DOCTRINES OF GRACE: CHAPTER 1: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE
CHAPTER ONE: General Considerations.
No word has been more controversial in the western Christian church than Calvinism. For many it conjures up an image of a narrow-hearted God who delights to send sinners to hell. Many others connect Calvinism with the movement’s namesake, an angular-nosed Frenchman who combed the Scriptures looking for texts that depicted a God who elected some people to salvation and passed over others. Neither caricature is remotely fair. In fact, it could be argued that Calvinism has always exulted in a gracious God who loves to save sinners. History supports this. Upon the wings of these doctrines the greatest missionaries the world has ever known have flown to foreign places to preach free grace to every tribe under heaven. The names of Judson, Carey, Paton, Taylor, Brainerd, Martyn, and many others are united by the fact they vigorously believed these truths and found them to be the source of hope they needed to carry on their mission. The greatest evangelists in British history, Whitefield and Spurgeon, were also ardent believers in these Calvinistic doctrines. Even Calvin himself was a man marked by a generous evangelistic zeal. His church in Geneva was a steady launching pad for those who wished to spread the truth of the gospel. To his native France alone Calvin’s church sent out nearly one hundred missionaries between 1541 and 1564. Under Calvin’s tutelage, John Knox was indoctrinated in these truths and as he began to preach them in his native Scotland, he was mightily used by God to start a revival there. Indeed, Calvin could at times be very stubborn and intractable in his views. But those traits normally mark all men who bear deep convictions about the truth of God’s word. And though Calvin may not have been accurate on every point of theology, when it came to the central tenets of the doctrine of salvation (soteriology) he was clear, cogent and correct. Many years after his death his followers culled from his writings doctrines that explained God’s work in saving sinners and arranged them in a coherent system. They became known as the Doctrines of Grace. They are the core of what we call the Calvinistic system. And they are the thrust of this book.
These five doctrines have come to us under the acrostic T.U.L.I.P. As we said earlier, this formulation does not come from Calvin himself but was devised a century after his death by his followers in the Reformed Church of the Netherlands. In the years 1618-1619 these doctrines were formulized as the Dutch Reformed Church met at the Synod of Dort. The doctrines of grace were reactionary, that is they were counter points responding to five theological propositions made by the opposing party who had followed the teachings of Arminius. These men were called the Remonstrants. This conflict had arisen when one of the church’s teachers, Arminius, had taken issue with the truth of predestination taught in the Belgic Confession (1561) which was the governing document of the Dutch Reformed Church. He taught that predestination was conditional upon a man exercising his will to believe. That is, God elected those who believed and because God knew all things, that election was based on God’s foreknowledge. In other words, the human will had the ability to choose or reject God and God then elected accordingly. Arminius’ teaching was codified into five propositions which the Remonstrants wished to debate at the synod. To meet this challenge the Calvinists responded with the five doctrines of grace mentioned earlier. Later on these five points were formulated into an acrostic T.U.L.I.P. We shall identify these doctrines later on.
WHY?
Many have been the books outlining the doctrines of grace. So why am I writing another treatment? Many of these treatments are outstanding. So the reader is right to ask, “Do we need another?”
There is one huge reason for writing this book. It seems that many who defend the Doctrines of Grace often assume them to be true and find little reason to interact with those who disagree. Yet there are many well-meaning Christians who have serious questions about these doctrines and would like some simple answers. After all, these truths intrude upon the deep things of God and they deserve a rational and humble defense. Many times those who question these doctrines do so out of a sincere misunderstanding of what these points actually assert. Others have strong disagreements which they back up by their own set of Scripture texts. In either case it is incumbent upon those who defend the Doctrines of Grace to address such honest questions. To simply say, ‘this is what the Bible teaches and that is the end of the discussion,’ is both snobbish and over-simplistic. All too often these wonderful doctrines are rejected, not because of the doctrines themselves, but because they are presented on platters of spiritual arrogance and superiority. How tragic that those who hold to the doctrines that most humble man’s pride are often the very ones who treat others with condescension. Paul himself, the greatest apologist of these truths (so we will argue), exuded a gracious humility to those around him because he knew that he was saved by the sovereign mercy of God alone (1 Tim 3:15-16). How we wish that proponents of these doctrines would follow in his footsteps.
Accordingly, one of the commitments of this booklet is to reserve space to deal with honest questions about each of the five Doctrines of Grace. And indeed there are many legitimate concerns about these doctrines raised by many honest critics. And while this author firmly believes the truthfulness of these doctrines, he also realizes that they must be defended winsomely lest in our arrogant self-righteousness we drive people away from an honest consideration of them.
