Church history shows there was a great rebellion against the Catholic Church in Europe in the 16th century. Who has not heard of Martin Luther and how he sowed the seeds for other Protestant churches who openly departed from the catholic (worldwide) church centered around the Vatican? At that same time, John Calvin, who was born in France but fled to Switzerland, and his writings became the basis for many of the doctrines so widely believed.
There were no mainline churches like Presbyterians, Methodists, or Baptist churches, but as the reformation movement spread, Calvin’s writings became the doctrinal foundation of these various Protestant churches. There were five major aspects of the doctrine of Calvinism that were so widespread in these churches. One of these doctrines was predestination, which in our day is no longer in the forefront of the creeds of Protestantism but many of the others are widely held.
One of central teachings of Calvin affirms that once a person is saved he can never be separated from God. Calvin called it the “perseverance of the saints.” In our day it is described as the “impossibility of apostasy,” the “eternal security of believers” or the “impossibility of falling from grace.” The clearest way to describe this teaching is that once one becomes a child of God, there is absolutely no way he can forfeit his salvation. There is no sin or action that could cause him to ever be destined for the fires of hell.
Jesus used two animals, sheep and goats, to describe mankind. Predestination says, “Once a goat, always a goat,” and there is nothing one can do to change that. The doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy says “Once a sheep, never a goat.” A goat has free will to turn to Jesus and become one of His sheep, but once he is a sheep he loses his free will. He cannot go to hell, even if he wants to!
This aspect of Calvinism is part of the teachings of the largest denomination in the south. Just say the “sinner’s prayer” and you can never lose that salvation. It is also widely believed by community churches today.
The important question is not who is right or who is wrong about these teachings. The most important question is, “What is right?” How do I find the answer to this? Go to the Bible and read the epistles written to the early Christians. Were they warned against falling away? Read the six chapters of Galatians and see what God said. Pay special attention to Gal. 1:6- 9; 3:1; 4:11; 5:1-2, 4, 7, 21; 6:7-8. Truth is not determined by a pope, by a creed, by a statement of faith, by Luther or Calvin or televangelists today. Read the Bible to see what God teaches about sheep and goats, about sin and salvation.
-Dan Jenkins
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