Does Calvinism Teach That We Are Forced To Become Believers
One of the most common objections to Reformed Theology (Calvinism) used by non-Calvinists is that Calvinism teaches that God forces people to become believers. This objection is completely false. I feel the need to address this objection again in light of a comment made by my Pastor during his Sunday morning sermon on 9/28/08. He made the comment that God does not force anyone to become a believer. He was not talking about Calvinism or Election and the comment seemed a bit out of place.
People who use this objection are confusing regeneration and salvation. I think this is the error my Pastor made during his sermon. People hear the term Irresistible Grace and they immediately jump to the conclusion that it refers to salvation. It does not, it refers to regeneration. I made this error myself until I was better informed.
Calvinists teach that regeneration is the first step in the process of salvation. It has to be the first step because of our spiritual condition as unbelievers. Ephesians 2:1-7 says
“(1) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins (2) in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience– (3) among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (4) But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– (6) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Before we can be saved we must be made alive again. Until we are made alive (regenerated) we cannot respond to the Gospel. God regenerates those He has chosen. Ephesians 1:3-6
“(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (4) even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love (5) he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, (6) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.“
In regeneration, God removes the persons heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26-27). He also gives them a new will (nature) (2 Corinthians 5:17) which is no longer a slave to sin. This new will (nature) can, and does, now choose God and when it hears the Gospel proclaimed. God does not force a person to become a believer against their will. As you can see, Calvinists teach that believers have a choice. The difference is that God knows that they will choose Him because He has already elected them before He created anything.
I hope this clarifies this issue some for those who might be struggling with this objection to Calvinism. I know until I understood this, I had a hard time with Calvinism. It was one of the main things that I had to overcome before I could accept the Calvinistic theology. Please feel free to point out anything that I need to clarify or do a better job explaining.
[...] Click here to read it. [...]
Does Calvinism Teach That We Are Forced To Become Believers « The Everyday Christian
September 30, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I like to say that Calvinism teaches that God frees people to become believers. What we were unable to do when we were dead in our sin (love and adore and obey God), we’re able to do when we’re made alive in Christ.
Barry Wallace
September 30, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Good post. God doesn’t compel an unbelieving heart to faith, He changes the disposition of our heart that we might come to freely embrace His grace.
christcovenantchurch
September 30, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Anyone who understands Calvinism knows Calvinists don’t believe God ‘forces’ belief. so, the objection is an ignorant and ridiculous one.
That said, for me, as an Arminian, the question is not whether God forces, but whether Compatibilistic freedom is genuine freedom. I don’t think it is, therefore I’m not a Calvinist.
Working from differing senses of freedom, I can see why less informed Arminians would question whether Calvinists believe belief is ‘forced.’ Their ignorance is not justified, but I can at least understand it.
thefuerstshallbelast
September 30, 2008 at 9:19 pm
You are correct that the objection is ignorant and ridiculous. The problem is that many of those making the objection are not willing to become informed.
Tom Shelton
September 30, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Naw, God doesn’t force anyone. He just makes it so wonderful that, as one young lady said after her conversion, “O, it was so wonderful, I couldn’t resist it.” However, having said that I must tell what happened to one friend. He was visiting his brother and had sat down to eat a meal, when it seemed like something knocked him out of his chair and on to his knees, crying to God for salvation.
He said later he had no thought on his mind of being saved, when he sat down. He went on to become a minister, theologian, and teacher with a Ph.D. in Hebrew. His grin was infectious. So likewise, when God saved me, I was an atheist. Then I saw Jesus knocking like at a door. He was about ten feet in front of me, facing me, looking me in the eye, with his hand upraised like he was knocking at a door. My response was to get away from Him. But shortly something changed my mind and I ask God to forgive me of my sins. A burden was lifted off of my heart that I didn’t even know I had, and I cried tears of joy. Two verses sum up my experience, Rev. 3:20 and Acts 16:14. He knocked, I ran, and then He opened my heart to cry to Him for forgiveness. It don’t get any better than that as far as I am concerned…except in Heaven I suppose. Since then, God has given me several extraordinary experiences of what I believe is His grace. I suppose He makes such encounters with His people to prepare them for the hardships and sufferings that are a part of the Christian Way.
Dr. James Willingham
October 4, 2008 at 10:23 pm
The comment above about compatibilistic freedom is probably my biggest obstacle to becoming a fully enthusiastic Calvinist. Not that I consider lack of any freedom to be unfair, but to be punished for acting according to my nature is difficult for me to find righteous and holy. I understand we as humans do the same thing to animals (we kill mice for acting according to their nature) but animals lack a soul and will not be “punished” for eternity. If I understand reformed theology correctly, Adam and Eve had libertarian free will and were punished appropriately, and their punishment extended to us in that now we only have a corrupt evil nature even though we are free to act within that nature. That leads me down a whole series of rabbit trails with the orgin of evil and what happens to babies who die in the womb or shortly thereafter.
