the Calvinist emphasis on repentance bothered me so much, until this morning when I was reading Acts 19:1-5:
"... There he [Paul] found some disciples and asked them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?'
They answered, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' [Note: Acts is a transitionary time-period as things shift into the Church Age, from before the coming of the Holy Spirit to after.]
So Paul asked, 'Then what baptism did you receive?'
'John's baptism,' they replied.
Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.' On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus."
While reading this, I immediately thought about the emphasis Calvinists put on repentance, as if it's what you do to be saved, the only thing you need to do. They teach this instead of "believing in and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior."
The thing is, Calvinists don't think we have a choice about believing or not. They think it's ultimately up to the Lord if we believe or not, that God first elects those who will believe and then He gives them the Holy Spirit to regenerate them and then He makes them believe. The elect cannot believe without the Holy Spirit first regenerating them. And so Calvinists do not call people to "believe in/accept Jesus" because they don't think we have a choice about it.
And so they stress "repenting" instead of "believing," as if repentance is our only responsibility, the gateway to being saved.
But Acts 19:4 says that John the Baptist taught the baptism of repentance, and this was before Jesus died for our sins. And I think this means that repentance is what was required of people before Jesus died on the cross (along with the Jewish system of following laws and sacrificing animals for their sins, etc.). This is what was required before the Holy Spirit came, before we had the option of believing in Jesus.
But now, after Jesus, the "gateway to salvation" has shifted from repenting to believing, to choosing to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Mere repentance is not enough. You have to believe. The author of Acts even stresses this when he says that John told the people to believe in Jesus. John did baptisms of repentance, but he said that when Jesus comes, it's about "believing."
One of the only verses in the New Testament that attaches repentance to salvation is Acts 2:38. It says that the people were to repent and be baptized in Jesus' name, and then they would receive the Holy Spirit. But I believe that the saving action here is not the repenting but the "being baptized in the name of Jesus," which is not just a physical water baptism but a "believing in Him, calling on Him" baptism. This is when the Holy Spirit is given, after the believing, not just in response to repenting. And this is seen in Acts 19 above when those particular disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit until after being baptized in Jesus' name, even though they already went through a baptism of repentance.
The thing is, when I looked up "repent" in the concordance, it simply says it's about changing your mind for the better. It involves three steps: gaining new knowledge about something, regretting the course of action you were/are on, and changing your course of action for the better.
Let me ask Calvinists this: Where, in any of that, is Jesus?
And this is why it bothered me so much, even though I couldn't put it into words yet.
Repentance is a good, important thing, but it essentially leaves Jesus out. It falls short of putting your faith in Jesus. Repentance, on its own, is not much different than self-therapeutic behavior-modification.
Calvinists say that we can't choose to believe. (Yet they think we can somehow choose to repent!?!) They call believing a "work" and say that since we can't do any works to be saved then we can't choose to believe. They shame you into agreeing with them by saying that if you think you can choose to believe in Jesus, then it's because you are trying to work for your salvation, to take credit for it, acting like you did something to save yourself.
But repentance is far closer to "working to save yourself" than believing is. Repentance involves changing your mind and then, consequently, changing your course of action, leaving your old one behind and adopting a new, better one. Repentance is a lifestyle of living better than you were.
This is far more "works" than believing ever could be!
And it's a brilliant, subtle, satanic scheme, reversing what God said, replacing what He requires (believing) with a much greater "work" (repenting), while accusing believing of being the one that is "working for your salvation." Brilliant! Wicked!
But do you know what?
The Bible does say "believing" is a "work." But it says that it's the one work God requires of us to be saved: "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent [Jesus].'" (John 6:28-29)
Question: If Calvinists say that we can't do the one thing God requires us to do to be saved, then how in the world can anyone be saved the Calvinist way? (And I don't see how the action of "repenting" is any less of a choice than believing is. Both are the responsibility of the one doing it.)
Looking again quickly at Acts 2:38: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Calvinism essentially reads this as "Repent and you will be saved." They might not say it, but their emphasis on repentance, without belief, does. But considering what "repent" really means in the concordance, that would be like saying this: "Change your mind and the course of your actions, pick a better path, and you will be saved."
Once again, where is Jesus in this?
But being baptized in Jesus' name is to put your faith in Him, to identify with Him, to embrace Him as Lord and Savior. And this is when the Holy Spirit comes, not just through mere repentance.
