Calvinism: How are born spiritually blind people blinded?
Calvinism and what is also called Reformed Theology claims that all people are born spiritually blind with no hope of that ever changing unless God chooses them as ones He’ll miraculously intervene for to cause them to see spiritually and accept the gospel. Their claim is that if God doesn’t choose them as ones He’ll do this for, they are doomed to His condemnation forever.
The five points of what is spoken of as the TULIP beliefs of Calvinism is these—
Total condemnation
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the saints
To Calvinists spiritual blindness comes under the T of Total condemnation. Under Calvinism this doesn’t just mean that people are condemned because of their sinfulness but that they’re unable to do anything about it unless God chooses to save them. In Calvinism they have absolutely no say in the matter whatsoever. Their claim is that it is God’s decision and His alone.
I would fully agree that the Bible plainly states that apart from salvation all people are spiritually dead. The Bible certainly teaches this.
Ephesians 2:1-2
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: [Emphasis added]
Spiritual deadness means separation from the spiritual life God wishes to grant them and anyone who will choose to accept His means for their salvation. We find that even Satan has a part in creating one’s spiritual blindness.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [Emphasis added]
Question: Whose eyes does it say he blinds? Answer: Them which believe not! The blindness comes AFTER their unbelief. It comes as A RESULT of their own unbelief. Before their unbelief they could have believed and been saved.
So, yes, all unbelievers come into this world spiritually dead. Only salvation changes this to relieve them of their spiritual deadness.
The contention comes when it is claimed by Calvinists that it is solely God who chooses who He’ll provide spiritual life and sight for. Calvinism’s claim is that man has no part in this at all in any way, even denying that man is free to choose God’s provision to resolve this problem. The claim is that only God can give people “light” so they can “see” the truth of the gospel message and believe it for salvation. But what does the Bible actually teach about this? Notice what our Lord said in the time of His earthly ministry about the people of Israel.
Matthew 13:14-17
14 And in them [the people of Israel to whom He was ministering] is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Then He explains why they were spiritually blind and deaf.
15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Yes! It is just as it says. At “any time” they could have believed and been saved.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. [Emphasis added]
Their problem was not that they were unable to understand the truth; it was that they were unwilling to accept the truth. Such is the case with people in every generation. They are not people who are born blind but ones who have BECOME blind because of their personal rejection of the truth they were given. These people are not victims; they are rejectors of truths they understand. Note the apostle Paul’s words about these people—
Romans 1:21-22
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
They weren’t born this way; they BECAME this way.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they BECAME fools, [Emphasis added]
We see something similar in the writings of John.
John 1:3-12
3 All things were made by him [Jesus Christ]; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own [the people of Israel], and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [Emphasis added]
To understand what is meant by believing on His name, please see my article about it—
Jesus Christ: What does it mean to believe on His name?
Therefore, these people were all given this “light” but many rejected Him. They did this of their own FREE will. There’s nothing in the passage here or elsewhere that indicates otherwise. When people get into a state of rejection, they get there on their own, by their own rejection of the truth that was given them. We find that this was the state of Israel at the time of the end of the time frame of the book of Acts. As it is with many people today, these people weren’t born this way, as Calvinists would have you believe; they became this way because of their own rejection of the truth that was provided for them.
Acts 28:25-28
25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. [Emphasis added]
However, there were many others who did not suppress the truth so that they might be saved. Noah, Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, King David, and many others have not been suppressors of truth for salvation. All these people were sinners, but they were also men of faith. Just look at the words of David on this.
Psalm 42:1-2
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? [Emphasis added]
This is David saying this. He wasn’t caused of God to say this. He says these things on His own as many people do today.
When I was a seminary student, I was shocked to learn that the professors were teaching that man isn’t free to choose for himself on these matters. The claim was that they were free to choose concerning everything else in life, but not this. My question was—Where is this stated in the Bible? Answer: It isn’t! This is based purely on assumption, not Scripture except where they distort it, taking things out of context to make them line up with their theory.
Going back to Romans 1 we see the full development of what happens when anyone chooses to reject the truth.
Romans 1:21-30
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
There’s nothing in Scripture that says God caused them to be this way. The heart of these people wasn’t always this way; it BECAME hardened and darkened because of their unbelief.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
It doesn’t say they were born fools; it says they BECAME fools. When people reject the truth the only other option is to believe a lie and become a fool.
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore [as a results of THEIR rejection of the truth] God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Again, they weren’t ALWAYS this way; they BECAME this way.
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
This clearly tells us God is not to be blamed for our sinfulness. WE are responsible for it!
26 For this cause [not simply because they were born sinners but because they chose to reject the Truth] God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
For information about the cause of homosexuality please see my article about it—
Homosexuality: What are we to think about it?
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient [KATHEKO = fit];
Because “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,” a vacuum was created into which was drawn various forms of sin and evil.
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [Emphasis added]
These are merely examples of the sins that develop when people reject the truth. Another way of saying this is that these are the symptoms of one having rejected the truth.
1 John 2:16
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. [Emphasis added]
Such are the consequences of the world’s rejection of the truth. The case of the Pharoah of Egypt in the days of Moses is one of many examples of this in the Bible. For more information about this, please see my article about it.
Heart: What does it mean to have a hardened one?
The hardening of one’s heart and insensitivity to sin is always a consequence of one’s rejection of truth. Repentance, a change of mind and a turning to truth is the only way to stop and even reverse this deteriorating process of one’s conscience. Scripture exhorts us to live the way God would have us live.
Ephesians 4:17-24
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God [not by birth but by making bad decisions] through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Again, this “giving of themselves over” happens by the choices of the individual. It is not by divine decree. It is the individual who is blameworthy for this, not God.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation [ANASTROPHE = behavior of] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
This “renewing in the spirit” is about replacing false thinking with true thinking by way of one’s intake of the Word of God.
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. [Emphasis added]
God’s judgment upon man is because of his refusal to believe the truth, not because God won’t let him believe it or that God made some people so that they’re unable to believe.
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world [not just some but the whole world of mankind], that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He did what He did so that anyone or even everyone could be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, BECAUSE HE HATH NOT BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. [Emphasis added]
Can just anyone choose to “come to the light?” Of course! Where does the Bible tell us otherwise? It doesn’t! The offer of salvation is always open to all mankind, not just some. If people can’t do this, what is the point of the commands of Scripture that are given to all. One of the most important of these today is the command for people to be reconciled to God for salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:20
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. [Emphasis added]
Again, this and so many more commands of Scripture become meaningless if Calvinism and Reformed Theology is correct.
Conclusion—
If people are born spiritually blind and unable to accept Christ as their Savior, what is it that Satan has left to do? How does he blind people who already are, according to Calvinism and Reformed Theology?
If you still have questions about all this, please go to my many other articles on this website where I address various aspects of this heretical teaching.