That being said, I am a Calvinist because I think it is what the Bible clearly teaches even if I am not comfortable with all of it, but definitely to Him be the Glory Alone!
Eric Nordquist
January 21, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Eric,
I am a fairly new Calvinist. It has taken me a couple years to get to where I am now. I have also been uncomfortable with some aspects of Reformed Theology but only because I wish things to be different. I am becoming more and more comfortable. A pastor friend once told me that we accept Reformed Theology in our heads before we do in our hearts. So hang in there…it is all to God’s glory.
Tom Shelton
January 21, 2009 at 7:42 pm
God apparently never intended for us to become comfortable with every thing He says. After all, some of His sayings are intended to make us very uncomfortable so that we will heed what He has to say to us on other matters. The whole thing is analogous to having a baby. (seems like I have read that somewhere). Our problem is that we know paradoxes have their place in counseling, for example, but we still have a time relating them to the Lord in the salvation of our souls even though He is the originator of the original paradoxical intervention. As Mr. Spurgeon said, when pressed on the issue of his being able to choose salvation, “I would choose that He should choose for me.” That is something like the Centurion who said to the Lord: “Just speak the word. For I am a man under authority and I have those who are under me and I say to one, Go here or go there, and he goes and does what I say.” Call that my expanded translation. The whole thing sets up a tension in the mind which enables one to be balanced, flexible, creative, and, eventually, magnetic.
Dr. James Willingham
March 17, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Eric,
A few things and I am not sure I will be able to comment further.
First, it seems odd to me that you seem to see a difference between “force one to believe” and “make one willing to believe”.
Calvinism teaches that prior to regeneration the sinner is hostile to God, hates God, wants nothing to do with God, correct? So the sinner does not want to believe. Yet God makes him willing to believe (which is really no different than making him believe). Did the sinner want God to make him willing to believe prior to regeneration? No. So it seems to me that making one willing to believe is hardly different then forcing someone to believe. The sinner did not believe and God made Him believe by way of irresistible regeneration.
Let me give you an illustration. If a man gives a girl a date rape drug and that girl, who previously would not have slept with him, is “made willing” by the drug, a drug she did not want nor ask for, then would you say that her will was violated? Wasn’t she forced to think and act differently by the drug that she did not want? Do you see the problem?
Forced to believe sounds awful, and so Calvinists prefer something that seems less abrasive like “make willing”, but it is still the same thing. It is just worded in a gentler way.
You wrote,
The problem is that many of those making the objection are not willing to become informed.
If God controls our wills why should it bother you that some aren’t willing to see things your way? They can’t help it. The only remedy would be for God to “make them willing” to become informed. Perhaps your frustration should be directed toward God and not those who are unwilling.
I like to say that Calvinism teaches that God frees people to become believers. What we were unable to do when we were dead in our sin (love and adore and obey God), we’re able to do when we’re made alive in Christ.
But this seems deceptive to me. If God frees people to become believers then they should be able to remain in unbelief as well (which is the Arminian position). But that is not what Calvinism teaches. They are made to believe. Simply ask yourself if the sinner can resist believing when regenerated? If the answer is no, then it is not really accurate to say the person is just “freed” to believe. Rather, he is caused (forced?) to believe.
God doesn’t compel an unbelieving heart to faith, He changes the disposition of our heart that we might come to freely embrace His grace.
Again, this sounds much nicer but the fact remains that those who are irresistibly (allow that word to sink in for a moment) regenerated must believe. They can’t avoid it. So to say they freely embrace his grace seems misleading. At least the average person would recognize the difference between causation and enabling. And again, did the sinner want a new heart prior to receiving one? No. So how is it that God did not force it on them?
I understand what you guys are saying and I understand not liking the language of force, but it seems more compatible with Calvinist theology then language like “frees them to believe”.
Eric,
You wrote,
I have also been uncomfortable with some aspects of Reformed Theology but only because I wish things to be different. I am becoming more and more comfortable.
Had you ever considered the possibility that your feeling uncomfortable resulted from the Holy Spirit throwing up red flags concerning a faulty belief system? Just curious.
God Bless,
Ben
kangaroodort
March 18, 2009 at 8:22 am
I realize that comments directed to Eric (above) were meant to be directed to Tom. Sorry for the confusion.
God Bless,
Ben
kangaroodort
March 19, 2009 at 11:53 am
Interestingly enough, the greatest freedom originated in the calvinistic republics (Switzerland, Netherlands,England, and America). Why would thos nations be the source of so much freedom and liberty? The noted historian, Dr. George Bancroft, used the term in the mid 1800s to describe the US.
Dr. James Willingham
October 29, 2009 at 9:59 pm