When it comes to the study of salvation, there are two main ways of viewing the doctrine of soteriology. It would be safe to say that the prominent view elevates the free will of man within evangelical circles. The less popular view elevates the sovereignty of God and rejects the idea that man is free. The Arminian position, which is the most common position, rejects the divine decree of God in electing some people to salvation through Jesus Christ. In the Arminian position, man is ultimately free to choose or reject God.

The Calvinistic position emphasizes the sovereignty of God in saving sinners (see Ephesians 1-2; John 1:12-13). In this system of thought, God’s sovereign grace is necessary due to the total depravity of man who is completely incapable of choosing God nor does he have any desire for God apart from sovereign grace.

Years ago I found myself very discouraged over the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism. I talked to my pastor and he provided some good resources for me to read. One of those books was A Journey in Grace, by Richard Belcher. To this day, I am grateful for the recommendation and gentleness in which my pastor displayed in pointing me in the direction of the doctrines of grace.

As time would progress, I would spend many hours studying these issues as I attempted to establish my position in this historic debate. Through the years, I read many passionate voices that would seek to demonize the opposing side of the theological fence in blog articles, seminary lectures, and conference sermons. Ultimately, I would come to embrace the Calvinistic position. At first, I considered myself to be a 4-point Calvinist. That would later change as I continued to read and study the Scriptures.

The final piece of the puzzle for me was Limited Atonement. Several voices, including my pastor who was a 5-point Calvinist, William Carey a missionary from church history, and Charles Spurgeon (arguably “the Prince of Preachers”) would all be used to persuade me to embrace the doctrines of grace. However, it was in my study of John 3:16 that I became completely convinced of limited atonement.

My journey may be different than yours, but needless to say this debate is one that is often fueled by more heat than light which is unfortunate. When I’m asked about this doctrine, I encourage believers to read extensively and pray earnestly through this study. I’ve compiled some helpful quotes on the doctrine of salvation. I trust that these quotes will be a means of encouraging you and challenging you as you engage in this historic study on the doctrines of grace—otherwise known as Calvinism.

1. John Calvin

“We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which He compacted with Himself what He willed to become of each man. For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others.” ¹John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 21, Section 5

2. John Knox

“God has predestinated some to life, and others to destruction.” ²John Knox, The Works of John Knox, Volume 4, p. 138

3. Charles Spurgeon

“There is a prevalent opinion that says that Calvinism should be, if it is discussed at all, reserved for more mature Christians, not taught to new converts, and certainly never ever preached to the unbelievers in an evangelistic message. This is one result of the idea that Calvinism is somehow incompatible with evangelism. From the several sermons quoted, it is obvious that Spurgeon did not believe that Calvinism should be hidden from the unconverted nor the new believer. Why? Because Calvinism is the Gospel:

There is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called . . . , after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.” ³Charles Spurgeon, C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography: The Early Years, (1834-1859), p. 168

4. William Carey

“The doctrines of God’s sovereign grace do not interfere with the responsibility of man nor destroy the freedom of his will.” ⁴William Carey, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, p. 68

5. John Knox

“Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which He has determined in Himself what He would have to become of every individual of mankind.” ⁵John Knox, The Works of John Knox, Volume 4, p. 138

6. Paul Washer

“The proof or validation of genuine conversion is that the one who professes faith in Christ perseveres in that faith and grows in sanctification throughout the full course of his life. If a person professes faith in Christ and yet falls away or makes no progress in godliness, it does not mean that he has lost his salvation. It reveals that he was never truly converted..” ⁶Paul Washer, The Gospel’s Power and Message

7. John MacArthur

“Scripture speaks with absolute, unmistakable clarity on these vital issues: (1) Sinners are utterly helpless to redeem themselves or to contribute anything meritorious toward their own salvation (Rom 8:7-8). (2) God is sovereign in the exercise of His saving Will (Eph 1:4-5). (3) Christ died as a substitute who bore the full weight of God’s wrath on behalf of His people, and his atoning work is efficacious for their salvation (Isa. 53:5). (4) God’s saving purpose cannot be thwarted (John 6:37), meaning none of Christ’s true sheep will ever be lost (John 10:27-29). That is because (5) God assures the perseverance of His elect (Jude 24; Phil 1:6; 1 Peter 1:5).” ⁷John MacArthur, Afterword: The Five Points of Calvinism Defined, Defended and Documented

8. Voddie Baucham

“Being born again is not a work of man. Being born again is not a work of the flesh. And being born again, by the way, precedes our faith.” ⁸Voddie Baucham, Sermon: “Election and Predestination” October, 2009

9. Steven Lawson

“Calvinism is the biblical understanding of the plan of salvation.” ⁹Steven Lawson, Foundations of Grace, p. 17

