I’ve had it. Lately, I stumbled into a discussion tearing into Calvinism—its theology, its doctrines—and I’m not even a card-carrying Calvinist. I haven’t read his books, haven’t signed up for his club. I just try to follow the Scriptures and the Spirit of God. But what I saw incensed me: ignorance and sheer gall coming against the established Word, picking at gospel verses without context, tossing out the epistles like trash. It’s a butchery of truth, and I can’t shake it off. This battle’s raged for centuries—God’s sovereignty versus human free will—and it’s time to lay it down with the absolute, sledgehammer truth of Scripture. No more dancing around it.
Here’s the question: If we reject the points Calvinism leans on—total depravity, unconditional election, irresistible grace, all of it—what do we undo from the Word of God? Not just a system, but the Bible itself. I’m not here to defend a man-made label; I’m here to let God’s Word speak. And it’s screaming: we’re dead without Him, saved by Him, and He provides it all. Let’s hammer this home.
The Deadness: "Nekros" and Dry Bones
Start here: we’re dead. Not wounded, not limping—”nekros”. Ephesians 2:1—“You were “nekros” in your trespasses and sins.” That’s Greek for corpse. No pulse, no breath, no life. Romans 3:10-12 piles on: “None righteous, no one understands, no one seeks God. All have turned away.” Not some—”all”. Colossians 2:13—“You were “nekros” in your sins.” Dead men don’t choose. They don’t seek. They rot.
Ezekiel saw it too. Chapter 37: a valley of dry bones, scattered, hopeless. God asks, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel doesn’t play hero—“Lord, you alone know.” Humanly? No chance. Dead bones don’t wiggle. But God says, “Prophesy,” and the Spirit’s breath—”ruach”—sweeps in. Bones rattle, flesh forms, and they stand—a vast army. Who did that? Not the bones. God. Ezekiel 37:14—“I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live.” Dead means “nekros”. No life ‘til God moves.
John 6:44 seals it: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” “Can”—ability. Without the Father’s pull, we’re stuck. Romans 8:7—“The mind of the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit, nor can it.” Hostile. Incapable. “Nekros”. If you think a corpse picks itself up, you’re not reading the Bible—you’re writing fiction.
The Process: God Provides All
Salvation’s not steps we take—it’s God’s work breaking us alive. He’s not waiting for us to climb a ladder; He’s emptying our grave. Listen:
– He’s the Seed Supplier: 1 Peter 1:23—“Born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the word of God.” Matthew 13:37—“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.” Christ plants life in “nekros” soil. We don’t sprout ourselves—He sows.
– He’s the Knocker: Revelation 3:20—“I stand at the door and knock.” Jesus isn’t begging us to knock first—He’s pursuing. Dead men don’t knock back; “nekros” hearts don’t answer—He’s the hunter breaking in. Luke 19:10—“The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” He seeks; we’re lost.
– He’s the Convictor: John 16:8—“The Spirit will convict the world of sin.” Acts 2:37—Pentecost’s crowd, “cut to the heart,” didn’t self-diagnose. The Spirit stabbed them awake. Dead hearts don’t feel ‘til He strikes.
– He Gives His Spirit: Ezekiel 37:14—“I will put my Spirit in you.” John 3:5—“Born of the Spirit.” Titus 3:5—“Saved by the renewal of the Holy Spirit.” No Spirit, no life. He breathes; we don’t.
– He Provides the Lamb: John 1:29—“The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Romans 3:25—“God put [Him] forward as a propitiation by his blood.” We didn’t slay the Paschal Lamb—God did. Hebrews 9:12—“With his own blood, he secured eternal redemption.” All Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:10
These aren’t steps to be redeemed—check off faith, grab grace, earn the cross. That’s works, and Ephesians 2:9 says, “Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It’s His process, His redemption, His hammer smashing our “nekros” chains. Acts 13:48—“As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Ordained, then believed—not the other way around. Romans 2:4—“God’s kindness leads you to repentance.” He leads; we follow. He provides all, or it’s not salvation—it’s self-help.
The Gift: No Paychecks Here
If God does it all, it’s a gift. Ephesians 2:8—“By grace you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God.” Faith too—not your grit, His grant. Philippians 1:29—“It has been granted to you to believe.” Granted, not grabbed; to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ—2 Peter 1:1. Hebrews 12:2—“Jesus, the AUTHOR and perfecter of our faith.” He writes it, not us.
If we choose God without His seed, knock, conviction, Spirit, and Lamb, that ain’t a gift—it’s a paycheck. “I chose wisely; pay me salvation.” Romans 3:27—“Where is boasting? Excluded.” Why? A “nekros” soul doesn’t choose—it’s chosen. John 15:16—“You did not choose me, but I chose you.” 1 John 4:19—“We love because he first loved us.” First. Always Him first. If we kickstart it, why the cross? Galatians 2:21—“If righteousness were through [us], Christ died for nothing.” Dead men don’t earn gifts—they receive them.
