Pastor and hymn writer John Newton once said, “I am more of a Calvinist than anything else; but I use my Calvinism in my writings and my preaching as I use this sugar.” Taking a lump, and putting it into his tea-cup, and stirring it, he added, “I do not give it alone, and whole; but mixed and diluted.”

That seems to be a pretty healthy view of Calvinism in my opinion. The doctrines of grace are delightful, and if we are to be faithful to the Scriptures we must preach them. But like sugar they can come across too strong if served undiluted to God’s people.

While I don’t make Calvinism a hobby horse, I did decide recently to preach a 5-part series on the Five Points of Calvinism. But I decided not to couch it in those terms. I approached it instead as an inductive, “behind the scenes” look at our salvation. In this way, I hoped to elevate God’s sovereign grace in salvation and challenge some common Arminian assumptions without using labels or arguments that might immediately raise alarm. I was thankful for the result and heard some very positive feedback from our church family.

Here are all five sermons with online audio and download links. I pray these will prove helpful and encouraging to the Body of Christ.

1. Dead Man Walking: Total Depravity (Eph. 2:1-3)
     listen online   download

2. God’s Gracious Choice: Unconditional Election 
    (Eph. 1:3-6)
     listen online   download

3. Christ Our Sin-Bearer: Limited Atonement (1 Pet. 2:24-25)
     listen online   download

4. Saved by the Spirit: Irresistible Grace (Titus 3:1-7)
     listen online   download

5. God Doesn’t Fumble: Perseverance of the Saints 
    (Jn. 10:27-30)
     listen online   download

Related posts:

• What is limited atonement?
• Does God elect some to damnation?
• Cautions for non-Calvinists
• A gentle rebuke to Calvinists

An elderly man had hearing problems for a number of years. His family tried over and over to convince him to get hearing aids, so finally he relented. He went to the doctor and was fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed him to hear perfectly once again. A month later he went back to the doctor. The doctor said with a smile, “Your hearing is great. Your family must be really glad you can hear again.” The old man replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to their conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!”

I wonder if we would change how we talk about others if we knew they could hear our conversation. Whenever we speak of others in a way that is hurtful or unsubstantiated, we’re engaging in what the Bible calls gossip.

Now, I have to admit, there’s something exciting about gossip. We scan the tabloids with curiosity. We strain our ears to hear that discussion across the room. We gloat as we share a bit of new dirt we just learned. We lean into a conversation when some juicy detail is about to be revealed. As Proverbs 26:22 puts it, “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.”

But gossip isn’t harmless. It’s deadly. Proverbs 20:19 warns us, “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.” Second Timothy 3:3 even says that a sign the end times are approaching is that many will be “unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good.”

Our words reveal a lot about what’s going on inside our hearts. Jesus taught in Matthew 12:34, “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Does your speech imitate Christ, who has “done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:9)? First God needs to wash our hearts. Then He needs to wash our mouths so we speak blessing instead of cursing.

Let’s resolve today, with God’s help, to say nothing about another person that we would be ashamed to say to their face. When we steer clear of gossip, we don’t have to worry about someone overhearing our conversation. We’ll just be glad they’re interested in what we have to say.

This article was written for the “Ministers Message” of our local newspaper, the Hi Desert Star, and appeared in last Wednesday’s edition.