O Lord,

May I…

Never fail to come to the knowledge of the truth,

Never rest in a system of doctrine, however scriptural, that does not bring or further salvation, or teach me to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, or help me to live soberly, righteously, godly;

Never rely on my own convictions and resolutions, but be strong in Thee and in Thy might;

Never cease to find Thy grace sufficient in all my duties, trials, and conflicts;

Never forget to repair to Thee in all my spiritual distresses and outward troubles, in all the dissatisfactions experienced in creature comforts;

Never fail to retreat to Him who is full of grace and truth, the Friend that loveth at all times, who is touched with the feelings of my infirmities, and can do exceeding abundantly for me;

Never confine my religion to extraordinary occasions, but acknowledge Thee in all my ways;

Never limit my devotions to particular season but be in Thy fear all the day long;

Never be godly only on the Sabbath or in Thy house, but on every day abroad and at home;

Never make piety a dress but a habit, not only a habit ~ but a nature, not only a nature ~ but a life.

Do good to me by all Thy dispensations, by all means of grace, by worship, prayers, praises,

And at last let me enter that world where is no temple, but only Thy glory and the Lamb’s.

With Reformation Day only a few days past, it has been observed that with the mention of John Calvin that invariably accompanies that of Martin Luther, the assertions, (sometimes angry accusations) that Calvinism destroys evangelism have once again surfaced in many conversations, even among equally sincere Christians. I have a list somewhere of famous preachers, missionaries and evangelists who were also Calvinists. I went looking for well written and objective articles on the subject and found an excellent one here, the contents of which immediately follows this brief introduction.

“Does Not Calvinism Destroy Evangelism?”

It is argued that a belief in the sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners would dampen the evangelistic fervor of Christians. Many believe that if God has predestined those who will get saved and will efficaciously save them, then there is nothing we Christians need to or can do, in the winning of these souls. Thus they who think so, firmly assert apathy as the end result of believing these doctrines.

However convincing this argument seems, there are some flaws in it. For God is not only the God of ends, but also the God of means. In other words, even though God has foreordained His purposes from the very beginning, He has also ordained certain means by which He will accomplish those purposes. It is when this truth is forgotten in this matter of evangelism that we end up with bad theology. A proper recognition of the relationship between the sovereignty of God and our evangelism will help us see how one is not against the other; but rather one supports and holds the other.

Reformed theology is emphatic in its assertion of the biblical truth that “Salvation belongs to the Lord” (Jon 2:9b, Rev 7:10,). It confesses a God who for the sake of His great Name, gathers a people chosen exclusively on the basis of the work and person of their Substitute Savior. It believes in a Savior whose life, death and resurrection is the sole reason why these people, so chosen, are gifted with not only forgiveness of sins, but also even the means of salvation – namely repentance and faith. It teaches a Spirit who effectually applies this redemption, so won by the Savior, on all those whom the Father has chosen. In view of this Trinitarian salvation, we need to see what evangelism is. It certainly cannot be that we are saving anyone [1], for salvation is entirely the work of the triune God.

Then what is evangelism?

Evangelism is to faithfully herald the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that God might save sinners. Evangelism is thus that proclamation of the good news of Christ, which God is pleased to use as His means to save sinners. Thus God sovereignly saves His people, yet uses the heralding of the gospel by a preacher as the means for it (Rom 10:14).

God could have done it without anyone’s help, but has bestowed this great privilege upon His church, especially His preachers, to be coworkers with Him in this great enterprise of gathering His people (2 Cor 6:1; 1 Cor 3:9).

Reformed Anglican theologian J.I Packer says,

“God’s way of saving sinners is to bring them to faith through bringing them into contact with the gospel. In God’s ordering of things, therefore, evangelism is a necessity if anyone is to be saved at all. We must realize, therefore, that when God sends us to evangelize, He sends us to act as vital links in the chain of His purpose for the salvation of His elect. The fact that He has such a purpose, and that it is (so we believe) a sovereign purpose that cannot be thwarted, does not imply that, after all, our evangelizing is not needed for its fulfillment. In our Lord’s parable, the way in which the wedding was furnished with guests was through the action of the king’s servants, who went out as they were bidden into the highways and invited in all whom they found there. Hearing the invitation, the passers-by came.(Mt 22:1 ff.) It is in the same way, and through similar action by the servants of God, that the elect come into the salvation that the Redeemer has won for them.” [2]

Thus, a proper definition of evangelism would help us see how the truth of the sovereignty of God is not a hindrance to evangelism.

