The False Doctrines of Calvinism

     These articles were written to refute the five major doctrines of Calvinism.  These doctrines are commonly referred to as:
 
Total Hereditary Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement 
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints

   John Calvin was born in France in 1509. At a young age, he gave up the Catholic Church and had to flea for his life to Geneva, where he became a leader in the Swiss reform movement. At the age of 17, he wrote his famous Institutes which sets forth his particular theories of religion and introduced what we know today as "Calvinism." Calvinism consists of five points of doctrine. They are (1) Total Hereditary Depravity which says that all men are conceived in sin, because they all inherit the guilt of Adam's sin, and not only do all men inherit the guilt of Adam's sin, but also a corrupt nature whereby all men are born totally depraved, incapable of doing any good. (2) Unconditional Election says that God, before the foundation of the world arbitrarily chose certain individuals to be saved and certain other individuals to be lost. The doctrine says that God's choice rested solely in His own sovereign will and was not based on any foresee response or obedience on man's part. Therefore, God's election of the saved was unconditional. (3) Limited Atonement says that Christ died only for the elect and in no sense did He die for the rest of the race. (4) Irresistible grace teaches that there is an inward call of the Holy Spirit, made only to the elect, and which cannot be rejected. Because all men are born totally depraved, even the elect cannot obey unless they receive a direct operation of the Holy Spirit upon their heart that then enables them to obey the Lord. (5) Perseverance of the saints says that all who have been unconditionally elected by God to be saved cannot be lost. This is sometimes called, once saved, always saved, or "the impossibility of apostasy."

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