Ephesians 1:13: "Havingrepented believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." (my correction)
Acts 2:38 is not meant to emphasize just repentance, but to emphasize the fact that we need to change our mind, to turn from our present course towards Jesus, to believe in Him and follow Him in obedience.
But Calvinists make repentance our only real responsibility (changing our mind and course of action), while they ignore believing in Jesus, claiming we can't do this because it's "works."
But you can't get to true repentance unless you go through believing first. Because if you try to do that, all you end up with is man-powered behavior-modification, changing your course towards something better but not necessarily towards Jesus.
But in Calvinism, believing does not lead to salvation; being chosen for salvation leads to believing. In Calvinism, believing does not lead to getting the Holy Spirit; getting the Holy Spirit leads to believing.
In Calvinism, it's get elected (chosen for salvation) first, get the Holy Spirit second, be drawn to the Lord by the Holy Spirit third, and believe last. And somewhere before "believe" is "repent."
But in the Bible, believing is first, and then we are saved and get the Holy Spirit. And repentance is simply choosing to change our mind and our path. We do this when we choose to believe in Jesus, to change from our old ways and to choose to follow Him instead. And we do this as believers when we continue to seek forgiveness for sins to restore our relationship with the Lord.
But repentance is not the "gateway to salvation." Believing is.
Now, I am not saying repentance isn't necessary, that it's not crucial for the forgiveness of sins. Luke 24:47 stresses this: "and repentance and the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations ..." But notice that forgiveness is found "in his [Jesus'] name," not just in repentance. And this verse ties into another one: "Therefore, brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified ..." (Acts 13:38-39)
Once again, it all comes back to believing. Repentance and forgiveness come back to believing.
As I said, Acts is the transition between the old way and the new way. And after the book of Acts come all the books that are intended for the Church, the Epistles. And in these books, you find little emphasis on repentance. And I found only one instance of it tied to salvation: 2 Corinthians 7:9-10.
"yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.... Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation..."
However, it's important to note that this letter is written to the Church, to Christians. It's not about unbelievers repenting to be saved; it's about believers repenting to grow to be more like Christ, to restore their relationship with Him.
But yes, it does say "repentance that leads to salvation." And so I looked up "salvation" in Strong's concordance (with Vine's Expository Dictionary), but "salvation" has several different meanings and I couldn't find what was meant by this word in this particular verse. But 2 Corinthians 6:2 also uses the word "salvation," and the concordance clarified its usage in that verse. And since 7:9-10 comes hot on the heels of 6:2, it stands to reason that the writer is referring to the same thing.
And the usage of "salvation" in 6:2 is not about eternal salvation, heaven or hell. It's about the sum of all the blessings that a believer gets from God through the Holy Spirit.
So the most likely way to understand 7:9-10 is not that an unbeliever's repentance leads to salvation, but that a believer's repentance helps them keep all the blessings that the Holy Spirit gives to faithful followers of Christ.
Big difference!
And like I said, this is really one of the only references to repentance leading to salvation in the Epistles. And it's not even about the eternal salvation of your soul.
But do you know what the Epistles do link to eternal salvation, time and time again?
That's right: Believing. Calling on Jesus as Lord and Savior.
See John 1:12, John 3:16-18, John 20:31, Acts 16:31, Romans 1:16, Romans 3:22, Romans 10:9-13, Galatians 3:22, 1 Timothy 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 10:39, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 5:1,5,13.
And incidentally, 1 John 3:23 confirms the truth that God gave us the work of believing: "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ..." It is a command. Something God requires us to do.
Does God give us commands that He prevents us from being able to follow?
(Calvinists would say "yes." They would say, "Yes, God commands us to believe, but only the elect can and will believe. But God ordained that the non-elect would never believe because He didn't choose them. But He still gave them the command to believe, even though they can't do it, to make them guilty for rejecting Him so that He could punish them in hell like He predetermined. For His glory." What kind of a horrible god is Calvi-god!?! Once again, Calvi-god is not the God of the Bible!)
And while repentance is a part of it, believing is the one thing God requires us to do to be saved, the one work He gave us, that He won't do for us.
And yet Calvinists insist that believing is something we can't do on our own, that He has to do it for us.
And so I ask: Who's wrong? God or Calvinists?
Maybe this isn't interesting to you, but it is to me. Because it shows the error of of Calvinism again, the folly of their emphasis on repentance while denying the one thing God requires us to do to be saved: Believe!]
