CHAPTER 20
THE 5 PARTS OF
JOHN CALVIN’S DOCTRINE
THE 5 PARTS OF
JOHN CALVIN’S DOCTRINE
MOST DENOMINATIONS ADHERE TO PARTS IF
NOT ALL OF CALVIN’S TEACHINGS
THE 5 PARTS OF
JOHN CALVIN’S DOCTRINE
1. TOTAL HEREDITARY DEPRAVITY
EVERY CHILD IS BORN WITH SIN
"Raccoon" John Smith
1784-1868
“RACCOON” JOHN SMITH
IN THE EARLY 1800’S HE STARTED PREACHING
FOR THE “CALVINIST” BAPTIST CHURCH
In 1814, after much thought, John took his wife and
four children to Alabama with dreams of settling and
farming a large farm and eventually becoming a
prosperous landowner. But, as we will see, God had
other plans for this man. The Smiths settled into a
house near Huntsville and rapidly found new friends.
Then tragedy struck. When he was away from home
on a preaching mission and his wife was visiting an ill
neighbor, a fire broke out in the Smith cabin and was
totally destroyed. Inside, fatally trapped, were the two
Smith children, seven-year old Eli and two-year old
Elvira. Grief stricken, Anne went to bed, unwilling to
acknowledge the tragic loss of her children.
She sank into deep depression and refused to eat.
Slowly, in spite of all efforts to save her, she
weakened and died within months and was buried in
Alabama.
The deaths of his two young children caused him to
question the Calvinism of the day, as under the
doctrine he’d been taught, the children were surely
lost.
Smith moved to Kentucky, where he remarried.
While preaching at Bethel Baptist Church in
Parmleysville, John began to question some of the
tenets of his own church. The doctrine which
expressed eternal damnation of infants disturbed him
powerfully. He did not want to believe that his own
two children after suffering a particularly painful
death, would be condemned by God to eternal
suffering.
HE STARTED SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH AND
BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH ALEXANDER
CAMPBELL AND BARTON STONE AND LISTENING
TO THEM PREACH HE WAS CONVERTED.
He labored hard to get others to accept the truth, and
his labors were not in vain. He was able to get entire
congregations of the Baptist faith to turn away from
their creed and theories and accept the Bible and
work and worship as it directed.
At another time, after he had shown the absurdities of
the mourner's bench theory of getting religion, he was
asked: "What is the difference between your baptism
and our mourner's bench?" He replied: "One is from
heaven, the other is from the sawmill."
Smith was a tall, wiry man. He was known to enter a
new town, find the preacher for the local Presbyterian
Church, and begin to drag him through the town
square, announcing to all that he intended to baptize
him in the river. Inevitably, the preacher would sputter
that it would do no good to baptize a man against his
will!
Smith would reply, “But you baptize babies against
their will every day, with the poor babies crying out
just as you are doing!” He’d then announce the time
and place of his preaching that night, and always
draw a large crowd.
John Smith died on February 28, 1868, and was
buried in Lexington, Kentucky
THE 5 PARTS OF
JOHN CALVIN’S DOCTRINE
2. UNCONDITIONAL PREDESTINATION
IT WAS PREDETERMINED BEFORE YOU
WERE BORN WHETHER YOU WILL HAVE
ETERNAL LIFE OR DAMNINATION.
THE 5 PARTS OF
JOHN CALVIN’S DOCTRINE
3. LIMITED ATONEMENT
DEATH OF CHRIST ATONED ONLY FOR THE
SINS OF THE ELECT (THOSE PREDESTINED TO
BE SAVED)
THE 5 PARTS OF
JOHN CALVIN’S DOCTRINE
4. IRRESTIBLE GRACE
TEACHES THAT WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE
ALONE
THE 5 PARTS OF
JOHN CALVIN’S DOCTRINE
5. PERSEVERANCE IN GRACE
ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience
seared with a hot iron;
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from
meats, which God hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them which believe and know the
truth.
1 TIMOTHY 4: 1-3
And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is
your Father, which is in heaven.
MATTHEW 23: 9
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:
DEUT 30: 19
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not
bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father
bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the
righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of
the wicked shall be upon him.
Ezek 18: 20
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as
some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.
2 PETER 3: 9
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only, but now much more in
my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling.
PHILLIPIANS 2: 12
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of
you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
GAL 5: 4
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison,
that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten
days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee
a crown of life.
REV 2: 10
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye
sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 JOHN 2: 2
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath
appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in
this present world;
TITUS 2: 11-12
For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
And have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come,
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the
Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
HEBREWS 6: 4-6
But I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
1 COR 9: 27
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and
continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer,
but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in
his deed.
JAMES 1: 25
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away.
MATT 24: 35
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
JOHN 17: 17
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works.
2 TIM 3: 16-17
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, if any man
preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed.
GAL 1: 8-9
For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.
2 TIM 4: 3-4
CHAPTER 21
ACTS 2: 38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost.
ACTS 2: 38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ because of the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
ACTS 2: 38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ “EIS” the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
EIS OCCURS 1,493 IN THE NEW TESTATMENT
(PAGE 184)
MATTHEW 26: 28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.
MATTHEW 26: 28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many BECAUSE OF the remission of sins.