If you are a regular reader you know we have Calvin Duprie with us for several days while his folks enjoy a spring break in Puerto Rico. It is demanding in attention, but fun. He is easy to manage and well-behaved for a two year old. He is not named for John Calvin , an early leader in forming the doctrines of the Reformed Movement. Calvin was a French theologian. The doctrine bearing his name is well-known today. Let me share from Wikipedia the five points of Calvinism. You know these five points only partially explain a rather complex doctrine.
TOTAL DEPRAVITY - As a consequence of the fall of humanity into sin, every person born into the world is enslaved by the service of sin. People are not by nature inclined to love God with their whole heart, mind, or strength , but rather all are inclined to serve their own interests over their neighbor and to reject the rule of God. Total refers to sin affecting every part of a person, not that every person is as evil as possible.
UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION - God's choice from eternity of those whom he will bring to Himself is not based on foreseen virtue, merit, or faith in those people. Rather, it is unconditionally grounded in God's mercy alone.
LIMITED ATONEMENT - The teaching that Jesus' substitutionary atonement was definite and certain in it's design and accomplishment. Calvinists view the atonement as a penal substitution (that is, Jesus was punished in the place of sinners).They argue it would be unjust for God to pay the penalty for some people's sins and then still condemn them for their sins, all those whose sins were atoned for must necessarily be saved.
IRRESISTIBLE GRACE - The saving grace of God is effectually applied to those He determined to save and, in God's timing, overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing them to salvation.
PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS - The word " saints" refers to those who are set apart by God, not those canonized and thus called Saints. This doctrine asserts that, since God is sovereign and His will cannot be frustrated by humans or anything else, those whom God has called into communion with Himself will continue in faith until the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin with or will return.
There you have it in a very small nutshell. Calvinism. What are you? What am I? You decide for you and I will decide for me. I think it is possible to believe part and not all. Remember this is a man-made doctrine from an early theologian, based on what he thought the Bible said about these issues. Each of us as Believers have the freedom of interpretation of this same Book. Right now, I am fully a Calvinist, preparing to give Calvin his Saturday night bath. So mode it be.