Why I’m Reformed

There are two prayers always worth praying, “Lord, show me myself,” and “Lord, show me thyself.” May both be heard, and you will be well taught of God! —Spurgeon

There are those who became reformed in their Soteriology because they’re easily swayed. It made sense to them at first but didn’t (or rarely) put in the time to actually study and think through all the theological nuances. It’s these same people that can easily renounce Calvinism later down the road when others come along, and say things that also make sense initially without carefully checking. Hearing a preacher preaching Calvinism and nodding your head in agreement isn’t the same as putting in the time to experience and searching it out for yourself (cf. John 4:39-42,49-53). Do keep in mind that this also applies to the Christian faith as a whole. To put it simply: If people can be reasoned into the kingdom, then they can also be reasoned out of it. Only an experience or encounter with God’s holiness and or His absolute and unchanging word that goes beyond the wisdom of this world will a person stand strong and immovable.

No man ever knows his condition until God comes to him in sovereign grace and power and gives him life. Paul said, “I was before a blasphemer.” When did he learn that? When God brought him to life! As one made alive by God he then rejoiced in every doctrine of God’s grace! —Gary Shepard

One of the reasons I’m reformed in my Soteriology is because of what I once experienced much earlier on when I was a babe in Christ: The Dark Night of the Soul. In my attempt to be holy, free from sins, it brought me to the end of myself, and for the first time I saw and experienced the holiness of God. Isaiah 6:5 came to life. It softened and opened my heart for the truth of what God was about to reveal from 2013 and onward. This is the reason why I was never cage-staged. Calvinism (Soteriology) is something one must experience, otherwise if it’s all just head-knowledge it can do more harm than good.

“A deeper, truer knowledge of your sin — of your absolute lostness and wickedness apart from Christ — will devastate and liberate you.” —John Piper

“I know I am nothing,” say you. Yes, but you would not even have had grace enough to know you were nothing if God had not given it to you. To be nothing is ours by nature: but to know that we are nothing and to confess that we are nothing is a gift of his grace. —Spurgeon

Once I truly saw myself, the Spirit slowly walked me through. Prior to all this, I knew I was bad, but I didn’t see myself being that bad and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Take note of this when engaging with non-Calvinists because they don’t believe that they’re sinful. Many years ago I had an encounter with this person who insisted that he believed in the sinfulness of man. I knew it wasn’t the case so I put it to the test and asked some tough questions. It turned out that he didn’t, like the majority of non-Calvinists, believe in TOTAL depravity. Perhaps “SOME” depravity, but not TOTAL depravity. Sinfulness of man—no problem, but dead, blind and deaf? No, we can’t have that. In fact, the Arminians came up with “Prevenient Grace” to get around this, but it creates more problems than it solves for them.

This is where it all starts: How sinful is man? Get this one wrong and error will beget error.

“When people have trouble with election—and many do—their real problem is not with the doctrine of election, although they think it is, but with the doctrine of depravity that makes election necessary.” —James Montgomery Boice

“There are very few errors and false doctrines of which the beginning may not be traced up to unsound views about the corruption of human nature. Wrong views of the disease will always bring with them wrong views of the remedy. Wrong views of the corruption of human nature will always carry with them wrong views of the grand antidote and cure of that corruption.” —J.C. Ryle

“As the corruption of our nature shews the absolute necessity of regeneration, so the absolute necessity of regeneration plainly proves the corruption of our nature; for why should a man need a second birth, if his nature were not quite marred in the first birth?” —Thomas Boston

“Not only is there misunderstanding about who God is but there is also great confusion about who man is. This confusion comes from man’s own desire to elevate and justify himself, which is certainly fanned by the twisted humanistic influences that have taken over our society. We must establish from the outset that the source of truth concerning man is not sociology (the study of our society), psychology (the humanistic study of the soul), or secular anthropology (the evolutionary study of man), but the very Word of God. Remember, we must build upon the solid ground of God’s Word rather than the shifting sand of man’s opinion.” —Stuart Scott (The Exemplary Husband, p.30)

Now these Five Points form an organic unity, a single body of truth. They are based on two presuppositions that Scripture abundantly supports. The first presupposition is the complete impotence of man, and the second is God’s absolute sovereignty in grace. Everything else follows. The meeting place of these two foundation truths is the heart of the Gospel, for it follows that if man is totally depraved, the grace of God in saving him must of necessity be sovereign. Otherwise, man will inevitably refuse it in his depravity, and will remain unredeemed. —B.B. Warfield

Throughout history, societies have consistently acknowledged man’s natural sinfulness. Since the Enlightenment, however, Western civilization has become increasingly antagonistic to the reality of sin, especially as it is defined biblically. … modernity tends to view human beings as naturally good. Before the philosophical shifts of the eighteenth century, a general understanding of human depravity prevailed. The Protestant Reformation, for example, was connected with Martin Luther’s angst over his own sinfulness. With the coming of the modern era, though, the traditional view of man’s sinfulness began to wane, and man was viewed as inherently good. Human problems and suffering were linked with ignorance. In the false euphoria of the Enlightenment, many concluded from the advances in education, science, and technology that man was inherently good and that as he was educated, the world would get better. The twentieth century clearly obliterated that illusion, and man’s depravity was put on display, as the world exploded with the largest scale of warfare and bloodshed in history—including two devastating world wars… Global media have exponentially exposed human depravity at a level never before imagined. The education, science, and technology that brought great medical advances and comforts have at the same time devised weapons of mass destruction. Societies are increasingly opposed to God’s standards, even redefining basic aspects of human identity such as gender and marriage. Contrary to the modern and postmodern mindsets, the reality of sin is alive and on full display. …sin is an unpleasant subject. In our age of self-esteem and subjectivity, people do not like to think of themselves as evil. Millard Erickson notes, “To speak of humans as sinners is almost like screaming out a profanity or obscenity at a very formal, dignified, genteel meeting, or even in church. It is forbidden. This general attitude is almost a new type of legalism, the major prohibition of which is, ‘You shall not speak anything negative.’” —John MacArthur & Richard Mayhue (Biblical Doctrine)

The trend of modern theology—if theology it can be called—is ever toward the deification of the creature rather than the glorification of the Creator, and the leaven of present-day Rationalism is rapidly permeating the whole of Christendom. The malevolent effects of Darwinianism are more far reaching than most are aware. Many of those among our religious leaders who are still regarded as orthodox would, we fear, be found to be very heterodox if they were weighed in the balances of the Sanctuary. Even those who are clear, intellectually, upon other truth, are rarely sound in doctrine. Few, very few, today, really believe in the complete ruin and total depravity of man. Those who speak of man’s “free will,” and insist upon his inherent power to either accept or reject the Savior, do but voice their ignorance of the real condition of Adam’s fallen children. And if there are few who believe that, so far as he is concerned, the condition of the sinner is entirely hopeless, there are fewer still who really believe in the absolute Sovereignty of God. —A.W. Pink

Recommend reading: God’s Not Really That Holy, I’m Not Really That Bad