predestination | Kerrigan Skelly's Blog

One objection Calvinists often pose to non-Calvinists regarding salvation is the involvement of free will in sinners being converted/made right with God. Calvinists would have you believe that the free will of man has absolutely nothing to do with salvation and that if it did, that the man would automatically be prideful or that salvation would automatically be “works salvation,” instead of “salvation by grace.”

In meditating upon this through the years, I have come up with a parable/analogy to show how silly these objections are. Man choosing to be saved does not mean that he is being prideful, nor does it mean that his salvation is now a “works salvation.” In my opinion, these silly objections simply consist in Calvinists engaging in the redefining of Biblical words. They define the terms in light of their theological system, instead of allowing the true definitions of Biblical words to define their theological system.

BOASTFUL BEACH PARABLE/ANALOGY

Two men were at Boastful Beach one day. They loved the beach, because it fulfilled the “lust of their eyes” as they looked at all the bikini clad women. They were enjoying their day basking in the heat of the sun and getting a tan in order to fuel their own “pride of life.” They both knew that in order to get a “hot girl,” they had to have a tan. One of them began to get a little too warm, so he decided to take a swim in the Sea of Sin.

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As I have dealt with Calvinists throughout the years, there has been one objection that has stood out the most. There is one thing that I hear them say, more than anything else. They say this on YouTube videos, on Facebook posts, through email correspondence with them, etc. They are constantly accusing people of misrepresenting Calvinism, of not knowing what Calvinism “REALLY IS” and of engaging in straw man arguments against their doctrines.

You know what I think the problem is? I think that that most “Calvinists” aren’t REALLY Calvinists. They don’t even know what “Calvinism” is. I’ve been studying Calvinism for about 10 years now. I’ve studied a lot about Calvinism, both from Calvinists and from those against Calvinism. I’ve watched videos from both sides, listened to sermons from both sides, read books and articles from both sides, etc. For the most part, those who are against Calvinism have properly represented it. There have been those who have engaged in straw man arguments, but they have been few and far between, from what I have seen.

I think that many people who call themselves “Calvinists” haven’t studied much about Calvinism. They probably heard a passionate sermon from Paul Washer (and YES, HE IS a Calvinist), read an article by Charles Spurgeon, read a book by John Piper, listened to a James White debate, watched an R.C. Sproul lecture or read a John MacArthur Commentary. Then they put their theological “stake in the ground” and say, “I’m a Calvinist”. Also, some people are just “bandwagon” Calvinists. They see it as a popular trend in the circles they are in and “jump in”. I wonder what will happen when it’s no longer a “popular trend”?

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