If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. - John 14:15
Last Sunday we wrapped up our discussion of the 5 foundational points of Calvinism and Arminianism. During this study we have discovered strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the debate. Truth be told, most Christians agree to some extent with both perspectives - though they likely don’t even realize it. My personal beliefs place me right smack in the middle of the Calvinist/Arminian spectrum. Therefore, it doesn't behoove me (or any of us) to demonize or degrade either side.
What really matters is how our beliefs contribute to godly living. As born again Christians, are we faithfully following the clear and unambiguous commands found in Scripture? Whether we lean towards Calvinism or Arminianism, are we doing the things that God expressly instructs us
to do? Are we living obediently?
While there are numerous commands and instructions for Christians in the Bible, this morning we are going to focus broadly on just 2 of them - the Great Commission and the Great Commandments. These 2 directives are comprehensive and cover most, if not all, of the others. If we abide by them, we will do well. As we explore each of these, we’ll identify potential pitfalls for those who hold extreme Calvinist or Arminian views.
I. THE GREAT COMMISSION - MAKE DISCIPLES
During His earthly ministry, Jesus declared the kingdom of God in and throughout Israel. Following His death and resurrection, before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples to continue the work He’d begun by carrying the gospel message from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and on to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). He charged His followers to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them and teaching them the things of God (Matthew 28:28-30). This charge was and continues to be a fundamental purpose of the church and a task that all Christians are called to share in. We are to be His witnesses and herald His message to all the world.
That said, the Calvinist believes that God has elected certain individuals to be saved and others to be condemned. Each person’s eternal future has already been predestined and predetermined by God and is unchangeable. Taken to the extreme, this point of view might lead someone to downplay the importance of the Great Commission and/or lack a zeal for it. After all, what is the point of evangelism if everyone’s destiny is already determined?
The Arminian believes that God has effectively done everything on His end to make salvation available to the world. It is now completely upon His disciples to carry the gospel to the world and convince people to be saved. Taken to the extreme, this point of view can lead someone to feel overly burdened and stressed out by the magnitude of this task. Despite their best efforts, they might perceive their inability to win some people to Christ as a personal failure and a source of discouragement.
As it pertains to the Great Commission, I once heard an analogy that I found insightful. For the Calvinist, evangelism is like searching for needles in a haystack. God has already fashioned the needles and the hay and neither will change. It is the evangelist’s job to find the needles among the hay by sharing the gospel so that God’s elect are discovered and revealed. For the Arminian, evangelism is like talking to the entire haystack with the hope that each piece of hay might choose to become a needle. Either way, we as Christians are called to diligently carry out the Great Commission.
II. THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT - LOVE GOD
Jesus gave His disciples 2 commandments that together encompass all of the Old Testament Law. The first and greatest of these was for believers to love the LORD with all of their hearts, souls, and minds (Matthew 22:36-38). This command was originally conveyed by Moses to the
children of Israel during the exodus (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). We are to love God with all of our being, more than anyone or anything else, and to give Him first place in our lives. We are to worship Him, praise Him, revere Him, fear Him, and serve Him exclusively because He alone is worthy of our wholehearted devotion.
Calvinists champion the sovereignty of God. They argue that a person contributes nothing to the salvation process. God chooses who will be saved, has made their salvation possible, affects their salvation at the time of He deems fit, and secures it eternally without fail. Everything is dependent on God. Taken to the extreme, this view reduces the individual to a mere puppet without any ability to truly love the LORD or anyone else for that matter. True love and commitment demands some degree of choice.
Arminians champion the free will of each individual person. They contend that each person has the ability to come to Christ whenever they choose, to resist the calling of the Holy Spirit when it is issued, and even to renounce the faith and walk away from salvation after having received it. Everything is dependent upon the individual’s choices. Taken to the extreme, this view exalts the ability of man while diminishing the greatness and authority of God. Such a position is disrespectful, irreverent, and out of line with the LORD’s command to love Him supremely.
III. THE 2ND GREATEST COMMANDMENT - LOVE OTHERS
The 2nd Greatest Commandment is that believers love their neighbors as themselves (Matthew 22:39). This includes everyone - not just friends, family, and acquaintances, but also strangers, undesirables, and even enemies. The Golden Rule is derived from this command, that we
should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Jesus deepened the meaning of this commandment when He told His disciples to love others as He did (John 13:34-35). Christians are called to love sacrificially by putting the needs of others before their own.
The Calvinist believes themselves to be chosen by God and a member of His elect, while seeing the vast majority of other people as hopelessly and helplessly condemned by God and unsavable. When taken to the extreme, this perspective can lead someone to exhibit a pious and haughty attitude. Rather than loving the lost, showing them compassion and care, and desiring their salvation, some rigidly write them off as non-elect and treat them with indifference and/or disdain.
The Arminian believes that they can lose their salvation if they don’t live in obedience to the Lord’s commands. When taken to the extreme, this may cause someone to serve others out of fear rather than genuine love. They do it begrudgingly, because they feel that they have to in
order to maintain God’s favor. Such service is spurred by a sense of duty and obligation, not genuine compassion. Works-based religion is exhausting and unpleasing to God.
CONCLUSION
Throughout this series, we have talked alot about theology - how the doctrinal beliefs of Calvinists and Arminians differ. But in today’s message, we’ve discussed how these beliefs are manifested in practical Christian living. We’ve tried to identify some potential dangers for those who hold extreme positions on either side of the debate.
Here is the bottom line. Our theology should motivate us to live goldly lives. Our beliefs shouldn’t hinder or undermine our obedience. Whether we be Calvinist and Arminian, we should live as Christ commanded. Rather than bickering about who's right or wrong, we as fellow believers should harmoniously work together to do the things that God has plainly instructed us to do.
