This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of “The Bible and Calvinism” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, October 4, 1987.
About this sermon
The series opens with what it means to be an Orthodox Presbyterian (a church ruled by elders) before introducing the five points of Calvinism centered on God’s sovereignty and predestination. Many of history’s most influential theologians were themselves Calvinists, all pointing back to the cross of Christ.
Sermon transcript
Our scripture reading this morning is from the first chapter of Ephesians, Ephesians 1, verses 1–14. Here is the word of God. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love. He predestined us to adoption as His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. He has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the fullness of time He might gather all things in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth, in Him. In Him we have also obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In Him you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. And when you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Father, you have taught us that your word is our life, and that this word is the life of the world. For we would not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of our God. Truly, the nations wait for you and for your law, and now in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the perfection of your law goes forth, the perfection of your command and intention, your purpose, your will. So as your word is preached today, we beseech you, Lord, that we may observe the gathering of the harvest, that our souls may delight and your soul may delight as well in this, the perfection of your work, which you have purposed from before time.
We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. We are Orthodox Presbyterians. You can check the sign outside, the recently rehung and repainted sign. It tells us that in bold letters. You can check the front of the bulletin. We are an Orthodox Presbyterian Church. We are Orthodox Presbyterians. That is to say, we are straight-line Presbyterians.
We affirm in our own understanding of our lineage from that line of Presbyterian purebreds who hold their Presbyterianism with great conviction and without embarrassment before the world, regardless of the cost. Now, in this, we being what we might call straight-line Presbyterians are distinguished from those who are mainline Presbyterians. The mainline Presbyterian Church in this country, the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, has its own particular heritage, it seems, a heritage which has become increasingly blurred and nondescript as far as it compares with what originally was intended. The departure from that original intent is remarkable and obvious. We are then straight-line Orthodox Presbyterians, if we can define Orthodox with the word straight-line. A straight line from that source of origin in our heritage centuries ago, but also a straight line in what we contend for, what we say we believe.
Now, not only are we straight-line Presbyterians, we are fiercely Presbyterian. We hold our convictions with such determination that recently, in an article published in the Expository Times, written by John Kent, he described us as those fierce Presbyterians of the twentieth century. We are called fierce. Fierce with regard to what? Well, you see, there are two principles that are held as axiomatic to Presbyterian conviction, and so it is suggested, even by those who have no sympathy with us whatsoever, that we hold those axioms with great tenacity.
As it pertains to our form of government, we hold firmly that God’s people are to be ruled by elders. We do not believe, we do not advocate, and we do not accept a hierarchical form of government—a form of government that peaks in one or a few individuals who have authority over the entire Church across its wide expanse. Nor are we congregational, for we do not believe, as some do, that all matters of the Church’s life are to be decided by majority vote. We do not believe that the power of the Church is vested solely in the congregation as a whole. We find no justification for that in Scripture, regardless of what some may say. Instead, we maintain that God’s people are to be ruled by elders, by presbyters. Thus the name Presbyterian. God’s people are to be ruled by elders, as they have always been ruled by elders, and even to this day, in keeping with that pattern, they are ruled in the same way. By holding this conviction, we say, even to those who may arise within our own circle, that rule by elders is not a New Testament innovation, nor is it a system devised due to practical pressures during the apostolic period.
Now, believe it or not, even within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, sentiments like that are beginning to be heard. But if we take John Kent’s statement seriously—that we are fiercely Presbyterian—we do not give in at this point in any way. We hold this principle tenaciously: rule by elders. A principle that is plain and clear for God’s people in His Word throughout. In the Old Testament, yes, even there the people of God were ruled by elders. In the New Testament, no less, and that is our conviction.
I think it is interesting to note in this regard that there are more people who hold Presbyterian views than we would ordinarily think. I was reading a survey of churches recently, and the developments that have taken place in those churches over the last century. In the great majority of churches, at least within this country, despite the denial by those churches, they are, in the final analysis, governed in a Presbyterian manner. They make decisions for the congregation in a Presbyterian manner. You might find those leaders sitting in a Methodist Church or even in an Episcopalian Church, but they serve in those congregations in a manner that reflects Presbyterian governance. It seems that even congregationalism is being drawn toward a Presbyterian direction—now meeting for regional gatherings, even having national conventions that resemble the Presbyterian form of government, the Presbyterian General Assembly. This pattern is being reflected there.
We are called fiercely Presbyterian, not simply because we have held to the principle of rule by elders. Even more importantly, we have been defined in this way because we have held with greater tenacity to our Reformed and Calvinistic heritage and doctrinal convictions. Now, I think we are all familiar with the usual approach to our Calvinistic convictions in this regard. When we speak of our Reformed faith and our dependence in some way upon Calvin and his teaching, the five points are invariably mentioned. We have learned them through the acronym associated with them.
