Recently, I had someone ask me if I was a universalist.
The reason for this question was that I rejected the primary premise of the doctrines of John Calvin. This belief system is often called Calvinism or Reformed.
The premise of this belief system, Calvinism, can be summarized by one big idea. Salvation is the specific choosing of God before the world was created. Every child is born with a predetermined destiny. The elect are born saved and predetermined to salvation and heaven. All of the rest are born damned and predetermined to hell.
The elect, in their being chosen for salvation, are born again by the virtue of their being chosen; the blood of Jesus is for their salvation; they are born again and WILL believe. If they are chosen, they can do nothing to be unsaved. The very fact that they believe is not a choice they make, but God chose, and they are entirely under the dictate of God to believe.
The rest of humanity, in that they are not chosen, are damned. There is nothing they can do to be saved. They cannot believe to be saved. They will be born and die, doomed to suffer forever in hell.
The distinction for Universalists is that EVERYONE is saved no matter what they do. Jesus died for everyone, and no one had or has any influence to change that decision.
Both of these belief systems can be defined as fatalism.
Fatalism
Fatalism is the belief that everything is predetermined and that people have no control over their destiny. The opposite of fatalism is free will, which is the belief that people have the power to choose their own actions and are not predetermined by fate or destiny.
If one reads the Bible without the filter or lens of a fatalistic lens, free will is demonstrated and communicated in the Bible. If one rejects free will, they will dismiss each because of a predetermined conclusion.
God gives choice.
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” Deuteronomy 30:19
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:15-16
I believe Jesus died for everyone.
I believe everyone must choose Jesus and live a life that honors God.
In closing, the following scriptures demonstrate the value, virtue and power given to us through Jesus Christ.
There is a two letter word in verse 10 that highlight for me the divine opportunity given to each of us to determine the quality of our lives and influence.
“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:” 2 Peter 1:4-10
So, if you are not a universalist or a Calvinist, what are you?
A Bibleist and pursue Biblism.
I read, believe, and embrace the text of scripture.
I am an Apostolic.
I believe in every word and advocate for believers to seek to live and value the principles, doctrines, and promises they demonstrated and commanded.
Why? Because the Apostles are those Jesus specifically chose to establish the Church.
Today, I choose to believe and obey Jesus, and all His word would direct and dictate for me to do.
It is possible because of the grace of God.
In Him, By Him, Through Him,
Scott A. Phillips
Two Books on Amazon for purchase.
Rebirth of Faith - https://a.co/d/hTVFwdg
Reflections on Forgiveness - https://a.co/d/1l7ntsT
7 Minutes - Video Series
The distinction of Calvinism and Universalism is Universalism teaches everyone is saved with no choosing of the individual saved and nothing one can do to affect it.
Limited Atonement is one of John Calvin's big ideas.
Universalists teach that everyone is saved because Jesus Died.
Calvinists teach that only the selected by Jesus are saved because he only died for the elect—limited atonement.
The following verses summarize my distinction between the Universality and Calvinist.
Why am I not a follower of John Calvin?
I believe Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. Why would I believe that?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2.
“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:19
A universalist believes that Jesus died for the whole world and it requires no effort, knowledge or obedience. Jesus died and everyone is saved. Hitler, Stalin, Moa, and Charles Manson. All are saved through no deed or act of their own qualifies or disqualifies them.
Are you a universalist?
My response,
Universalists and Calvinists have one thing in common.
Saved by Grace alone.
Universalists believe no effort saves EVERYONE.
Calvinists believe no effort saves some.
In the calvinist frame of faith. God chooses his elect from the foundation of the world. We are all born predeternmind of our catagory of saved or damned and by extension our eternity is set. If you are elect, your salvation is by grace alone. Nothing do you or can you choose or decide differently. You are saved. Period.
IF you are born in the damned catagory, there is nothing you can do or choose to be saved from damnation. Period.
In a word, Fatalism.
The scripture is clear. God has give to every man the measure of faith to believe or doubt. We choose in that faith or doubt to obey or disobey. Those choices in moments and lifestyles determine our final destination.
Both of these system.
Not Calvinism = universalism and paganism is a horrible equivalency and false dichotomy. If thats the case, the everyone up until Augustine was a universalist.
Calvinist scholar Lorraine Boettner himself said that determinism didn't exist in the church world until Augustine - a former Manichaean and himself the weaver and sower of the belief system into Christian thought.
Calvinism speaks of bondage of the will, but it doesn't speak of the bondage of the mind and soul it brings - how do I know if I'm elect? How do I know it isn't evanescence grace and I'm really a reprobate that God allows to THINK is saved (Calvin's Institutes, sect 2 and ch 11 I believe).
Calvinism is full of what-ifs and ripping texts from their context to create pretext. Its a human philosophy, of which Paul warned against.