My friend Michael Horton frequently comments on the phenomenon of the “cage stage of Calvinism”, the strange evil that seems to afflict so many people that he has recently discovered the truth of the doctrines of the grace of the Reformation. We all know at least one “. calvinist in cage phase. “Many of us were part of this when we were convinced of God’s sovereignty in salvation.
Are Calvinists caged by their insistence on turning any discussion into a debate for a limited atonement or making their personal mission to ensure that everyone they know often hears, often quite loudly, the truths of divine choice?Truth is always commendable, but the zeal for truth manifested by antipathy will not convince anyone of the biblical truth of reformed theology. As many of us can attest to personal experience, this can actually further alienate them.
- Roger Nicole.
- The late Swiss theologian and colleague retired for several decades.
- Once observed that all human beings are semi-Pelagian by nature.
- Believing that they were not born slaves of sin.
- In the United States.
- In particular.
- We have been indoctrinated with a humanistic understanding of anthropology.
- Particularly with regard to our understanding of human freedom.
- After all.
- It is the land of the free man.
- We do not want to believe that we are overwhelmed by negative inclinations and outright enmity against God.
- As the Bible teaches us (Romans 3.
- 9-20).
- We believe that true freedom means having the ability to attain faith without the dominating power of saving grace.
- When we realize that this is not true.
- That Scripture depicts a dark picture of the human condition outside of grace.
- That They say we can’t.
- If we choose correctly.
- We want to make sure everyone knows it too.
- Sometimes we even get angry because no one has told us the true extent of our depravity and the majesty of God’s sovereign grace.
This gives birth to caged Calvinists, these “young graduates”, retired believers who are so aggressive and impatient that they should be locked in a cage for a while so that they can calm down and mature a little in faith. convinced of the biblical doctrines of grace is in conflict with his friends and family due to his discovery of reformed theology. More than once, I have been asked how to deal with the hostility of loved ones towards reformed theology. If reformed beliefs are problematic, should we simply abandon the problem immediately?Are we responsible for convincing others of the truth of the doctrines of grace?
The answer is both, yes and no. Let’s start with the ‘no’ ‘no’. Does Scripture say that “neither the plant is anything, nor the tundish, but God, who makes it grow? (1Co 3. 7). Paul mainly speaks of evangelism in this verse, but I believe that we can apply it to growth in Christ even later The Holy Spirit convinces us of the truth, and he who begins to embrace Reformed theology demonstrates it very clearly. Given our semi-Pelagian leanings, great exposure to the Word of God. It is necessary to overcome this natural bent against the doctrines of grace. People fiercely defend a particular view of free will that is not taught in Scripture. Calvin once observed that if he defines free will as free from the burden of sin, he has used too lofty a term to apply to us. It takes a lot to overcome the exalted view that most sinners have of themselves, Only the Spirit can finally convince people of its truth.
However, recognizing the work of the Spirit does not mean being silent or no longer believing in the truth of the scriptures. We do not abandon the doctrines of grace to keep the peace in family or friends. John Piper makes a good point when he says that not only do we have to believe in the truth, that it is not even enough to defend the truth, but we must fight for the truth, but this does not mean that we must be pendent by nature. we must share what we learn about God’s sovereign grace with those around us.
However, if we truly believe in the doctrines of grace, we learn to be kind when we talk about it, when we remember the time it took us to overcome the difficulties we had with all the biblical portrait of divine sovereignty and our slavery to sin. , we can see our uns reformed friends and family with more understanding and share the truth with them more gracefully. One of the first things a person who is excited to discover the doctrines of grace must learn is to be patient with friends and family. has been patient in convincing us of his sovereignty in salvation. We can trust that he will do the same with those we love.