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Seaioth
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Charles Spurgeon’s Defense for Calvinism
http://www.spurgeon.org/calvinis.htm
Reading through Charles Spurgeon’s A Defense for Calvinism once again has been most encouraging. Not only was I blessed in reading some of your testimonies about how you came to accept the biblical doctrines of Calvinism, I am yet doubly blessed in reading this text from such a humble and godly man. It is only to bad that Calvinism has been ascribed such a negative label among Christemdom in general, that actually shedding the label, and merely emphasing it was Biblical Christianity would cause so much uproar from all sides. "Are you ashamed of being called a Calvinist? You coward!", or from the later, "Oh, so you're a Calvinist. I feel sorry for you..." I dunno it just seems that I get that a lot whenever I identify myself as holding onto TULIP. I suppose the same would go for the title of Fundamentalist, being stereotypically connected with legalism. Well I guess blessed are the persecuted. By back to Spurgeon and scripture
The simple sweetness that can derived from the clarity of Spurgeon's preaching, and practically and indirectly answering all those accusations and contestations from our Arminian (a.k.a. "confused Calvinist) brethern.
I only implore you that we need to watch our tongue and not be so provoked by such banter against Calvinism. To continue to crucify our seething pride and be humble in all circumstances to strive to share the truth in love, knowing by reflecting on how we came to know the truth that scripture teaches, to have paitience and grace when sharing Reformed doctrine. We ought not repay evil with evil, slander with slander, and fall into the trap of bickering with a lot of tongue and cheek and sarcasm. Know that we were once just as lost as they were, and it is by God's grace that a fuller extent of His absolute Sovereignty was revealed to us. No man apart from the grace of God would come to this selfless conclusion that salvation is entirely a work of God, and not the will of man. That Christ death on the cross, was for the elect, and not for all that would choose Him externally, but for all that He has chosen would believe in Him. We need more godly and humble Calvinists today, that have paitience with people in their arrogance and angst which they have been so programmed by man-centered teachings, and not feign to turn the other cheek and scoff back at scoffers. I know its tempting, especially with the sheer blindness today, yet we must mortify the flesh, and humble ourselves lest, it become a prideful rant, to "slamdunk" the arguments of others, only riling them up to fight even more hostile and erroneous another day. With God's sovereignty in mind with that, know that it is possible to "preach" Calvinism in a way to rebels against God's sovereignty. Without love it is useless. New Calvinists are especially prone to misrepresent God and the biblical doctrines by becoming prideful and bashing Arminians in other forums. And I dare say that we need to repent and soberly examine ourselves to share in love to others in spirit and truth. If someone is so obessed in challenging Calvinism only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, provide scripture and move on. Do not stoop to ridicule that I have so often seen in person and in various different forums, otherwise it is fruitless. I apologeize if I sound pious or preachy, however I am confessing that I thought this way and I actually take great pains and have the conviction to exhort you all not to succumb to the patterns, though I often feel it when a sheer remark which one may ascribe a sheer ignorance, might be a catalyst for the prideful "tearing apart" and "provocation" of others, meanwhile justifying it in our mind, that what we speak is the truth. Motives matter.
Through what immediately caught my attention is a possible and most misdirected accusation from our Arminian brethren The only thing that made me “uncomfortable” is the following passage that I know my previous Arminian upbringing has so inclined me to accuse the following, however first the Spurgeon writes:
“I suppose there are some persons whose minds naturally incline towards the doctrine of free-will. I can only say that mine inclines as naturally towards the doctrines of sovereign grace. Sometimes, when I see some of the worst characters in the street, I feel as if my heart must burst forth in tears of gratitude that God has never let me act as they have done! I have thought, if God had left me alone, and had not touched me by His grace, what a great sinner I should have been! I should have run to the utmost lengths of sin, dived into the very depths of evil, nor should I have stopped at any vice or folly, if God had not restrained me. I feel that I should have been a very king of sinners, if God had let me alone. I cannot understand the reason why I am saved, except upon the ground that God would have it so. I cannot, if I look ever so earnestly, discover any kind of reason in myself why I should be a partaker of Divine grace. If I am not at this moment without Christ, it is only because Christ Jesus would have His will with me, and that will was that I should be with Him where He is, and should share His glory. I can put the crown nowhere but upon the head of Him whose mighty grace has saved me from going down into the pit. Looking back on my past life, I can see that the dawning of it all was of God; of God effectively. I took no torch with which to light the sun, but the sun enlightened me. I did not commence my spiritual life—no, I rather kicked, and struggled against the things of the Spirit: when He drew me, for a time I did not run after Him: there was a natural hatred in my soul of everything holy and good. Wooings were lost upon me—warnings were cast to the wind—thunders were despised; and as for the whispers of His love, they were rejected as being less than nothing and vanity. But, sure I am, I can say now, speaking on behalf of myself, "He only is my salvation." It was He who turned my heart, and brought me down on my knees before Him. I can in very deed, say with Doddridge and Toplady—
and coming to this moment, I can add—
Immediately I see the most common accusation could be made by whom many of us admire as the “Prince of Preachers” Charles Spurgeon, insidiously compared to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray;
one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this:
‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying,
‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." (web)
Did Spurgeon not see the possible accusation to be made? He clearly explains himself if one were to read through the entire thing, yet I can see that if I were in my earlier years, having a most ignorant and misdirect angst against Calvinism, by the distortions and devices of man, I can really see how one without God’s mercy of the Biblical truths of total depravity, would so accuse Spurgeon of such.