The Folly of Free Will Chasing
Some scream, “But free will!” Sure, we respond—”after” He moves. Acts 2:37—“What shall we do?”—comes after the Spirit cuts. John 1:13—“Born not of human decision, but of God.” Charles Spurgeon saw it clear: “Free will carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven. Anyone who believes that man’s will is entirely free and that he can be saved by it does not believe the fall.” He’s right. Romans 3:23—“All have sinned and fall short.” Free will without grace is freedom to rot, not rise. Romans 8:7—“The flesh “cannot” please God.” Cannot. “Nekros”.
2 Corinthians 4:6—“God… has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We didn’t flip the switch—He did. Dead hearts don’t chase light; light chases them. Spurgeon’s not guessing—he’s echoing Scripture: a “nekros” will, unbound by grace, runs to ruin, not redemption.
Lay It Down
This war’s dragged on too long—centuries of dodging the obvious. Scripture’s clear: we’re “nekros” without God, revived by His Spirit, saved by His Lamb. He’s the seed, the knock, the conviction, the breath, the blood. Spurgeon’s words ring true—free will without grace is a one-way ticket down, never up. Reject that, and you’re not just undoing Calvinism—you’re undoing the gospel. Dead men don’t choose; God chooses them. John 6:44. Ezekiel 37. Ephesians 2. Romans 9:16—“It does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” It’s a sledgehammer of truth, and it’s time to swing it. He provides all. Let the Word silence the noise. Full stop.
Sorry to hear about your meeting with those decrying the theology of Calvinism. It is frustrating, I know, having been in both camps. Your article is, without question, a sledgehammer of truth swung with biblical might into the never-ending debate. Will they listen and consider the arguments of truth put forth, or retreat and reload to fight another day?
Dividing the Gospel into two camps of faith is the work of men, a work never intended by the Lord of Glory. God made everything beautiful in His time, even the salvation of souls. Man makes everything hard in his time, debating one another’s doctrinal opinions until their minds cloud over, entangled in the web of unending debate.
Is Calvinism the right answer for salvation? No, and neither is Arminianism.
The Bible never makes a distinction between the two but calls upon the brethren to rightly discern (divide) the word of truth (2 Timothy 3:16). These two views of salvation are man-made labels. While both contain truth, each is void of the whole truth. I do not have the answer nor able to grasp the overwhelming evidence of God sovereign’s rule over all things. Not all things are knowable in this life, though some things are for us to know. And what might that be?
Salvation is a work of God from beginning to end; and we have the responsibility to find out what that means individually.
So, you are correct! The battle rages on! God’s sovereign will versus our will is not always easily discerned from Scripture. But there is one verse that should be of special interest to everyone debating the “sovereignty of God and freewill of men.” In Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both “to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).
The Power of Pride
Proud and needing no one, men push away the offer of free salvation. Thinking they are free to choose, they live unaware of the invisible chain around their neck, long enough to give a sense of freedom while yet keeping them well within the bounds of slavery. They do not know their end from the beginning. Rather, they chose the easy path, the broad way, the path laden with easy going and comfort with little or no thought given to eternity. Becoming wise, they deceive themselves and discover too late their lack of study can lead to a one-way path of no return.
This is not to be critical of lost souls, for all of us were once among them, like them, yet in chains, wholly unaware our sense of freewill was a powerful delusion.
God’s Sovereign Influence
Though all men have freewill to reject God, they do not live outside the reach of “God’s sovereign influence upon their freewill.” The penitent thief crucified next to Jesus was aware of the Messiah’s suffering and he himself suffered, aware of God’s displeasure with him for sins for which Jesus was now paying the price. The thief, in his guilt, fear, and dread, saw the innocence of Jesus and cried out before the sneering crowd: “But this man (Jesus) has done nothing wrong!” (Luke 23:41). The broken heart and contrite spirit of the thief was the “heavy hand” of godly conviction, God’s sovereign influence placed upon his soul. The Spirit of God had revealed to the thief how he had personally offended the Father, this good and holy God; and that because of his transgressions, His only Son would choose that day to lay down his life for him, a thief, a hell deserving sinner.
