The One Word that Destroys Calvinism

With the recent passing of John MacArthur, Calvinism has come under scrutiny and debate in the public sphere, which is a very good thing. I daresay Calvinism is one of the most vile character assassinations of God that exists in Christianity.

We had coincidentally published a couple strong takedowns of Calvinism:

Calvinism Destroyed in One Verse

The Tower that Fell Over and Killed Calvinism

On Friday’s podcast, I had Pastor Hal with me, and we discussed the rampant spiritual abuse that is widespread in Calvinism, as well as the fallacy of searching within yourself to figure out if you’re saved. Plus, we analyzed a clip that drives me up the wall, a moment in which MacArthur could not give a believer any assurance of her salvation.

Today, we’re going to look at one word that destroys Calvinism.

That one word is found in Ephesians 2:8.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Let’s talk about this verse.

The first word in this verse is “For,” which connects verse 8 to all the preceding verses in Eph. 2 – how we were dead in trespasses and sins and how we were made alive unto God through His Son. FOR means Paul is explaining HOW God accomplished all of that. “For” indicates that the method of our redemption was crafted according to His attribute of grace and our salvation was an act of grace on His part.

Grace and love were the motivations behind the free gift. Grace is the act of offering and providing that gift, and faith is simply the human response. You accept that God is real, that what He says about His gift is true, and faith simply receives the gift. Faith is the act of believing in God and His promises, especially concerning our redemption through Jesus Christ. Faith is not an accomplishment or a deed that earns salvation. It is the hand that accepts God’s free gift. Plus, in the context of the gospel, it’s God’s grace that is active. Faith is simply the passive reception of His grace. Grace extends the free gift. Faith accepts the grace, and a new loving relationship is born.

After that, Paul says, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves.

What does he mean by that?

Is he saying that faith is not of yourself? Does this mean that the gift of God is faith?

God forbid.

Never in Scripture does God betray man’s free will. Never does God force a person to believe, as the Calvinists teach. There is not one verse in Scripture to substantiate such a claim. John Calvin himself believed that salvation, not faith, is the gift of God (according to Charles Hodge in his “Commentary on the Epistle to Ephesians” on page 119).

If “not of yourselves” referred only to faith, it could potentially leave room for human boasting, because “God chose me and not the others.”

Pastor Jordan would say, “There aren’t any verses in the bible that say, ‘The gift of God is faith…’ Faith is a gift of God in the providential sense. Had Christ not come, had the Word of God not been made available, had you not heard the Word of God, you would never have had faith to believe that Christ died for your sins because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You, by yourself, would never have figured out this Good News Program; and you, by your faith, would never have been able to generate faith in that because you would never have heard the message.”

And this brings us to the one word that destroys Calvinism.

Gift.

The word “gift” tells you that the intended recipient can choose to accept or reject that gift, which means that man in his free will can choose to accept or reject the gospel. If man had no ability to choose, then the gift was never truly a gift in any sense of the word. If God offers you a gift and then forces you to accept that gift, it was never a gift to begin with, and God was lying when He said He’s offering you a free gift (Rom. 5:15).

The very nature of a gift is that it is offered and can be received or refused. If salvation is a gift, then by logical necessity. the recipient must have the free will to accept or reject what’s offered. The act of accepting a gift that’s offered cannot take place without free will and volition. Without having the capacity to accept or receive anything, the concept of a “gift” becomes truly meaningless in every possible sense of the word. A gift is offered freely, never forced. If salvation is a gift, it suggests that God does not force belief, but offers eternal life, leaving room for a voluntary response.

This tells us that faith is a personal choice, a personal decision to place their trust in God’s Word about His Son’s redemptive work. The gift of God here powerfully reiterates that salvation, because of His grace, is a gift, an offer to man, and he can choose to accept or reject that gift. In the context of the gospel, to reject that gift is to say, “I don’t trust you, and I don’t believe that gift is real.”

If you’re trapped in Calvinism, I beg you to consider the Word rightly divided.