3. Also pay attention to any other "historic confessions" that they believe in, such as the London Baptist Confessions, Westminster Confession, New Hampshire Confession, Abstract Principles, Canons of Dort, Heidelberg Catechism ... (Check out this list and this other list of the historic confessions that are common in reformed churches. I haven't read these confessions myself; I am just passing on what I've found online. And apparently, the "Baptist Faith and Message" 2000 seems to have a clear Calvinist-bent, especially given that Albert Mohler is one of the main shapers of that statement. See point #5 in that link, about the trend towards Calvinism.)
This should help you begin to learn to decipher whether a church is Calvinist or not, based on their Statement of Faith.
Additionally:
4. Here is another example of a Calvinist Statement of Faith, albeit a very short one: Calvin Christian School. Notice these phrases:
"founded in the Reformation"
"Apart from the work of God, we are spiritually helpless and dead in sin." [In Calvinism, "helpless" doesn't mean "We can't save ourselves," which all Christians would agree with. But it means "We are helpless to even think spiritual thoughts, to want God in our lives, to seek God, to choose to believe in God, unless God makes us do it. And He will only do it for the elect." Of course, all Christians believe God's work in saving us is essential, that we could never have saved ourselves, that salvation was fully His idea, that He alone made it possible. But I believe the Bible says that He did all the work to make salvation possible for all of us and that He genuinely offers it to all of us (meaning that it's possible for all of us to accept it), but He gave us the responsibility to decide how to respond to that offer, to accept it or reject it. But Calvinists believe God works to save only the elect, not offering salvation to everyone. Actually, to be accurate, they will say God "offered" salvation to all, but they believe that only the elect can respond to that offer, that God created the non-elect to be unable to respond to it. What kind of "offer" is that!?!]
"Jesus ... died on the cross to atone for the sins of all who believe..." [I believe the Bible says that Jesus died for everyone's sins, making salvation available to all, but that only those who accept His sacrificial death on their behalf by believing and repenting will be saved. However, Calvinists make sure to emphasize that Jesus only died for the sins of those who will believe, which in Calvinism means the elect. There's a big difference between "Jesus died for the sins of the world but only those who believe will be saved" and "Jesus died for the sins of those who believe."]
"The Holy Spirit works to bring the dead to life by giving sinners the gift of faith ..." [Yes, the Holy Spirit calls to people and convicts them of sin, but I would say He does this for all people, even though most refuse to listen. And once we choose to believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us grow in faith and wisdom. However, Calvinists believe the Holy Spirit only truly calls to the elect, virtually causing them - and only them - to become believers by giving them the gift of faith, and only them. Everyone else was not chosen, does not receive the "gift" of faith, and had no chance to believe or be saved.]
5. And another one for you to read and think critically about: Grace Community Church, John MacArthur's church, a Calvinist hero to many. You can see the Calvinism dripping from this one. (Don't be fooled by the mega-list of Bible verses that Calvinists use to support their beliefs. Look each one up, in context, and read it critically and thoroughly, keeping the overall message of the Bible and God's character in mind, to see what the verses are really saying. One thing to keep in mind about Calvinism is that it conditions you to believe its interpretation of Scripture by first telling you how it interprets the Word and then giving you the verses that supposedly "confirm" it. Don't let them tell you what a verse is saying. Know the Bible for yourself so that you can know what the Truth is and can discern errors when you hear them. Also see: 12 Tips on How to Think Critically About Calvinism.)
A church's Statement of Faith tells you a lot about the theology of that church. But some Calvinist churches are careful to hide their Calvinist views because they know it's controversial and might scare people off. So they might be very careful with their wording and will not clearly identify themselves as "Calvinist" or "Reformed." Sometimes it takes reading between the lines - being able to identify the "covert Calvinism" - to know if the church is Calvinist or not.
1. First off, pay attention for one or more of these kinds of words and phrases:
election, predestination, decree, ordains or fore-ordains, sovereignty or sovereign control, "doctrines of grace," covenant theology, reformed theology
"Man is utterly depraved and totally wicked from birth." [To Calvinists, we are not just "depraved," as in "The Fall affected every part of us and our world, separating us from God and filling us with sin, leading to the need for a Savior to make salvation possible for mankind." To them, we are "utterly depraved," as in "We are so depraved that we are born as wicked God-haters who can only sin and reject God and who are totally unable to even want God or think about God or seek God, unless God makes us do it. (Well, the elect only, that is. Everyone else is out of luck.)" Big difference!]
