In our Ask FGBC Anything video series, listeners submit questions that we then answer in a video format.

Transcript

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

god, scripture, hyper calvinism, gospel, calvinism, man, preaching, jesus, lord jesus christ, truth, responsibility, book, brazen serpent, sovereignty, sovereign, lifted, calvinists, arminianism, preach, cross

SPEAKERS

Pastor Mike Kirkpatrick, Wim Kerkhoff, Pastor Jim Butler

Wim Kerkhoff  00:06

What is hyper Calvinism? And how does it impact the preaching and the listening? Just why is that fatal?

Pastor Jim Butler  00:14

Well, hyper Calvinism is an approach to so elevate the sovereignty of God that ends up minimizing the responsibility of man. It’s basically the contra position to Arminianism. Where in Arminianism elevates the responsibility of man, at the expense of the sovereignty of God. A fellow by the name of John Duncan, he was affectionately called rabbi Duncan and he said that hyper Calvinism is all house and no door. Arminianism is all door and no house. And so when we approach the scriptures, we see that God is absolutely universally sovereign, it was him who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. So there’s no argument between Calvinists and hyper-Calvinists relative to the sovereignty of God. But we also see that man is responsible, he’s totally depraved. He’s totally unable. And unless God changes His heart grants and the grace as a faith and repentance, he will die and perish in his sin. But that’s never taken as sort of a way to mitigate his responsibility. So I think hyper Calvinism comes in wanting to do justice to the sovereignty of God, wanting to make sure that we don’t think man has it in him to save himself. And again, which is a good concern, nevertheless, does not press the truth upon the hearer, the way that we see in the apostolic preaching of the cross. So for instance, we’re not supposed to lie and say God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. We don’t know that that’s a that’s a an approach that I think is wanting when we look at Scripture, but on the other hand, we don’t say that, you know, there’s no hope for you ever. None of the apostolic preaching was very clear. They presented the truth as it is in Jesus, they preach the gospel. And the gospel isn’t my approach to religion. It’s not my experience with religion. The gospel is a revealed message from God Most High. It’s propositional revelation. It’s a message concerning Jesus Christ, His life of perfect obedience to the law, his death as a sacrifice and a substitute on the cross and his resurrection again, the third day. So when we look at the book of Acts, and we see the apostles preach, they proclaim that, and then they tell the senators believe, look to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, believe and repent, those terms are oftentimes used synonymously in the book of Acts, so they maintain the absolute sovereignty of God, they maintain the absolute depravity of man, but they understand what Paul I think encapsulates and First Corinthians one, he says, For since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God it please God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. So we preach the gospel. Again, not God loves you, or God really wants to save even the reprobate. We don’t lie to people. We tell them the truth, Jesus lived, Jesus died, Jesus was raised again, all those who believe on Jesus will have everlasting life. The scripture says that, and so we preach it, we don’t go, we don’t mitigate the responsibility of man. We certainly don’t attack the sovereignty of God, we uphold both truths. And we proclaim the glory of the gospel to needy sinners. And then we trust in the power of the Holy Spirit. We trust in God most high. Our job is not to save sinners. Jesus says with man, it is impossible but with God, all things are possible. And so we rest in that. We do our due diligence, proclaim the truth, and call sinners to believe and repent and then pray to God to make it good in their hearts. So we want to avoid the all house no door, all door, no house, and I think that, you know, when we understand Scripture, the way scripture presents itself, and you know, I’m sure that there’s a lot more, I know there’s a lot more that can be said, but if you ask the simple question, and we’re looking for a simple answer, I think that oh,

Wim Kerkhoff  04:26

It’s throughout Scripture. Look, Repent, turn. Flee for refuge. Today, right now, not tomorrow. That’s the devil’s logic. He wants people to wait. Absolutely.

