Pastor Kim is going to keep exposing this wrong doctrine, Calvinism because this has been an infestation among Christians who are interested in studying.
What does Calvinism teach?
Calvinism teaches that in a doctrine called election; the man does not have his own free will. So God shows which group of people will be saved. Wait, then that means then the other people He didn’t pick to be saved, then they’re lost, right?
So they have verses to give this kind of idea that there are people who have been elected for salvation and man’s free will had no play at all. So you did not choose for your salvation. God planned something a long time ago where he elected you to get saved. We believe that is heresy. We believe that it is your choice so you don’t blame God on who goes to heaven and hell.
Acts 18:9: “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.“
Pastor Kim has seen quite a few people mention about this passage in Acts 18. God told Paul “don’t worry about preaching in this city because I already have much people elected that I knew would get saved.” So it seems like, God elected these people to get saved; they couldn’t get saved out of their own free will.
But the context, it’s gonna prove otherwise. Why is that? It’s not the elect who are about to get saved, but rather people already saved who needed to be taught the word of God.
Acts 18:11 “And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
Acts 18:7-8 “And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.”
It’s not that God specifically chose and elected who would get saved and who wouldn’t get saved. It’s actually people who were already saved that needed to be taught the Word of God. That’s what God was talking about.
So this includes as well as verse 2. Look at verse 2:
Acts 18:2 “And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.”
They already got saved. God was trying to tell Paul, see these people are already saved. Otherwise, you’re going to have to argue verse 2, 7 and 8, these are the elect, and then verse 9 and 10, they just lost the election, they need to get elected again.
Calvinists don’t believe in that because they believe in TULIP. TULIP is five points in Calvinism: P, perseverance of the saints. They believe once you’re elected, you can’t undo it.
Irresistible Grace
What is irresistible grace?
Meaning you can’t resist God’s grace. So they’re going to argue election and then irresistible grace. So if God gave His grace on you to get saved, there’s no way that you can resist it. There is no way that you can reject it. Your free will has no play in it. So God had to bend your arm and make you get saved.
Philippians 2:12: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
It seems like that God is willing them to do His grace. God has to be in you first for that to happen. See, unless he got you saved, unless he got you elected first, then you can start to do that willing thing, so you didn’t get saved yet.
Philippians 2:13 “or it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
God has to work in you first. So the passage just simply shows, once a person has God in Him for salvation first, then he is able to do God’s will and work in his life.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
Once a believer received the word of God (they have to get saved first), then the word effectually works in him that believe.
Look at Colossians chapter 1 verse 29. The tactic of Calvinists is to mix up salvation with God’s working in your life. No, the best way to always tackle a Calvinist is that you always have to prove salvation first.
Colossians 1:29 “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
He’s striving according to his working, which worketh in him mightily.
Calvinists believe in something unconditional that God has to do it himself. No, it’s based on a condition. You have to do something about it first. You have to follow His terms first, then God can start operating.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
This has nothing to do with your works for salvation. It is a gift of God that you have to get saved by. Then notice the result at verse 10:
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Notice what it says: “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” See the condition: “unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Now you see right here God’s ordaining, God’s plan, God’s working that you’re supposed to follow. But it’s because you got saved first.
Hebrews 13: 21: “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
God makes you perfect in every good work to do His will. Once we are saved in Jesus Christ, God can start working in us – planning things out for us, the Holy Spirit operating within us. That’s why we can praise God for the chastisement we went through. Because we can glorify God for what we have been through.
Repentance is not works for salvation
Do we believe in good works for salvation or do we believe faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone? Yeah, faith through Jesus Christ alone. But they’re going to accuse you of lying. And they’re going to say, no, you are including works for salvation when you witness to somebody. Let’s first look at Acts 11: 18:
Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
So God gave them repentance.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Calvinists would argue that because you have made the choice to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you’re not really saved.
2 Timothy 2:25 “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”
Based of Acts 11, 2 Timothy 2, and Ephesians 2:8- 9, God gave grace and repentance to you. It’s nothing that you do yourself. Now, the obvious answer against this is pretty simple.
It shows right here that it’s a free gift that is offered to you which is up to you to accept it or reject it. If someone gives you a gift, you have a choice to accept or receive it. Romans 2:1 tells us we are able to reject the gift.
Romans 2:1 “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”
God judges them.
Romans 2:3 “And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?”
This person is truly lost, condemned. He’s not the elect.
Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
This lost person is rejecting God’s riches.
Romans 2:5 “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;”
When God offered you grace and repentance, you reject it and because of that God is upset with you and He’s building up His wrath.
Romans 2:6 “Who will render to every man according to his deeds:”
It’s something that God will judge you on your accountability on what you did, your deeds.
Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
This has to do with salvation.
Romans 10:3 “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
See a works issue here. They’re doing something by their own works rather than Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:6 “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)”
Romans 10:8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;”
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
God considers “I’m trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ for my salvation” to be faith, not works.
Calvinists when they witness, they do not tend to get people saved there and then. Sye Ten Bruggencate, Paul Washer, James White and Ray Comfort have been influenced by this method. They attack the sinner’s prayer because this is where you get them saved right then and there. They believe that the Holy Spirit has to work in their heart so that the salvation can be genuine and real.
Now, do we agree? Yeah, we agree that we gotta make the Holy Spirit deal with them, make their salvation genuine and real, but here’s something else: that doesn’t mean you leave them hanging out to dry. The Holy Spirit is working to get them saved when we witness to people so we should get them saved right there and then.