The following articles are related to the topic of CALVINISM

John Calvin and Grace

One of the most influential religious figures of the last millennium was John Calvin of Switzerland. Calvin was born in 1509. At the age of fourteen, he went to Paris to study the classics. He was so austere that his fellow students nicknamed him "The Accusative Case." In 1529, he commenced the study of civil law. Presently, though, Calvin became ... read more »

The Philosophy of John Calvin

John Calvin was born in 1509 in a small village about fifty miles north of Paris. When he was fourteen years old, he went to Paris to study theology and philosophy. For a while, he turned his attention to pursuing a law degree. But in 1534, he began work on his famous Institutes of the Christian Religion, which he completed ... read more »

Calvinism and the Great Commission

John Calvin (1509-64) was a religious reformer and theologian. The basic premise of his theology was the absolute sovereignty (right to reign) of God, out of which evolved his misguided theory of "predestination." The Swiss reformer believed that human "free will" was destroyed by man's "original sin"; thus, the innate power to yield to the will of God was lost ... read more »

2 Peter 1:8 – Conditional Salvation

It is remarkable that some, professing acquaintance with the New Testament, should argue that salvation is bestowed unconditionally. But such is the legacy of John Calvin. One of the planks in his theological platform was "unconditional election." By way of contrast, however, the Bible teaches that salvation is conditional. In his second epistle, Peter introduces a number of spiritual qualities ... read more »

Galatians 2:11 — A Confrontation with Peter

Peter was a great apostle of Christ, a veritable pillar of the church (Galatians 2:9), but at times he could be weak. Though he had been shown miraculously that the Gentiles were entitled to equal privileges in the kingdom of God (Acts 10), on one occasion, when in the presence of influential Jewish Christians who were close to James, Peter ... read more »

Galatians 5:4 – Fallen from Grace

Those who have been influenced by the dogma of John Calvin believe that a child of God can never apostatize to the point of being lost. Dr. Charles Stanley, in his book Eternal Security-Can You Be Sure?, devotes an entire chapter to Galatians 5:4. He desperately wants to negate its impact on the once-saved, always-saved doctrine. Stanley suggests that all ... read more »

Numbers 14:11-12 – The Disinheritance of a Rebellious Child

There are some religionists, in the tradition of John Calvin, who argue for the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy. What these folks believe - and their sincerity is not in question - is this. It is utterly impossible for a child of God to so sin as to fall from grace and thus finally be lost. They ask: "Is ... read more »

Ephesians 1:4 – Predestination

As he commences his letter to the saints in Ephesus, Paul declares that God: "chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world ... having foreordained [predestinated - KJV] us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself?" (1:4-5). Does this passage teach that our salvation is strictly a matter of God's arbitrary election, settled before the ... read more »

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 – Election through the Gospel

The theology of John Calvin contends that before the foundation of the world, God elected certain ones (both angels and men) to be saved, and others to be lost. There is no biblical basis for this. In the opening remarks of his first letter to the brethren at Thessalonica, Paul makes an interesting comment which helps put this topic into ... read more »

False Ideas about God

When Paul was in Athens, he declared to certain philosophers (who had gathered together to hear new ideas) that they were ignorant of the true God (Acts 17:23). In our current society, many feel that modern man has intellectually advanced beyond the primitive Greeks. The truth is, a significant segment of our own populous is about as crude in its ... read more »