This book is written for three groups. First, I wish to reach many who are new to the faith and have never had the opportunity to study the Doctrines of Grace. Sometimes new converts are unfamiliar with these truths because churches shy away from them. We believe, however, that these doctrines should be taught, for no truths of Scripture will more comfort a young believer than they. Indeed the Bible always presents these truths to comfort, never to incite controversy. They are the Christian’s spiritual ballast that keeps him on that sure and steady road to glory. Thus, to neglect teaching them is to neglect giving food to the little children. For each of the five doctrines, I will offer a compelling but compassionate defense with Scripture texts. I do this while freely admitting that all five of these doctrines can be easily twisted or misapplied when understood wrongly or taken to illogical extremes. For example a misunderstanding of the terms Free Will, Election and Human Depravity can lead to all kinds of theological errors that can lead us into areas of theological danger. Often these truths are mischaracterized which can leave a bad taste in the mouth of new believers. For example, some assert that these doctrines rob men of their true humanity. Such characterizations must be answered, and this we will attempt to do. We write, therefore, for the new convert who has never before heard these doctrines taught or taught rightly.
Secondly, this book also seeks to reach those who are already skeptical of these doctrines and who have partially or completely dismissed them as being unworthy of further investigation. This is sad because the author believes that no biblical truths magnify God’s love, sovereignty and grace more than these. This book will attempt to prove this. Thus, the author will address legitimate concerns and answer honest questions. The big challenge here will be to answer the criticism that in electing some over others, God willfully sends people to hell. Bad press and an arrogant apologetics have conspired to make this goal a difficult though not impossible one.
Thirdly, I wish this book to be useful for those who already hold to these doctrines firmly in order that might further relish their beauty. To these folks I trust this work will be a comfort to their hearts and an inspiration to their lagging zeal. What I have found in my own life is that when I study these doctrines I feel a spiritual thrill course through my spiritual veins and my desire to serve God increases all the more. What can possibly stimulate a soul more than to know that God has loved you from eternity past and has unleashed His power to carry you through to the end? And so I invite my brothers and sisters to come again to this richly prepared table of God’s beautiful five course meal and simply enjoy. My only appeal to those who love these doctrines is that you will maintain a spirit of patience and humility toward those who do not. May we all adopt an attitude like that of Isaiah who standing before the sovereign Lord said with face humbled toward the ground, “Woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of an unclean generation.”
Now before we go farther it is important to make another point. These doctrines though very important are not are not the sine qua non of salvation. Belief in them does not save a person, nor does a denial of them damn the soul. There is little doubt that many who are enjoying the presence of Christ right now did not fully adhere to these truths in their Christian lives. Conversely many hardnosed Calvinists may have died in an unconverted state. As we look around the Christian landscape today we find many beautiful Christians who are working out their salvation daily yet are not fully convinced of these truths. Believing in the doctrine of election does not save a person. Faith in Christ and faith in Christ alone saves. We must ever cling to that truth. An illustration would be helpful here. Two people walking in a canyon are caught in sudden downpour. Suddenly they find themselves in a precarious place as the waters begin to rise. If they do not find a refuge they will most certainly drown. Both of the hikers suddenly see a clearing where stands a hut on a high rock. It is their only hope as the waters threaten to whisk them away. With a yeoman’s effort they slog through the rising waters and arrive at the hut. The structure looks decrepit and abandoned. They enter and fall on the floor exhausted. Both campers are equally safe. However there is one difference. One camper knows nothing about the hut and is continually fearful as she sees the walls of the hut swaying back and forth. Though she is safe she remains uncertain about the stability of the hut. Her companion, though equally distressed, suddenly remembers that he has seen this house before. He remembers that the builder was an old farmer who years ago had built this very cabin for just this type of emergency. He remembers that the old man was the best builder in the valley and that he built this hut with the best materials and designed it so that it could endure any storm. He rested comfortably knowing it was the most secure building in the area. This knowledge gave this second camper deep security and peace. In contrast, the first camper, though completely safe, did not understand how safe she was. Now which of the two hikers was saved? The answer is obvious; both of them. Which of the hikers had more peace and joy in the midst of the storm? The answer, the one who knew all about the builder and his character. The Doctrines of Grace depict a God who has firmly built the house of salvation. And all who are in that house shall never be disappointed. But not every believer knows he is in such a secure house. This can lead to spiritual anxiety and insecurity. Enough said. The Doctrines of Grace exalt the majesty and power of the Builder. To change the illustration they are a restful pillow upon which to lay one’s weary head. What a delightful salvation God has prepared for His people. These doctrines are the keys that open the door of discovering that spiritual delight.