"We cannot do anything to save ourselves; we are totally dependent on God for salvation." [Calvinists include "believing in God" in this "can't do anything to save ourselves" thing. They believe that "believing in God" is the same as "working for our salvation," and so since we cannot work for salvation, they believe we cannot choose to believe in God either. Therefore, they reason, God has to be the one to cause someone to believe or not. Now, of course, we can't work for salvation, but they are wrong from the beginning to define belief as a "work." It is not. It is our God-given responsibility to decide how we will respond to the choice God gave us to accept Him or reject Him. And I think it's wise and biblical to believe that if God tells us over and over again to "believe" - to choose whom we will worship, to choose obedience to Him over disobedience, to seek Him - then it is most definitely a decision we have to make, and He expects us to make the right one.]
"Man is totally dead and unable to respond to God without the work of the Holy Spirit." [Calvinists say that a spiritually-dead person is like a physically-dead body that can't do anything on their own. And therefore, according to them, a spiritually-dead person cannot even think about God or want God on their own, and so God (Calvi-god, my name for Calvinism's god) has to make them do it (well, the elect only!). But they are wrong to equate spiritual death with a physically-dead body. Two totally different conditions. One does not have a working brain, and one does. And God expects us to use our working brain to see Him in His creation and to seek Him, so that we might find life, and there's no excuse for not doing this because He is so clear to us (Acts 17:27, Romans 1:20). Besides, if a spiritually-dead person can't do anything (not even think or make decisions), then how can they sin or reject God or hate God? And so if they can't do anything then it means they are doing nothing, which means that the non-elect are predestined to hell for doing nothing. What does that say about Calvi-god!?! And what a conundrum!]
"The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners so that they can believe." [So in Calvinism, being regenerated comes before believing in God and before even being able to understand the Gospel. And being elected - chosen for salvation - comes before being regenerated. So essentially, being saved comes before hearing the Gospel and believing in God. So ... Calvinists aren't saved because they believe; they believe because they are saved. And so I wonder, if the non-elect are predestined to never be able to understand/respond to the Gospel and the elect cannot understand/respond to it until the Holy Spirit regenerates them (after they are predestined for heaven and guaranteed salvation), then what good is the Gospel really, if it really has no effect on whether or not we are saved? Essentially, Calvinism uses the Gospel to destroy the need for the Gospel! I call that "satanically brilliant"!]
"Faith is a gift from God, and He chooses whom to give it to." [See "Is Faith a Gift God Gives (forces on) Us?"]
"God didn't have to save any of us, but in His wonderful grace He choose to save a group of people for Himself. See how loving, gracious, and merciful He is - to save some of us when He didn't need to save anyone!" (Well, Calvi-god also didn't have to predestine most people to hell because he had more than enough power to save everyone, but he did it anyway. So what's that say about him? Apparently, Calvi-god did it because he gets glory for putting people in hell. Seriously, what's that say about him!?!)
"God fore-ordained all things since before time began."
"Before earth was created, God chose to redeem for Himself a group of people." [Many of us would interpret this as God choosing to take a group of people to heaven with Him, but that we have to decide to be part of that group or not. But Calvinists would see it as God chose who got to be in that group and who didn't. Another big difference!]
Yes, Calvinists use biblical ideas and words, but they put an unbiblical spin on them. So be discerning and know your Bible! (Such as predestination. They say it means God chooses whether we go to heaven or hell. But biblically, I would say that predestination means that God has predestined that true believers will grow to be more like Christ and to bring Him glory and to be glorified eventually. Big difference! I explain it to my kids this way: Imagine that there are two buses, one to heaven and one to hell. Biblically, God has predestined where the buses will end up, but He hasn't predestined who rides which bus. He leaves that up to us. And He invites us all to get on the bus to heaven. There is a seat on that bus for anyone who wants it and who will accept it. And important point: If we refuse to get on the bus to heaven, we end up on the bus to hell, by default.)
(And be aware that many Calvinist pastors know that Calvinism is a hotly-contested and highly-inflammatory subject, so they will do their best to avoid the terms “Calvinism” and “Calvinist.”)
2. Here is a section from the "How to tell ..." post (actually, it's one I recently added after finally getting around to writing it) to show you some of this in action, to help you identify the Calvinism in a church's Statement of Faith.
This is a look at the well-known Calvinist churches of Sovereign Grace. Notice that most of it sounds fine, worded in such a way to not set off any alarms. But here are the things that should alert and alarm you:
... the role of the Holy Spirit is to basically give us faith, instead of Him responding to our choice to put our faith in Jesus. [Calvinists don't believe faith is a choice, but that it's something Calvi-god gives to the elect, and only the elect.]
