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First of all, we as Free Will Baptists do not believe that we have a monopoly on the wisdom and truth that God has revealed in His Word. Free Will Baptists recognize the faith, obedience, and hard work of all denominations that teach and preach the Word of God, and hold fast to the historic doctrinal principles laid out in the Apostle’s creed.
I
believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in
Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who
was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He
descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended
into heaven and sits at the right hand of Almighty God, whence He shall come to
judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (comprehensive) church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
life everlasting.
Amen.
Now then, what is the difference between a Free Will Baptist, and a Baptist, be it Southern Baptist, Independent Baptist, or Primitive Baptist? And the answer to that question is that Baptist Churches, for the most part, fully accept the five-point theological teachings of John Calvin, known today as Calvinism. And Free Will Baptists do not! Why? Well, let me share with you Calvin’s five points.
What did John Calvin teach?
And by the way, what I am about to share with you comes out of the Zondervan Publishing Company’s Charts of Christian Theology. It’s not coming from the Free Will Baptists Minister's Handbook, I can assure you.
What did John Calvin teach? Five points of His Christian Theology.
First, John taught: The Total Inability of Man to Save Himself – Depravity.
“Because of the fall – man is unable of himself to savingly believe the Gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God: his heart is sinful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature; therefore he will not–indeed he cannot choose good over evil in the spiritual realm.”
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But does the Bible teach that man’s will is not free to make a decision to believe the Gospel, or even to answer God’s call to salvation? If this is true, then Christ would be wrong in the following invitations.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Before the Holy Spirit of God can come into your life, you must not only believe the Gospel, but you must be willing to respond to its truth!
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
John Calvin said, “…man is unable of himself to savingly believe the Gospel.” And yet Christ calls us to do that very thing…
Free Will Baptists believe that our own will is involved in responding to God’s universal call to salvation.
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
This is an invitation based on a condition…that man confess Christ and believe that God performed a great miracle on man’s behalf – resurrection!
Second, Calvin taught: Unconditional Election.
“God’s choice of certain individuals to salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign will. His choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on their part, such as faith, repentance, etc. On the contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom he selects.”
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.
Before the gift of the Holy Spirit was given, Peter called men to repent! Here again, Man has a responsibility to answer God’s call by repenting.
And yet Calvin says that God alone provides the sinner’s faith and repentance. And if Calvin is right, why then does Christ call men to repent?
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Here again, the human heart is beckoned to call upon the name of the LORD. The human heart is beckoned to believe the Gospel, and the human heart is invited to respond to God’s great invitation.
Third, Calvin taught: Limited Atonement.
“Christ’s redeeming work was intended to save the elect only, and actually, secured salvation for them. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ’s redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith, which unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, therefore guaranteeing their salvation.”
Does the Bible teach that the redeeming work of Christ was intended for only a few?
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
If God’s work on
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
There is a definite action that needs to be taken on the part of the creature here. The creature has a free will to respond to Christ, or to reject Christ.
Fourth, John Calvin taught: Irresistible Grace.
“The Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He is not limited in His work of applying salvation to man’s will, nor is he dependent on man’s cooperation for success. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ.”
I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent me.
There is a call that goes out to man from the mouth of God that calls a man to do something.
God calls a man to repent (Mark 4:17), God calls a man to believe (Mark 5:36), and God calls man to come to Him.
Come unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Fifth, and finally, John Calvin taught the Perseverance of the Saints.
“All who are chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end.”
John Calvin taught that, once saved, you can never be lost. Because God has provided everything the sinner needs to be saved, therefore nothing the sinner does after can negate God’s work.
27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
The purpose of a shepherd is to protect the sheep. As we are in the fold of Christ, no wolf or predator can get to us and drag us away. The sheep of Jesus Christ follow him and they are secure in Him. But, one of the difficulties of being a shepherd is running after straying sheep.
No predator comes to steal away the stray. The stray leaves on its own. And Free Will Baptists believe, whether we are comfortable with it or not, the following Scriptures make it abundantly clear that the Christian can stray to his own demise.
We need to consider the following Old and New Testament references.
Old Testament:
1: And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
Without any doubt, Asa was one of only eight good
kings of
18: When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
19: But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
New Testament
4: 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,
5: And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6: 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.
A simple reading of these verses makes it clear that the writer is addressing Christians who have been partakers of the Holy Ghost. Why are they rejected? Because they live their lives in willful sin and, by doing so, bring discredit upon the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and in effect, crucify the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame.
THESE VERSES IN NOWAY IMPLY LOSS OF REWARDS ONLY. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE BELIEVER FALLS AWAY, ON THEIR OWN, FROM THE FAITH. THEY LIVE LIVES OF WILLFUL SIN AND BRING REPROACH UPON THE NAME OF CHRIST.
26: For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28: He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
There is such a thing as natural sin; the sin that we live in naturally (i.e., sickness, suffering, aging, death). And there is such a thing as willful sin; sin that we commit willfully and intentionally. We know it’s wrong, but we don’t care. This sin is not accidental or unintentional. It is willful and selfish. These verses make it clear also that if we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins.
Are these people saved to begin with? Look at verse 29; it clearly calls the offender one who was “sanctified.” No unsaved person can truthfully be called “sanctified.” Can a person in such a state repent? I believe that they can. But should they die in such a state, we believe that the Scripture is clear that they would be lost!
27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6: If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Before one can be cast forth and withered, he must first have been a part of the vine.
1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There is a walk after the Spirit and there is a walk after the flesh! This promise of no condemnation is regarding those that walk after the Spirit of Christ!
12: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
There is the possibility of falling. Falling from what? GRACE.
20: For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22: But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
13: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
The Lord Jesus said that we need to endure unto the end.
We believe that we are secure in the fold of Christ.
He is able, and powerful enough, to protect us and to bring us into the
26: For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Every Christian is apt to make mistakes and stumble in their Christian walk. Our thoughts and actions are not always pure. Christ stands at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf (Romans 8:34). As we come to Christ and ask for forgiveness, He forgives (1 John 1:9). But the Scripture teaches us that God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7), and that whatsoever a person sows, that shall they also reap. There are many Free Will Baptists, Independent Baptists, Southern Baptists, Methodists, and so on, that live lives sown in this world. They may be on a church roll but they have strayed from Christ’s fold. The Bible says that,
...it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Free Will Baptists believe that the Scripture teaches that one can turn away from the Lord after they have received Him as their personal Saviour.
If we are wrong in our interpretation and understanding, we are wrong because of a misunderstanding of what seems to be clear biblical teaching. We would ask that Christ forgive us.
If we are right in our biblical understanding and interpretation then we must stand for what is written in the Word of God. And we will not be moved even though we be criticized, insulted, or reproached.
We are Free Will Baptists, and for one, I am confident of where we stand theologically.
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