WHAT BINDS THESE DOCTRINES TOGETHER?
The first thing we note about these truths is they are unified by the theme of God’s initiative in salvation which we call grace. Thus the name, the Doctrines of Grace. So what exactly is grace? In its primary Bible usage, grace bears the idea of doing something freely and without constraint. To be gracious is simply to give freely. That doesn’t mean we exhibit grace every time we do something at no charge. The idea of grace is that one gives freely with no reference to the worthiness of the recipient or expectation of return. Grace speaks of the overflowing lavishness of one’s heart. No one has a heart like God’s heart. Naturally we have difficulty understanding the term because everything we do as humans is driven by some measure of selfishness whether done consciously or subliminally. At the root of every human act there is always a discernible motive. But according to the Bible, if an action is in any way influenced by an external factor, then it does not stand the test of pure grace. Since humans always have some reason why they do anything, they can never perform a purely gracious act. Only God can be absolutely gracious for only God has a will that is absolutely free (liberum arbitrium). So when we speak of God’s grace we mean that God does what He wants without constraint. He gives freely and is pressured by nothing outside of Himself. God’s graciousness flows from His nature. This makes the grace of God a concept beyond human comprehension.
The Doctrines of Grace are, therefore, a fivefold expression of God’s freeness in salvation. All of these five truths hinge upon the central idea that God does all the giving and man passively receives. The very first of these truths sets the direction for the rest. Men are totally depraved, that is they are incapable of saving themselves because they are spiritually dead. Thus, God’s initiative to be gracious is absolutely necessary in order for anyone to be saved. His initiative stems beyond a mere offer but is itself an efficacious invasion into the human soul that actually enlivens the dead soul and grants forgiveness of sins and a changed heart. That God’s grace achieves what it sets out to do sums up the final four doctrines. God’s grace chooses, atones for sin, effectually draws sinners to Himself and preserves them to the end. Meditating on the grace of God in these four doctrines is an abundant feast that could feed any soul for years. Together they paint a mosaic that exalts God as one who freely and willingly saves sinners and leaves nothing to the sin-loving will of man.
We have noted earlier that Calvin did not construct this five part system of truth. This leaves the question, “Did he actually teach them?” If we peruse Calvin’s writings and look for a fivefold theological construct designated by the acrostic T.U.L.I.P., we shall look in vain. As we said earlier, this acrostic was formulated by men who lived an entire generation after Calvin. Nevertheless, all five of these doctrines are clearly taught in his writings. That God saves sinners from first to last by the power of His free will permeates his Institutes of the Christian Religion. The reason the idea of pure grace was so prevalent in Calvin’s writings has everything to do with the theological context in which Calvin wrote. One must remember that in the 16th century, men were beginning to throw off the shackles of a monolithic, medieval church that held the keys to every doorway of grace. The area where the church held the tightest reigns was in the area of soteriology, or how a person is saved. This issue was the very thing that had touched off the Reformation in 1517, an event that happened when Calvin was only eight years old. Even earlier than Luther there had been challenges to the churches view of salvation by men in Calvin’s native France. As early as 1512, Jacques Lefèvre d’Estaples was teaching salvation by faith alone through grace alone. His writings and others began to swirl around Paris and other cities. When Luther finally posted his 95 Theses in 1517, it was like fire landing on dry wood. This spreading conflagration impacted many thirsty and oppressed souls, including a young Calvin. Over time, the young Frenchman became more and more convinced of these Reformation doctrines. By 1530 he had abandoned his earthly career of being a lawyer and plunged into the Reformation movement. The Bible became his lone object of study and with his great logical mind he soon began to codify Bible doctrine in a systematic way. This eventually led to the publication of the first edition of those Institutes in 1536. Over the course of his lifetime Calvin updated this volume until it reached its present day form in 1559. This was Calvin’s magnus opus and one of the great gifts to the church. And it was from this work that Calvin’s followers would cull those five doctrines that are now under discussion.[1]
Calvin’s great concern was the great divide that existed between God’s monergistic work on behalf of unworthy sinners and the merit system that dominated the Medieval Church. He saw, as Luther had seen, that salvation in the medieval scheme rested upon a combination of God’s grace and man’s effort. The latter often took the form of participation in the sacraments, doing acts of mercy, and obedience to mother church. These good works maintained one in a state of grace but to what degree no one knew. Only as one faced eternal judgment was one’s justification either affirmed or denied. The real work of salvation was merited by the works in one’s life and depended on the degree to which one availed himself to the means offered by the church. How many works were needed to maintain one’s saved status was never enumerated. As a result no one in the medieval church could ever know for certain if he was saved. Calvin, on the other hand, understood that salvation rested on God’s grace alone, God’s free and undeserved gift of life to unworthy sinners apart from any merit found in them. Furthermore the conduit of that grace to the sinner came through faith, not the church. Such widely divergent systems could never be reconciled.
