Obviously, I don't. Calvin wasn't born until 1509. Predestination was scarcely a blip on the radar screen of Christianity until Augustine developed the doctrine in response to Pelagianism.
Let's say I happen to be one of the Elect in God's plan. Nothing I can do about it - I'm just fortunate. According to 5-point TULIP Calvinism, I will hear God's call and will find it irresistible.
Let's say I hear God's call in a Russian Orthodox service and respond accordingly. I remain a faithful Russian Orthodox believer all my life - I "persevere," in Calvinist terms. Orthodox theology is about as far from Calvinism as it could get.
Voila, I'm one of the Elect and have responded to God's call, yet I live my Christian life as a non-Calvinist and may even be very opposed to Calvinism.
Seems rather odd, does it not? How about all the faithful Calvinists who, alas, are actually not among the Elect? They've spent their entire lives kidding themselves. Is this a coherent theology?
This is why hardcore, 5-point, double-predestination Calvinists are pretty rare birds anymore. It just doesn't work. It just doesn't make sense.
Water down Calvinism so that some people are the predestined Elect and everyone else has a free-will opportunity to turn to God and join them and ... well, what you then have is scarcely Calvinism at all and is little different from what non-Calvinists believe. 2- or 3-point Calvinism really isn't Calvinism.
Presenting the Gospel message in a Calvinistic way seems dangerous and counterproductive to me. I don't see that Calvinism adds anything worthwhile to the Gospel message. In a way, it's like Once Saved Always Saved - possibly harmless, but possibly very misleading and harmful.
If my Orthodox understanding of salvation is correct, but Calvinism happens to be true, I will have either (1) lost nothing if I happen to be one of the Elect anyway, or (2) wasted my time in Orthodoxy, which is neither here nor there if I'm not one of the Elect since I wouldn't be one of the Elect even if I'd spent my life believing Calvinism.
If I spend my life in Calvinism and it proves to be false, my understanding of God and his plan of salvation will have been very wrong, my understanding of Jesus and his mission will have been very wrong, and the Gospel message I've been spreading will have been very wrong. I don't predict what the consequences of all that will be, but I think I'd be concerned if I were a Calvinist.
Let's say I happen to be one of the Elect in God's plan. Nothing I can do about it - I'm just fortunate. According to 5-point TULIP Calvinism, I will hear God's call and will find it irresistible.
Let's say I hear God's call in a Russian Orthodox service and respond accordingly. I remain a faithful Russian Orthodox believer all my life - I "persevere," in Calvinist terms. Orthodox theology is about as far from Calvinism as it could get.
Voila, I'm one of the Elect and have responded to God's call, yet I live my Christian life as a non-Calvinist and may even be very opposed to Calvinism.
Seems rather odd, does it not? How about all the faithful Calvinists who, alas, are actually not among the Elect? They've spent their entire lives kidding themselves. Is this a coherent theology?
This is why hardcore, 5-point, double-predestination Calvinists are pretty rare birds anymore. It just doesn't work. It just doesn't make sense.
Water down Calvinism so that some people are the predestined Elect and everyone else has a free-will opportunity to turn to God and join them and ... well, what you then have is scarcely Calvinism at all and is little different from what non-Calvinists believe. 2- or 3-point Calvinism really isn't Calvinism.
Presenting the Gospel message in a Calvinistic way seems dangerous and counterproductive to me. I don't see that Calvinism adds anything worthwhile to the Gospel message. In a way, it's like Once Saved Always Saved - possibly harmless, but possibly very misleading and harmful.
If my Orthodox understanding of salvation is correct, but Calvinism happens to be true, I will have either (1) lost nothing if I happen to be one of the Elect anyway, or (2) wasted my time in Orthodoxy, which is neither here nor there if I'm not one of the Elect since I wouldn't be one of the Elect even if I'd spent my life believing Calvinism.
If I spend my life in Calvinism and it proves to be false, my understanding of God and his plan of salvation will have been very wrong, my understanding of Jesus and his mission will have been very wrong, and the Gospel message I've been spreading will have been very wrong. I don't predict what the consequences of all that will be, but I think I'd be concerned if I were a Calvinist.