Kaput: A Letter to Jen and Dale

by Evangelist Frank Tyler

Preface

This article began as a letter to my daughter Jen and son-in-law Dale to answer questions they had regarding Calvinism. When I discovered my grandson Caleb would attend Multnomah Bible College soon, I revised this letter and added footnotes to help him understand these issues in greater depth. From the perspective of equipping others to do evangelism, the ongoing conflict between Calvinism and Arminianism undermines assurance of eternal life; simply put, an individual cannot share what he does not know he has: namely, everlasting life. If the issues surrounding Arminianism and Calvinism are beginning to percolate into the spiritual life of my family, perhaps other brothers and sisters share similar concerns for their families.

Introduction

As a Dad, a Papa and an evangelist, I have expressed to you several times that Calvinists and Arminians are Reformed Catholics and subject to the woes of a super-sized definition of faith that includes the human will. All three systems of theology ascribe the intellect and will to a special category of faith called saving faith and thereby, in various ways, describe saving faith as an active decision involving knowledge, assent, and commitment to the gospel. [95] This presents a theological conundrum of biblical proportions, because in the Bible salvation unto eternal life is consistently presented as a free gift, one gifted entirely without works by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:1-25 and 11:6; Titus 3:4-7; James 1:17-18; 1 Peter 1:3-5; John all, but in particular 4:10). If saving faith is a volitional act of the will, how do these three theologies avoid mixing faith with works? [96] My short answer is they do not; they fail as systems at the most fundamental level. Catholicism, Arminianism, and Calvinism are kaput [97] as systems of theology.

Prevenient Grace: Priming the Gift of Saving Faith

Not unlike priming a carbureted, gasoline-powered motor prior to starting it, Arminianism and Catholicism posit an initial theological doctrine that enables an unbeliever to come to saving faith. At one time, both of these theologies advocated the doctrine ofprevenient [98] grace. Today, Catholics advocate a variant called a supernaturally infused virtue, while Arminians continue with the theological doctrine known as prevenient grace. According to the Calvinist, J. Alexander Rutherford: Prevenient grace “is said to functionally override total depravity, restoring free will while ensuring that salvation is solely by grace (sola gratia), and it bears the weight of the entirety of the Arminian soteriological system.” [99] Arminian scholar, Roger E. Olsen, recognizes prevenient grace as, “(t)he key distinctive doctrine of Armininanism. It may not be a biblical term, but it is a biblical concept assumed every-where in Scripture.”[100] Calvinists advocate a different doctrine called prefaith regeneration. [101] In all three theologies, believing is an active decision involving the will; therefore, God must intervene by grace in the lives of unbelievers to afford the opportunity to believe without accruing a good work.

Calvinists often critique both the Catholic and Arminian theological constructs as impositions placed upon saving faith in order to avoid the obvious implication that man through the exercise of his freewill enters into the work of his own salvation; that is man abets a cooperative synergistic effort with God though the drawing of the Holy Spirit. One of Calvinism’s foremost theologians, R.C. Sproul, explains:

What is meant by this drawing (John 6:43-44)? I have often heard it explained that, for a person to come to Christ, God the Holy Spirit must first woo or entice them to come . We have the ability, however, to resist this wooing and refuse the enticement.[102]

Sproul’s explanation accurately reflects Arminian as well as Catholic theologies. Consider Olsen’s explanation:

Arminians believe that if a person is saved, it is because God initiated the relationship and enabled the person to respond freely with repentance and faith . This prevenient grace includes at least four aspects or elements: calling, convicting, illuminating, and enabling. [103]

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. ‘ Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit , who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth.’ [104]

Arminius, himself, explains:

Concerning grace and freewill, this is what I teach according to the Scriptures and orthodox consent: Freewill is unable to begin

or to perfect any true and spiritual good, without grace…. This grace (prevenient) goes before, accompanies, and follows; it excites, assists, operates that we will, and cooperates lest we will in vain .[105]

Regarding classical Arminianism, Olsen writes:

… classical Arminianism does not depict human beings as able to initiate or aid in their own salvation; humans are dead in trespasses and sins until the prevenient grace of God awakens and enables them to exercise a good will toward God in repentance and faith … Repentance and faith, then are produced in the sinner by God’s Spirit and are not works of ‘autonomous man.’ But the person must receive and not resist them in order to be saved .[106]