Throughout the history of Calvinistic Theology, the idea that salvation comes from the sole saving hand of God is universally taught. American Calvinist and Presbyterian theologian Dabney would say it succinctly,
“No sinner is saved without special and Almighty grace; for his depravity is total, and his heart wholly averse from God; so that if God has not provided, in His eternal plan, resources of gracious power, adequate to subdue unto Himself, and to sustain in grace, every sinner He attempts to save, I see no probability that any will be saved at all.”[2]
Similar to this would be a statement of the Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon,
“I believe that all departures from sound doctrine on the point of God’s work of grace in the soul, arise from forgetfulness that it is the Divine work from first to last; that the faintest desire after Christ is as much the work of God as the gift of His dear Son to die for us, and that our whole spiritual history through, from the Alpha to the Omega, it must be the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, to will and to do for His good pleasure.”[3]
The charge ever levelled against Calvinistic theology or the Doctrines of Grace is that they lead to licentious living. To be sure neither Calvin nor any of the Reformers believed that grace was ever divorced from good works. Though grace itself was invisible it always produced a visible obedience to God. Calvin, this firmly saying at one point,
“God not only offers salvation, but assigns it in such a manner that the certainty of the effect is liable to no suspense or doubt.” [4]
Let it be clearly said that when we study the Doctrines of Grace we are not studying the theology of John Calvin. Rather we are affirming the great truth that Calvin discovered. Salvation is from beginning to end a monergistic[5] work of God. This paradigm gives God all the glory for the work of redemption, magnifies His mighty power and humbles the pride of man. God’s gracious invasion into the lives of sinners to save them is illustrated in the life of that Old Testament figure, Jonah. The fleeing prophet found himself far from God on a ship bound for Tarshish. As the story opens we see that Jonah has no interest in obeying God. On the other hand God has a great interest in saving Jonah. God’s grace pursues him and intercepts Jonah’s rebellion by throwing Jonah into the belly of a great fish. Jonah is right where he needs to be. He is hopeless, helpless and undone….but God is for him. He cries out to God from the dark recesses of a fish’s belly and acknowledges God’s power to save; “You have brought up my life out of the pit” (2:6). He acknowledges his sin, looks toward the Lord’s holy temple, and yearns to obey God in sacrifice. He knows God has mercifully tracked him down and saved him and concludes the famous poem by exclaiming, “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). This one phrase sums up the entirety of Jonah’s experience and sums up the principle that binds together the Doctrines of Grace. Salvation is a work of God. That’s another way of saying that salvation is by grace. The rest of this book will simply be an expansion of this precious truth.
THE DOCTRINES IDENTIFIED
So what are these five doctrines? As I said previously, the Doctrines of Grace are commonly identified by the acrostic, T.U.L.I.P. The letters represent the following truths.
T. Total Depravity.
U. Unconditional Election
L. Limited Atonement
I. Irresistible Grace.
P. Perseverance of the saints.
It must be noted that treating these doctrines separately is for the sake of learning and comprehension only. Many have argued (and I think rightly) that they are in fact one indivisible system. To believe one is really to subscribe to all. This we shall argue in due time.
