Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 

Is a husband’s love universal or is a husband’s love particular?  If we ask our husband:  “Do you love me?”, and our husband answered:  “Yes.  I love everyone.”  How would we feel?  How would our husband appear?

 

Clearly, a husband’s love is and should be particular.  A husband only loves his wife, and he only gives himself up for his wife.  Likewise, Christ only loves us, the elect, and He only gives Himself up for us, the elect.  The Calvinist’s third point of “Limited Atonement” (Christ died only for His elect), the “L” in “TULIP”, is more consistent with this Scripture as compared to the Arminian’s third point of “Universal Atonement” (Christ died for all).

 

Moreover, this Scripture shows that Christ, like a good and faithful husband, does everything He can for His wife, the elect, the church.  Does a husband tell his wife:  “I married you;  that is good enough.”?  Or, does a husband do everything he can his entire life for his wife?  Does a husband look at his wife objectively, with his arms folded to see what his wife will do?  Or, does a husband look at his wife subjectively, as part of himself, with arms open to do all that he can for his wife?

 

The Arminian not only emphasizes “Universal Atonement”;  the Arminian emphasizes “Resistable Grace” and “Fall from Grace”.  The Arminians’s focus is always on the “free will” of man.  The Arminian teaches that although Christ may have died for everyone;  Christ watches and sees who will resist His grace and who will embrace His grace.  Christ watches and sees who will fall from grace and who will stay faithful till the end.  In Arminian doctrine, the alleged “free will of man” is always dominant.  

 

On the other hand, the Calvinist not only emphasizes “Limited Atonement”, the Calvinist emphasizes “Irresistible Grace”, the “I” in “TULIP” and “Perseverance of the Saints”, the “P”in “TULIP” also known as “Preservation of the Saints”.  The Calvinist teaches that Christ not only died for His elect;  Christ obtained all the necessary saving gifts of His atonement, including faith.  The Calvinist teaches that God irresistably draws the elect to Christ and works within the elect, sealing them with the Holy Spirit, and does everything else necessary to preserve them to the end.  In Calvinism doctrine also known as Reformed doctrine, the sovereignty of God is always dominant.  

 

So, when we read:  “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”, does it remind you more of Calvinism or Arminianism?