In the history of the church much of the missions movement was by Calvinistic churches —both Presbyterian, Calvinist, and Baptist. The main argument back is that yes, God predestined whoever will believe and he predestined the ends. He also predestined the means. So, if you really believe God is controlling the world and you really believe that God uses our means to get to his ends, that is an encouragement to do evangelism. Now, interestingly, famous in reformed circles is this little book by J.
While his intellect, affections and will are fully operative, their natural bent is always in the wrong direction. At first glance, this seems to cut the very nerve of evangelism. If we lean solely on logic a charge sometimes levelled at Calvinists! But with the command came the power to obey it; the patient did so and was healed.
Arminius accepted that God has chosen people to salvation, but only because he foreknew that they would repent and believe of their own free will. The Bible is crystal clear.
Again, this seems to vitiate evangelism — but surely it vitalizes it? God does elect his people to salvation, and the mystery is not that he did not choose all but that he chose any! No one deserves his love and grace. But why bother to preach the gospel at all if only the elect will be saved?
When Rowland Hill was told that he should preach only to the elect, he told his critic to chalk a mark on the elect and he would then gladly preach to them only! Preaching in the hope that sinners might somehow stir themselves to respond is crying for the moon; if election is false, evangelism is futile.
Yet we can preach without constraint, in complete confidence that God will cause the gospel to take root in the hearts of those he has chosen to salvation. What is offered in true gospel preaching is not the possibility or opportunity of salvation, but salvation itself!
The first chapters set forth some of the essential theological presuppositions for God-centered evangelism. Kuiper explains that God Himself is the author of evangelism, in that before the foundation of the world, He planned the salvation of sinners. This leads directly into chapter-length discussions of God's love, His election of sinners, and His covenant.
After setting forth these basic theological foundations, Kuiper then deals with various biblical aspects of evangelism, beginning with the sovereignty of God and the Great Commission.
In the Great Commission, Jesus commands His followers to make disciples of "all nations. The gospel is to be proclaimed to all. If we truly believe what Scripture tells us about the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation, then the urgency of evangelism will become evident.
A number of heterodox theologies undermine the urgency of evangelism by teaching that unbelievers will get a "second chance" after death. There is, however, no biblical warrant for such teaching, and to assert it is pure presumption. Our primary motivation for evangelism should be love of God and love of neighbor. Those who love God will joyfully obey His commission to evangelize and disciple. Those who love their neighbor will desire nothing greater for them than eternal life.
Let me beseech you to come to Jesus Christ; I invite you all to come to him, and receive him as your Lord and Saviour; he is ready to receive you. I invite you to come to him, that you may find rest for your souls. He will rejoice and be glad. He calls you by his ministers; O come unto him—he is labouring to bring you back from sin and from Satan, unto himself: open the door of your hearts, and the King of glory shall enter in.
My heart is full, it is quite full, and I must speak, or I shall burst. What, do you think your souls of no value? Do you esteem them as not worth saving? Are your pleasures worth more than your souls? Had you rather regard the diversions of this life, than the salvation of your souls? If so, you will never be partakers with him in glory; but if you come unto him, he will supply you with his grace here, and bring you to glory hereafter; and there you may sing praises and hallelujahs to the Lamb for ever.
And may this be the happy end of all who hear me! George Whitefield was a staunch Calvinist. Calvinism is evangelism in its pure and only stable expression, and when we say evangelism we say sin and salvation.
It means utter dependence on God for salvation. It implies therefore, need of salvation and a profound sense of this need, along with an equally profound sense of helplessness in the presence of this need, and utter dependence on God for its satisfaction.
Wherever this attitude of heart is found and is given expression in direct and unambiguous terms, there is Calvinism. Where this attitude of mind and heart is fallen away from it however small a measure, there Calvinism has become impossible. The Calvinist, in a word, is the man who sees God.
He has caught sight of the ineffable Vision, and he will not let it fade for a moment from his eyes—God in nature, God in history, God in grace. Everywhere he sees God in His mighty stepping, everywhere he feels the working of His mighty arm, the throbbing of His mighty heart…Calvinism is just Christianity. The super-naturalism for which Calvinism stands is the very breath of the nostrils of Christianity; without it Christianity cannot exist…Calvinism thus emerges to our sight as nothing more or less than the hope of the world.
John A. Broadus, one of the great and respected Southern Baptist fathers, described the Calvinism of his fellow-founder of Southern Seminary, Dr. James P. Perhaps Calvin himself derived it mainly from the writings of Augustine. Augustine obtained his views, without doubt, through the Holy Spirit of God, from diligent study of the writings of Paul, and Paul received them from the Holy Ghost and from Jesus Christ, the great founder of the Christian Church. We would be just as willing to call them by any other name, if we could find one which would be better understood, and which on the whole would be as consistent with the fact.
The old truths that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that I preach today, or else I would be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. And that gospel which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again. The subject of this article is one which arouses diverse feelings in the minds of men.
This is particularly true in light of modern deviations from historical and biblical orthodoxy. Unfortunately many harmful yet fashionable opinions have invaded almost every area of religious life. Sometimes this question is asked by the skeptic, who doubts even the existence of an objective answer.
It is the latter I hope will find help in this study. As diversified as the modern professing religious world may be with regard to its numerous sects and communions, split up as it is with its irreconcilable creeds and contentions, it will nevertheless be found, upon close and critical examination, that among those who can reasonably be called Christian, there are basically only two sections or parties.
Practices may vary, diverse views on many subjects may be held, different attitudes may be taken up in relationship to many questions, and the outlooks may be fixed at widely differing angles, but the fundamental positions occupied will be found to center on one or the other of two distinct forms of belief. Perhaps it is more correct to say that all such perspectives derive from one of two systems of theology. The root principles of all are to be found embedded either in Calvinism or in Arminianism.
Such, at least, are the modern terms used to distinguish and describe these widely differing systems of theological thought and teaching. These terms, however, have a tendency to confuse and mislead. Christianity should bring us to the feet of the apostles, and, indeed to the feet of our Lord Himself. We call it Calvinism.
It might with equal justice be called Augustinianism. We might, with the same cogency of reasoning, go even further back into the pages of ecclesiastical history and designate it Paulinism. Whichever name we use, however, it should be regarded only as a mere convenience now rendered necessary because of its general adoption. Personally, we regard the name as an entire mistake seeing that it has been the means of fostering many of the ignorant cavilings which have been heard not only in these days but also in days which are past.
There is a genuine resurgence today of this grand and glorious Pauline system of biblical truth—particularly among Southern Baptists. For those of us who are numbered among this group, it is nothing less than coming home to our doctrinal roots. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?
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