What horror of thought must have passed through the thief’s mind when he realized and thought to himself: “It was I that did this to Jesus.” The penitent thief would not only die with Jesus but see his sufferings because of his sins. When the thief saw his condemnation before God as justified and he had no hope but Jesus, he turned to the Savior and said, “Lord, remember me, when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Jesus turned to the penitent thief and said: “Truly I say unto you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
Though both thieves were condemned, God had mercy on one. Why? “For as the Father raises the dead and quickens them; even so the Son quickens (makes alive) whom he will” (John 5:21). On that ominous day in a moment-of-time, in a display of divine mercy and grace and forgiveness, Jesus quickened the penitent thief to everlasting life, while the other turned away in unbelief. The Apostle John would later write,
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
In Ephesians, the apostle wrote: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…” (Ephesians 1:11). Yes, freewill is a truth embraced by the hearts of men, but never beyond the reach of God’s Sovereign will. While men are free to reject God and the counsel of his will, they are never free to “will away God’s wrath upon their souls.”
“The New Testament continues the doctrine of election, teaching that God not only chose Israel, but also has chosen those who will be saved through faith in Christ. Jesus said to His disciples “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). The apostle Paul writes extensively about election, saying that God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). Paul teaches that election is an act of God’s sovereign will, saying “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ [1]
[1] Why Does God Choose Some and Not Others? – Christian Website
In closing, is it time to redirect our focus from “who is right” to accepting the “inevitable truth? And what is the inevitable truth? Simply this: “Calvinism and Arminianism are too demanding for anyone to understand.” Many have tried over the centuries but then agreed to disagree. Both views fail to fully explain God’s role and man’s role in the mysteries leading to salvation.” (Source) Got Questions also wrote:
“Human beings are incapable of fully grasping concepts such as these because the theology is deep and demanding. Yes, God is absolutely sovereign and knows all. Yes, human beings are called to make a genuine decision** to place faith in Christ, and these two facts seem contradictory to us, but in the mind of God they make perfect sense.” (Source) What is more, Only God knows the moment when a soul passes from death to everlasting life. ****
**Objection – “Decisional regeneration does not bring men to Christ any more than does Baptismal Regeneration. It is true that some are converted under such preaching, but this is despite the false methods used, not because of them. The Bible is clear in its declaration that only by the Spirit of God can men be born again.” (Source) (John 1:13; 3:1-10).
****Exception – The thief on the cross was an exception, praying to receive Christ after the Spirit had convicted him of his sin and justified condemnation. He knew heart-felt repentance and then prayed nine words: “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
The proposed answer for “discerning the truth of the matter” is for believers to make it a personal quest to search out (through the lens of the Bible in the Spirit of Truth) and discover for themselves the deep caverns of truth yet to be unearthed.
Again, thank you for this article. It was challenging, reassuring and edifying.
Blessings!
JIm
Dear Jim,
Thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging comment. I’m deeply grateful for your engagement and your passion for biblical truth. Your reflections on the limitations of man-made labels like Calvinism and Arminianism resonate with my desire to let Scripture, not systems, speak. I share your conviction that salvation is God’s work from beginning to end (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that pride blinds us to His grace, as you beautifully illustrated with the penitent thief’s story.
In the article, my aim was to hammer home the biblical reality that we’re “nekros”—dead in sin, incapable of choosing God unless He first moves (John 6:44, Romans 8:7). While I don’t wave a Calvinist flag, I believe Scripture is clear: God provides the seed, the knock, the conviction, and the Lamb. Human free will, apart from His grace, can’t spark salvation—it’s His gift, not our paycheck (Ephesians 2:8, John 15:16). I agree that these truths are mysteries, and Philippians 2:12-13 captures that tension well, but I’d argue the Bible leaves no room for human initiative in starting salvation. It’s all God, or it’s not grace.
Your call for a personal quest through Scripture is spot-on. May we all seek the Spirit’s guidance to unearth these truths, trusting God’s Word to silence the noise. Thank you again for your edifying words.
Blessings!
Thank you for the kind words. Yes, you are correct to hammer home the biblical reality that we’re “nekros,” dead in sin, incapable of choosing God unless He first moves upon our spirit. The word “nekros” brings to mind the miracle of Lazarus, four days in the grave.
Moments before Lazarus was called from the grave, Jesus spoke reassuringly to Martha, saying: “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:23-24). And though the Bible does not say, one may imagine Jesus knew she “knew not” that her brother would rise within moments of time. Looking into her tearing eyes and sad countenance, perhaps even placing his hand gently upon her shoulder, He said Martha,
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this Martha?” “Yes Lord…” (John 11:25–26)
Lasarus, now dead four days in a tomb wasn’t going anywhere. The will of Lasarus played no part in the Bethany miracle. He knew nothing about the power of God surrounding his lifeless body. Nekros had done its work. While many lessons surround the miracle of Lasarus, one comes forward. And what is that? “No one touched by the “Truth” stays put. About this, John Stott wrote:
“The Resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence. Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there. You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise!”
John Scott nailed it! Nekros fades away in the light of Truth.
Have a blessed Easter with family and friends!
Jim