... because of the fall, man became "inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive." [Calvinists love to emphasize how "depraved" we are, as if to show how supremely humble and "God-honoring" they are to reduce themselves so low and elevate God so high. (Yet they do this in a way that is not biblical, that God Himself doesn't even support - such as by deciding that "God is sovereign" must mean that "God has to control every tiny detail, even our sins, or else He's not really a sovereign God." Yet God Himself shows us in His Word that He has chosen to not use His sovereign power to control everything. He is over and above all and has the final say in everything and works all things into His plans, but He has allowed us to have certain freedoms and to make real choices within boundaries. This is how He has decided to use His power, as seen all throughout His Word. And I wonder, if Calvinists alter the Gospel and God's character to show how "humble" and "God-honoring" they are, can that really be considered humble and God-honoring? Another satanic scheme, using humility and the desire to honor God against God, against Truth.) And it takes a "special work of grace" (Calvi-god's election of certain pre-chosen people and their regeneration by the Holy Spirit) to cause people - the elect only! - to return to God.]
... This depravity "extends to his mind, will, and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan." [This doesn't just mean that the Fall affected all parts of us negatively, that it separated us from God and put us under the influence of sin and Satan. It doesn't just mean that depraved people don't generally want God or seek God. It means that depraved, unregenerate people (ultimately meaning those predestined to hell, because the elect are predestined to be regenerated) are incapable of seeking God, wanting God, or thinking about God. They can only always want to sin and choose to sin. They can never want to - never have the ability to - seek God, want God, choose God, or obey God, because Calvi-god predetermined they would get the "unregenerate" nature, which only comes with the desire to sin and rebel and reject God. Whereas, Calvi-god regenerates the elect by giving them the Holy Spirit to "wake them up spiritually," giving them the "regenerate" nature which contains the desire to seek him, obey him, repent and be saved. Calvi-god determines which nature you get, and you can only do what your nature tells you to do. And you can never do anything to change or affect your Calvi-god-determined nature, meaning that the unregenerate can never be or want to be regenerated. If you weren't chosen as one of the elect, then your mind, will, and affections (desires) will always be depraved, and you will always be incapable of wanting/seeking/choosing/obeying God, and you will never be able to do anything to change your condition. Because you weren't chosen.]
... "Man's response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the free and unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory." [This means that Calvi-god decides who responds to the Gospel and who doesn't, for his pleasure and glory. And this means that Calvi-god is pleased to predestine some people to heaven and the rest to hell, that it's for his glory that some are in heaven and the rest are in hell. Both are equally glorifying to him, just as evil and good are, since he causes both things - all things - for his glory. (Think about the implications of that!) The "unconditional" part doesn't mean that Calvi-god offers salvation unconditionally to everyone. The "free and unconditional" part is only for the elect, meaning that Calvi-god gives faith/salvation to the elect without any conditions they must meet first, not even "choosing to believe the Gospel" or "choosing to put your faith in God" or "accepting Jesus." Because Calvinists believe these things are "working for salvation." And since we can't work for salvation, they say that we can't do these things either. (But the problem is they mis-define these as "works," which changes the whole Gospel and how we get salvation.) And so the elect are prechosen for salvation and regenerated (filled with and regenerated by Calvi-Holy Spirit) before they can even understand/respond to the Gospel and before they believe and repent. In Calvinism, being chosen and regenerated has to come first, so that the elect have the ability to hear/respond to the Gospel and to believe and repent. Everyone else - those not chosen - remain prisoners to their depraved "sin nature" and can never be saved.]
... "the gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God's grace, put saving faith in Christ." [In Calvinism, this doesn't mean that anyone can repent, just that those who do repent - which will only be the elect! - will be saved. (Just like Calvinists say that God calls everyone to repent and that anyone can come to Christ if they "want to," knowing full well that they believe only the elect can and will want to repent, that the non-elect can never want to repent. It's word trickery, to make you think they are saying that anyone can come to Christ, that salvation is truly available to all, when they are really not saying this at all.) In Calvinism, "God's grace" determines who has faith and who doesn't. And Calvi-god's grace is only for the elect. So if he didn't choose to give you his grace, then you never have the chance to find saving faith in Jesus.]
