Most of you know by now that I am a published author. If you didn’t, you can find my books in the ‘store’ page of this site. One of those books is entitled, ‘Calvinism: Built on a Foundation of Sand’. This is my refutation on what is known today as Calvinism. I do not find it to be a correct interpretation of Scripture so this is my way of presented what I believe to be the truth.
One stance Calvinists take goes something like, “if man were left up to himself, he would not choose God.” This is usually cited in debates about man’s free will. This is supposed to buttress their teaching on what they call ‘Total Depravity’, which they believe to mean that man cannot, in and of himself, choose to follow God so God must divinely intervene and make that person to want to believe. This statement has no merit though as this is not a point of contention among non-Calvinists. As a non-Calvinist, I would agree with the stance above. No one is arguing that. If man was left up to himself, I’m sure there wouldn’t ever be an inclination to follow God.
This is why I don’t believe Deism. This doctrine states that God created us, but when we sinned against Him, He wanted nothing to do with us anymore. He left us up to our own demise. This is false though, as I’m sure Calvinists would agree. I’m sure we can agree that the very ransom paid by Jesus Christ proves this quite well. The point of contention here is whether or not man has the ability to choose God in light of His gospel message.
See, we don’t live in a world where God has left us on our own. God has given us several witnesses that bear His testimony that tell us He exists. He lives all around us and we’re blind if we don’t see it. These are just some of the witnesses God has revealed to His creation.
God has shown Himself through creation. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork”. His creation shouts of His awesomeness. Romans 1:20 also says “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead”. Since there is a creation, logic tells us that there must be a Creator. Jesus even said Himself in Luke 19:40 that the people wouldn’t be able to stop Him and His disciple from speaking about God because even if they did, “the stones would immediately cry out”. God’s creation cries out of His existence, it did not come about by chance. Something exists, therefore something bigger had to create it.
Along with creation, God has given us a conscience. The animal kingdom does not have this. They do not feel guilt when they do something wrong or joy when they do something right. They cannot reason and use logic to make decisions. They cannot show emotion such as happiness, sadness, shame, nervousness, laughter, love, etc. This is because we are made in God’s image. His Spirit lives in us.
God has shown Himself through the man Jesus. After Jesus’ transfiguration, God said in Mark 9:7, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him”. He wanted man to know that He gave authority to Jesus (Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus came to this earth to show us what God was truly like. He showed us that God is love and how to express that love to others. Everyone has a soul and if God doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9), neither should we.
God has shown us the Bible. The Bible is God’s final revelation to mankind. Throughout the Bible, He had to reveal Himself through supernatural means. Today we have these stories and letters that He inspired men to write down for us to see that He can be known and that He wants us to know and learn of Him (cf. John 20:30-31). He has given us everything we need to know concerning Him and His will for mankind (2 Peter 1:3). People have even given the Bible an acronym which means “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. (see 1 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119:160)
Lastly, God has revealed Himself through his people. Throughout history, there have been prophets, or speakers for God. Men like Moses and John the Baptist. Prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah. They all revealed the will of God to the world. Ever since these people came about, God has revealed Himself and His will through them. Today, Christians are now the spokesman of God, proclaiming His gospel to the world (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; 2 Corinthians 10:16; 2 Timothy 4:2). It’s no wonder Christianity spread so wide and rapid in the first century.
So, you see, God has not left us alone. I believe these are plenty of ways God has shown Himself to us. This Calvinist claim is simply moot because God has not turned His back on us. I pray that this has been helpful in understanding this position. Try not to fall for the word games played by most Calvinists. It will only confuse you.
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