It all begins with Total Depravity. This doctrine is the bedrock that lays the foundation for the others. Or, to change the metaphor, it is the navigation chart by which everything else moves. If one misses the truth of Total Depravity then one’s understanding of God’s salvation will go awry and one’s theological ship will end up in dangerous waters. Total Depravity argues that natural man is born in Adam and is dead spiritually. In addition this doctrine asserts that man has no capacity to do anything good left to himself. This naturally leads to the doctrine of Unconditional Election. Because man cannot save himself from the throes of spiritual deadness, God must choose to save whom He will. If God does not elect to salvation then none can be saved. And if God chooses some to be saved the third element of the Doctrines of Grace makes perfect sense. Limited Atonement simply says that Christ knows those who are chosen and died specifically for them. He paid the ransom price for His people and for none else. Furthermore, if God chooses those He will save and pays the debt of sin for them on the cross, then God must in time draw those persons to His Son in time. This is the ‘I’ of the acrostic, known as Irresistible Grace. Lastly, if God does the work of choosing paying the redemption price and drawing, then God will also keep His people safe throughout their spiritual journey. This means that all true saints of God will persevere to the end while at the same time being preserved by God. Looking at this system from a distance, one sees an overarching banner which says that God has sovereign control of the entire process of salvation in the life of any sinner. We can summarize the Doctrines of Grace under these two propositions: God alone initiates every aspect of the scheme of salvation and God completes everything He initiates (Philippians 1:6).
WHY ARE THESE DOCTRINES IMPORTANT?
"Why should we split hairs over doctrine? Shouldn’t we just love Jesus and leave all these theological nuances behind? Shouldn’t we just go out and win the lost for Jesus?" We hear this sentiment over and over again in the Evangelical church. It arises from a cultural phenomenon where differences of conviction must be suppressed in an atmosphere of tolerance. As noble as this sounds, it rests on a false premise that doctrine gets in the way of our fulfilling God’s purposes for the church. Wouldn’t the church be farther along were it not for all the energy spent on those early church councils which debated issues of doctrine? But when we turn to the pages of Scripture we find that just the opposite is affirmed. Knowing right doctrine is so important that trying to advance the kingdom before settling doctrinal issues is a dangerous enterprise. What are the epistles but books that teach sound doctrine? And what we learn from the Apostles is that so far from dividing believers, doctrine actually unites them. Paul encourages the Ephesians to ‘endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (4:3). And how do we do that Paul? By having a common doctrinal formula, “There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism…” (4-5). According to Paul, church is unified around doctrine, not by avoiding it. The church can never unite over airy sentimentalism or vague deals (‘let’s just go out and feed the poor’), but by hard and fast mutually agreed upon truths. Paul would agree that a church that ceases to wrestle with the matters of truth ceases to be a true church. It is theology that forms the skeleton upon which the church exists. Without it there is nothing left but a formless blob of indistinct moral principles that puts the church in the same classification as the Elks or Rotary Club.
This is all to say that the Doctrines of Grace provide an over-arching, biblical construct that provides a framework that helps us understand God’s work of salvation to sinners. So far from dividing Christianity, these doctrines draw men together from all denominations which cherish the teaching of the word of God. In a world splintered by a plethora of denominations, having a common framework that orthodox churches can agree up is more vital than it has ever been in ages past.
SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE
As we said earlier, we shall spend some of our time answering objections that people have against these doctrines. Let me give a preview of some of the issues we shall deal with. First, we shall debunk the caricature that people who hold to the Doctrines of Grace view God as an austere Judge who delights in condemning men to hell. No doubt some who have promoted these doctrines have given cause for this conclusion. But this has never been, nor is now, the teaching of these doctrines. A second caricature is that these doctrines preclude any need for God to use means to save sinners. On the contrary, those who have traditionally held to these doctrines have been the most vigorous in the use of means in the spreading of the gospel. They have universally taught that the same God who ordains the ends also ordains the means. Furthermore advocates of the doctrines of grace have firmly believed that to neglect God’s means is to work against God’s plan for the ages. The fact that God has promised to save some, gives the evangelist who believes these doctrines great hope that his efforts shall succeed. Later on we shall argue that the Doctrines of Grace never weaken evangelism but always energize it. A third caricature is the charge that these doctrines promote spiritual laziness in Christian sanctification. If, as these doctrines assert, God causes the believer to persevere to the end, then why should the believer pursue holiness? But again we assert that for a similar reason given for evangelism, the pursuit of holiness is energized by understanding that God has willed the sanctification of the believer by the very use of means. So far from encouraging the saint to say, ‘let us continue in sin that grace may abound,’ these truths encourage men to devote themselves to the very thing that the Lord has promised to do. When one is gripped by the fact that God has provided all things necessary for life and godliness, he will at once pursue the will of God with all vigor. A quick review of the life of Calvin himself will demonstrate that no man was more intent on mortifying the deeds of the flesh than he. And what can be said of the Puritans? No holier group of men ever grace our planet, and with but a few exceptions, all held firmly to the doctrines of grace. So far from making man spiritually flabby, the Doctrines of Grace engender in the heart a passion for purity. John Newton, himself a Calvinist, said,
"..the views I have received of the doctrines of grace are essential to my peace. I could not live comfortably a day or an hour without them. I likewise believe... them to be friendly to holiness and to have a direct influence in producing and maintaining gospel conversation and therefore I must not be ashamed of them.”[6]
On the contrary it is the idea that man’s progress in the faith rests on the his own will that often engenders slovenly living in the lives of many who espouse an such a theology.[7] The reason for this is subtle. When a sinner is told that they must actively pursue a certain standard to achieve salvation, despair can set in and cause the straining sinner to lose heart. Polls have shown that the majority of the broad-based evangelical church in America believes exactly this. It is in man’s power to choose Christ whenever he desires. The downside is that as quickly as one chooses Christ he may just as easily un-choose him. The possibility of choosing oneself from the faith keeps a great number of Christians fearful and with no assurance of their salvation. The Doctrines of Grace, on the other hand, because they exalt God as the sole author of salvation keep men safely in the grip of a sovereign Savior and bring comfort to the soul. This not only builds assurance but stimulates the desire to live a holy life for God.
