"You must be born again. In the third chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus, ‘You must be born again.’ What did the Lord mean by this Statement? First of all, it should be noted that Jesus said nothing of any action or ‘decision’ that Nicodemus must make, nor did he even tell him to repent and believe the Gospel. As a matter of fact, Jesus was not telling him to do anything! ‘You must be born again,’ was not a command Nicodemus was to obey, it was simply a statement of fact. Christ explains to Nicodemus that flesh can only produce flesh. Only the spirit of God can produce the spiritual birth you must have in order to enter the kingdom of God, and God’s spirit blow’s where He wishes (John 3:1-8)." (Richard R. Ochs)

"We can, and must, tell men to turn from their sins and believe the Gospel, but in doing this we should realize that when a man does repent and believe, it is the result of God’s prior regenerative working within him. If this were not the case, if man must actually initiate his own salvation, then it would be impossible to escape the conclusion that men do not need regeneration at all, but possess in themselves an innate goodness which causes them to seek after God. Though it be ever so slight, this goodness is then the ultimate reason why one is saved and another is lost. But the apostle Paul clearly teaches the contrary when he writes, ‘There is none righteous, not even one, there is none who understands, there is none who seek for God, there is none who does good, there is not even one’ (Romans 3:10-12)." (Richard R. Ochs)

"You may protest that this makes God the ultimate determiner of who is saved. To this the apostles and prophets with one voice cry, ‘Amen!’ ‘Salvation is of the Lord’ (Jonah 2:9). This truth should give us confidence to present the pure gospel and should also bring us to our knees before the God Who is sovereign in salvation. Only He can remove the heart of stone and give a new heart. Only He can give life to the dead. Only He deserves the blessing, glory, and honor." (Richard R. Ochs)

As Christians we are to check everything out in the scriptures for ourselves (Acts 17:11). Yet we are also called upon to believe whatsoever is revealed therein. So when God, who cannot lie, reveals in His Word that "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48), we must humbly accept that fact and rejoice that He in His mercy has ordained any. For it has been properly stated that man has no right with God except the right to be judged. Mercy is not obligatory and God specifically declares that He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy (Romans 9:15). Man, therefore, receives either mercy or justice; no one receives injustice!

Let us not forget that there is a long line of sound "Calvinists" through the years that have given much insight to the Church, and, in defending the faith, have exposed many heretics thanks be to God. Great men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Knox, The Puritan writers such as Joseph Alliene, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, John Owen, etc…. The great Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon were both strict five point Calvinist. George Whitefield, Robert Murray McCheyne, Arthur W. Pink, and R. C. Sproul just to name a few. It is I’m sure, a surprise to many that what is today glibly termed "Calvinism" and frowned upon as something foreign to what the Bible teaches is actually nothing less than true biblical Christianity.

I realize that some Christians resist theological labels, which is understandable. Yet the question that must be asked today is, "Whatever happened to the Reformation?" "As doctrine has been de-emphasized, the church has moved from preaching the Word to other activities such as entertainment, drama and musical ministries. Which seem to be designed to evoke an emotional response rather than enlighten the mind. The Charismatic movement has replaced doctrine with experience. Psychology has elevated ‘felt’ needs over real needs and theory over revealed Truth. All this has accelerated the move away from doctrine and focused the pulpit message on everything but the objective truth of scripture. Preachers have become comedians, storytellers, therapists, showmen, celebrities, and entertainers rather than powerful ambassadors of divine truth." (John MacArthur)

The doctrine of election is a powerfully humbling divine truth, "election, to a saint, is one of the most stripping doctrines in all the world…I know nothing, nothing again, that is more humbling for us than this doctrine of election. I have sometimes fallen prostrate before it when endeavoring to understand it. I have stretched my wings, and, eagle-like, I have soared towards the sun. Steady has been my eye, and true my wing, for a season; but, when I came near it, and the one thought possessed me, ‘God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation’ (2 Thessalonians 2:13), I was lost in its luster, I was staggered with the mighty thought; and from the dizzy elevation down my soul, prostrate and broken, saying, ‘Lord, I am nothing, I am less than nothing. Why me? Why me?’ Friends, if you want to be humbled, study election, for it will make you humble under the influence of God’s Spirit. He who is proud of his election is not elect; and he who is humbled under a sense of it may believe that he is. He has every reason to believe that he is, for it is one of the most blessed effects of election that it helps us to humble ourselves before God." (Charles Spurgeon)

"Therefore, I beseech you brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1,2).