Providence Reformed Baptist Church

Reformed Baptist Church in Remlap, Alabama

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The Antinomianism of the Hyper-Calvinist

Hyper-Calvinism is a killer. I don’t say this to be dramatic, but to simply be realistic about a theology which will drain the life right out of a local church. In my last post I began to unpack the “killing effects” of Hyper-Calvinism as a helpful warning to my Calvinistic brethren to veer as far as they can from this subtle slippery slope.

Specifically, I have sought to underscore five ways in which Hyper-Calvinism will ossify a church, and therefore suppress the life-giving power, compassion, and sanctification of the Gospel. The first three of these killing effects in Hyper-Calvinism was the focus of our last consideration. To begin with, we saw how the prevalence of Hyper-Calvinism will kill Gospel preaching to the lost. While the Hyper-Calvinist rightly embraces God’s sovereignty in salvation, yet he wrongly deduces from this truth (based on human reason rather than divine Scripture) that to call sinners to repent and believe on Christ denies God’s sovereign will to save. Thus, the biblical mandate to preach the Gospel to all nations (Luke 24:47) is either denied, ignored, or reinterpreted to mean something other than evangelizing sinners.

In addition to this, Hyper-Calvinism will also kill prayer. Since God has decreed everything that comes to pass, the Hyper-Calvinist reasons that prayer is useless, since it won’t change what God has willed. Hence, the Hyper-Calvinist really becomes a fatalist because he denies the truth that God ordains prayer as a means to accomplish His divine purpose (e.g., Philippians 1:19-20). Finally, Hyper-Calvinism will kill a grateful spirit in the providence of God. Inasmuch as the Hyper-Calvinist has resolved that “whatever will be, will be” –  then he cannot “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), because he cannot see how God is personally, wisely, and lovingly working all things for the believer’s good (Romans 8:28). There is therefore no joy and gratitude in God’s providence, but only a grim stoicism to simply endure whatever God has willed.

But these are not the only “killing effects” of Hyper-Calvinism. There are two other deadly ways in which Hyper-Calvinism works against the spiritual life of a church. First, Hyper-Calvinism will kill daily watchfulness. To glory in the truth of God’s sovereignty over all things is right and healthy to cultivate a robust Christian walk (see Proverbs 16:1,9; Romans 8:28-31; 11:33-36). However, for the Hyper-Calvinist, God’s sovereignty is all there is. He eats, drinks, and sleeps divine sovereignty. Thus, when Scripture calls him to be “watchful” (1 Peter 5:8), taking heed to how he must live lest he enters into temptation (Matthew 26:41; cf. 1 Corinthians 10:12) – he skims over such warnings as something to be taken lightly, since God is sovereign. In other words, the sovereignty of God for the Hyper-Calvinist cancels out that biblical mandate which presses personal responsibility on the Christian to be careful as to the way he lives.

In effect, the Hyper-Calvinist becomes an antinomian. He therefore uses the truth of God’s sovereignty to justify his sinful behavior. He reasons to himself: “Well, I would not have committed this sin had it not been God’s sovereign will.” This kind of reasoning however is madness and blasphemy. It seeks to make God the author of sin, while rejecting the biblical truth of man’s moral responsibility for his own actions (James 1:13-15). The result of this kind of thinking in a church will be a membership of hardened, arrogant sinners who, for the most part, need to be saved. For where there is no call to repent of sin and pursue holiness as a way of life, this will only confirm sinners in their pride and unbelief. And this is a most deadly consequence of Hyper-Calvinism.

Secondly, Hyper-Calvinism kills a total conformity to all of Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 assures us that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” The Hyper-Calvinist though does not believe this sacred testimony about Holy Scripture. The only thing “profitable” for him is God’s sovereignty. But as far as the rest of what the Bible teaches, it doesn’t matter. However, the indifference Hyper-Calvinism shows to the whole of God’s Word is actually a denial of God’s sovereignty. For if all God wanted us to know was His sovereignty, then this would be the only doctrine found in Scripture. But this is not the case. God intends that we take in everything He has revealed (in its proper context!), so that we will be furnished for every good work. Yet, Hyper-Calvinism denies this blessing.