The key point is this: our doctrine of man teaches that man is totally depraved. In the Tulip, our doctrine of God teaches that God elects unconditionally, that is, without regard to anything in us—whether faith or good works, or the promise of such. The reason for our election is found in God alone. The “Y” declares to us our stand regarding the atoning death of Christ: Christ died for his own, for the elect, and not one drop of his blood was shed in vain, not one drop was wasted. The “I” presents our doctrine of the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit’s call is irresistible and effectual. The “P” is our doctrine of the Church: the Church of Jesus Christ will endure, and the saints of the Lord will persevere to the end. Our Reformed faith is thus helpfully presented through this acronym. Now I fully feel the weight of what some have observed.
Specifically, Leonard Koppus, in reviewing the situation in the Reformed Church, found that simply focusing on the five points was not sufficient. He then wrote a book entitled Are the Five Points Enough? The subtitle of that book was The Ten Points of Calvinism, in which the five points were only one part. Thus, you see that there is much more to the Reformed faith and to our Calvinistic convictions than just these five points, though they have been a helpful way for us to understand what we believe. Whether it is the five points, the ten points, or the ten points with one point being the five points, you can see how this discussion could continue indefinitely.
The focus, without doubt, in our faith is the sovereignty of God—the absolute sovereignty of God. This means that those who are Calvinistic, those who are Reformed or Presbyterian, are those who have fully acknowledged and submitted themselves to the absolute sovereignty of God in all of life, in all of history, and in all that exists. The centrality of God’s sovereignty, His rule over all things, and His power, which no one can overthrow, is fundamental. In this regard, we have typically spoken of certain key terms.
When reflecting on God’s sovereignty, we have also mentioned His election, His sovereign choice in saving sinners. We have emphasized that this election is not a decision made in time as an emergency measure because of human sin, but rather it is something that was established before the foundation of the world. In accordance with God’s choice of sinners, He elects a people.
We have also spoken about His predestinating purpose and the fact that He is determining destiny, even specifically our destiny, from before the very beginning of time. It is impossible—I say, impossible—for these facts to be denied. It seems that they cannot even be overlooked, even though they are by many. After all, the testimony to God’s sovereignty is plain on every page of Scripture. And repeatedly throughout, you find indications in the stories and language that describe God’s predestinating purposes and His electing choice.
Now it may well be that Reformed believers are guilty of playing their own intellectual games in order to make everything come out right in the end. Yet that charge laid against the Calvinist or the Presbyterian, the one who embraces the Reformed faith, is hardly as serious as the charge that can be laid against those who completely deny that God is absolutely sovereign, that He is predestinating, and that He is electing, and that this has been true from before the foundation of the world. For that seems to be a plain and clear denial of what Scripture teaches.
How do we review the testimony we have read from Ephesians 1? How can you avoid the impact of what the apostle is saying? You have verse four: “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” There it is: that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love. Then, verse five: “He predestinated us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” Verse eleven: “Also, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose, who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
And where will the testimony end? Is it merely a feature of the book of Ephesians? I tell you, no. You find it in every one of Paul’s epistles. Consider Romans—you cannot read through Romans without encountering the truth of this doctrine, God’s choice. We all recognize the significance of Romans 8, do we not? There it speaks clearly about God’s predestinating purpose and how He will bring many sons to glory through His predestinating work and will. Consider Romans 9.
Read that chapter. It is overwhelming. In it, Paul presents the case for God’s election, His electing purpose. In doing so, he does not rely solely on the New Testament. He appeals to the Old Testament. He quotes from Genesis and from Exodus. He speaks of Jacob and Esau, how anyone can read that story and still fail to grasp the reality of God’s absolute sovereignty. This truth is difficult, yes, it has been called difficult, but it remains clear: God made the choice. Must I read from that ninth chapter of Romans? It may leave you deeply moved. Verse eleven: “For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose, according to His choice, might stand—not because of works, but because of Him who calls.” It was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Verse sixteen: “So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who runs, but on God who shows mercy.” For the Scripture says of Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires and hardens whom He will.
Now, whatever effect this has on us internally as we wrestle with the ninth chapter of Romans, one thing we cannot deny is the clear message Paul is conveying. We may not like it, or the world may not like it, or many in the Church may not like it. But we cannot avoid it.
Do you have the statement from Peter? Do you think Paul is the only one who holds to this view? Peter agrees with it. The church is called an elect race by him. Jesus Christ himself is called the elect and precious stone. The people of God are called the elect of the Lord by Peter. But is it only the apostles? Jesus does as well, the one who serves. In the fifteenth chapter of John, the sixteenth verse, Jesus says, You did not choose me, but I chose you. And in the sixth chapter of John, the forty-fourth verse, he says, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. Did Luke believe in the doctrine of predestination and God’s election? Listen to what he writes as he recounts the missionary activity of the early church. Must all missionaries be Arminians? They are not. Neither was Luke. Neither was Paul.
But here, what Luke writes in his thirteenth chapter, the forty-eighth verse, speaking of those who respond to the message of the gospel, he says, As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Would you like to go through the book of Revelation and discuss the Lamb’s Book of Life? From the perspective of the prophet speaking in that book, he tells us that things were inscribed before the foundation of the world. All matters, then, seem settled in God. Our firmly held Presbyterian conviction. As is true with church government, you see, there are many people in many churches who are more Presbyterian than they wish to admit.