When this relationship is properly seen, we could say that the truth of the sovereignty of God in salvation is the real incentive for doing evangelism. For the success of reformed evangelism is found entirely in God. Only if God moves through His Holy Spirit and raises dead sinners to new life, will our evangelism bear any fruit. Thus our evangelism is entirely dependent on God.

The benefits of this understanding in evangelism are many.

First of all, it produces deep humility in the hearts of all those who are involved in evangelism.

Secondly, it forces us to preach the gospel in all its purity, for the Lord will endorse only a faithful proclamation of His gospel.

Thirdly, it protects us from leaning on our eloquence or Bible knowledge as the means for getting results.

Finally it preserves us from being pragmatic and employing manipulative techniques aimed at speedy results.

The Bible is very clear that the strength of evangelism is not dependent on any technique. Rather it is powerful because of the gospel it preaches. Romans 1:16 does not say the gospel is about the power of God, rather it says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Proclamation of this powerful gospel is the vehicle through which God unleashes His power to save sinners. Moreover it says in 1 Corinthians 1:21, that it pleased God to save believers through the foolishness of what is being preached. Again the Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 that God calls, those whom He has chosen from the beginning, to be saved through the preaching of the gospel. Thus the Bible presents a sovereign God, who uses the preaching of the gospel, as His means to accomplish His great purpose of saving sinners by Jesus Christ.

Thus a proper understanding of the relationship between the sovereignty of God and biblical evangelism would not lead someone to mere apathy, but to zealous preaching of the glorious gospel. History bears witness to this truth that those who were Calvinistic were also mightily evangelistic.

Even during the Reformation days, men like John Calvin used to send people from churches in Geneva to the Continent as missionaries. Most of them were martyred for their preaching of the gospel. During the Evangelical Awakening in the United Kingdom, Calvinists were equally active in evangelism as others. Men like George Whitefield, Howell Harris and Daniel Rowlands toiled with great joy to see the gathering of God’s elect. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Great Awakening was mostly lead by Calvinistic leaders. The well known leader of the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards best known for being a formidable theologian, later became a missionary to the Indians. In the 18th century, it was Calvinistic men like William Carey and Andrew Fuller whom God used to start the modern missionary movement.

The late James Montgomery Boice says,

“the modern missionary movement received nearly all its initial impetus and direction from those in the Calvinistic tradition. The list includes William Carey, John Ryland, Henry Martyn, Robert Moffat, David Livingstone, John G. Paton, John R. Mott and others. For all these the doctrines of grace were not an appendage to Christian thought but were, rather, central, firing and forming their preaching and missionary efforts.”[3]

The list of Calvinistic evangelists and missionaries who gave their life for the cause of Christ goes on and on. Perhaps it will be enough to say that the greatest evangelist the United Kingdom has ever seen – Charles Spurgeon, and the greatest evangelist to set foot on the American soil – George Whitefield, were both convinced Calvinists. For them, the doctrine of the sovereignty of God was not a hindrance, but a fuel for their passion for evangelism. It gave them reasons to exult in God and His glorious gospel.

For, a true understanding of these and other doctrines of reformed theology will make one profoundly gospel centered. In fact it is the definitive mark of a mature Calvinist that he, under the influence of these doctrines, makes much of the gospel in his life and ministry. Let this be a word of warning and of comfort: A warning to the young, restless and reformed ones, to check their affections towards the gospel and be not satisfied in merely figuring out a system of theology; and a comfort to those who are skeptical about Christians being meticulous in thinking doctrinally. For doctrinal thinking and heartfelt zeal for the gospel goes hand in hand and one cannot be divorced from the other. If you believe in the sovereignty of God in salvation, in the efficacy and sufficiency of His grace, then an inevitable mark will be a zealous and passionate proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Footnotes