Both Catholicism and Arminianism espouse a synergistic work on the part of God and man as a requirement for saving faith. According to the famed Arminian, John Wesley: “Salvation begins with what is usually termed… preventing grace; including the first wish to please God, the dawn of light concerning this will, and the first slight transient convictions of having sinned against him.” [107]

Rutherford queries the dilemma underlying synergism gracefully with a series of questions:

Looking inside of ourselves, we must ask; what was it that led to our belief? Was it our intelligence that made us respond when our family did not? Was it our inherent righteousness, a spark of light inside us, that made us better than the rest?... [108]

According to Sproul: “No matter how one delays it, sooner or later we must face the question of greater or lesser inherent virtue.” [109] One of Calvinism’s most revered preachers, C.H. Spurgeon, expresses the issue far more forcefully:

What is the heresy of Rome, but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ–the bringing in of the works of the flesh, to assist in our justification? And what is the heresy of Arminianism, but the addition of something to the work of the Redeemer? [110]

Catholicism admits freely to such an accusation in the concept of a supernaturally infused virtue, and openly carries it forward into the sacrament of the mass. On the other hand, most Arminians struggle to acknowledge the truth of this critique.

Arminian scholar, W. Brian Shelton disputes the Calvinistic understanding of saving faith by appealing to “human opportunity” (freewill):

The very attraction of the concept of prevenient grace lies in its offer of an opportunity for all to believe; indeed, that is the scriptural basis of the doctrine. Prevenient grace explains the many remarkable “human opportunity” texts in scripture . The “command” and “exhortation” passages presume a human ability to obey, and the doctrine of prevenient grace asserts that we can employ our rational capacity and freewill to accept this biblical invitation to be saved .[111]

Nonetheless, the Apostle Paul distinguishes between faith, grace and works leaving no room for the ideas of “inherent virtue,” human merits or works added to Christ’s work on the cross:

4:4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

(Romans 4:4-5)

11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. (Romans 11:6)

2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) [112]

If faith is an active volitional choice, then dependence on a mutually cooperative effort with the Holy Spirit contradicts Paul’s teaching.

Prefaith Regeneration: The Order of Salvation

Calvinists rightly criticize both views. James R. White sums up the conundrum from a Calvinist perspective with a question:

There is no question that faith is something that man does. Man believes. But does sinful man have the ability to believe savingly in and of himself, outside the miracle of regeneration?[113]

Surely, Calvinists have a viable alternative; Sproul writes:

Reformed theology teaches that faith itself is a gift given to the elect, God himself creates the faith in the believer’s heart. God fulfills the necessary condition for salvation, and he does so without condition… Faith is the result of the Spirit’s sovereign work of regeneration .[114]

Instead of imposing theological doctrines like prevenient grace and supernaturally infused virtue on the Word of God, the order of salvation must be correctly understood in order to retain faith as an active decision of the will, while avoiding the possibility of an unbeliever entering into the good work of his own salvation. If an unbeliever is elect, then he will be regenerated or made alive by the sovereign will of God and then gifted with the perfect gift of faith in order to believe the gospel. Or, as R.C. Sproul acknowledges:

A cardinal point of Reformed theology is the maxim: “Regeneration precedes faith .” Our nature is so corrupt, the power of sin is so great, that unless God does a supernatural work in our souls we will never choose Christ . We do not believe in order to be born again;we are born again in order that we may believe. [115]

Likewise, according to James White:

Faith is not a disruption in the divine work of salvation, one that gives man the final say in the matter. It is the result of regeneration, an ability granted by God to those He draws to His Son .[116]

According to Calvinists, faith always includes volition, but saving faith is an act of volition exclusive to the regenerate, not the unregenerate.

In regeneration, God changes our hearts. He gives us a new disposition, a new inclination. He plants a desire for Christ in our hearts. We can never trust Christ for our salvation unless we first desire him. This is why we said earlier that regeneration precedes faith. Without rebirth we have no desire for Christ. Without a desire for Christ we will never choose Christ .[117]

If an unbeliever is not elect, then he may believe the gospel, but not with the saving faith that God gifts to the elect following regeneration. Again, according to Calvinists, the faith of the unregenerate is a spurious, temporary, historical, or psychological work, never to be confused with genuine desire for Christ and the saving faith of the elect.

A Theological Gaffe

Though Calvinists rightly critique Catholicism and Arminianism regarding the theological doctrines of asupernaturally infused virtue and prevenient grace, they create an equally grievous theological gaffe with prefaith regeneration. Nowhere in Scripture is a person made alive in Christ prior to believing the gospel. No, not once!

Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast , is the oft quoted passage used by many Catholics,

Arminians and Calvinists to prove that saving faith is a gift from God. [118] Regarding Ephesians 2:8-9, Sproul argues:

What is the antecedent for the word that: grace, saved, or faith? The rules of Greek syntax and grammar demand that the antecedent of that be the word faith. Paul is declaring what every Reformed person affirms, that faith is a gift of God. [119]

The syntax and grammar neither necessitate nor “demand that the antecedent of that is faith.” Normally, when a demonstrative pronoun, like that is in the neuter gender without a corresponding antecedent in the same gender, it references a conceptual antecedent. In Ephesians 2:8, we have no reason to depart from the normative; both the words grace and faith are feminine in gender, while that is neuter. Therefore, the word that finds no corresponding antecedent of the same gender, but instead refers to a larger conceptual antecedent. The word saved is a verb, not a noun; as such it is not the antecedent of that, but rather is a part of the conceptual antecedent, by grace you have been saved. [120]

Of even greater significance is the contextual meaning Paul attaches to the expression, by grace you have been saved, prior to his use of the expression in Ephesians 2:8. Consider verses 2:5: even when we were dead in trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . Therefore, the expression, by grace you have been saved, is parenthetical to (God) made us alive together with Christ. If we take our meaning in verse 8 from the contextual meaning Paul provides in verse 5, we might accurately rephrase verse 8 to read: For “(God) made us alive together with Christ” through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God .

GIVEN THE PARENTHETICAL EXPRESSION IN VERSE 5,(by grace you have been saved) MEANS (God) made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5);

THEN, SUBSTITUTING THE PHRASE IN VERSE 8, by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:8) WITH THE PARENTHETICAL MEANING FROM VERSE 5, For (God) made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves

REVEALS PAUL’S CONTEXTUAL MEANING IN VERSE 8, For (God)made us alive together with Christ through faith, and that not of yourselves

Ephesians 2:8 fails to prove that saving faith is a gift from God; [121] more importantly, the contextual meaning of the antecedent,by grace you have been saved, means God regenerated us or made us alive with Christ… through faith. The antecedent for the word that is the parenthetical expression,by grace you have been saved, meaning, (God) made us alive together with Christ. Regeneration never precedes saving faith. [122]

Like Catholics and Arminians, Calvinists fall victim to a system of theology that ascribes the intellect and will to a special category of faith called saving faith and describes this faith as an active decision involving knowledge, assent and commitment to the gospel. In Ephesians 2:8, even if the conceptual antecedent were defined as eitherby grace you have been saved through faith or (God) made us alive together with Christ through faith, regeneration does not precede faith. If faith is active and the order of salvation remains–faith then regeneration–then prevenient grace and/or supernaturally infused virtue (whether impositions or not and regardless of how imperfect they may be) are theological concepts necessary to mitigate the appearance of man doing good works to earn the gift of eternal life. God is not fooled; surely, the Bible provides a workable definition of believing or faith.

Faith As Passive Persuasion

Quoted often as a biblical definition of faith, Hebrews 11:1 says: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen . But, is this a special definition unique only to the Bible? The plight of a finite being dictates he or she knows by believing something true; the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen seems the ordinary and inescapable lot of a finite being. Indeed, (t)he elders obtained a good testimony (Hebrews 11:2) not because they had a particular type of faith, but because of the particular object and content of their faith.

Likewise, what makes saving faith extraordinary is not a particular type of faith, but rather the object and content of the faith that saves. The miraculous object of faith is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God; the miraculous content of faith for every individual to believe is the glorious proposition that, according to the Scriptures, Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection has judicially taken away the sins of the whole world; He now gives eternal life to all those individuals who believe His Messianic promise of eternal life. For example, consider a simple passage like John 6:47-48: Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life . Is Jesus the bread of life? If so, do you believe His promise of everlasting life? And, if so, what do you have? Our faith remains ordinary, while the object, Jesus, and content of our faith, Jesus’ promise, result in the miracle of the new birth. No one has ever taken Jesus at His Word and failed to have exactly what He promises. The power is not in a particular type of faith, but in our utterly extraordinary and miraculous Savior and His Word.

