Total Depravity
Psalm 8:5, Man is “a little lower than Angels and crowned with glory and honor.” Does not sound like totally depraved to me. Mankind is totally loved and not totally depraved. John 3:16ff. On the one hand, Calvin determined that man was no good but the Bible speaks like this. “Are there not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31). Notice the parables of the lost, Luke 15. The lost sheep is not aware of his value to the owner but the owner spends endless amounts of time hunting the sheep. The lost coin has no idea of its worth but the owner is aware of the value and will not stop until the coin is found.
The words Total Depravity or Original Sin, are not in the Bible. We can all agree that all men have sinned but the disagreement is why. Psalm 53 and Isaiah 53 make it plain that is the case. Does not God's book read, “you were alienated from God.....because of your evil behavior.” (Colossians 1:21) There is a shepherd who looks for every lost sheep, for every lost coin and for every child in rebellion. Yes, all people have sinned, but not because of inheritance.
Calvin (Confessions 9:1-3) writes, “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good.....is not able to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereto.”
The Bible view however is that, Man sinful though he may be can make a choice. “Come now, let us reason together says the Lord.” (Isaiah 1:18) Man has a choice, “choose life, so that your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Yet the Bible claims that “all who believe may be saved.” (Romans 1:16). To Christ, people are like sheep not Robots. Notice in John 10:27, the sheep must listen and then follow the Shepherd home.
Unconditional Election
The words “Election,” “Predestination,” “Foreordination,” and “foreknowledge,” are good Bible words. Also found in the Bible are the words, “will of God,” the “will of man.” John Calvin was certainly influenced by Greek paganism. “Clotho, the goddess who spins the thread of life, Lachesis, who determines the length of a persons life and Atropos, who ends a persons life when their time is up. The Romans accepted this triune but with different names (i.e. Nona, Decuma, and Morta). Later, this doctrine was referred to as simply fatalism. Augustine accepted fatalism and Calvin copied Augustine. A person's fate was totally in the hands of the gods.
Calvin had a selective use of the term “Elect.” Generally Calvin only used the term to refer to God's chosen people. But the Bible uses the term to refer to Christ, angels, Israel, and Christians. Elect under Calvin is misused. For instance, when we vote in a democracy, people are put forward to vote on. Those put forward to vote on are the elect. But after the elect are put forward, the voters use their 'free will' to chose from the 'elect' to appoint one who has been elected. In the words of Henry Ward Beecher, the Elect are the “whosoever will.” In the words of Wilbur Chapman, “the voting is going on all the time. God cast his vote for you. The Devil cast his vote against you. And, which ever way you vote, that is the way the election will go.” In Acts 2:38 the election took place as follows. The voters heard the arguments and the listeners were offered a chance to respond. Verse 2:40, “save yourselves,” or vote for yourself. They voted for Christ and the Lord.
It is true that Election and damnation are similar. Both are universal in their invitation (Matthew 11:28) with Christ calling you to choose Him or Satan.
John Calvin plainly misused the Bible. A reading of Acts 4:28, Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:5-11; 1 Thessalonians 2:13 tells us that God predestined the plan and not the man. Those persons who are foreknown to accept Christ are predestined to conform to His image (Romans 8:29). Notice, it is the conforming to the image that is predestined.
To be Continued next week.