Last Sunday we wrapped up our discussion of the 5 foundational points of Calvinism and Arminianism. During this study we have discovered strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the debate. Truth be told, most Christians agree to some extent with both perspectives - though they likely don’t even realize it. My personal beliefs place me right smack in the middle of the Calvinist/Arminian spectrum. Therefore, it doesn't behoove me (or any of us) to demonize or degrade either side.
What really matters is how our beliefs contribute to godly living. As born again Christians, are we faithfully following the clear and unambiguous commands found in Scripture? Whether we lean towards Calvinism or Arminianism, are we doing the things that God expressly instructs us
to do? Are we living obediently?
While there are numerous commands and instructions for Christians in the Bible, this morning we are going to focus broadly on just 2 of them - the Great Commission and the Great Commandments. These 2 directives are comprehensive and cover most, if not all, of the others. If we abide by them, we will do well. As we explore each of these, we’ll identify potential pitfalls for those who hold extreme Calvinist or Arminian views.
I. THE GREAT COMMISSION - MAKE DISCIPLES
During His earthly ministry, Jesus declared the kingdom of God in and throughout Israel. Following His death and resurrection, before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples to continue the work He’d begun by carrying the gospel message from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and on to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). He charged His followers to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them and teaching them the things of God (Matthew 28:28-30). This charge was and continues to be a fundamental purpose of the church and a task that all Christians are called to share in. We are to be His witnesses and herald His message to all the world.
That said, the Calvinist believes that God has elected certain individuals to be saved and others to be condemned. Each person’s eternal future has already been predestined and predetermined by God and is unchangeable. Taken to the extreme, this point of view might lead someone to downplay the importance of the Great Commission and/or lack a zeal for it. After all, what is the point of evangelism if everyone’s destiny is already determined?
The Arminian believes that God has effectively done everything on His end to make salvation available to the world. It is now completely upon His disciples to carry the gospel to the world and convince people to be saved. Taken to the extreme, this point of view can lead someone to feel overly burdened and stressed out by the magnitude of this task. Despite their best efforts, they might perceive their inability to win some people to Christ as a personal failure and a source of discouragement.
As it pertains to the Great Commission, I once heard an analogy that I found insightful. For the Calvinist, evangelism is like searching for needles in a haystack. God has already fashioned the needles and the hay and neither will change. It is the evangelist’s job to find the needles among the hay by sharing the gospel so that God’s elect are discovered and revealed. For the Arminian, evangelism is like talking to the entire haystack with the hope that each piece of hay might choose to become a needle. Either way, we as Christians are called to diligently carry out the Great Commission.
II. THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT - LOVE GOD
Jesus gave His disciples 2 commandments that together encompass all of the Old Testament Law. The first and greatest of these was for believers to love the LORD with all of their hearts, souls, and minds (Matthew 22:36-38). This command was originally conveyed by Moses to the
children of Israel during the exodus (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). We are to love God with all of our being, more than anyone or anything else, and to give Him first place in our lives. We are to worship Him, praise Him, revere Him, fear Him, and serve Him exclusively because He alone is worthy of our wholehearted devotion.
Calvinists champion the sovereignty of God. They argue that a person contributes nothing to the salvation process. God chooses who will be saved, has made their salvation possible, affects their salvation at the time of He deems fit, and secures it eternally without fail. Everything is dependent on God. Taken to the extreme, this view reduces the individual to a mere puppet without any ability to truly love the LORD or anyone else for that matter. True love and commitment demands some degree of choice.
Arminians champion the free will of each individual person. They contend that each person has the ability to come to Christ whenever they choose, to resist the calling of the Holy Spirit when it is issued, and even to renounce the faith and walk away from salvation after having received it. Everything is dependent upon the individual’s choices. Taken to the extreme, this view exalts the ability of man while diminishing the greatness and authority of God. Such a position is disrespectful, irreverent, and out of line with the LORD’s command to love Him supremely.
III. THE 2ND GREATEST COMMANDMENT - LOVE OTHERS
The 2nd Greatest Commandment is that believers love their neighbors as themselves (Matthew 22:39). This includes everyone - not just friends, family, and acquaintances, but also strangers, undesirables, and even enemies. The Golden Rule is derived from this command, that we
should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Jesus deepened the meaning of this commandment when He told His disciples to love others as He did (John 13:34-35). Christians are called to love sacrificially by putting the needs of others before their own.
The Calvinist believes themselves to be chosen by God and a member of His elect, while seeing the vast majority of other people as hopelessly and helplessly condemned by God and unsavable. When taken to the extreme, this perspective can lead someone to exhibit a pious and haughty attitude. Rather than loving the lost, showing them compassion and care, and desiring their salvation, some rigidly write them off as non-elect and treat them with indifference and/or disdain.
The Arminian believes that they can lose their salvation if they don’t live in obedience to the Lord’s commands. When taken to the extreme, this may cause someone to serve others out of fear rather than genuine love. They do it begrudgingly, because they feel that they have to in
order to maintain God’s favor. Such service is spurred by a sense of duty and obligation, not genuine compassion. Works-based religion is exhausting and unpleasing to God.
CONCLUSION
Throughout this series, we have talked alot about theology - how the doctrinal beliefs of Calvinists and Arminians differ. But in today’s message, we’ve discussed how these beliefs are manifested in practical Christian living. We’ve tried to identify some potential dangers for those who hold extreme positions on either side of the debate.
Here is the bottom line. Our theology should motivate us to live goldly lives. Our beliefs shouldn’t hinder or undermine our obedience. Whether we be Calvinist and Arminian, we should live as Christ commanded. Rather than bickering about who's right or wrong, we as fellow believers should harmoniously work together to do the things that God has plainly instructed us to do.