All three theologies correctly understand faith as a decision, but fail to understand that it is always a passive decision. For example, returning to John 6:47-48, we might rephrase our questions: Are you persuaded Jesus is the bread of life… yes or no? Are you persuaded His promise to you is true… yes or no? Are you persuaded you have everlasting life… yes or no? In each instance, the Holy Spirit must do the work of persuading the individual of the truth of Jesus and His promise. The faith that saves is simple, but not easy; “yes and no,” “maybe,” or “I don’t know” to any of these questions is a “no” answer. Because faith is passive, God receives all the glory for persuading man of the truth of the gospel; the unbeliever merits nothing of his salvation.

Although several passages illustrate faith itself as a passive decision, one of the easiest to understand is Luke 1:13-20:

1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

1:14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

1:15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

1:16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

1:17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

1:18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

1:19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

1:20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” (Luke 1:13-20)

Zacharias and his wife prayed for a son; the Lord answered their prayers and sent the angel Gabriel. Verses 13 through 17 provide the propositional content of Gabriel’s announcement; God promises Zacharias and Elizabeth a prophetically very special son, John the Baptist. The angel requires no good work from Zacharias to merit such a wonderful blessing. Nonetheless, Zacharias’ response to God’s promise reveals his unbelief, “ How shall I know this?” The unabridged version of this reply might help: “How shall I know these glad tidings you speak to me are true?” “Yes and no,” “maybe,” “I don’t know,” or in Zacharias’ case, “how shall I know this?”–­ all are counted as unbelief. Gabriel clarifies his relationship to God and then declares that because Zacharias did not believe (Gabriel’s) words ( glad tidings), he will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place . The parallel between knowing a proposition or promise is true and believing that proposition or promise is utterly transparent. Equally obvious, Zacharias’ unbelief is not a result of a failure to exercise his will or volition. He simply is not convinced the glad tidings are true. In response, Gabriel gives Zacharias a sign (mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place) in order to persuade him of the truth of God’s promise.

The Apostle Paul’s conversion illustrates the passive nature of faith independent of personal volition. Saul held the coats of those, who stoned Stephen, and asked for and received a commission to persecute and imprison Christians. No doubt he had already heard Jesus preach and teach in the temple many times and understood Jesus’ message well enough to be convinced Jesus was a false Messiah leading the nation and people of Israel astray. If actions reveal the condition of the heart, Saul committed himself volitionally to zealously defend Judaism against the scourge of Christianity, to violently kick against the goads of Jesus’ person and ministry.

9:3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

9:4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

9:5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said,“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

9:6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:3-6; underlining added for emphasis)

It is not until after Saul, contrary to his will, believes in Jesus and is reduced to trembling and astonishment that he asks his Lord, what do You want me to do (Acts 9:6)? The knowledge of Jesus as his Lord can only come from Paul first believing in Jesus as Savior. [123] The goads Saul kicked against were the historical truths of the gospel, what was seen and heard, that which Jesus and His disciples diligently taught and preached in the temple and throughout the nation of Israel. Prior to the road to Damascus, Saul was convinced that Jesus was a false Messiah, once confronted with the light of Jesus’ personal revelation, he could not continue to believe in a proposition he knew was false. Like Saul, regardless of our volition or commitment of will, you and I cannot believe in or continue to believe in someone or something when we know it is false; we believe when convinced someone or something is true.

You and I should actively pursue knowledge and information in order to know whether or not something is true (though initially mistaken in his belief surely Saul, along with his fellow Pharisees, pursued knowledge with great zeal), but at the moment of faith, when we know that something is true, it is the evidence or witness and not our will, which acts upon us. As Saul discovered, his volition, expressed in all the work of gathering and weighing evidence and then persecuting Christians, could not make a falsehood true; instead the evidence he so diligently sought after and in Saul’s case, the resurrected Jesus’ personal intercession on the road to Damascus, acted upon him to persuade or convince him, contrary to his will, that Jesus and His Messianic promise of eternal life were true. In 2 Timothy Paul exhorts Timothy:

1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,

1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

1:10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

1:11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. (2 Tim. 1:8-11; underlining added for emphasis)

You and I do well to heed Paul’s words. Afterall, we follow his pattern; while on the road to Damascus, Saul obtained mercy , that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life (1 Timothy 1:16; underlining added for emphasis). You and I neither actively chose to believe, nor actively chose to disbelieve; but like Saul, the evidence and witness of God and His Word acted upon us to persuade us that Jesus and His promise of eternal life are true.

One of the most interesting examples of the passive nature of faith lies in an epistle many scholars use to argue that faith is an active decision. Consider the following statements from James:

2:17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead .

2:20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:17, 20, 26; underlining added for emphasis)

According to Spiros Zodhiates, the Greek word, νεκρά, translated dead in verse 17, 20 and 26, means “(B) Metaphorically, in opposition to the life of the gospel… (2) Of things, dead, i.e., inactive,inoperative (Rom. 7:8; James 2:17, 20, 26).” [124] The Apostle James states a simple, but profound truth; by itself, faith, as a passive decision, remains inactive or inoperative unless works are added.

For the born-again believer, who is persuaded of Jesus’ commands, deliverance, after the point of being born again, comes through the addition of works in obedience to Jesus’ commands.

Moreover, the passive nature of faith remains true for all those yet to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God for the gift of eternal life. Afterall, Paul reminds us that beingmade… alive together with Christ… is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:5, 8-9). James makes a similar statement.

1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

1:18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (James 1:17-18)

Being made… alive together with Christ or as James says being brought… forth by the word of truth is the epitome of the good and perfect gift of His (God’s) own will. By itself, faith is always a passive decision; hence the unbeliever receives the free gift of everlasting life the moment he is persuaded of the truth of Jesus’ promise to him of eternal life without any good work or exercise of volition on his part. For this reason, the Apostle Paul and Silas could declare in very simple terms to an unbelieving and panicked jailer: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household (Acts 16:31).

Kaput

Sadly, according to all three systems of theology, Catholicism, Arminianism, and Calvinism, the answer to our previous inquiries regarding John 6:47-48 is always and can only be, “yes and no,” “maybe,” “I don’t know,” or “how shall I know this?” Afterall, a Catholic may exercise freewill, choose not to partake of mass and even walk away from the Catholic Church; an Arminian may exercise freewill, choose to deny Jesus and depart from his faith; a Calvinist may fail to endure to the end proving that his faith was not a gift from God and that he was never truly among the elect. In each scenario, these three theologies fail as systems, because each one openly contradicts the certainty of who Jesus is as the Christ, the Son of God and the Messianic promise of eternal life. Ultimately the basis of saving faith becomes, not Jesus and His promise, but a subjective maze of good works traced to a super-sized definition of faith in which the exercise of volition remains essential to demonstrate that you have believed and continue to believe in Jesus.

Because the Catholic and Arminian may exercise freewill, lack of assurance in Jesus’ promise of eternal life and loss of salvation are transparent considerations, but for the Calvinist they remain obscure.

We must ask ourselves if we see any real change in our behavior, any real outward evidence of grace. This is a precarious process because we can lie to ourselves. It is a difficult task to perform, but by no means impossible. [125]

Ironically, these same good works or real changes in behavior and real outward evidences of grace can never be enough to convince us that Jesus and His promise are true. Afterall, who defines real?

The “precarious process” of which R. C. Sproul writes is not a new development within Calvinism; consider the Westminster Confession:

Such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, andlove him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace,… This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it .[126]

Compare this theological statement with the words of our Lord to Nicodemus: 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 (John 3:16; underlining added for emphasis). How should you and I reconcile Jesus’ words, whoever believes, with the words of the Westminster Confession, “Such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him”? The Word teaches us to be confident in Christ and His promise, but never to be confident in our selves or our good works.

Consider the conclusion to Jesus’ witness to the Samaritans of Sychar:

4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”

4:40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

4:41 And many more believed because of His own word.

4:42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world .”

(John 4:39-42; underlining added for emphasis)

Again, how should you and I reconcile the bold certainty of the Samaritan Woman and the Samaritans of the city of Sychar with the words of the Westminster Confession? “This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it .” Jesus stayed a mere two days in Sychar, yet the Samaritans of the city believe and openly proclaim with perfect assurance, we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world . As needless as it is pointless, whether Catholic, Arminian or Calvinist, this theological maze remains an unwinnable struggle for far too many. Regardless of how long an individual waits and perseveres in good works, unless he takes Jesus at His Word, when He promises everlasting life, he has not believed in Him as Savior for eternal life and cannot know who he is as a born-again child of God. [127]

This letter hints at a costly ongoing theological range war between Calvinists and Arminians that has teeter-tottered back and forth over the centuries without resolution. Beginning with the five points of the Remonstrance in 1610 (Arminianism) and countered with the four points of the Council of Dort 1618 (Calvinism’s five points come from an expansion of this council’s third point.), this theological controversy has left God’s church divided and strewn with unresolved doubts for four centuries. [128] Olson goes so far as to conclude his book Arminian Theology (2006) with a chapter titled, “Rules of Engagement for Evangelical Calvinists and Arminians.”[129] Consider the inflammatory words of one of Calvinism’s most famous preachers Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892): “… there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism…. Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.” [130] Regardless of how persuasive the preacher or how logical the system of theology, not being persuaded of Jesus and His promise of eternal life, remains a “yes and no,” “maybe,” “I don’t know,” or “how should I know this?” answer, accounted as unbelief. Sadly, unbelief in Jesus’ simple promise of eternal life only stokes the fires of this controversy as all three theologies struggle with issues of assurance.

