Dr. Pothana's Teaching

1. Eze 36:26
Calvinism

2. Calvinism: The
Doctrine of predestination

3. – God predestines His “chosen ones” to be saved
– God grants ALL man a free will to choose what
he wants: to be with God (saved) or not be with
God

4. Predestination: Origins
• Rom 8:29-30: For those God foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers. And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called,
he also justified; those he justified, he also
glorified
• The “Predestination” concept is part of a
larger doctrine called “Calvinism”
• The “Predestination” concept has very
profound theological consequences

5. Calvinism: It’s core doctrines
• T - Total depravity
• U - Unconditional election (or: Predestination)
• L - Limited atonement
• I - Irresistible grace
• P - Perseverance of the saints
The last 4 doctrines follows logically if you accept
the (first) doctrine of Total Depravity…

6. 1. Total depravity
• Man is totally corrupt. Man's thoughts, actions, and
ambitions are all bad.
• Man does not have the ability to do what God
commands him to do (repent).
• “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God” (Rom. 3:23)
• “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
 Man is DEAD. Dead things can’t do anything !!

7. 2. Unconditional election
(Predestination)
– If man is unable to repent and
believe the Gospel, then it follows
that God must choose some for
Heaven (and send the rest to Hell).
Calvinism teaches that everything
that happens was planned by God
and nothing can be done to change
it.

8. • Means that God chooses (elects) certain people to be
saved and go to Heaven.
• Rom 8:29-30: For those God foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those he predestined, he also called; those he
called, he also justified; those he justified, he also
glorified
• (The rest are chosen by Him to go to Hell ???)

11. 3. Limited atonement
• Meaning: Christ only died for certain people.
– Those He died for will go to Heaven.
– The rest will go to Hell.
• Doctrine of Limited Atonement is a logical
consequence of the Total Depravity:
– Man cannot repent and believe to be saved, so:
– God has predestined who will be saved and who will
be lost,
– therefore it is only logical that Christ died only for
those God has planned to save.

12. 3. Limited atonement
• Verses “in support” of Limited Atonement:
– John 10:11 I am the Good Shepherd. The
Good Shepherd lays down His life for the
sheep.
– John 15:13 No one has greater love than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.
– Act 20:28 … the church of God which He
has purchased with His own blood.
– Eph 5:25 …even as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for it

13. 4.
• The elected is saved and taken them Heaven
regardless of they like it or not.
• Ephesians 2:8: “it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God”
• The sinner is neither capable nor willing to
receive salvation... The saving grace of God,
changing the heart of the sinners, precedes the
sinner’s will to come to Christ.

14. 5.
• Once a person is saved, he will persevere to the end.
• A child of God once saved, cannot be lost.
• “When you are saved, you are born again. You cannot
become unborn”
• Conclusion of Calvinism:

15. Once Saved, Always Saved - Basis
Once we are saved, nothing can separate us
from the love of God: always saved

16. Once we are saved, nothing can separate us from
the love of God: always saved

17. The Logic behind Calvinism
• It all starts with : “Man is depraved”
– Man is dead in sin. What can dead people do ?
Nothing !
• If man can’t do anything, everything must be done by
God.
– God chooses (predestines) some of us to be saved
• Since God does the choosing, you cannot do anything to
become “chosen” (you are dead, remember ?)
– Then: you also cannot do anything to become
“unchosen”
• Conclusion: once a child of God, always a child of God !

18. Concluding Remarks
• Believing in Predestination will not get you to heaven
nor get you to hell; only the blood of Jesus can do that