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The Killing Effects of Hyper-Calvinism

It might seem like a waste of time to write about the dangers and errors of Hyper-Calvinism. Certainly the prevailing view among most churches is Arminianism or some abbreviated form of it. However, since the strong resurgence of historic Calvinism in the early 1980s (and especially its growing influence among a younger generation of Christians in the last ten years), it would be very prudent to understand its anomaly known as Hyper-Calvinism.

In addition to this, there’s also the confusion in many Christian circles that sees no difference between historic Calvinism and Hyper-Calvinism. In fact, depending on who you’re talking with, the moment you express your belief in the biblical teaching of election or predestination, you’re instantly placed in the camp of the Hyper-Calvinist. And the way this is identified is when the person will say to you, “Well, then, you must not believe in evangelism and missions!” To which, you’re reply has to be an explanation of what the Bible teaches regarding both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility when it comes to salvation and missions. But nevertheless, the reason for this misunderstanding is either the ignorance or willful refusal to see that true Calvinism is not Hyper-Calvinism.

So to understand and set forth warnings against Hyper-Calvinism is not a waste of time. As I said in my last post, “Ideas have consequences.” Therefore we would do well to note the consequences of embracing the ideas behind Hyper-Calvinism.

Some years ago I was given a small booklet published by Chapel Library entitled, “The Killing Effects of Hyper-Calvinism.” The author of the booklet is a Calvinist, but he has a great burden to warn his Calvinistic brethren to beware the dangers of Hyper-Calvinism. In the first half of the booklet he lays down five things which Hyper-Calvinism kills. In this post I will cover the first three with my own commentary, and then proceed in my next post to handle the last two.

In the first place, Hyper-Calvinism will kill Gospel preaching to the lost. This is always the first biblical mandate and ministry to go in a local church that follows Hyper-Calvinism. We have to remember, that for the Hyper-Calvinist, all they can see in Scripture is God’s sovereignty to the exclusion of man’s responsibility. Therefore to call on all sinners to believe on Christ and repent of their sins is, for the Hyper-Calvinist, an outright denial of God’s sovereignty in salvation. Hence, they scorn Gospel preaching! In their erroneous thinking, they have cut out the imperative and necessity for sinners to hear the Gospel if they would be saved (cf. Rom. 10:13-17). Since God has already chosen who will be saved (Rom. 9:6-24; Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13), then God’s elect, the Hyper-Calvinist reasons, do not need to hear the call of the Gospel unto salvation. But to believe this, not only misrepresents the doctrine of election, it denies the fact that God has ordained Gospel preaching as the divine means to bring His elect to saving faith (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18-2:5).

In the second place, Hyper-Calvinism kills prayer. As the Hyper-Calvinist muses on God’s sovereign decree, he concludes: “Well, if I pray, it won’t change things; if I don’t pray it won’t change things.” What a terrible error! First of all, God calls us to pray (1 Thess. 5:18). Second of all, like preaching, prayer is ordained by God as an instrument through which He accomplishes His purposes (Phil. 1:9-20). But the Hyper-Calvinist wants to kill such activity because he thinks it to be a sign of unbelief in God’s eternal decree. What foolish and arrogant thinking this is! How can it be useless to pray if God has commanded His people to pray? To reason otherwise is in itself unbelief in what God has in fact ordained.

In third place, Hyper-Calvinism kills a grateful spirit in the providence of God. The Hyper-Calvinist is essentially a fatalist. His view of God’s sovereignty takes no account of how God is personally, wisely, and lovingly working all things together for the believer’s good (Rom. 8:28). Thus, with all events in life, the Hyper-Calvinist concludes: “Well, what is to be will be, so what happened was just what was planned.” Where is the thankful heart in this surmising of what God is doing in one’s life? Instead, it is a grim and sour stoicism which is determined to endure, but with no joy and gratitude in how God is fulfilling His purpose. If we truly understand God’s providence over our lives, then we will be able to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18).

