Notwithstanding claims that Reformed theology provides a believer with a
great level of confidence in the security of their salvation, such is far from
reality. While absolute certainty in one's election to salvation would be nice,
biblically speaking, such is anti-biblical. In reality, the proponent of
Reformed theology lives under the oppressive cloud of uncertainty, as how do
they know for sure they are not self-deceived or God has not deceived them into
believing they were truly declared justified, but in reality, they are false
converts and among the reprobate? After all, in their theology, if they were to
fall away from the faith, it would just mean that they were never saved
originally (they often abuse 1
John 2:19 and ignore explicit witness truly justified individuals can and
lose their salvation, such as Heb
6:4-6; 10:26-29; and the
example of King David in Rom 4:6-8 [cf. Psa 32]).
John Calvin in The Institutes of
the Christian Religion 3.24.7
wrote the following (emphasis added):
But it daily happens
that those who seemed to belong to Christ revolt from him and fall away: Nay,
in the very passage where he declares that none of those whom the Father has
given to him have perished, he excepts the son of perdition. This, indeed, is
true; but it is equally true that such persons never adhered to Christ with
that heartfelt confidence by which I say that the certainty of our election is
established: "They went out from us," says John, "but they were
not of us; for if they had been of us, they would, no doubt, have continued
with us," (1 John 2:19). I deny not
that they have signs of calling similar to those given to the elect; but I
do not at all admit that they have that sure confirmation of election which I
desire believers to seek from the word of the gospel. Wherefore, let not
examples of this kind move us away from tranquil confidence in the promise of
the Lord, when he declares that all by whom he is received in true faith have
been given him by the Father, and that none of them, while he is their Guardian
and Shepherd, will perish (John 3:16; 6:39). Of Judas we shall shortly speak
(sec. 9). Paul does not dissuade Christians from security simply, but from
careless, carnal security, which is accompanied with pride, arrogance, and
contempt of others, which extinguishes humility and reverence for God, and
produces a forgetfulness of grace received (Rom. 11:20). For he is addressing
the Gentiles, and showing them that they ought not to exult proudly and cruelly
over the Jews, in consequence of whose rejection they had been substituted in
their stead. He also enjoins fear, not a fear under which they may waver in
alarm, but a fear which, teaching us to receive the grace of God in humility,
does not impair our confidence in it, as has elsewhere been said. We may add,
that he is not speaking to individuals, but to sects in general (see 1 Cor.
10:12). The Church having been divided into two parties, and rivalship
producing dissension, Paul reminds the Gentiles that their having been
substituted in the place of a peculiar and holy people was a reason for modesty
and fear. For there were many vain-glorious persons among them, whose empty
boasting it was expedient to repress. But we have elsewhere seen, that our hope
extends into the future, even beyond death, and that nothing is more contrary
to its nature than to be in doubt as to our future destiny.
Elsewhere in 3.2.11,
Calvin wrote the following showing the evanescent nature of "grace"
in Calvinistic soteriology, as well as proving that Calvinism makes God a liar:
(emphasis added):
I
am aware it seems unaccountable to some how faith is attributed to the
reprobate, seeing that it is declared by Paul to be one of the fruits of
election;
and yet the difficulty is easily solved: for though none are enlightened into
faith, and truly feel the efficacy of the Gospel, with the exception of those
who are fore-ordained to salvation, yet
experience shows that the reprobate are sometimes affected in a way so similar
to the elect, that even in their own judgment there is no difference between
them. Hence it is not strange, that by the Apostle a taste of heavenly gifts,
and by Christ himself a temporary faith, is ascribed to them. Not that they
truly perceive the power of spiritual grace and the sure light of faith; but
the Lord, the better to convict them,
and leave them without excuse, instills into their minds such a sense of
his goodness as can be felt without the Spirit of adoption. Should it be objected, that believers have
no stronger testimony to assure them of their adoption, I answer, that though
there is a great resemblance and affinity between the elect of God and those
who are impressed for a time with a fading faith, yet the elect alone have that
full assurance which is extolled by Paul, and by which they are enabled to cry,
Abba, Father. Therefore, as God regenerates the elect only for ever by
incorruptible seed, as the seed of life once sown in their hearts never
perishes, so he effectually seals in them the grace of his adoption, that it
may be sure and steadfast. But in this there
is nothing to prevent an inferior operation of the Spirit from taking its
course in the reprobate. Meanwhile, believers are taught to examine
themselves carefully and humbly, lest carnal security creep in and take the
place of assurance of faith. We may add, that the reprobate never have any
other than a confused sense of grace, laying hold of the shadow rather than the
substance, because the Spirit properly seals the forgiveness of sins in the
elect only, applying it by special faith to their use. Still it is correctly said, that the reprobate believe God to be
propitious to them, inasmuch as they accept the gift of reconciliation,
though confusedly and without due discernment; not that they are partakers of
the same faith or regeneration with the children of God; but because, under a
covering of hypocrisy, they seem to have a principle of faith in common with
them. Nor do I even deny that God
illumines their minds to this extent, that they recognize his grace; but that
conviction he distinguishes from the peculiar testimony which he gives to his
elect in this respect, that the reprobate never attain to the full result or to
fruition. When he shows himself
propitious to them, it is not as if he had truly rescued them from death, and
taken them under his protection. He only gives them a manifestation of his present
mercy. In the elect alone he implants the living root of faith, so that
they persevere even to the end. Thus we dispose of the objection, that if God
truly displays his grace, it must endure for ever. There is nothing inconsistent in this with the fact of his enlightening
some with a present sense of grace, which afterwards proves evanescent.
R.C. Sproul, a leading proponent of Reformed theology in the modern era,
wrote the following:
There are people in this world who are not saved, but who are convinced
that they are. The presence of such people causes genuine
Christians to doubt their salvation. After all, we wonder, suppose I am in this
category? Suppose I am mistaken about my
salvation and am really going to hell? How can I know that I am a real
Christian?
A while back I had
one of those moments of acute self-awareness that we have from time to time,
and suddenly the question hit me: ‘R.C., what if you are not one of the
redeemed? What if your destiny is not heaven after all, but hell?’ Let me tell you that I was flooded in my
body with a chill that went from my head to the bottom of my spine. I was
terrified.
I tried to grab hold
of myself. I thought, ‘Well, it’s a good sign that I’m worried about this. Only
true Christians really care about salvation.’ But then I began to take stock of
my life, and I looked at my performance. My
sins came pouring into my mind, and the more I looked at myself, the worse I felt.
I thought, ‘Maybe it’s really true. Maybe I’m not saved after all.’
I went to my room and
began to read the Bible. On my knees I said, ‘Well, here I am. I can’t point to
my obedience. There’s nothing I can offer. I can rely only on Your atonement for
my sins. I can only throw myself on your mercy.’ Even then I knew that some people only flee to the Cross to escape
hell, not out of a real turning to God. I could not be sure about my own heart
and motivation. Then I remembered John 6:68. Jesus had been giving out hard
teaching, and many of His former followers had left Him. When He asked Peter if
he was also going to leave, Peter said, ‘Where else can we go? Only You have
words of eternal life.’ In other words, Peter was also uncomfortable, but he
realized that being uncomfortable with
Jesus was better than any other option. (TableTalk, November 1989, p. 20, emphasis added)
Again, this only proves Reformed theology to be a “shell-game”:
something offered, but when you carefully examine it, the reality is that that
there is nothing there, except a false security
in this life and condemnation in the next for following a false gospel (cf. Gal
16-9).