... "Anyone turning from sin in repentance" [I only include this because, while it is a critical part of salvation, Calvinists say this instead of anything having to do with someone putting their faith in Jesus, or accepting Jesus, or choosing to believe in Jesus. There is no room in Calvinism for these things because, as I pointed out, they believe this is "working for our salvation." And so in the absence of those kinds of phrases, they say "repenting of sins." Although I don't know how they can think that choosing to believe in Jesus is "works," but repenting of sin is not. Interesting! Although they would probably say that the elect don't repent to become saved, but that they repent because they were already chosen to be saved, because the Holy Spirit regenerated them. See the *Update below for more on this.]
... "persevere in the faith (one of the five petals of the Calvinist TULIP] ... the believer's ultimate confidence to persevere is in the sure promise of God to preserve his people to the end." [This means that if you are definitely one of the elect then God will cause you to persevere, to keep your faith till the end. But the downside is that if you don't persevere, you must not have been one of the elect. And you won't know for sure whether you are truly elected or not until the end, until and unless you persevere to the end. Talk about "working" for your salvation! See the section on "evanescent grace" in this post, to see how "secure" a Calvinist's salvation really is.] ... God "creates the Church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race" [To me, this sounds like they are NOT saying that God calls all sinful men of the world to repent and become part of the Church, but that Calvi-god has called and chosen certain, specific men from the whole human race to be part of the Church. Big difference!]
[*Update July 2020: I couldn't figure out why the Calvinist emphasis on repentance bothered me so much, until this morning when I was reading Acts 19:1-5:
"... There he [Paul] found some disciples and asked them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?'
They answered, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' [Note: Acts is a transitionary time-period as things shift into the Church Age, from before the coming of the Holy Spirit to after.]
So Paul asked, 'Then what baptism did you receive?'
'John's baptism,' they replied.
Paul said, 'John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.' On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus."
While reading this, I immediately thought about the emphasis Calvinists put on repentance, as if it's what you do to be saved, the only thing you need to do. They teach this instead of "believing in and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior."
The thing is, Calvinists don't think we have a choice about believing or not. They think it's ultimately up to the Lord if we believe or not, that God first elects those who will believe and then He gives them the Holy Spirit to regenerate them and then He makes them believe. The elect cannot believe without the Holy Spirit first regenerating them. And so Calvinists do not call people to "believe in/accept Jesus" because they don't think we have a choice about it.
And so they stress "repenting" instead of "believing," as if repentance is our only responsibility, the gateway to being saved.
But Acts 19:4 says that John the Baptist taught the baptism of repentance, and this was before Jesus died for our sins. And I think this means that repentance is what was required of people before Jesus died on the cross (along with the Jewish system of following laws and sacrificing animals for their sins, etc.). This is what was required before the Holy Spirit came, before we had the option of believing in Jesus.
But now, after Jesus, the "gateway to salvation" has shifted from repenting to believing, to choosing to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Mere repentance is not enough. You have to believe. The author of Acts even stresses this when he says that John told the people to believe in Jesus. John did baptisms of repentance, but he said that when Jesus comes, it's about "believing."
One of the only verses in the New Testament that attaches repentance to salvation is Acts 2:38. It says that the people were to repent and be baptized in Jesus' name, and then they would receive the Holy Spirit. But I believe that the saving action here is not the repenting but the "being baptized in the name of Jesus," which is not just a physical water baptism but a "believing in Him, calling on Him" baptism. This is when the Holy Spirit is given, after the believing, not just in response to repenting. And this is seen in Acts 19 above when those particular disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit until after being baptized in Jesus' name, even though they already went through a baptism of repentance.
The thing is, when I looked up "repent" in the concordance, it simply says it's about changing your mind for the better. It involves three steps: gaining new knowledge about something, regretting the course of action you were/are on, and changing your course of action for the better.
Let me ask Calvinists this: Where, in any of that, is Jesus?
And this is why it bothered me so much, even though I couldn't put it into words yet.
Repentance is a good, important thing, but it essentially leaves Jesus out. It falls short of putting your faith in Jesus. Repentance, on its own, is not much different than self-therapeutic behavior-modification.
Calvinists say that we can't choose to believe. (Yet they think we can somehow choose to repent!?!) They call believing a "work" and say that since we can't do any works to be saved then we can't choose to believe. They shame you into agreeing with them by saying that if you think you can choose to believe in Jesus, then it's because you are trying to work for your salvation, to take credit for it, acting like you did something to save yourself.
But repentance is far closer to "working to save yourself" than believing is. Repentance involves changing your mind and then, consequently, changing your course of action, leaving your old one behind and adopting a new, better one. Repentance is a lifestyle of living better than you were.