 

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Ideas have consequences

Someone once wrote an important axiom which we must never forget: “Ideas have consequences.” And in the history of the Church, the truth of this principle can be seen fleshed out in spades for either good or ill. One such example is with the theological system called “Hyper-Calvinism.” Musing on the consequences left in the wake of this theology for nearly a century in English Calvinistic Baptist history, one Baptist minister lamented in 1889: “They did not give up Calvinism [‘they’ being the Hyper-Calvinists], or, in other words, renounce the Confession of 1689, but they overlaid it with an encrustation of something which approached Antinomianism, and ate out the life of the churches, and of the gospel as preached by many ministers. Divine Sovereignty was maintained and taught, not only in exaggerated proportions, but to the practical exclusion of moral responsibility; the obligation of sinners to ‘repent and believe the gospel,’ was ignored, and even denied, and all gospel invitations and pleadings were restricted to those who were supposed to give evidence of a gracious state.”

To sum up this lamentation: the consequences of Hyper-Calvinism left the churches chilled with a dead orthodoxy because it gave more attention to doctrinal theory than holding a real concern for the salvation of sinners. This is not to say that a Christian should downplay or set aside the importance of being faithful to what the Bible teaches – and therefore sound and correct in their doctrine. Far from it! But while we “follow the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13), we must not neglect the application these words of truth teach.

It might be helpful though, at this point, to raise the question: How did Hyper-Calvinism become Hyper-Calvinism? When, where, and with whom did this dangerous theology originate? I call it “dangerous” because it eclipses the saving Gospel on the one hand; and on the other hand, it circumvents God’s commands for a believer to live a holy life in service to others. So then, where Arminianism (the polar-opposite of Hyper-Calvinism) always leads to legalism (and in some cases, liberalism); Hyper-Calvinism tends to trail off toward antinomianism. It is therefore a dangerous theology one must avoid.

But what is the history behind Hyper-Calvinism? The pioneer of Hyper-Calvinist doctrine was a Congregationalist minister named Joseph Hussey (1660-1726). In 1707, Hussey wrote and published a book entitled God’s Operations of Grace but No Offers of Grace. This book put in print for the first time what would become the hallmark of Hyper-Calvinism – that preachers should not give invitations for all to believe on Christ for salvation. Hussey argued that since God has already chosen who will be saved, then salvation should only be “offered” to the elect. In other words, the Gospel should be preached to only those sinners whom God has chosen to save, because it is to them alone that the redeeming grace of God is intended for anyway. To preach the Gospel then to all sinners without exception, Hussey reasoned, would be to deny and undermine the eternal purpose of God in saving His elect. Moreover, it called on the non-elect sinner to do what he was incapable of doing, namely, repent and believe on Christ.

Now to be fair to Joseph Hussey, we must appreciate the times in which he lived to have a better grasp as to why he came to his conclusions that spawned Hyper-Calvinism. For one thing, by the end of the 17th century, the crippling effect of rationalism was gaining much ground among Protestant churches in England. This took form in the belief called Deism. Furthermore, the man-centered theology of Arminianism was becoming more acceptable as well. Thus, for Hussey, his development of Hyper-Calvinism grew out of his own reaction to the pervasive doctrinal errors and heresies which he saw as destroying a faithful Christian witness. Yet, his reaction was a system of belief into which the spirit and temper of his rationalistic age entered. Taking as his starting point the biblical truth of God’s eternal decree, Hussey reasoned from human logic rather than the Divine revelation of Scripture. And the result of his own rationalization were erroneous deductions based on what could not be known in the secret purposes of God’s will (Rom. 11:33-36). But worse, Hussey’s theology did not remain in a quiet corner of his mind. His ideas took root among the Calvinistic Baptists in the early 18th century, nearly silencing a Gospel witness for a whole generation. Ideas therefore do indeed have consequences!

