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theological
As a Calvinist, I’m often told that I twist the Scripture to support my doctrine. Let’s see how right you are with this Litmus Test.
Regardless of which theological system you’re dealing with, there will always be difficult passages unique to that system. Anyone who does not see, recognize, or admit that this is true of their theological system is not to be taken seriously. If they are not honest with their own theological system, then they won’t be honest with yours. For if they have no room for nuances in theirs, then neither will they allow room for yours.
“There is no point in hiding each other’s problem texts. I am not allowed to pick and choose any more than I allow it to others. If I cannot make texts harmonize, I try to let them both stand until someone wiser than I can (even if I must wait for God’s final enlightenment in heaven).” —John Piper
“Don’t tell the Bible what to say. Say what it says and then labor to see how all the pieces fit together.” —John Piper
“Since I am entirely convinced that no Scripture contradicts another, I will rather acknowledge that I do not understand what is written.” —Justin Martyr
“We can hold a correct view of truth only by daring to believe everything God has said about himself.” —A.W. Tozer
“If you come to the book of John with your intellect you’re going to get it crucified. If you come to the book with your brain it’s going to get stomped on. You come to the gospel of John with your heart and with faith. You don’t come with your intellect. You’ll never understand it you just believe it.” —John MacArthur
No one comes to the Scripture without bias(es), tradition(s), or influence of any kind. We all bring baggage to the Scripture whether consciously or unconsciously. A person who recognizes this and admits it is far closer to the truth than the one who denies it. A philosophical student will view the Scripture through a philosophical lens. This is why our minds need to be renewed daily (Romans 12:2; John 17:17) because people don’t automatically become free of influence and start thinking biblically the moment they become Christians.
“Traditions, everyone has them and those most blinded to them are those who do not believe they have any.” —James White
Calvinists are often told by non-Calvinists that we can’t answer a simple yes or no question, or that we redefine words and read our biases into the Scripture. If you’re a non-Calvinist, then these are a collection of slides I have put together just for you. Let’s see if you can honestly handle them without twisting, without jumping to and fro, and without saying “but it doesn’t mean that… this is what it means…”
JEREMIAH 17:9
JEREMIAH 17:9
What is deceitful? Will you be content to say that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and leave it at that?
Calvinists can because we actually believe that the HEART (not our action, environment, or upbringing) is deceitful and wicked.
ACTS 7:51
ACTS 7:51
Do you see the word “ALWAYS” that comes before “resist the Holy Ghost”? Or do you omit it in your reading? And if it’s there in your reading, does it really mean “ALWAYS”? And is this “ALWAYS” connected to an uncircumcised heart and ears?
Calvinists see the word “ALWAYS” and believe what it says. People in fact ALWAYS resist the Holy Ghost, and the reason behind this ALWAYS is “stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears…” This aligns with the truth of Jeremiah 17:9. They will always resist the Gospel until God turned their hearts.
2 TIMOTHY 2:24-26
2 TIMOTHY 2:24-26
What hinders God’s desire for people to repent and come to a knowledge of the truth? Is it the power of human self-determination (so-called “freewill”) or the fact that God may or may not grant repentance and faith?
For Calvinists, it is what the text plainly says. It’s up to God to grant or not grant.
PROVERBS 21:1
PROVERBS 21:1
What’s in the hand of the LORD? Is it the heart? If so, can God turn the heart wherever He wishes? Or is this wisdom literature, and we can’t use it to build our theology on it?
Calvinists have no problem here. It is what the text says: He turns the heart wherever He wishes. It’s the heart that God has power over, not circumstances or events.
PSALMS 105:25
PSALMS 105:25
Did God really turn the heart of Pharaoh and the hearts of his servants to hate His people? Or is this just poetry and not to be taken literally?
Again, Calvinists have no problem here. It means exactly what it says: God turned their hearts to hate His people. He did then and is able to do the same today.
2 CHRONICLES 18:20-22
2 CHRONICLES 18:20-22
Why did the prophets give false and destructive counsel to King Ahab? Are you content to say it was God’s doing—meaning God deceived the prophets and leave it at that?
Calvinists have no problem. God deceived the prophets by putting a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets.
EZEKIEL 14:9-10
EZEKIEL 14:9-10
Is it true that God is able to deceive a prophet? And that He will punish the prophet He deceived, along with those seeking the deceived prophet for counsel?
Calvinists will say yes, just as the text says.
Question: Is Christian conversion a supernatural work of God, i.e. a miracle?
Question: Is Christian conversion a supernatural work of God, i.e. a miracle?
“An answer wasn’t given to the question. The question was, is conversion a supernatural action? And Provisionism doesn’t have an answer to that. Well, I think it does, but they don’t want to actually admit it. Because, yes, men are dead in sin, and that’s why there has to be a supernatural conversion experience. So, yes, conversion, thanks be to God, is a supernatural action.” —James White
There are a lot more that will be added later to this post. The point here is that there are nuances. If you can’t accept the fact that Calvinists can read the word “all” and “world” differently than how you would read it, perhaps now you can see that you’re doing just that with this Litmus Test.
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