Bible-Thumping Mercy?

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:35-36).

"That's a strange job for a guy like you." I was not taken aback by his observation, because it was not the first time I had heard it, and I doubt it will be the last. When you are an alum of a particular seminary and an employee of a particular organization, you grow accustomed to thoughtful people inquiring about what they see as an apparent inconsistency: "You care about Scripture and theology, why do you work in compassion ministry?"

Now, I readily admit that this apparent inconsistency is often more real than apparent. I swim in waters of pragmatism, materialism, and superficial theology on a daily basis. I often do nothing other than eat evanjellybeans. And I am quite confident that if I did not work alongside a brother with a master's degree in biblical counseling, I would surely have committed professional hari kari a long time ago.

Yet, in spite of that, I have come to believe that the apparent inconsistency is far more imagined than real. Of all people in the world (let alone the Church!), those who should most stridently engage the needy with compassion, it should be us Bible-thumping Calvinists. Far more than any other stripe of Christian theology, we know the glory of God in mercifully electing totally depraved sinners and drawing them to Himself in Christ, over and against their hostile unwillingness to receive His great mercy:

Many people think that the Reformed faith de-motivates Christians from sharing the Gospel. But when we realize the costly mercy by which God has saved us, the natural result is that we would look with mercy on the world. The Bible says that we love because God loved us, we forgive because God has forgiven us, and we give because of what God has given to us. If we understand the sovereign mercy that has saved our souls, we will be merciful to others by presenting a living and loving witness to the Gospel of Christ.

- Rick Phillips, "What the Needy Need," in Tabletalk (April 2008).

The major keys of Calvinism ring with compassion. I know the full riches of Christ's simple reminder, "just as your Father is merciful." So, it turns out that this is not such a strange job for a guy like me.

Whom Do I Worship?

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Phil 1:29).

Right between the eyes. That's where it hit me. Or, maybe it was through the heart? It was not the first time I had read Philippians 1, so how had I missed verse 29?

God's saving and sovereign grace exploded from the page, as I sat in my usual corner of the library before my morning class, “it has been granted… to believe in Him.” I had been blind-sided, for my conscience was already numb to the obvious implications of such passages as Ephesians 1:3-14 or Romans 9:14-24, especially when someone tried to smuggle them under that filthy moniker, "Calvinism.” Needless to say, I was late for class that morning. I stayed in that corner for awhile and I worshipped.

In the days that followed, sovereign grace continued to unfurl as I tore into an excited, but still clandestine, study of Scripture. Even more, the concurrent realities, that though I was radically depraved and refused to believe, Christ had died for me in particular and drew me to Himself and was keeping me by His love, fit together in a glorious logic that could only have come from the divine mind of the Creator. And as these realities began to cohere in my mind… I worshipped.

After about a week of study and worship, I made a rather startling discovery, “Turns out I’m a Calvinist.” An odd turn of events since I had yet to read a word of the Institutes, or of any other Reformed writing for that matter. It was only later that I discovered my experience was not all that uncommon:

My doctrines I had from Jesus Christ and His Apostles: I was taught them of God... I embrace the Calvinistic scheme, not because of Calvin, but Jesus Christ has taught it to me (George Whitefield, Vol 1).

I should not take it at all amiss, to be called a Calvinist for distinction’s sake; though I utter disclaim a dependence upon Calvin, or believing the doctrines which I hold, because he believed and taught them; and cannot justly be charged with believing in every thing just as he taught” (Jonathan Edwards, Preface to The Freedom of the Will).

I have my own private opinion that 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 (C.H. Spurgeon, "A Defense of Calvinism").

So, yes, turns out I am a Calvinist... five times over. But I am not a Calvinist because of Calvin. I am unashamedly a Calvinist because I worship Christ.