The DARK SIDE of CALVINISM
A biblically based
examination,
evaluation,
and refutation
of the Reformed Doctrine
of Redemption
and Reprobation.
The DARK SIDE of CALVINISMT H E C A LV I N I S T C A S T E S Y S T E M
GEORGE L. BRYSON
The Dark Side of CalvinismThe Calvinist Caste System
Copyright 2004 by George Bryson
Published by Calvary Chapel Publishing (CCP)a resource ministry of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa3800 South Fairview Rd.Santa Ana, CA 92704
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.
First printing 2004
All Scripture quotations in this book, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASU are taken from the New American Standard Bible Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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DeDicateD to
the memory of Bob Passantino, who went to be with our Lord on November 17, 2003. Along with Gretchen, his wife and very capable ministry partner of many years, Bob proved to be a major help and encouragement to me in the seven years I took to do the research and write The Dark Side of Calvinism. Without their help and encouragement, I am not certain that I would ever have finished.
ForeworD
in The Dark Side of Calvinism, George Bryson has shined the light of Scripture and scripturally based reasoning upon some very important and disturbing problems with the distinctive doctrines of Reformed Theology. As George documents, John Calvin asserts:
By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, ac-cordingly, as each has been created for one or other of those ends, we say that he has been predestined to life or death.1
Despite the unscriptural and radical nature of such a position, George demonstrates that this is the position promoted by the leading proponents of Calvinism today. While Calvinists are prone to accent the less negative fea-tures of Calvinism, even the best of what Calvin taught about salvation logi-cally leads to the worst of what Calvinism teaches. While Calvinists prefer to talk about election, they know that the other side of unconditional election is a very troubling and unscriptural doctrine of unconditional reprobation. Typically, a contemporary advocate of Calvinism, James White says:
God elects a specific people unto Himself without reference to anything they do. This means the basis of Gods choice of the elect is solely within Himself: His grace, His mercy, His will. It is not mans actions, works, or even foreseen faith, that draws Gods choice. Gods election is unconditional and final.2
The doctrinal distinctive of Reformed Theology cannot be reconciled with what we know about God from His holy Word. Scripture has taught me to believe that God is loving and absolutely just. Could and would such a God allow a man to be born who has no possibility to be saved? Would the God of love and Scripture have me tantalize unsavable men with the offer
the Dark SiDe oF calviniSm
of salvation? Would the God of all hope punish a man for all eternity for rejecting the offer of salvation, if that man was decreed by God to reject that salvation in the first place?
The God introduced to us by Calvin seems to be far removed and very different from the God who said, And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17, KJV). Would I not be lying to a non-elect man if I offered him eternal life based on what Christ did for him on the cross? For if Calvinism is true, Christ did nothing of redemptive value for the non-elect. Why are we commanded to preach the gospel to every crea-ture (Mark 16:15)? If Calvinism is true, and I affirm to a man that Jesus loves him and died on the cross to redeem him from his sins, I may be offering nothing more than a false hope. Can I, with a clear conscience, really do this in the name of the God of all truth, knowing full well that it may not be true? Perhaps this explains why evangelism is so neglected in much of the Reformed community!
Assuming Calvinism is true, if I urge men to receive Jesus as their Lord that they might be saved, would this not be nothing more than a cruel tease for many of those to whom I speak (Acts 2:3639)? Why would the God of all truth, who speaks so sternly against lying, send His servants out to promote such a lie? If God has no saving concern for many (perhaps even most), why should I? Why would God call upon a man to make a choice as to which God he would serve as He did with Joshua and Elijah? If it is impossible for men to choose because they have been pre-ordained by God to be saved or lost, is it not rather cruel and deceitful to hold out the offer of the gospel to them if it is impossible for them to accept it? Conversely, if a man is ordained by God to be saved, with no real responsibility on his part, then why spend time and resources seeking to bring the gospel to the world? If they have been irrevocably chosen to be saved, then they cannot possibly be lost; therefore, where then is the incentive to take the gospel to them? On the other hand, if they have been predestined to be irrevocably lost, then it is cruel to hold out to them the hope of the gospel.
How can you declare that God is love, if He has unconditionally des-tined men to the eternal torment of hell? If I follow the referenced position of James White, I would have to accept that a mans faith in Jesus Christ has nothing to do with getting saved. In stark contrast, when our Lord was asked, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus responded, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
Foreword
sent (John 6:2829, KJV). When the Philippian jailor asked, what must I do to be saved? Paul and Silas said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:3031, KJV).
According to Calvinism, it is futile to try to convert the lost who are not predestined to be saved. Perhaps this explains why so many Calvinists are spending so much time and energy trying to win the already saved to Calvinism. What this means is that Calvinists want other Christians to be-lieve in their convoluted theology, which if fully understood, destroys the gospel to every creature.
No matter what your position on the subject of Reformed Theology, George is going to force you to think it through. This is a must-read for all who have wrestled with Calvinism.
Chuck SmithSenior Pastor, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
contentS
acknowleDgmentS 13
introDuction THE CASE AgAINST CALVINISM 15
chapter 1 IS CALVINISM THE goSpEL? 37
chapter 2 UNCoNdITIoNAL ELECTIoN/REpRobATIoN ExpLAINEd 55
chapter 3 UNCoNdITIoNAL ELECTIoN/REpRobATIoN SCRIpTURALLY REfUTEd 3
chapter 4 LIMITEd AToNEMENT ExpLAINEd 137
chapter 5 LIMITEd AToNEMENT SCRIpTURALLY REfUTEd 153
chapter 6 IRRESISTIbLE gRACE ExpLAINEd 171
chapter 7 IRRESISTIbLE gRACE SCRIpTURALLY REfUTEd 15
chapter ToTAL dEpRAVITY ExpLAINEd 21
chapter ToTAL dEpRAVITY SCRIpTURALLY REfUTEd 233
chapter 10 pERSEVERANCE of THE SAINTS ExpLAINEd 261
chapter 11 pERSEVERANCE of THE SAINTS SCRIpTURALLY REfUTEd 273
chapter 12 THE SIxTH poINT of CALVINISM 27
chapter 13 MATTERS THAT MATTER 331
concluSion 371
noteS 375
acknowleDgmentS
when you take seven years to write a book, as I did with this one, it is very difficult to even remember all the people that helped you along the way. Perhaps some of those left unmentioned will take comfort in the fact that it may be best not to be acknowledged in a book that is certain to be controversial. Since Chuck Smith, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, wrote the foreword for me, I doubt saying thanks to Chuck for doing so will expose him to any more criticism than he will already be subject to. I would also like to thank Pastor Brian Brodersen and his skilled staff at Calvary Chapel Publishing for the very important part they played in getting this book into readable print. Special thanks must go to Romy Godding for her skills as an editor, who can see what a book can be (an