[1] Even though we are not saving anyone in Evangelism, we are certainly called to aim at the conversion of sinners. J.I Packer in his classic “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God” says  –

The word “convert” is a translation of the Greek epistrepho, which means – and is  sometimes translated – “turn”. We think of conversion as a work of God, and so from one standpoint it is; but it is striking to observe that in the three New Testament Passages where epistrepho is used transitively, of “converting” someone to God, the subject of the verb is not God, as we might have expected, but a preacher. …  When the Scriptures speak in this way of converting and of saving too, as a task for God’ s people to perform, they are not, of course, calling in question the truth that, properly speaking, it is God who converts and saves. What they are saying is simply that the conversion and salvation of  others should be the Christian’s objective. The preacher should work to convert his congregation; the wife should work to save her unbelieving husband (1 Cor 7:16). Christians are sent to convert, and they should not allow themselves, as Christ’s representatives in the world, to aim at anything less. Evangelizing, therefore is not  simply a matter of teaching, and instructing, and imparting information to the mind. There is more to it than that. Evangelizing includes the endeavor to elicit a response to the truth taught. It is communication with a view to conversion. It is a matter, mot merely of informing but also of inviting. It is an attempt to gain (KJV) or win (ESV) or catch our fellow men for Christ (see 1 Cor 9:19ff; 1 Pet 3:1; Lk 5:10). Our Lord depicts it as fishermen’s work (Mt 4:19; cf 13:47).

[2] Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I Packer.

[3] Foundations of the Christian Faith by James Montgomery Boice.

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Theology Does Matter is a series aimed at answering common objections raised by people who are new to Reformed theology. The series is consciously succinct in its answers and seeks to be a good introduction to these biblical doctrines and the glorious God they teach.

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www.beaconoftruthministries.blogspot.com/

A young Minister, about three or four years after he was ordained, had an opportunity of conversing familiarly with the great and venerable leader of the Arminians in this kingdom; and, wishing to improve the occasion to the uttermost, he addressed him nearly in the following words:

“Sir, I understand that you are called an Arminian; and I have been sometimes called a Calvinist; and therefore I suppose we are to draw daggers. But before I consent to begin the combat, with your permission I will ask you a few questions, not from impertinent curiosity, but for real instruction.”

Permission being very readily and kindly granted, the young Minister proceeded to ask,

“Pray, Sir, do you feel yourself a depraved creature, so depraved, that you would never have thought of turning unto God, if God had not first put [it] into your heart?”

–“Yes,” says the veteran, “I do indeed.”—

“And do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to God by any thing that you can do; and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of Christ?”

–“Yes, solely through Christ.”—

“But, Sir, supposing you were first saved by Christ, are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwards by your own works?”

–“No; I must be saved by Christ from first to last.”—

“Allowing then that you were first turned by the grace of God, are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power?”

–“No.”—

“What then, are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by God, as much as an infant in its mother’s arms?”

–“Yes; altogether.”—

“And is all your hope in the grace and mercy of God to preserve you unto his heavenly kingdom?”–“Yes; I have no hope, but in him.”—

“Then, Sir, with your leave, I will put up my dagger again; for this is all my Calvinism; this is my election, my justification by faith, my final perseverance: it is, in substance, all that I hold, and as I hold it: and therefore, if you please, instead of searching out terms and phrases to be a ground of contention between us, we will cordially unite in those things wherein we agree.”

The Arminian leader was so pleased with the conversation, that he made particular mention of it in his journals; notwithstanding there never afterwards was any connection between the parties, he retained an unfeigned regard for his young inquirer to the hour of his death.

_____________________________________________________

The above record of the conversation was taken directly from the writings of Charles Simeon, the young minister in the encounter. The ‘veteran’ in the encounter was John Wesley.

Charles Simeon was an Anglican who served Trinity Church in Cambridge, England for 54 years. The story of his life and ministry are fascinating and challenging to modern pastors who tend to be soft and too quick to retreat in the face of opposition and trial.

from Robert Rothwell, Ligonier Ministries

At the time, few would have suspected that the sound of a hammer striking the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany, would soon be heard around the world and lead ultimately to the greatest transformation of Western society since the apostles first preached the Gospel throughout the Roman empire. Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to the church door on October 31, 1517, provoked a debate that culminated finally in what we now call the Protestant Reformation.