There is one last misconception about these doctrines which I address now. And that is the idea that one can hold to some of the doctrines of grace and deny others. For example many will say they are ‘Four Point Calvinists’ meaning they agree with four of the doctrines but not one of them, usually Limited Atonement. And while it is experientially possible for people to deny some of the five doctrines, it is not logically possible. As we shall see, the Doctrines of Grace are not five independent theological propositions but one coherent system which rises and falls as a unit. These doctrines are bound together by one central message, a message that salvation is wholly a work of God and all the initiative to redeem sinners belongs to Him. Though independent in description, these doctrines are wholly interdependent in essence, each drawing their identity from the other four like runners in a relay race. The total inability of man necessitates election and election proves the total inability of man....and so forth. Thus, to be intellectually honest, one must believe in all of them or none of them. We fully understand that people often live in cognitive dissonance and this analysis is not intended to question the integrity or intellectual capacity of those who think this way. What the author desires is by the end of this book, the reader will see the beautiful mural painted by these five truths and marvel at ‘so great salvation.’ What God has put together let no man put asunder.
CONCLUSION
Apart from conversion, an understanding of the Doctrines of Grace is the most blessed event in the believer's life. These precious truths, if properly understood, shift one’s spiritual focus from self to God, which in turn brings peace and comfort to an otherwise chaotic existence. I have had people come up to me long after I have taught a class on these doctrines telling me it changed their lives. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Doctrines of Grace usher a man into a whole new theological world where God, not man, is king, and where God and God alone is the author of salvation. In a real sense to understand these doctrines is to begin to understand the totality of Scripture. If the Bible is about God’s rescue of a fallen race then what better way to understand the Bible than to know how God saves sinners. In addition, understanding these truths transforms one’s life into a song of praise and worship which daily magnifies the name of the God who controls all things. Knowing these truths will also help one understand Christianity’s influence on culture. How many good things in the West were founded on these truths? Public education as we know it today was birthed in their soil. The liberty of conscience, the dignity of man, the equality of all under God, and the honor of secular vocations are direct results of these truths. So if you are studying these doctrines for the first time, we wish you a prosperous journey. But let the buyer beware. As you begin to embrace these truths your entire perspective on life will begin to change. You will see man for who he really is, and, more importantly, God for who He is. In addition, it will cause you to honor and love the Son of God who is the One who purchased this great salvation. And so the reason we study these truths is not to for any measure of intellectual achievement, but in order that we might love God more. This then is the purpose of this book. Loving and serving our great saving God in Christ is the noblest endeavor the human mind can desire. And it is through an understanding of these Doctrines of Grace that this end may be partially achieved.
Endnotes.
[1] Calvin published his first edition of the Institutes in 1536, only 4-5 years after his conversion.
[2] Dabney, R.L. , Lectures in Systematic Theology. Zondervan, Grand Rapids MI, 1980, pg 228.
[3] Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, volume 12, pg 32, Pilgrim Publications, Pasadena Tx.
[4] Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. III:21,7
[5] Monergism is a word that means ‘one working’. God works alone in saving sinners.
[6] Newton, John. Preface to the Olney Hymns. See https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Olney_Hymns_(1840)/Preface
[7] Such is Arminianism; a theological construct that says man’s native will has the capacity to choose Christ for one’s salvation. Named for Dutch theologian, Jacob Arminius, 1560-1609.