Does God Cause All Sin? Answering Calvinism

Acts 13:48 de-Calvinized by Dr. Leighton Flowers @Soteriology101

The topic of Calvinism is something that I have personally spent a lot of time studying and thinking about for the past decade. In recent years this theology has grown a lot in popularity, being propagated by popular and prominent pastors and christian leaders like John Piper, John Macarthur, RC Sproul and ministry organizations like the Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, Ligonier Ministries and Apologia Studios.

This theology is based on a particular understanding of passages like Romans 9, John 6 and Ephesians 1, which are interpreted by Calvinists in a way that results in the conclusion that God has determined before the foundation of the world which individuals he will save and has ultimately created a countless mass of humanity throughout history for the purpose of condemning them to eternal torment in hell for committing sins that he himself determined that they commit. This may be a bit more of an abrasive and pointed way of putting it, but I think if you come to understand the claims and beliefs of the theologians mentioned above who teach these doctrines, you will see that this is an accurate and honest representation of their ultimate conclusions.

I personally find the view of God that is communicated in Calvinism to be immoral and a gross misrepresentation of what the bible actually describes God to be like. Although I do have moral and emotional apprehensions toward this theology, that is not ultimately the reason why I came to reject it. I came to reject it on biblical grounds. After examining the many Calvinistic proof texts like Romans 9 and Ephesians 1, I became convinced that Calvinists are simply misunderstanding and misinterpreting these texts.

I make videos about this topic because I believe that bad theology is harmful to people - emotionally, mentally and spiritually. My goal in making videos like this is not to demonize Calvinists who teach these things or to say they are evil heretics or anything of the sort, but to simply explain why I strongly disagree with their conclusions and offer what I consider to be a better way of understanding the many biblical texts that are often used to support these views.

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[primeobjective]

Correct. In Calvinism, God commands you to obey the gospel, but has secretly decreed that you disobey, so to burn you forever for the good pleasure of His will to glorify Himself.

[wretchedsinnerRighteousSavior]

When its stated this clearly calvinists claim you dont understand Calvinism - i tend to think they dont understand Calvinism and are just enamored by their leading Calvinists

[elaineauo]

Thank you, friend!
Some things don’t need to be argued… They just need to be stated clearly, so everyone else will see plainly its absurdity!
We serve a just God Who reveals His character through the words of Scripture. Thanks for sharing these videos. Your work is not in vain. God bless you, brother!

[ZachClark]

Thanks for your work and research and exploration into these things Jordan, I appreciate that you recognize the danger in the ideas of Calvinism. Going to email you soon with some further ideas.

[kurtweiand]

Evil exists because God allows it. It glorifies Him by allowing Him to show mercy and grace to sinners, who choose to sin!

[jasonmason]

A bit monstrous is an understatement!!

[markguernsey]

Debate over folks. God isn’t actually sovereign because some random YouTube guy thinks it problematic.

[barryallen]

If God tells us that his nature is that he cannot lie, then why would it appear he has a revealed will in Scripture (all can come: Jesus will draw all men to Himself; whosoever believes) but He has this secret will that only the elect can come?

[dylanschweitzer]

Calvinism distorts the God I've learned about in the Scriptures. It constantly twists and manipulates scripture to mean things I don't think it's intended to mean.

[randym.]

This fellow, like most people, has created a God that thinks and acts like THEY think He should, and this is a mistake. The God of the Bible thinks like who He is, , , GOD. A Righteous GOD who does what HE pleases. He created us for His purposes. This is no secret! GOD does what He does to bring Glory to Himself, again no Secret, its in the Bible. Romans 9 clearly states that The Lord has “Mercy on whom He has Mercy, and ‘hardens who He hardens.” This fellow doesn’t want to talk about that though.
GOD is who He is. If you don’t understand that GOD has always chosen some over others, you either haven’t read the Bible or didn’t understand what you read.
Knowing that GOD is Saving All who believe in and on Jesus Christ at this time is enough for me. If you ARE Saved, Thank GOD for choosing to Save someone like you and Me. He didn’t have to.

[elteacher]

Calvinism's view of god is a monstrous one. I fear the one true God, but I do not fear Calvinism's god. This latter one is the great Hitler in heaven, only all powerful. If the one true God was evil, like Calvinism makes him out to be, there would be nothing anybody could do.
But he is not. The real God is no the great Hitler in heaven that Calvinism makes him out to be.

[The_Biblical_Layman]

You said we can get into later can we do that?

You want to go through Romans 9 together on your channel?

[Objectivetruth]

What do you do with scripture like “The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬ ‭ the book of Job also shows God to be sovereign over sin. And what of Romans 1 He gave them over to the sinful desires . I think we have to keep our context in
Light of Roman’s 8 he works all things for good to those who love him.

[rsandy]

Calvin is not saying that God enjoys in wicked fashion to direct the heart to evil. God in his justice sentences the heart by leading them to evil as it is what they most desire to do.

[DerKirchenhocker]

Calvinism is so problematic that I quit believing in this heresy a long time ago.

[steventhury]

You reason according to a carnal and unsanctified mindset.
You do not counsel God. Romans 9, Ephesians 1, and other places tells us God is sovereign over ALL things.

[mikelyons]

Yep. What kind of person could come up with such distortions from the God whom wants all to come to repentance & created Hell for the Devil his Angels & not us...umm, perhaps the kind of guy who would have his dissenters imprisoned or executed?

[dustinnyblom]

Do you believe god has exhaustive knowledge of future events? If so, how does he have that knowledge? And did god know that all the people he created would go to hell before he created them?

[ManassehJones]

Idolatry is when one believes his unregenerate logic is the Logos. It's a philosophical achievement to attain Truth without Gods Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and void of Christ because of this idol.

These idol worshippers are indeed given over to the lusts of the unregenerate hearts to attain eternal life by their own philosophy or cognition. Examples for the elect, to witness His power.

[timothy]

The Bible clearly shows that God is sovereign in all things without being the author of evil. To read a quote from John Calvin as if he is the author of scripture isn't right. And to smugly reference Romans 9:20 as if it has a "Calvinistic" interpretation rather than it saying what it says based on content, context, and grammar isn't right either.

There is compatibilism throughout scripture where we see the sinful actions of man correspond with God being the sovereign determiner of those actions. Samson desired a pagan wife in defiance of scripture and his parents were rightly against it, but Judges 14:4 says "it was of the Lord-that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines." We see in 1 Kings 12:12-14 that King Rehoboam made a foolish decision to listen to his friends' counsel that caused the kingdom to split, but 1 Kings 12:15 says, "...the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His Word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat (which you'll find in 1 Kings 11:29-39). And in Acts 2:23, you see Peter putting the blame for Christ's death on the cross to the "lawless hands" of those involved, but also says Christ was delivered to death "by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God." There are many other verses like this throughout scripture that grammatically and plainly state that God is directly involved in a sovereign way in even sinful situations while placing the responsibility on man.

No offense, but the word "Calvinism" and John Calvin is used as a scapegoat for rejecting what the Bible speaks about. These verses are God-breathed and sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and its doctrines of sovereignty is by Him, not by any philosophy of man. It's easy to attack it as Calvinism when it's been in scripture before John Calvin was even born.