Now we clearly know that is not what Spurgeon meant, and he goes on to thoroughly explain it through his blessed teaching. Yet it always something to be aware of, and not to come across being so grossly misrepresented with this passage.
PITFALLS PECULIAR TO CALVINISTS, from The Practical Applications by Curt Daniel
Calvinists are not to be so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. They are to be heavenly minded, to be sure, But there are some pitfalls to which Calvinists are prone. These prevent them from glorifying God in the world.
One of them is pride. Of course, where is the Calvinist that admits it? I am not speaking of pride in general, for non-Calvinists have that affliction as well. Rather, I am talking about Calvinist pride, or pride in being a Calvinist. This rank disease has several symptoms. One of them is personal pride. After all, one reasons, am I not one of the elect? Did not God choose me and not the reprobate? Original sin takes over and further spreads the lie that one must have been special for God to choose them. But this is wrong. It is evidence that the Calvinist is still imperfect in his experience. A believer who makes sure of his election (2 Peter 1:10) has no reason to boast. He is one of the elect, but not one of the elite. He was not chosen because he was special. God is the special one, not him. He was chosen out of sheer grace, and therefore cannot boast. If Ephesians 2:8-9- leaves us no room for boasting because of salvation by grace, then Ephesians 1:4-6 leaves us no room for boasting because of election by grace. Paul says, “What you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7). Therefore, “let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31) To God alone be the glory, fellow Calvinist!
The TULIP-flavored pride takes other forms as well. One is that Calvinists too frequently look down their noses at their non-Reformed Brothers in Christ. We place ourselves above them. We are the elite; we know more about the deep mysteries at good men we are. All such attitudes are proud. Then this shows in the way we too often disparage these brethren with whom we have the most serious disagreements. In a word, some Calvinists go too far in their animosity of Arminians. Note that I did not say “animosity to Arminianism,” for error cannot be hated too much. But Calvinists are not to hate Arminians, nor are we to be obsessed with an anti-Arminian inquisition. We chuckle to hear about the Puritan farmer who lost his temper with his mule and called him an Arminian because that was the worse thing he could think of. But this is serious. Learn the lesson of Whitefield’s great love for Wesley the Arminian. When asked if he would see Mr. Wesley in heaven, Whitefield reportedly replied that he would not. Wesley, he said, would be so much closer to the throne of Christ, than himself that he would not be able to see him. Though the exact theology of this may not be precisely correct, the sentiments are on target. One need not be a Calvinist to be saved, and many Arminians outshine us in holiness.
The Calvinist should always see himself as a Christian first and only secondly as a Calvinist. We ridicule the Roman Catholic who sees himself as a Catholic first and a Christian second, but are not Calvinists prone to this as well? One way in which this evil disease crops up is in the “Calvinist second blessing.” It is ironic that Calvinists usually denounce all the theologies that promote a “second blessing,” such as Pentecostalisim. But we are too often guilty of it when we speak more of our coming to know the doctrines of grace than our coming to know Christ in salvation. We are more exited when we tell people how the grand truths of election and sovereign grace opened our eyes and we have never been the same. Some Calvinists describe them in almost mystical terms. But this ought never to outshine our personal testimonies of conversion. We should always be more moved to speak of how the Savior saved us from sin by sovereign grace than we are to describe how He later explained sovereign grace to us. Such a “second blessing” panders to pride and looks disparagingly on these “poor souls” who have not be so enlightened. Away with such a thing! We need no Reformed Gnosticism.
Then there is the pitfall of Calvinistic intellectualism. Too often we Calvinists spend more time discussing the doctrines of grace than living the grace of the doctrines. We have already shown how this is done in the area of evangelism. To be more precise, Calvinists sometimes mistake knowledge for spirituality, as if one could somehow gauge spiritual growth by how much one knows about the finer points of Calvinism, such as the order of the decrees. But knowledge alone puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1). Unless our Calvinism is put to practice, then even Reformed theology becomes staid and proud.
