Tag Archives: Calvinism

WHEN DID CALVINISM BEGIN?

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WHEN DID CALVINISM BEGIN? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 8:59am QUESTION: I have a question about the historical nature of Calvinism. One of my points with my Calvinist friends has been that you really don’t see the doctrines of T-U-L-I-P until Augustine. To me that is compelling stuff. If Paul meant total depravity and all that the way Calvinists believe it, then you would think you would find that in the early church fathers. Do you find that argument compelling? I recently read a blog that basically said the ideas of Calvinism are all throughout … Continue reading →

ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART TWO

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ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART TWO by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4:02pm In part one of this essay, I said that the Biblical language of election is used in several different senses or applied in several different ways. In that part, I explained the first four such ways: (1) the election of Jesus as the incarnate God the Redeemer; (2) the election of individuals to service, e.g., the patriarchs and the apostles; (3) the election of groups (especially Israel) to service; and (4) the election of groups as categories of individuals to whom God … Continue reading →

ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART ONE

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ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART ONE by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 3:58pm QUESTION: The New Testament speaks of God as “choosing” or “electing” us, and Christians are called “the chosen ones” or “the elect.” This sounds like determinism, or Calvinism. How can such language be reconciled with free will? ANSWER: The main verb for “choose” is eklegomai; the adjective (as in “chosen ones”) is eklektos; the noun (‘the chosen”) is eklogē. The words “elect,” “chosen,” and “predestined” carry similar connotations. A main point is that this language is used in different contexts with different … Continue reading →

How Do Calvinists Explain 2 Peter 3:9?

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How Do Calvinists Explain 2 Peter 3:9? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 3:02pm QUESTION: Calvinists believe in the total depravity of all human beings, which means that no one is able to respond to the gospel in faith and repentance. This requires the belief in unconditional election, which means that God unilaterally chooses to save some sinners but not others. He does this by bestowing upon the chosen ones his irresistible gift of grace, in the form of regeneration, faith, repentance, and justification—all at the same time. He COULD do the same thing for every … Continue reading →

Does 1 Cor. 2:14 Support Calvinism?

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Does 1 Cor. 2:14 Support Calvinism? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 4:37pm QUESTION: What is your exegetical take on 1 Cor. 2:14? This is a favorite Calvinist proof text, as you know. Do you believe “psuchikos” [“natural”] is about nonbelievers or carnal Christians? What is the overall point of the passage? ANSWER: 1 Cor. 2:14-16 (NASB) reads, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, … Continue reading →

Who Are the “Elect Angels” in 1 Timothy 5:21?

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Who Are the “Elect Angels” in 1 Timothy 5:21? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 2:55pm QUERY: Today I came across 1 Timothy 5:21, which refers to “the elect angels.” This seems to say that angels are elect. How does this tie in with elect humans in regards to Calvinism? Are there any verses that say that angels had/have free will and made their own decisions? ANSWER: We know relatively little about angels in general, but we do know that there is an invisible and a visible creation (Col. 1:16), which probably refer to this physical … Continue reading →

Are “the Days of Our Lives” Planned or Set by God?

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Are “the Days of Our Lives” Planned or Set by God? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, February 12, 2010 at 11:04am INQUIRY: Have all the days of our lives already been planned or set by God? If God has “set” the days for our lives, does our free will change that? E.g, when a baby is aborted, does that change the days God had originally set for that life? When we abuse our own bodies (e.g., via smoking, drinking, over-eating), does that change the days He had set for us? Or has He somehow worked that into His plan? … Continue reading →

HOW Should One Study the Bible?

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HOW Should One Study the Bible? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, December 11, 2009 at 4:31pm A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: How can a Christian who has no formal training in Bible backgrounds and Bible languages get the most out of studying the Bible? An earlier note addressed the question of WHY study the Bible; now the question is, what are some practical suggestions on HOW to study the Bible? MY REPLY: We acknowledge that Bible study is not necessarily easy; that’s why it is called a “spiritual DISCIPLINE.” It takes discipline and effort to pursue it. Here are some suggestions … Continue reading →

Is Faith a Gift?

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Is Faith a Gift? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 9:42am A RECENT QUERY: “I came across a church website that says (slightly abbreviated): ‘We share the values of the Reformation, the five “Alones”: ●Christ Alone: We believe that Jesus Christ was, is and always will be fully God (Hebrews 13:8) and that he became fully human, taking the very nature of a man (Philippians 2) and that he came to show us what God the Father is like; when you see Jesus you see God the Father (John 14:9). ●Grace Alone: Our relationship with God … Continue reading →

“Good Fruit” from the “Unbaptized”

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“Good Fruit” from the “Unbaptized” by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 1:32pm QUESTION: “The idea of the visible and invisible church was a mystery to me until I read your book ‘Baptism: A Biblical Study’ (ch. 8). This includes the idea that only God knows who is truly justified. I was wondering though, how we can explain the tremendous fruit by such scholars of the day that don’t believe and have not been baptized for the forgiveness of sin, e.g., John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and Norman Geisler.” MY REPLY: This is not an easy question, but … Continue reading →