I remember listening to a world-famous Methodist preacher. I do not mind mentioning his name: Eugene Leiter. He was the great force behind the American Bible Society and responsible for much of the translation work done in this century. He was a prominent man who translated Scripture. He was hopelessly universalistic in his theology, but this is what he said.
When I am walking around, I am a Methodist, by which he meant an Arminian. But on my knees, I am a Calvinist. Because there, I cannot avoid confidence in the absolute sovereignty of God. If I do not have that confidence, why pray? Well, there we are. Here we are.
We hold to a form of church government that we do not feel is negotiable. We hold to doctrines that we do not feel are negotiable. Yet, in our current situation, although there may be supportive voices from people like Dr. Nida, there is also a certain kind of compromise and capitulation among churches that do not have the word Presbyterian in their name.
Still, the fact is that you, and I, may feel quite alone, quite isolated in the general temperament of our society and church at this time. We have watched, for instance, the way things have developed in this century, taking them as an example.
In the mainline church in 1903, pressure was brought upon the General Assembly to compromise its position regarding the strong Presbyterianism and Calvinism of the Westminster standards, and that pressure was successful. The confession was revised. In 1906, the merger was completed between the larger mainline body and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a denomination that had rejected Calvinism and held that the doctrines of grace were offensive to the modern American mind. Then, in 1934, the General Assembly convened, and the president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Dr. John McNaughter, who was an old United Presbyterian from North America, stood on the floor of the General Assembly of the mainline Presbyterian body. He openly ridiculed the Westminster standards, and he received a standing ovation. Calvinism was gone.
The strength of Presbyterianism was being eroded. This is the general state of affairs, leaving those who hold to their Presbyterian faith somewhat alone and isolated in an age that seems hardly ready to accept them or what they have to say. But in the midst of that.
I want you to remember a few things. I want you to remember the scriptures we reviewed today and the power of the scriptures. I have told you that on every page of the Word there is a testimony to the absolute sovereignty of God. I also want you to remember this: all major movements that have been productive for orthodoxy within the church have their roots in a Calvinistic understanding. Now I am going to say something that may surprise you. Do you know that at its roots the Roman Catholic Church is Calvinistic?
Its greatest theologian from the fourth century was a thoroughgoing Calvinist. His name was Augustine. Do you realize that after he had taught and after he had fought against his archenemy, Pelagius, Pelagius and Pelagianism gained influence in the Roman Catholic Church and remained dominant for over a thousand years.
Until. Until Luther, did you know that Luther was a Calvinist? It is true; Lutherans may not be today, but Luther was. All you need to do is read his book, The Bondage of the Will. He is even stronger and more resolute than Calvin. He strongly opposed Erasmus, his archenemy.
Of course, Calvin was a Calvinist, and we know that. The roots of the Reformation are certainly in Calvinistic doctrine and teaching. Do you know that the Church of England has its roots in Calvinism? That its earliest leaders were all thoroughgoing Calvinists, and that the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Confession of Faith of that church, is a Calvinistic document, clearly stating the absolute sovereignty of God. Today, Anglicans and Episcopalians may not be Calvinists at all, but their origins are in Calvinism. Did you know that the Baptists who gained influence in the 1600s were Calvinists?
Can you name one? John Bunyan. John Bunyan wrote *Pilgrim’s Progress*. John Bunyan was a thorough Calvinist. Do you realize that the modern missionary movement is utterly and thoroughly Calvinistic? William Carey, the man who pleaded before his English opponents that the gospel would be spread from the civilized world, as he understood it, to the third world of his day, was a convinced and thoroughgoing Calvinist. Calvinism is not the enemy of evangelism, nor of missionary work. Would you believe it? Despite all their public protestations, and here I offer their hymns as evidence, that John and Charles Wesley were very close to Calvinism in much that they wrote. For the Church to sing, well. If you feel alone, if you feel like you are the only one holding up these doctrines in these days, please do not despair. Remember the scriptures we reviewed, and remember the short survey of the history of the church.
Warfield said that the Calvinist is the person who has seen into heaven and seen something of the matchless glory of God. Such a person, said Warfield, can never be the same again. In closing, there is one other thing I would like you to remember. I do not want it to sound as if I am standing here with an inflated chest, encouraging you to have a similar inflated chest. Pompous, proud, convinced you are right. I want you to remember the cross of Jesus Christ.
That one who understood better than any of us the absolute sovereignty of God. Who, in humility and grace, and with that love that is beyond the love of this world, gave himself to others so that they might be helped and encouraged. You too, in imitation of him, give yourselves. The truth of your rightness will be played out in the rightness of your lives. And there is only one standard for that. And that is the cross of Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Our Father, we would acknowledge that you are perfectly and absolutely holy. We would plead with you for our own submission to the truth of this teaching.
A glad submission, but one free of arrogance, that we might be found in the form and fashion of our Savior, truly a servant, so that the cross of Jesus Christ is being manifest in us. In this way, Lord, we may even improve on the heritage that has been given us, and that by the powerful working of your Spirit within us, you yourself receive the glory, the honor, and the thanks.
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