(Theres still more, but time does not permit)
May we by God’s grace be all the more careful in how we conduct ourselves inwardly and outwardly and all praise be to God!
http://www.spurgeon.org/calvinis.htm
Reading through Charles Spurgeon’s A Defense for Calvinism once again has been most encouraging. Not only was I blessed in reading some of your testimonies about how you came to accept the biblical doctrines of Calvinism, I am yet doubly blessed in reading this text from such a humble and godly man. It is only to bad that Calvinism has been ascribed such a negative label among Christemdom in general, that actually shedding the label, and merely emphasing it was Biblical Christianity would cause so much uproar from all sides. "Are you ashamed of being called a Calvinist? You coward!", or from the later, "Oh, so you're a Calvinist. I feel sorry for you..." I dunno it just seems that I get that a lot whenever I identify myself as holding onto TULIP. I suppose the same would go for the title of Fundamentalist, being stereotypically connected with legalism. Well I guess blessed are the persecuted. By back to Spurgeon and scripture
The simple sweetness that can derived from the clarity of Spurgeon's preaching, and practically and indirectly answering all those accusations and contestations from our Arminian (a.k.a. "confused Calvinist) brethern.
I only implore you that we need to watch our tongue and not be so provoked by such banter against Calvinism. To continue to crucify our seething pride and be humble in all circumstances to strive to share the truth in love, knowing by reflecting on how we came to know the truth that scripture teaches, to have paitience and grace when sharing Reformed doctrine. We ought not repay evil with evil, slander with slander, and fall into the trap of bickering with a lot of tongue and cheek and sarcasm. Know that we were once just as lost as they were, and it is by God's grace that a fuller extent of His absolute Sovereignty was revealed to us. No man apart from the grace of God would come to this selfless conclusion that salvation is entirely a work of God, and not the will of man. That Christ death on the cross, was for the elect, and not for all that would choose Him externally, but for all that He has chosen would believe in Him. We need more godly and humble Calvinists today, that have paitience with people in their arrogance and angst which they have been so programmed by man-centered teachings, and not feign to turn the other cheek and scoff back at scoffers. I know its tempting, especially with the sheer blindness today, yet we must mortify the flesh, and humble ourselves lest, it become a prideful rant, to "slamdunk" the arguments of others, only riling them up to fight even more hostile and erroneous another day. With God's sovereignty in mind with that, know that it is possible to "preach" Calvinism in a way to rebels against God's sovereignty. Without love it is useless. New Calvinists are especially prone to misrepresent God and the biblical doctrines by becoming prideful and bashing Arminians in other forums. And I dare say that we need to repent and soberly examine ourselves to share in love to others in spirit and truth. If someone is so obessed in challenging Calvinism only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, provide scripture and move on. Do not stoop to ridicule that I have so often seen in person and in various different forums, otherwise it is fruitless. I apologeize if I sound pious or preachy, however I am confessing that I thought this way and I actually take great pains and have the conviction to exhort you all not to succumb to the patterns, though I often feel it when a sheer remark which one may ascribe a sheer ignorance, might be a catalyst for the prideful "tearing apart" and "provocation" of others, meanwhile justifying it in our mind, that what we speak is the truth. Motives matter.
Through what immediately caught my attention is a possible and most misdirected accusation from our Arminian brethren The only thing that made me “uncomfortable” is the following passage that I know my previous Arminian upbringing has so inclined me to accuse the following, however first the Spurgeon writes:
“I suppose there are some persons whose minds naturally incline towards the doctrine of free-will. I can only say that mine inclines as naturally towards the doctrines of sovereign grace. Sometimes, when I see some of the worst characters in the street, I feel as if my heart must burst forth in tears of gratitude that God has never let me act as they have done! I have thought, if God had left me alone, and had not touched me by His grace, what a great sinner I should have been! I should have run to the utmost lengths of sin, dived into the very depths of evil, nor should I have stopped at any vice or folly, if God had not restrained me. I feel that I should have been a very king of sinners, if God had let me alone. I cannot understand the reason why I am saved, except upon the ground that God would have it so. I cannot, if I look ever so earnestly, discover any kind of reason in myself why I should be a partaker of Divine grace. If I am not at this moment without Christ, it is only because Christ Jesus would have His will with me, and that will was that I should be with Him where He is, and should share His glory. I can put the crown nowhere but upon the head of Him whose mighty grace has saved me from going down into the pit. Looking back on my past life, I can see that the dawning of it all was of God; of God effectively. I took no torch with which to light the sun, but the sun enlightened me. I did not commence my spiritual life—no, I rather kicked, and struggled against the things of the Spirit: when He drew me, for a time I did not run after Him: there was a natural hatred in my soul of everything holy and good. Wooings were lost upon me—warnings were cast to the wind—thunders were despised; and as for the whispers of His love, they were rejected as being less than nothing and vanity. But, sure I am, I can say now, speaking on behalf of myself, "He only is my salvation." It was He who turned my heart, and brought me down on my knees before Him. I can in very deed, say with Doddridge and Toplady—
"Grace taught my soul to pray,
And made my eyes o'erflow;"
and coming to this moment, I can add—
"'Tis grace has kept me to this day,
And will not let me go."
