The Fruits of Calvinism - Page 4 - Continued
The “Bottom Line” – Examine the Fruit
Calvinism will affect your view of personal holiness. Many, many Calvinists now are social drinkers that will progress even farther. And I could go on and on talking about things that are affected by the tenants of Calvinism. But here's the bottom line, go back to what Mike Bates preached on last week from Galatians 5, and I want you to notice two things. The works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness…” Now the first four have to do with immorality. I'm not accusing the Calvinist of immorality. You remember what Mike Bates said about the works of the flesh? He said they're not all manifest in everybody, but some are manifest in all unsaved people.
Now the next group, I think you can find some application. The works of the flesh – idolatry, John Calvin, is their idol; witchcraft, hatred. If you get in a group with former students who are Calvinist, Ron Comfort is the topic of their conversation, and there is vitriolic hatred for Ron Comfort. Variance, that means divisions. Emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies. Those are the works of the flesh. Go to verse 22 and 23. “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.” If a person manifests those things in verses 19-20, he is walking according to the flesh. If he manifests in verse 23, the fruit of the spirit, he is walking in the spirit. All you have to do is examine the lives of these who propound this system about which I preached this morning and you can tell pretty easily if they are walking in the flesh or if they are walking in the spirit. Let me close by saying this, young people, you be kind, be gracious, be loving. There is not a former student that is a Calvinist now that would come in that door, and say, “Brother Comfort, I love you,” that I would not wrap my arms around his neck, and I would say, “Thank God! Thank God you said that!” There is not one of them I wish ill against. So, don't go out of here with a bitterness against the Calvinist. You can have bitterness against that system, but don't you dare have bitterness against a person.
Dr. Ron Comfort
Past President and Founder of Ambassador Baptist College in Lattimore, NC. He has traveled in evangelism for over fifty years.
The above chapel transcripted message is copyrighted by Ambassador Baptist College, 2004, and holds all rights to the message. It is presented here with their permission of current President Alton Beal and Dr. Ron Comfort.