This is far more "works" than believing ever could be!
And it's a brilliant, subtle, satanic scheme, reversing what God said, replacing what He requires (believing) with a much greater "work" (repenting), while accusing believing of being the one that is "working for your salvation." Brilliant! Wicked!
But do you know what?
The Bible does say "believing" is a "work." But it says that it's the one work God requires of us to be saved: "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent [Jesus].'" (John 6:28-29)
Question: If Calvinists say that we can't do the one thing God requires us to do to be saved, then how in the world can anyone be saved the Calvinist way? (And I don't see how the action of "repenting" is any less of a choice than believing is. Both are the responsibility of the one doing it.)
Looking again quickly at Acts 2:38: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Calvinism essentially reads this as "Repent and you will be saved." They might not say it, but their emphasis on repentance, without belief, does. But considering what "repent" really means in the concordance, that would be like saying this: "Change your mind and the course of your actions, pick a better path, and you will be saved."
Once again, where is Jesus in this?
But being baptized in Jesus' name is to put your faith in Him, to identify with Him, to embrace Him as Lord and Savior. And this is when the Holy Spirit comes, not just through mere repentance.
Ephesians 1:13: "Having
Acts 2:38 is not meant to emphasize just repentance, but to emphasize the fact that we need to change our mind, to turn from our present course towards Jesus, to believe in Him and follow Him in obedience.
But Calvinists make repentance our only real responsibility (changing our mind and course of action), while they ignore believing in Jesus, claiming we can't do this because it's "works."
But you can't get to true repentance unless you go through believing first. Because if you try to do that, all you end up with is man-powered behavior-modification, changing your course towards something better but not necessarily towards Jesus.
But in Calvinism, believing does not lead to salvation; being chosen for salvation leads to believing. In Calvinism, believing does not lead to getting the Holy Spirit; getting the Holy Spirit leads to believing.
In Calvinism, it's get elected (chosen for salvation) first, get the Holy Spirit second, be drawn to the Lord by the Holy Spirit third, and believe last. And somewhere before "believe" is "repent."
But in the Bible, believing is first, and then we are saved and get the Holy Spirit. And repentance is simply choosing to change our mind and our path. We do this when we choose to believe in Jesus, to change from our old ways and to choose to follow Him instead. And we do this as believers when we continue to seek forgiveness for sins to restore our relationship with the Lord.
But repentance is not the "gateway to salvation." Believing is.
Now, I am not saying repentance isn't necessary, that it's not crucial for the forgiveness of sins. Luke 24:47 stresses this: "and repentance and the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations ..." But notice that forgiveness is found "in his [Jesus'] name," not just in repentance. And this verse ties into another one: "Therefore, brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified ..." (Acts 13:38-39)
Once again, it all comes back to believing. Repentance and forgiveness come back to believing.
As I said, Acts is the transition between the old way and the new way. And after the book of Acts come all the books that are intended for the Church, the Epistles. And in these books, you find little emphasis on repentance. And I found only one instance of it tied to salvation: 2 Corinthians 7:9-10.
"yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.... Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation..."
However, it's important to note that this letter is written to the Church, to Christians. It's not about unbelievers repenting to be saved; it's about believers repenting to grow to be more like Christ, to restore their relationship with Him.
But yes, it does say "repentance that leads to salvation." And so I looked up "salvation" in Strong's concordance (with Vine's Expository Dictionary), but "salvation" has several different meanings and I couldn't find what was meant by this word in this particular verse. But 2 Corinthians 6:2 also uses the word "salvation," and the concordance clarified its usage in that verse. And since 7:9-10 comes hot on the heels of 6:2, it stands to reason that the writer is referring to the same thing.
And the usage of "salvation" in 6:2 is not about eternal salvation, heaven or hell. It's about the sum of all the blessings that a believer gets from God through the Holy Spirit.
So the most likely way to understand 7:9-10 is not that an unbeliever's repentance leads to salvation, but that a believer's repentance helps them keep all the blessings that the Holy Spirit gives to faithful followers of Christ.
Big difference!
And like I said, this is really one of the only references to repentance leading to salvation in the Epistles. And it's not even about the eternal salvation of your soul.
But do you know what the Epistles do link to eternal salvation, time and time again?
That's right: Believing. Calling on Jesus as Lord and Savior.