Immediately I see the most common accusation could be made by whom many of us admire as the “Prince of Preachers” Charles Spurgeon, insidiously compared to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luke 18:9-14
He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray;
one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this:
‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying,
‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." (web)
Did Spurgeon not see the possible accusation to be made? He clearly explains himself if one were to read through the entire thing, yet I can see that if I were in my earlier years, having a most ignorant and misdirect angst against Calvinism, by the distortions and devices of man, I can really see how one without God’s mercy of the Biblical truths of total depravity, would so accuse Spurgeon of such.
Now we clearly know that is not what Spurgeon meant, and he goes on to thoroughly explain it through his blessed teaching. Yet it always something to be aware of, and not to come across being so grossly misrepresented with this passage.
PITFALLS PECULIAR TO CALVINISTS, from The Practical Applications by Curt Daniel
Calvinists are not to be so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. They are to be heavenly minded, to be sure, But there are some pitfalls to which Calvinists are prone. These prevent them from glorifying God in the world.
One of them is pride. Of course, where is the Calvinist that admits it? I am not speaking of pride in general, for non-Calvinists have that affliction as well. Rather, I am talking about Calvinist pride, or pride in being a Calvinist. This rank disease has several symptoms. One of them is personal pride. After all, one reasons, am I not one of the elect? Did not God choose me and not the reprobate? Original sin takes over and further spreads the lie that one must have been special for God to choose them. But this is wrong. It is evidence that the Calvinist is still imperfect in his experience. A believer who makes sure of his election (2 Peter 1:10) has no reason to boast. He is one of the elect, but not one of the elite. He was not chosen because he was special. God is the special one, not him. He was chosen out of sheer grace, and therefore cannot boast. If Ephesians 2:8-9- leaves us no room for boasting because of salvation by grace, then Ephesians 1:4-6 leaves us no room for boasting because of election by grace. Paul says, “What you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7). Therefore, “let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31) To God alone be the glory, fellow Calvinist!
The TULIP-flavored pride takes other forms as well. One is that Calvinists too frequently look down their noses at their non-Reformed Brothers in Christ. We place ourselves above them. We are the elite; we know more about the deep mysteries at good men we are. All such attitudes are proud. Then this shows in the way we too often disparage these brethren with whom we have the most serious disagreements. In a word, some Calvinists go too far in their animosity of Arminians. Note that I did not say “animosity to Arminianism,” for error cannot be hated too much. But Calvinists are not to hate Arminians, nor are we to be obsessed with an anti-Arminian inquisition. We chuckle to hear about the Puritan farmer who lost his temper with his mule and called him an Arminian because that was the worse thing he could think of. But this is serious. Learn the lesson of Whitefield’s great love for Wesley the Arminian. When asked if he would see Mr. Wesley in heaven, Whitefield reportedly replied that he would not. Wesley, he said, would be so much closer to the throne of Christ, than himself that he would not be able to see him. Though the exact theology of this may not be precisely correct, the sentiments are on target. One need not be a Calvinist to be saved, and many Arminians outshine us in holiness.
The Calvinist should always see himself as a Christian first and only secondly as a Calvinist. We ridicule the Roman Catholic who sees himself as a Catholic first and a Christian second, but are not Calvinists prone to this as well? One way in which this evil disease crops up is in the “Calvinist second blessing.” It is ironic that Calvinists usually denounce all the theologies that promote a “second blessing,” such as Pentecostalisim. But we are too often guilty of it when we speak more of our coming to know the doctrines of grace than our coming to know Christ in salvation. We are more exited when we tell people how the grand truths of election and sovereign grace opened our eyes and we have never been the same. Some Calvinists describe them in almost mystical terms. But this ought never to outshine our personal testimonies of conversion. We should always be more moved to speak of how the Savior saved us from sin by sovereign grace than we are to describe how He later explained sovereign grace to us. Such a “second blessing” panders to pride and looks disparagingly on these “poor souls” who have not be so enlightened. Away with such a thing! We need no Reformed Gnosticism.
Then there is the pitfall of Calvinistic intellectualism. Too often we Calvinists spend more time discussing the doctrines of grace than living the grace of the doctrines. We have already shown how this is done in the area of evangelism. To be more precise, Calvinists sometimes mistake knowledge for spirituality, as if one could somehow gauge spiritual growth by how much one knows about the finer points of Calvinism, such as the order of the decrees. But knowledge alone puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1). Unless our Calvinism is put to practice, then even Reformed theology becomes staid and proud.
(Theres still more, but time does not permit)
May we by God’s grace be all the more careful in how we conduct ourselves inwardly and outwardly and all praise be to God!
