Was the apostle, Peter, a Calvinist?
Hi, welcome to today's little lesson.
Was the apostle, Peter, a Calvinist?
Well, some say that he was, in fact, of course, all Calvinists will say that Peter's a Calvinist.
If you don't know what a Calvinist is just find my little lesson entitled, "What is Calvinism."
Of course, all Calvinists will say that Paul was a Calvinist and John was a Calvinist,
and Jesus was a Calvinist, as well.
Let's look at something Peter wrote and see if he's a Calvinist.
First Peter, Chapter One, and verse number one.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout
Pontus Galatia, Cappadocia Asia, Bethenia, who are chosen, oh boy, there you go.
Peter must have been a Calvinist because he's believed that people were chosen.
There you have it, that's the basis to believe that Peter was a Calvinist.
However, in my little lesson describing what is Calvinism, I listed one of the cardinal
doctrines of Calvinism as unconditional election.
It's the second of the five cardinal doctrines of Calvinism.
Unconditional election means that God chooses some people to be saved and some people not
to be saved.
Of course, it has to be that way, if he chooses someone to be saved, by default he's choosing
some people not to be saved and he does it unconditionally.
There's no reason, there's nothing that he sees in the person that he chooses, nothing.
He just chooses some and doesn't choose others.
So, as I described to you, that is random chance.
It's not a choice at all.
There's no such thing in the whole universe as really unconditional election.
That's an oxymoron completely, no election, no choice.
It could be considered unconditional, if it is unconditional, it's not a choice because
every choice, you do it for a reason.
Every choice God makes, he does it for reason.
And, in fact, Peter, goes on to say something here and here's the important part looking
at the context, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God.
So, no one can deny that God's foreknowledge has something to do with his choosing people
and it almost goes without saying, of course, that if God is choosing anyone, he has to
know them and in this case, he foreknows them, he foreknows everything and so he foreknows
everybody.
And he knows what they're gonna do.
One way of interpreting the fact that God has chosen us according to his foreknowledge
is that God looked ahead, as it were, from our time frame, looked ahead in time, from
the foundation of the world and saw those who would, under his gracious drawing, repent
and believe in Jesus and so, those are the people that he chose.
He chose that he would save everybody, he would forgive everybody who would repent and
believe in Jesus.
It's not an unconditional election.
Something that doesn't exist anywhere in the universe.
It's a conditional election.
They met God's conditions and he said, "All right, you're the person that I've chosen,
you're the kind of person that I'm choosing, those who repent and believe."
Well, not only that little bit of context helps us understand if Peter was a Calvinist,
we can go to Peter Second, Epistle, where he says in Second Peter, Chapter two and verse
number one, but false prophets also arose among the people.
He's talking about the days of Israel and the Old Testament.
Just as there will also be false teachers among you who will secretly induce destructive
heresies.
Now listen to this, he more specifically defines the destructive heresies, at least one of
them.
Even denying the master, listen closely, who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon
themselves.
The third cardinal doctrine of Calvinism is a limited atonement that Christ didn't die
for everyone.
He only died to the alleged ones who are unconditionally preselected.
But here, Peter says that the master, obviously Jesus, who bought them, they will deny him
by their destructive heresies and false teachings, still the master bought them.
He, Jesus, died not just for our sins, John wrote, he's not just a propitiation for our
sins but for the sins of the entire world.
First John, two, one and two, I think.
Second Peter, Chapter two, and verse number 20.
For if, after they have escaped the defilement's of the world, how do you do that?
By the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
They know, they understand the Gospel and they believed it because it's worked.
They've escaped the defilement's of the world.
Let's keep reading, they are again entangled in them.
In them what?
In them defilement's of the world and are overcome.
The last state has become worse for them than the first.
For it would be better for them not to known the way of righteousness, than having known
it, to turn away from the Holy Commandment.
So, the fifth cardinal doctrine of Calvinism is the perseverance of the saints.
Obviously, if God has preselected you unconditionally, if you get saved you can never get into a
state of being unsaved.
But, yet here, Peter believed that was possible.
Second Peter three, verse number eight, but do not let this one fact escape your notice,
beloved, that with the Lord, one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is like
one day.
The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness but is patient toward
you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Why is God waiting so long and taking so long to send Jesus back?
Because he's waiting for people to be saved.
So, obviously, human free will has something to do with salvation 'cause if it was all
a sovereign act of God that verse would make no sense.
God doesn't just want some to be saved, he doesn't wish for any to perish, but for all
to come to repentance.
Answering our question, Peter was not a Calvinist.
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