*VIDEO* If Calvinism is True, Why Evangelize?

"Some of the greatest evangelists in the history of the church have for the most part, been Calvinists."

Yes, a Calvinist believes that once (truly) saved, always saved. Usually called “Perseverance of the Saints.”

If someone falls permanently off the wagon, so to speak, and loses his salvation, so to speak, we assume he was never saved to begin with, but was deceiving himself and/or others (not God, God is never fooled).

I was writing what I thought was an adequate explanation of this belief, and searched for a particular scripture verse online - and came upon the following by John MacArthur, so I will defer to a mind and ministry far greater than mine!:

Peter was confident of his willingness to stand with Jesus, whatever the cost. He told the Lord, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Yet Jesus knew the truth and sadly told Peter, “The cock will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me” (Luke 22:34).

Did Peter fail? Yes, miserably. Was his faith overthrown? Never. Jesus Himself was interceding on Peter’s behalf, and His prayers did not go unanswered.

The Lord intercedes for all genuine believers that way. John 17:11 gives a glimpse of how He prays for them: “I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou has given Me, that they may be one, even as We are” (emphasis added).

He continues:

I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.

As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in the truth. I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.

And the glory which Thou has given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me (John 17:15-23)

Notice what the Lord was praying for: that believers would be kept from the power of evil; that they would be sanctified by the Word; that they would share His sanctification and glory; and that they would be perfected in their union with Christ and one another. He was praying that they would persevere in the faith.

Was the Lord praying for the eleven faithful disciples only? No. He explicitly includes every believer in all succeeding generations: “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word” (v. 20). That includes all true Christians, even in the present day!

IMO This video did not answer the fundamental objections to Calvinism. The reply given in the video to the question of why preach to the unelect was: because we do not know who are the elect.

But what does that matter? Does their “election” to salvation depend upon whether we obey the command to preach the Gospel? Of course not! (replies the Calvinist) - for that would mean that their election is in some way “conditional” (the “u” of the “tulip” stands for unconditional election). In order to uphold their view of predestination and Divine sovereignty, Calvinists MUST hold that individuals are elect (or not part of the elect) REGARDLESS of whether anyone else is obedient to what God tells THEM to do.

So that brings us back to the original question, to which Calvinists have historically been unable to give an adequate answer, and which led to the antipathy towards missions and evangelism among those who adopted Calvin’s teachings.

In one famous story, 30-year old future missionary pioneer to India, William Carey, when attempting to convince the Calvin-influenced Baptists of his day to support missions, he was rebuked by one of the leaders of the church: “Sit down, young man! If God wants to save the heathen, he will do it without your help or mine!” Thankfully Carey rejected this attitude and went on be one of the founders of modern missions.

This is not to deny that many Calvinists have a burden for missions and evangelism: rather, it is to suggest that they obey the command to preach the Gospel in spite of the inherent contradictions with the teachings of Calvin.

The Scriptures themselves refute the unbalanced teachings of Calvinism: “And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). Calvinists dismiss verses like these as mere rhetorical flourishes, but in doing so they deny the clear import of the text.

Throughout Scripture we are commanded to CHOOSE: to obey God, to accept salvation through Christ. These admonitions contradict Calvinism, which denies that any effort or “work” on our part can result in our salvation - even the “work” of accepting the Gospel! The only thing that matters, according to Calvin, is whether or not we happen to be one of the “elect.” If we are not, all of our pleading and striving for salvation is to no avail.

I finally came to the conclusion that the Calvinism view of God’s sovereignty was contradicted by the very Scriptures it claimed to explain, and was instead was a distortion of the command to both preach the Gospel - and to make the decision to accept it.

In time I came to believe that I must accept the clear teaching of Scripture rather than the unbalanced opinions of a 16th century Swiss theologian. I chose to believe that God will accept ALL (not just Calvin’s “elect”!) who seek His face, for this is what our Lord Himself promises: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7); “And WHOSOEVER WILL, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

[Full disclose: I was “born & bred” in a Calvinistic Baptist church and was trained in Calvinistic beliefs in both undergrad and graduate-level Colleges.]

If Calvinism is True, Why Evangelize?

I assume the question isn't about calvinism, but specifically about the biblical teaching that God has chosen those who he will save, and predestined them before the foundation of the world.

And the answer to the question "why evangelize" is simple -- because we are told to. The Bible contains the admonition to spread the Gospel. It is our service to God, as well as our privilege to be the vessels through which God educates those he has chosen.

My favorite biblical passage explaining this is the story of the watchman, from Ezekiel 33:

1Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
3If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
5He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
7So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

God appoints us his watchman. People will be saved, or not, through the power and choice of God. But if we don't tell them of Jesus, and they die in their sins, it is on our head. If we tell them of Jesus, and they die in their sins, we are held blameless.

Hi RedDogz,

Yes Calvinists do believe that saved souls will endure in their faith to the end.

If an atheist for example, claims that he was a former "Born-Again Christian," the Calvinist Christian concludes that his conversion was never genuine in the first place. He was never truly "born again."

Calvinists also believe in sanctification, meaning there should be a visible change in one's life following conversion. One's faith should bear visible fruit: good works. The good works do not save you, but they are evidences of one's faith. Evidence of one's new birth in Christ.

HOWEVER, notice just because one endures in faith till the end, does not mean, one will be reach 100% perfection in this life. That's why we can't ever judge the state of someone's soul just by their actions. Sometimes, the nicest, "well-behaved" person might not be saved at all. Whereas, the Bible gives examples of God's chosen ones failing miserably: King David, for example, committed murder and adultery and this was while he was a believer. PETER, Jesus' closest and most trusted disciple, denied Christ THREE times before the public at his trial preceding His crucifixion. Neither David nor Peter lost their salvation though.

One can tell that David and Peter were still in the faith by understanding the nature of their repentance. They did not repent out of mere discomfort or guilt, even Judas-the-traitor felt guilt--but the Bible clearly states Judas went to hell. His was a selfish, fleshly guilt. David and Peter had holy guilt. They were horrified about having betrayed and hurt the GOD they love.

So yes, true believers--will sin, will fall--some more visibly than others--but they will endure in faith. The Holy Spirit sustains all believers to the end.

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