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Oct 19, 20224 min read

Post 50: The Gospel According to Calvinism: Divine Regifting?


"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." = Yogi Berra


That quote brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. Yogi Berra was famous for making statements that, at first blush, sound sensible, even reasonable, but moments later leave people scratching their heads. "Wait a minute! Whaaa . . .?"


The Reformed/Calvinistic understanding of the gospel, at first blush, seems sensible, even reasonable. The Father gives those who will be saved (the elect) to Jesus (John 6:37) who, at the end of the age, delivers them back to the Father (1 Cor 15:24). At first blush, this seems reasonable, right? Seems biblical, right?


Then, the head-scratching begins.


Upon further contemplation, we realize that the gospel as proposed by Calvinism, could be expressed as a form of "divine regifting" where the Son merely rewraps the same gifts (people) given to him and returns them to his Father. Does that make sense? Is that really what God had intended for his plan of salvation? Is that the gospel?


Such a process of returning only what was originally given is rebuked in Scripture and denies one very important purpose of the gospel - profitability. I explore this concern in the second chapter of my book, God's Elect: the Chosen Generation.


Here is an excerpt.

A Business Lesson

In Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus told a parable intended to teach his disciples the responsibility of God’s apprentices, his chosen servants, to be profitable for the kingdom. When the boss invests time and resources to train up his workers, he expects results. The parable is an illustration of a statement made earlier by Jesus, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48).


Jesus told of a man going away on a journey, who gives one servant five talents, another two talents, and another one talent. A talent was an exceptionally large sum of money. The servant with five talents invested wisely and returned ten talents to the master. The servant with two talents also doubled what he was given. These two servants are praised as “good and faithful.” But the servant who was given one talent buried it in the ground and returned to the master only what he was originally given. For this he is rebuked, and called “wicked” and “lazy” by the master (Matt. 25:14–30).


Note that God (the master) expects his apprentices, those in whom he has invested and gifted with special abilities (talents), to be effective and profitable, that is, to return to him more than they are given, to grow the kingdom, to provide increase. In other words, God, whose business is the redemption of lost souls, expects profit, and profit in the soul-redemption business simply means more saved people. Note also that breaking even is not an option. The chosen servant who gives back to the master only what he was originally given is severely rebuked.



A Really Bad Business Model

With the parable of the talents in mind, let’s look at the Augustinian/Calvinistic view of election and its role in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve created a simple model to help us better understand the basics of their doctrine of election.

Here’s how the model works:

  • The Father divides everyone into two groups. He chooses all who will be saved, the elect (Eph. 1:4). All others—the nonelect—are “passed over,” not chosen by the Father for salvation.

  • The Father gives the elect to Jesus (John 6:37,44, 65). The nonelect are never enabled to believe in Jesus which leaves them in their sins and subject to the righteous judgment of God.

  • Jesus gives the elect back to the Father (John 14:6, 1 Cor. 15:24). The nonelect, unable to believe in Jesus, remain in their sins and are condemned.

In its most basic form, the Reformed doctrine of election can be explained like this: In the beginning, the Father chooses people (the elect) to give to the Son. At the end, the Son gives those same people (the elect) back to the Father.


Mr. Augustine, We Have a Problem

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6–7)


Although there are a number of biblical difficulties with Augustinian-Calvinism, there is one glaring shortcoming revealed by the model that really overshadows the others: it is so obviously contrary to God’s plan of salvation so as to nullify the very purpose of the cross. It begs the question: What’s wrong with this picture?


In Calvinism, since the Father gets back only those whom he originally chose and gave to Jesus, there’s no profit. No increase.


What we see in this model is a kind of “divine regifting,” where Jesus merely repackages the same people who were given to him before returning them to the Father. In view of the parable of the talents, this is the exact result for which a servant is called wicked and slothful by the master. Sure, the elect are sanctified and refined by the Holy Spirit, but the master’s complaint in the parable is not the condition of the talents returned to him, but the quantity. A good harvest should provide fruit that is both ripe and plentiful.


In sum, the Calvinistic model of the gospel does not satisfy or support God’s requirement that his servants provide profit, and in view of the ultimate goal of the gospel—the salvation of the world through Jesus—the failed Calvinistic model should give us pause. Throughout the scriptures, God’s purpose of election is designed to promote growth and inclusion. Yet the model exposes the fact that the Reformed doctrine of election is a very exclusive gospel with no provision for kingdom growth.

Any interpretation of the gospel that is not “good news” for the whole world is not the gospel of Jesus Christ which, according to the apostle Paul, is no gospel at all.




Final Thought

The only real faux pas in regifting is when you rewrap a gift and accidentally return it to the same person who originally gave it to you. Yet, that's the essence of the Calvinistic gospel. In my opinion, such a non-sensical and unprofitable plan of salvation would even leave Yogi Berra scratching his head in bewilderment.



To learn more, please consider picking up my book - God's Elect: The Chosen Generation

(also available on Kindle)



Next Post: Divine Appointments: Introduction





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