Pastor Jim Butler  04:39

And he wants you to see or determine if you’re fit to come. You know, I love I love the language in John chapter three, when Jesus says, just as Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son of Man also be lifted up. If you remember that scene in the book of Numbers, all these people, these grumbling whiners are bit by these fiery serpents. And then the remedy was this brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness looking live, not suck the venom out of your wound and then look, not drag yourself next to the brazen serpent and then look, look and live the moment they look, the moment that the sinners looks to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, he by God’s grace lives, he’s a new creature, he, he’s been justified freely by grace. So it’s not a work that we do. It’s nothing we conjure up. And you know, contra Arminianism it is a work of God Most High. He grants the graces of faith and repentance so that we can close with Jesus.

Wim Kerkhoff  05:46

That preaching is fatal. It puts people into this fatalistic mode – “I can’t do anything to be saved. God is sovereign, it has got to wait use the means and somehow go to church, read your Bible, do these things go home and pray.”

Pastor Jim Butler  06:05

And it really turns them inward instead of looking and living. You know, the serpent analogy, again, that brazen serpent lifted up in the window, you know, the instead of looking you got a gaping wound, because this fiery serpent just bid you on the leg? Instead of looking, you look inward. And you said, Well, I don’t know if it’s for me, I don’t know if I should look, I don’t know if I’ve got the wherewithal. Same with gospel preaching. I mean, you give time to a sinner and Satan. And they’ll always talk you out of coming to the cross, you know, you’re not fit. You don’t deserve it, you are a miserable hell bent sinner. And that only demonstrates the glory of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says this is a faithful saying it’s worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. So sinners say, Well, you know, I’m too guilty, I’m too sinful. That’s like a hungry man saying I’m too hungry to eat. Now you look and you live, don’t let that logic in fact, the mind, rather come to Scripture and see the emphasis. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.

Wim Kerkhoff  07:17

Amen,. And then, I’ve heard a lot of expressions around trying to balance these these truths of God is sovereign and the responsibility and I think it’s the wrong word to is balance, because we don’t want 50% of one. Either way, we need 100% of each truth. They’re friends , we don’t have to reconcile them. They are their friends. I think so Spurgeon said.

Pastor Jim Butler  07:34

that we don’t need to reconcile friends, both things are taught in the Scripture. And it’s a rationalistic attempt, ultimately, we got to mitigate the responsibility. So we’ll elevate sovereignty, or we will mitigate sovereignty. So we’ll elevate responsibility. That’s just not the way that we’re supposed to do things.

Pastor Mike Kirkpatrick  07:54

And if I could add, even though, in my context, I don’t deal with hyper Calvinism that much. There seems to be in an assumption that Calvinists are hyper-Calvinists. And so I think everything pastor Butler said just affirms that true Calvinist is all for the preaching of the gospel, and the calling, calling of sinners to repent and believe. We’re all for that. But we understand that it’s God who works in them who works internally by the Spirit, to give them the gift of faith to believe on Christ. So it frees us up it gives it liberates the preacher knowing we just do what we’re supposed to do, and preach Christ, and God will save those who we will save.

Wim Kerkhoff  08:33

Yeah, and T.U.L.I.P., total depravity, etc, is not the gospel. Like that’s, that’s not all of Calvinism. And it’s kind of boiled down to that.

Pastor Jim Butler  08:43

It’s a helpful mnemonic. It’s a helpful way to get in the ballpark. But yeah, we need to make sure that, that we understand, you know what Scripture says, and again, not that Calvinism is therefore wrong. Calvinism, I think, is biblical. And not John Calvin is our hero or anything like that. But you know, in the history of the world, it’s often been the case that you associate certain ideas with certain persons just for you know, ease of use. And

Wim Kerkhoff  09:10

then yet Spurgeon really fought with this. 1800s. So he’s got some wonderful little books on that as well. Yeah. Around the wicked gate, or was it, at the wicked gate. I remember he gets around with gate and all of grace. Yes, a couple of others. So very, just in the law books are free online. We actually give free copies out at our church as well. Wonderful little books that God’s blessed to yes, many 1000s of people.

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