The Tautology of Calvinsim

One of the great arguments against the theory of evolution is that natural selection is a tautology - a circular argument. Evolution states that natural selection is the process by which nature sorts out the fit mutations from the unfit. Survival of the fittest, as its name suggests, means that the fittest survive. But which species are the fittest? The ones who survive! To quote political columnist Ann Coulter, "Gee, it works every time!"

The way that the theory of natural selection is worded guarantees that it will be proved with any evidence. If any genetic mutation has survived, it must mean that it was most fit. This is not science. It is a logical fallacy disguised as truth.

Calvinism is a little bit like that. Calvinism is simply a five-point plan by which God determines who will be saved.

At this point, I have to stop and be fair to my Calvinist brethren. I don't disagree with everything they have to say. For example, I buy into the idea of total depravity, and I'm sold on the idea that humanity really doesn't have free will when left to its own devices. Let me clarify this statement. The Calvinist argues that humanity is damned not because we sin, but because we are sinners. The distinction here is important. For example, the homosexual does not go to hell because he is a homosexual. The act of sexual contact with somebody of your own sex is not in and of itself enough to send you to hell. What sends people to hell is the fact that their beings are corrupted by sin. Thus, homosexuality is just one symptom of the overall problem of having a sinful nature. I hope you can appreciate the difference.

Thus, because we have a sinful nature, we really cannot be free. I buy into this idea as well. Those who do not know Christ are generally not aware of their own spiritual depravity. Before I came to Christ, I heard the gospel and was unconvinced that it described my spiritual condition. I knew that I wasn't perfect, but I didn't believe that I was a sinner. In essence, I didn't know the state of my own soul, and thus I didn't think about the necessity of divine things. I was not free. The freedom came when God showed me grace and I chose to follow him.

Arminians at this point are warning me that I am growing very close to folly. Truth be told, I am. The reason is because the next logical step is to say that the grace that God showed me was evidence of my election. In other words, the Calvinist says that God chooses to give me grace, and I respond because He, not I, willed it.

But this is only true if Calvinism is presumed to be true. It could just as easily be a defense of Arminianism. One could argue that through the previous hearings of the gospel, God was sowing the seeds of prevenient grace in my life, so that when there came a time to finally make a decision for Christ, I had all the grace I needed to make the call. I could just as easily say that God gave me the grace, opened my heart and mind to make the call, but in the end, it was my call to make.

So we get to the logical tautology of Calvinism. A common argument that Arminians make against Calvinism is that we chose to follow Christ. The Calvinist response is that we chose because we were elect. This is a logical fallacy that is only true based on the Calvinist's assumptions. The elect are the ones who choose. Who makes the choice? The elect! Gee, it works every time!

So where do I distance myself from the folly? While humanity is depraved, no man is without grace. God wills that you be saved. God wills that the world be saved. Thus, through His grace, he cuts through human depravity to allow us that freedom. Free will is not something that humanity naturally has. It is a divine gift from God, allowing us to either accept or reject His salvation. What's your choice?