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EXAMINING CONTESTED REFORMED THEOLOGY BELIEFS
Part III: Examining The Five Points Of Calvinism (And Arminianism) In Light Of Scripture
A. Examining Calvinism's Doctrine Of Total Inability In Light Of Scripture
  1. Introduction
    1. The theology of John Calvin, the main formulator of "Reformed Theology," rests on five "pillars" of belief: Total Inability, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints, doctrines that spell, T-U-L-I-P, Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, p. 1, 59f.
    2. These beliefs and their spiritual effects on believers besides the opposing beliefs of Arminianism and its respective spiritual effects are critiqued by Christ in respective order in Revelation 3:17 as follows:
  2. Examining Calvinism's Doctrine Of Total Inability In Light Of Scripture, Revelation 3:17 et al.
    1. Calvinism teaches "Total Inability," that man's nature became so depraved and his will so bound to it by Adam's sin that he is unable to believe in Christ, and God must give man the faith to do so, Ibid., p. 61ff.
    2. In reaction, Arminius held man's will and nature became both partially depraved so that man is said to have some measure of free will under the Spirit's convicting work, and that he can thus cooperate in his salvation by giving God a meritorious kind of faith, Bettenson, Docs. of the Chr. Ch., 2nd ed., 377-378.
    3. However, Jesus Christ prophetically criticized both views and their errant results in Revelation 3:17:
      1. Jesus said the Laodiceans were first of all "wretched" (NIV); the Greek word it renders is talaiporos, and it exists elsewhere in the entire New Testament ONLY in Romans 7:24, cf. Moulton, Geden & Moulton, Concordance to the Greek Testament, 4th ed., p. 932; UBS Greek N.T., p. 845, 547.
      2. In Romans 7:24, talaiporos pictures a man who helplessly sins against his expressed wish NOT to sin, meaning his will is separate from and NOT bound by his SIN NATURE, cf. Romans 7:15-20, 21-24.
      3. Now, the Calvinist would respond to say Romans 7:15-24 pictures a carnal Christian who is given free will at salvation, not the unsaved, Bib. Know. Com., N.T., p. 468. We evaluate this response:
        1. As Calvinism makes the will bound to the fully depraved nature in the unsaved, and teaches God must then give man faith to believe the Gospel, Calvinism leaves no logical need for faith: in such a case, God could save a man by grace apart from ever having to author faith in him to that same end!
        2. Yet, God's inerrant Bible must not leave faith logically unnecessary in His salvation, for inerrant Scripture must present logical truths if it is to present truth (cf. Pinnock, Biblical Infallibility, p. 16-17 [this work is recommended by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, J. M. Boice, Does Inerrancy Matter?, p. 29]), and logical truths must show all of the parts of their assertions to be necessary, Webster's Third New Int. Dict. of the Eng. Lan., s. v. "logic." So implies Mtt. 5:18.
        3. Thus, as we hold the Bible is inerrant, even the unsaved man's will must be free of his nature, a fact Christ implies by His use of talaiporos in Revelation 3:17 to critique Calvinism's first "pillar"!
      4. Now, since faith must be logically necessary in God's salvation plan, Arminians who hold the nature is partially depraved and assume man's faith becomes a contributing factor to his salvation, make faith possess merit [opposite Ephesians 2:8-9!]. However, the fact that the Romans 7:15-24 man can not do what he wants to do shows man's nature can not be partly corrupt as Arminianism holds: man's sinful nature is totally corrupt to explain this man's completely helpless spiritual status, cf. Jeremiah 17:9.
      5. Hence, both Calvinism and Arminianism have errantly FUSED unsaved man's will and sin nature together, producing not only their own brands of theological error, but also their respective errant spiritualities: (a) Calvinists have tended to rely upon God's predestining work in them without responsibly exercising faith in the Holy Spirit's power to live separate from the sin nature (Romans 8:3-4). (b) Arminians have tended to rely on a supposed power of faith instead of on God's Spirit to live righteously, and as faith itself accomplishes nothing, not being a work (Rom. 4:5), Arminians have been left living in the sinful nature! No wonder Christ says we Evangelicals as a group are "wretched" -- we have tried living godly lives without relying on God's Spirit to live it through us!
Lesson: (1) Both (a) Calvinism AND Arminianism have ERRED in FUSING the will and sin nature together; (b) actually, man's will and sinful nature are ALWAYS SEPARATE, the WILL being an UNCORRUPTED entity and man's sinful NATURE being TOTALLY CORRUPT. (2) Hence, both theologies have yielded errant fruits by leaving believers not relying on God's Spirit for living. (3) We must correct both systems and their false spiritualities and rely on God for godly living, Romans 8:3-4.