An heir of Bishop Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther is one of the most significant figures God has raised up since that time. This law student turned Augustinian monk became the center of a great controversy after his theses were copied and distributed throughout Europe. Initially protesting the pope’s attempt to sell salvation, Luther’s study of Scripture soon led him to oppose the church of Rome on issues including the primacy of the Bible over church tradition and the means by which we are found righteous in the sight of God.

This last issue is probably Luther’s most significant contribution to Christian theology. Though preached clearly in the New Testament and found in the writings of many of the church fathers, the medieval bishops and priests had largely forgotten the truth that our own good works can by no means merit God’s favor. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and good works result from our faith, they are not added to it as the grounds for our right standing in the Lord’s eyes (Eph. 2:8–10). Justification, God’s declaration that we are not guilty, forgiven of sin, and righteous in His sight comes because through our faith alone the Father imputes, or reckons to our account, the perfect righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).

Martin Luther’s rediscovery of this truth led to a whole host of other church and societal reforms and much of what we take for granted in the West would have likely been impossible had he never graced the scene. Luther’s translation of the Bible into German put the Word of God in the hands of the people, and today Scripture is available in the vernacular language of many countries, enabling lay people to study it with profit. He reformed the Latin mass by putting the liturgy in the common tongue so that non-scholars could hear and understand the preached word of God and worship the Lord with clarity. Luther lifted the unbiblical ban on marriage for the clergy and by his own teaching and example radically transformed the institution itself. He recaptured the biblical view of the priesthood of all believers, showing all people that their work had purpose and dignity because in it they can serve their Creator.

Today, Luther’s legacy lives on in the creeds and confessions of Protestant bodies worldwide. As we consider his importance this Reformation Day, let us equip ourselves to be knowledgeable proclaimers and defenders of biblical truth. May we be eager to preach the Gospel of God to the world and thereby spark a new reformation of church and culture.

Free MP3 Downloads by R.C. Sproul (Right click on the links to save to your computer.):

The Making of the Protestant Reformation (Part 1)
The Making of the Protestant Reformation (Part 2)

Martin Luther (Part 1) (From the series Heroes of the Christian Faith)
Martin Luther (Part 2)

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. . .either by faith in this life, or by sight at the judgment seat in the next.

Hear the the words of the Prophet:

“By myself I have sworn,
       my mouth has uttered in all integrity
       a word that will not be revoked:
       Before me every knee will bow;
       by me every tongue will swear.

They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone
       are righteousness and strength.’ ”
       All who have raged against him
       will come to him and be put to shame.”

                              – Isaiah 45:23-24

The Apostle Paul referred to the Prophet, applying the New Testament fulfillment:

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” – Phil 2:8-10

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“Any man can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspiration from it. When wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest or sends home a loaded argosy. It is easy enough for an Aeolian harp to whisper music when the winds blow-the difficulty is for music to swell forth when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is skilful who sings when there is not a ray of light to read by-who sings from his heart. No man can make a song in the night of himself; he may attempt it, but he will find that a song in the night must be divinely inspired. Let all things go well, I can weave songs, fashioning them wherever I go out of the flowers that grow upon my path; but put me in a desert, where no green thing grows, and wherewith shall I frame a hymn of praise to God? How shall a mortal man make a crown for the Lord where no jewels are? Let but this voice be clear, and this body full of health, and I can sing God’s praise: silence my tongue, lay me upon the bed of languishing, and how shall I then chant God’s high praises, unless He Himself give me the song? No, it is not in man’s power to sing when all is adverse, unless an altar-coal shall touch his lip. It was a divine song, which Habakkuk sang, when in the night he said, “Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Then, since our Maker gives songs in the night, let us wait upon Him for the music. O Thou chief musician, let us not remain songless because affliction is upon us, but tune Thou our lips to the melody of thanksgiving.” – Charles Spurgeon