10. Joel Beeke

“Calvinism is a system of theology that honors God and His Word by giving Him all the credit for man’s salvation from beginning to end.”¹⁰Joel Beke, Living for God’s Glory, p. 8

11. Sinclair Ferguson

“Calvinism is not a dry theological system, but a powerful and practical way of understanding the Christian life.”¹¹Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ, p. 10

12. A.W. Pink

“When the solemn and blessed subject of Divine foreordination is expounded, when God’s eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son is set forth, the Enemy sends along some man to argue that election is based upon the foreknowledge of God, and this “foreknowledge” is interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain ones would be more pliable than others, that they would respond more readily to the strivings of the Spirit, and that because God knew they would believe, He, accordingly, predestinated them unto salvation. But such a statement is radically wrong. It repudiates the truth of total depravity, for it argues that there is something good in some men It takes away the independency of God, for it makes His decrees rest upon what He discovers in the creature It completely turns things upside down, for in saying God foresaw certain sinners would believe in Christ, and that because of this, He predestinated them unto salvation, is the very reverse of the truth. Scripture affirms that God, in His high sovereignty, singled out certain ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favors (Acts 13:48), and therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. False theology makes God’s foreknowledge of our believing the cause of His election to salvation; whereas, God’s election is the cause, and our believing in Christ is the effect.”¹²A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God, p. 23

13. Thomas Watson

“God’s decrees are the very foundation of free-will; for He decreed what man’s will should be.”¹³Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, p. 81

14. Isaac Watts

“Salvation is all of grace, and that grace is sovereign, discriminating, and distinguishing.” ¹⁴Isaac Watts, Sermon: “The Doctrine of Election”

15. John Bunyan

“The doctrine of predestination and the doctrine of free will are not contrary to one another, but are perfectly consistent.”¹⁵John Bunyan, Saved by Grace, p. 41

16. John Newton

“The doctrine of election is a very humbling truth, but it is a very sweet one to those who have been made to taste that the Lord is gracious.”¹⁶John Newton, “Letter to Rev. Haweis,” June 30, 1761

17. Martin Luther

“God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.”¹⁷Martin Luther, “Letter to Philip Melanchthon,” August 1, 1521

18. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“Calvinism is the only system of theology that is truly biblical.” ¹⁸D. Martyn LLoyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, p. 97

19. George Whitefield

It was Charles Spurgeon who once quoted the great evangelist George Whitefield. He said, “George Whitfield said, ‘We are all born Arminians.’ It is grace that turns us into Calvinists.”¹⁹Charles Spurgeon, Sermons: Vol. 2, p. 124

20. William Perkins

“Predestination is God’s eternal decree, by which he did foreordain two things: First, to glorify himself in some men, as in the vessels of mercy; secondly, to show his justice in others, as in the vessels of wrath.” ²⁰William Perkins, A Golden Chain, p. 150

21. John Flavel

“God hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”²¹John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence, p. 168

22. Jonathan Edwards

“God decrees all things that come to pass, so that there is a necessary connection between the decree and the event decreed; God decrees things in such a manner, that He is the sovereign Disposer and Orderer of all events; but yet so that the contingency of events remains; and that there is a real liberty of second causes. God decrees the manner of events, the time, place, and circumstances; but yet so that the events themselves are contingent, and free actions are not necessitated by anything going before, either in God or the creature.”²²Jonathan Edwards, Freedom of the Will

23. John Owen

“The Arminians hold that Christ died equally and indifferently for all men. We affirm that Christ died for all and only the elect. If He died for all, and yet all are not saved, then His death is not efficacious. But if He died for the elect, then His death is effectual for their salvation.”²³John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ

24. Richard Belcher

“There would never be a situation where one of the elect would not want to be saved, for the regenerating power of God will grant sight, desire, power and enablement to the elect in the work of salvation.”²⁴Richard Belcher, A Journey in Grace, p. 128

25. R.C. Sproul

“If God’s sovereignty is restricted by man’s freedom, then God is not sovereign; man is sovereign.”²⁵R.C. Sproul, Chosen By God, p. 30

Author

Josh Buice

Pastor Pray's Mill Baptist Church

Josh Buice is the founder and president of G3 Ministries and serves as the pastor of Pray's Mill Baptist Church on the westside of Atlanta. He is married to Kari and they have four children, Karis, John Mark, Kalli, and Judson. Additionally, he serves as Assistant Professor of Preaching at Grace Bible Theological Seminary. He enjoys theology, preaching, church history, and has a firm commitment to the local church. He also enjoys many sports and the outdoors, including long distance running and high country hunting. He has been writing on Delivered by Grace since he was in seminary and it has expanded with a large readership through the years.