ERROR’S SLIPPERY SLOPE

When I was growing up my parents instilled in me the need to always tell the truth. One of their arguments for doing so was that if you always tell the truth then you will always know what you have said. They said, "If you lie, you will eventually need to tell another to cover the initial lie or you will forget what you said initially and either be caught in the lie or again find it necessary to lie once more." Over the years, I have found myself in situations where I became aware of the lies of another. Invariably, the words of my parents came true. Lie was compounded upon lie and all due to an initial deviance from the truth.

Truth will always harmonize with itself. In matters of religion, truth will be consistent, but error – as a lie – will require additional departures from the truth in order to try to reconcile that which is inconsistent. Such is the case with Calvinistic doctrine. Calvinistic doctrine begins with the false assumption that human beings are born totally depraved as the result of Adam’s sin. Calvinists will declare that man’s nature is corrupt, perverse, and sinful throughout and because of this inborn corruption, man is totally unable to do anything spiritually good. As one writer penned, ". . . the sinner is so spiritually bankrupt that he can do nothing pertaining to his salvation." Adam’s choice to disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit "plunged himself and the entire race into spiritual ruin and lost for himself and his descendants the ability to make right choices throughout life. . . ." The Calvinist believes that, as a result of this depravity, man does not have the ability to choose spiritual good over evil.

Is this concept consistent with the teachings of the Bible? If I may borrow the inspired words of the apostle Paul, "God forbid!" Firstly we must ask, will we be held accountable for the sins of our ancestors? Consider the words of God given to the prophet Ezekiel, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself" (Ezekiel 18:20 NKJV). In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he wrote of the judgment, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV). We are to be judged by what we have done, not what our ancestors have done. Even Romans chapter five [which is used as a proof text by the Calvinists] is anchored with Paul’s statement, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12 NKJV). Anyone who suffers spiritual death will do so, not because Adam sinned, but because he has sinned. It is inconsistent with clear Bible teaching to conclude that sin is inherited.

Secondly we must ask, is all mankind capable of choosing to follow God? The answer to this question is yes, with some minor exceptions. Jesus taught that one must believe in Him or die in sin (John 8:24). A person who, because of some mental abnormality, may not be capable of coming to faith and thus cannot make the choice to do so. An infant or young child who is incapable of comprehending the concept of Christ and sin obviously cannot choose to follow God. The staunch Calvinist would condemn such persons if they died before being endowed with faith. However, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14 NKJV). King David said of his dead child, "I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (2 Samuel 12:23). Most would agree that this implies not only life after death, but also that the child was with the Lord. Other than the aforementioned exceptions, anyone can choose to follow God. The Jews on Pentecost, after Peter’s decisive arguments for the deity and messiahship of Christ, asked Peter, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" His response and their choice to heed his command is recorded. "Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them" (Acts 2:38-41 NKJV). Notice, the Holy Spirit was clearly said to be given after baptism. They chose to follow God of their own accord.

Religious error – like a lie – requires additional misconceptions and error in order to try to achieve the impossible – harmony with the truth. In the future we will show how this misconception of inherited depravity has led to additional errors. But for now let us remember, it is not Adam’s sin which will condemn us but our own sins. Do not compound your situation by waiting for a divine nudge. If I may once again borrow the words of another faithful Bible character. ". . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15 NKJV).