Rather than stepping into the midst of this theological range war, you and I might be wise to consider Jesus words:

7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?”

7:23 And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23)

The cost of not doing the will of My Father is extremely important to weigh; at a bare minimum, only those, who believe in Jesus and His Messianic promise of eternal life, do the Father’s will (John 5:24, 5:30 and 6:29).[131] Although they are extraordinary repositories containing invaluable insights and knowledge into our Christian faith, Catholicism, Arminianism, and Calvinism share a common malady and are kaput as systems of theology; the range war must end.

Called Christians

No one should disregard the work of scholars simply because they identify themselves as a Calvinist or an Arminian (or for that matter, any other theological or denominational system, Pentecostal etc.), without carefully weighing their work. However, the New Testament records a time in the early church unfettered by elaborate systems of theology and denomination. Following Stephens’s stoning and the subsequent persecution, believers scattered from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria and eventually the Diaspora. United under persecution, they preached the Word, became disciples andwere first called Christians (Acts 11:19-26). These early Christians did not preach, “I have everlasting life as long as I don’t exercise my free will, fall into apostasy and lose it (Arminianism);” “I have eternal life as long as I continue receiving mass and belong to the Catholic Church;” or, “I have everlasting life for sure as long as I am elect, believed with the right kind of faith and persevere to the end of my life (Calvinism).” You and I do well, if those outside the body of Christ identify us not according to our theology or denomination, but simply as disciples of Jesus or Christians.

The easiest way for a believer to be identified as a disciple of Jesus has always been to preach a straightforward simple gospel message. Unlike our brothers and sisters in the first century, you and I have the advantage of the printed Word of God readily at hand. Ironically, this blessing has not always brought unity to the body of Christ; therefore, you and I must weight carefully the work of biblical scholars, while refusing to be anything less than Christians, disciples of Jesus sharing a straightforward simple message in the marketplaces of our lives. [132] “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, crucified and resurrected to take away the sin of the world; I believe Him when He says, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. (John 6:47); I have what He promises me, everlasting life.” With a straightforward simple message like this, few will fail to accuse us of being anything less than Christians who believe in Jesus for everlasting life.

The Good News

If there is no such thing as supernaturally infused virtue,prevenient grace or prefaith regeneration, the good news is that 1) God’s virtue in Christ remains unassailable; 2) God’s grace in the lives of unbelievers continues to draw them to faith in His Son and 3) the Holy Spirit continues to regenerate without exception all those who believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. As individuals, do Catholics, Arminians and Calvinists, despite their systems of theology, take Jesus at His Word; believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of God; and know for sure they have eternal life according to His promise? Absolutely, thankfully it happens everyday: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

As an evangelist, I remain confident that Jesus and His Word never return void; rather, it (His Word) shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). For this reason, I preach and train others to preach a straightforward simple message in the marketplaces of life to Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Lutherans, Latter Day Saints, Muslims, Calvinists, Arminians, Non-Denominationalists, Atheists, Catholics, Jews, Orthodox Greeks and Russians, Charismatics, Hindus, Methodists, Seventh Day Adventists… even Baptists. Whether you are in church or out of church, whether you are regenerate or not, if you have two legs and are breathing, Jesus has good news for you!

Conclusion

As born-again believers, you and I do well to liken our faith to a stool with three supporting legs, prayer, fellowship and the Word. Though sitting on this stool is never quite comfortable, you and I must resist the temptation of adding our theology (or anyone else’s theology) as a fourth leg to make a chair. Comfortable as it may be, our chair is sure to fail, if and when the fourth leg snaps. For this reason, I strongly warn you regarding these three systems of theology. Likewise, consider and weigh my words in the light of God’s Word, and do not make them the fourth leg in a comfortable chair. As your Dad and Papa, know that I will always love you and pray for you as my children regardless of your theology. Thank you for your patience in reading this letter and considering these issues.

© 2019 by Frank Tyler; copy, print and give away freely, but do not alter or sell.

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