See John 1:12, John 3:16-18, John 20:31, Acts 16:31, Romans 1:16, Romans 3:22, Romans 10:9-13, Galatians 3:22, 1 Timothy 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 10:39, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 5:1,5,13.
And incidentally, 1 John 3:23 confirms the truth that God gave us the work of believing: "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ..." It is a command. Something God requires us to do.
Does God give us commands that He prevents us from being able to follow?
(Calvinists would say "yes." They would say, "Yes, God commands us to believe, but only the elect can and will believe. But God ordained that the non-elect would never believe because He didn't choose them. But He still gave them the command to believe, even though they can't do it, to make them guilty for rejecting Him so that He could punish them in hell like He predetermined. For His glory." What kind of a horrible god is Calvi-god!?! Once again, Calvi-god is not the God of the Bible!)
And yet Calvinists insist that believing is something we can't do on our own, that He has to do it for us.
And so I ask: Who's wrong? God or Calvinists?
Maybe this isn't interesting to you, but it is to me. Because it shows the error of of Calvinism again, the folly of their emphasis on repentance while denying the one thing God requires us to do to be saved: Believe!]
3. Also pay attention to any other "historic confessions" that they believe in, such as the London Baptist Confessions, Westminster Confession, New Hampshire Confession, Abstract Principles, Canons of Dort, Heidelberg Catechism ... (Check out this list and this other list of the historic confessions that are common in reformed churches. I haven't read these confessions myself; I am just passing on what I've found online. And apparently, the "Baptist Faith and Message" 2000 seems to have a clear Calvinist-bent, especially given that Albert Mohler is one of the main shapers of that statement. See point #5 in that link, about the trend towards Calvinism.)
This should help you begin to learn to decipher whether a church is Calvinist or not, based on their Statement of Faith.
Additionally:
4. Here is another example of a Calvinist Statement of Faith, albeit a very short one: Calvin Christian School. Notice these phrases:
"founded in the Reformation"
"Apart from the work of God, we are spiritually helpless and dead in sin." [In Calvinism, "helpless" doesn't mean "We can't save ourselves," which all Christians would agree with. But it means "We are helpless to even think spiritual thoughts, to want God in our lives, to seek God, to choose to believe in God, unless God makes us do it. And He will only do it for the elect." Of course, all Christians believe God's work in saving us is essential, that we could never have saved ourselves, that salvation was fully His idea, that He alone made it possible. But I believe the Bible says that He did all the work to make salvation possible for all of us and that He genuinely offers it to all of us (meaning that it's possible for all of us to accept it), but He gave us the responsibility to decide how to respond to that offer, to accept it or reject it. But Calvinists believe God works to save only the elect, not offering salvation to everyone. Actually, to be accurate, they will say God "offered" salvation to all, but they believe that only the elect can respond to that offer, that God created the non-elect to be unable to respond to it. What kind of "offer" is that!?!]
"Jesus ... died on the cross to atone for the sins of all who believe..." [I believe the Bible says that Jesus died for everyone's sins, making salvation available to all, but that only those who accept His sacrificial death on their behalf by believing and repenting will be saved. However, Calvinists make sure to emphasize that Jesus only died for the sins of those who will believe, which in Calvinism means the elect. There's a big difference between "Jesus died for the sins of the world but only those who believe will be saved" and "Jesus died for the sins of those who believe."]
"The Holy Spirit works to bring the dead to life by giving sinners the gift of faith ..." [Yes, the Holy Spirit calls to people and convicts them of sin, but I would say He does this for all people, even though most refuse to listen. And once we choose to believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us grow in faith and wisdom. However, Calvinists believe the Holy Spirit only truly calls to the elect, virtually causing them - and only them - to become believers by giving them the gift of faith, and only them. Everyone else was not chosen, does not receive the "gift" of faith, and had no chance to believe or be saved.]
5. And another one for you to read and think critically about: Grace Community Church, John MacArthur's church, a Calvinist hero to many. You can see the Calvinism dripping from this one. (Don't be fooled by the mega-list of Bible verses that Calvinists use to support their beliefs. Look each one up, in context, and read it critically and thoroughly, keeping the overall message of the Bible and God's character in mind, to see what the verses are really saying. One thing to keep in mind about Calvinism is that it conditions you to believe its interpretation of Scripture by first telling you how it interprets the Word and then giving you the verses that supposedly "confirm" it. Don't let them tell you what a verse is saying. Know the Bible for yourself so that you can know what the Truth is and can discern errors when you hear them. Also see: 12 Tips on How to Think Critically About Calvinism.)
