Calvinism Precludes Human Merit

Calvinism, by definition, precludes any inclusion of human merit to God’s grace and the gift of eternal life. While Calvinism does not deny man’s will in his choice and decisions, it holds that man’s will is in such bondage to sin that he cannot choose God in his fallen nature. Man is simply unable to respond spiritually to God because he is spiritually dead. Due to original sin, man is born spiritually stillborn. He not only cannot attempt to merit eternal life, he can’t even accept the free gift of eternal life. Unless God intervenes with grace the human creature will remain spiritually dead. How can a Calvinist believe this and then add human merit or works to justification? It is logically incompatible.

Paul tells us “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—(Ephesians 2:4-5).” God, quickens spiritually dead men to spiritual life and enables them to respond. The Bible reports in Romans 8, Romans 9, Ephesians 1, and elsewhere that God before the foundation of the world chose some men to receive the free gift of eternal life and it is not based on anything they do or he foresees they will do. Even the faith to believe comes from God and not the decision of man (Eph. 2:8-9). How can a Calvinist believe this and then add merit or works to justification? Again, he can’t because it is logically impossible.

From the two foundational truths (Total inability and unconditional election) of Calvinism, it logically and necessarily follows that grace is irresistible and God will enable the elect to persevere in faith until death. Perseverance is an effect that God causes. Let me repeat, perseverance (the P in TULIP) is an effect not a cause. It is a result of God’s salvation and not a cause. If irresistible grace and perseverance do not follow the first two, then the first two are invalid and therefore not true. If human merit or works for justification is added at any point, then the whole theological system crumbles and becomes mere nonsense.

Now, it may be possible for a person to affirm Calvinism and erroneously add justification by works to the Biblical doctrines of Calvinism. However, that would be a problem with an individual human being and not the reformed system of doctrine known as Calvinism. If anyone attempts to add works justification to Calvinism, it is no longer Calvinism. If any critic quotes any persons’ writing in context or out context to assert that Calvinism adds works to justification, then they are pointing out the error of an individual and not the Calvinistic system.

Critics that continually charge that Calvinism affirms justification by works through the back door, side door or any other door are either:
(1) misunderstanding the doctrines of Calvinism
(2) incapable of logical thought
(3) disingenuous and attempting to elevate their faulty system by falsely discrediting Calvinism

Are there any other possibilities than these three? If you assert that Calvinism affirms a justification by works, which of these three reasons apply to you? For those of the “FREE GRACE THEOLOGY” system, you may consider this a challenge to show how adding works to justification would not morph Calvinism into something that is no longer Calvinism!

Please note, this article is not meant to provoke debate on the truth of Calvinism, but is intended to show the folly of critics who accuse Calvinism of attaching human merit to justification by faith alone. Therefore, I will not debate the five points of Calvinism on this post.