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A Beautiful Palace without a Door

Arminianism, as a whole, sets aside the biblical teaching of God’s absolute sovereignty in salvation. Essentially, it presents man’s will as sovereign, and divides the credit for salvation between God and man. The Arminian therefore denies the clear and unmistakable testimony of Scripture that all men are equally condemned in sin but, for reasons unknown to us and to the praise of His grace, God does not deal equally with those who are equally undeserving. As the apostle Paul argued in Romans 9:11-18, God’s “purpose of election” does not depend “on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.” Therefore, when it comes to why anyone is saved, it is due to the sovereign will of God alone. For He “has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills” (italics mine).

But despite the errors of Arminianism, we must ask: If we deny Arminianism, does this mean that we deny God’s love for all men? Does it mean that we refuse to proclaim Christ as Savior, and the only one in whom all sinners should call upon for salvation? And since God’s grace in salvation is a “distinguishing grace” (choosing some to be saved rather than all), does this truth overturn and rule out the universal proclamation of the Gospel?

Sadly, there have been certain people in the Church who would answer “yes” to each of these questions. That while affirming strongly and rightly the sovereignty of God’s grace in saving sinners, their zeal for this biblical truth actually hinders and impedes the progress of evangelism. In fact, not only is the work of evangelism encumbered, but its obstruction is both justified and encouraged. “Since God is sovereign in salvation,” it is reasoned, “then to call upon all sinners without exception to receive Christ is to deny divine sovereignty. Indeed, no sinner should be publicly urged to trust in Christ since they may not be one of God’s elect.”

The historic and technical name for this belief is called “Hyper-Calvinism.” Like the error of Arminianism, which presses the biblical truth of man’s responsibility beyond the scope of Scripture, Hyper-Calvinism does the same thing with God’s sovereign grace. The Hyper-Calvinist therefore reads the Bible with one eye open. He sees nothing but God’s sovereignty on every page of Scripture without ever seeing that the sinner is accountable to God for what he does and how he responds to the Gospel. Hence, the Hyper-Calvinist ends up rationalizing evangelism out of God’s plan of redemption. So, with one eye open, all he can see is Romans 9, which clearly attests to God’s sovereign election in saving sinners – but with the other eye closed, he misses Romans 10, which declares that saving faith in Jesus Christ will only come by hearing and responding to the preaching of the Gospel (Rom. 10:13-17).

Hyper-Calvinism then, is what John Duncan (1796-1870) once called, “a beautiful palace without a door; the house is perfect, but there is no getting into it.” What Dr. Duncan meant by this memorable analogy was that while Hyper-Calvinism affirms the truth of God’s sovereignty in salvation (hence, it is a “beautiful palace”), yet tragically, it sees no need to take the Gospel to sinners and call them to the Savior (thus, “there is no getting into” this “beautiful palace”). This is why whenever Hyper-Calvinism has settled down in a local church, usefulness for God’s Kingdom and active compassion for the souls of men soon evaporates from the life of that believing body.

But, in the light of this, a crucial clarification must be made: Hyper-Calvinism is an aberration of true Calvinism. To say this another way: there is a real difference between a Calvinist and a Hyper-Calvinist. Hyper-Calvinism is false Calvinism. It is a deviation from what is true orthodox Calvinism. A true Calvinist sets forth the sovereignty of God in salvation without denying or detracting from man’s responsibility. He reads the Bible with both eyes open. He affirms with all his might that no one is saved unless God has chosen to save them apart from any foreseen merit in the sinner (Rom. 9:16; 2 Tim. 1:9); and yet, he also maintains with utmost clarity, that unless a sinner believes on Christ and repents he will not be saved (Acts 16:31; 17:30). Thus, he urges all sinners to lay hold of Christ and trust in Him alone for salvation. A Hyper-Calvinist however will not make such a Gospel appeal.

So then, to deny Arminianism, we must be careful that we do not react to the opposite extreme in the quagmire of Hyper-Calvinism.