Calvinism VII: The Fall of Calvinism

by Gene Taylor

The five tenets of Calvinism are so tightly and logically knit together that if you accept one, you must accept them all. Conversely, if you deny one, you must deny them all.

• The child of God can fall from grace (Galatians 5:4; Hebrews 6:4-6; Acts 8:9-24). The Perseverance of the Saints is not a valid doctrine.
• If a child of God can fall from grace, then God's grace must not be irresistible so the doctrine of Irresistible Grace falls.
• And if God's grace is not irresistible, then a person must be free to choose whether he will accept that grace or not. So the doctrine of Unconditional Election falls.
• And if a person is free to make the good choice to accept God's grace, we cannot say that Christ died only for the elect. We must say, along with the apostle Paul (1 Tim. 2:6), that He died for the sins of all people. So the doctrine of Limited Atonement collapses.
• And if a person can make a good choice, he must not be "wholly defiled in the all the faculties of soul and mind." Therefore, the doctrine of Total Hereditary Depravity falls.
• The whole system of Calvinism comes crashing to the ground when one applies the Truth of Scripture to it.

(This basic idea is from "Three Simple Scriptures," Phil Roberts, Plano Provoker, August 22, 1974)

Other Articles In This Series:

• Calvinism 1: Introduction To Calvinism
• Calvinism 2: Total Hereditary Depravity
• Calvinism 3: Unconditional Election
• Calvinism 4: Limited Atonement
• Calvinism 5: Irresistible Grace
• Calvinism 6: Perseverance of the Saints
• Calvinism 7: The Fall of Calvinism

Download This Free Book On Calvinism:

Calvinism Analyzed and Answered. This is a six lesson study which considers the doctrines of Calvinism then compares and contrasts them with Scripture to see whether or not they stand or fall in light of God's word. It can be used in a class study or presented from the pulpit. (PDF file size 430k)