Calvinism vs Fanny Crosby

Fanny Crosby wrote the great hymn, To God Be the Glory in 1872. I’ve always thought it was a great song but it seems Calvinism has a wee problem with the first verse:

To God be the glory, great things He hath done;

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,

And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Do you see the word which I emphasized: “all”?  Now what can the complaint be about that word? Didn’t Jesus die for the whole world’s sins (only efficacious for those who place their faith in Jesus)?  Doesn’t John 3:16 say that “God so loved the word…”?

Let’s look at the version in the PCA hymnal.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done;

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,

And opened the life gate that we may go in.

Ostensibly the song is sung by Christians so perhaps “we” would be better than “all” in that respect, but I think the point by Crosby is that ALL people have the ability to choose Jesus and the Christian faith.

Ah, but Calvinists say we do not have the ability to choose whether or not to accept the Christian gospel and place our faith in Jesus and his atoning sacrifice. Therefore only those singing, i.e., “we,” have been justified without our choosing. 

But what if there is an unbeliever in the assembly who sings this song; does he think the “we” includes him?

When you get right down to it, there really isn’t much difference in which word was used so there must have been a reason for Fanny to choose “all” and I believe it is there because of passages like these:

Ezra 8:22 – “everyone who looks to him”

Ps. 86:5 – “all who call to you”

Isa. 53:6 – “We all…have gone astray…laid on him the iniquity of us all”

Joel 2:32 - “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord”

Mark 16:15-16 – “all creation” and “whoever believes”

John 1:12 – “all who received him”

John 3:16-17 – “whoever believes” and “to save the world”

John 3:36 – “whoever believes”

John 5:24 – “whoever believes”

John 6:40 - "that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him"

John 6:47 – “he who believes”

John 7:37-38 – “If anyone is thirsty…Whoever believes”

John 11:26 - “and whoever lives and believes in me”

John 12:26 - “whoever serves me…My Father will honor the one who serves me”

John 20:31 – “by believing you may have life”

Acts 2:38 – “every one of you”

Acts 10:34-35 - “God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear Him”

Acts 10:43 – “everyone who believes”

Acts 13:38-39 - “I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified”

Acts 16:31 – “Believe…and you will be saved.”

Acts 17:30 – “all people everywhere”

Rom. 1:16 – “salvation of everyone who believes”

Rom. 3:22 - “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

Rom. 5:18 - “the free gift came to all men”

Rom. 10:4 - “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Rom. 10:9 – “If you confess…and believe”

Rom. 10:13 – “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord”

1 Cor. 1:21 – “those who believe”

1 Tim. 1:15 – Christ came to save “sinners” (re. Rom. 3:23 all have sinned)

1 Tim. 1:16 – “those who would believe”

1 Tim. 2:4-6 – “who wants all men to be saved”… “a ransom for all men”

Titus 2:11 - “For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men”

Heb. 2:9 - “might taste the death for everyone”

2 Pet. 3:9 – “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”

1 John 2:2 - “propitiation for…the whole world”

1 John 4:14 – “Savior of the world”

1 John 4:15 - "Whosoever shall confess"

1 John 5:1 – “Everyone who believes”

Rev. 22:17 – “whoever is thirsty” “whoever wishes”

The Calvinist says “all” means “all of the elect,” “everyone” means “everyone of the elect,”  “all creation” means “all of the elect of creation, and “whoever of the elect who believes,” ‘the world” means “the world of the elect,” etc.  They have to add to the passages to make them fit with their ideology!  

So “we” becomes more specific if the only people singing are Christians (i.e., “the elect).  I’d say it’s pretty “petty” to change a word because one is needed to be closer to Calvinism than the other one. Calvinism just says, “To hell with Fanny Crosby—she didn’t know what she was talking about!" On the other hand, I’d say, “If you don’t like her lyrics, don’t sing the song.”

Lord, With Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee

By Francis Scott Key (1817)

Lord with glowing heart I’d praise Thee,

For the bliss Thy love bestows,

For the pardoning grace that saves me,

And the peace that from it flows:

Help, O God, my weak endeavor;

This dull soul to rapture raise:

Thou must light the flame, or never

Can my love be warmed to praise.

Praise, my soul, the God that sought me,

Wretched wanderer, far astray;

Found me lost, and kindly brought me

From the paths of death away;

Praise, with love’s devoutest feeling,

Him Who saw my guilt-born fear,

And the light of hope revealing,

Bade the blood-stained cross appear.

Praise my Savior God that drew me

To that cross, new life to give,

Held a blood sealed pardon to me,

Bade me look to Him and live.

Praise the grace whose threats alarmed me,

Roused me from my fatal ease;

Praise the grace whose promise warmed me,

Praise the grace that whispered peace.

Lord, this bosom’s ardent feeling

Vainly would my lips express.

Low before Thy footstool kneeling,

Deign Thy suppliant’s prayer to bless:

Let Thy grace, my soul’s chief treasure,

Love’s pure flame within me raise;

And, since words can never measure,

Let my life show forth Thy praise.

Discerning Truth

Discerning truth in what we hear is often difficult. Unfortunately, Satan’s voice can be very soothing and plausible, with just enough “truth” to deceive us.  As we filter what we hear, our own self-serving inner voice can also override our objectivity. We have to remember that God normally speaks to us in a quiet voice that we must diligently seek to hear and to understand through our prayers, Scripture, and Christian friends.

Larkin Spivey, Battlefields & Blessings, pg.164

The Weaver

This poem was cited in a book I read; it is thought-provoking as well as accurate.

The Weaver

by Grant Colfax Tullar (1869-1950)

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colours
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

Another Thought-Provoking Agglomeration

This article is not about apologetics regarding false teachers but it is about apologetics in regards to human sexuality and God’s reason and meaning for it. This should be heeded by our culture.

Along with this teaching, we see that American Churches are Killing Christianity.

Of course, the next two items shows what happens when “Christian” organizations ignore God’s teaching on sexuality:

When a “Divinity” School proves it is not associated with the God of the Bible by claiming that God approves of sexual deviancy and perversion.

Wheaton College, which is supposedly a Christian institution, first went wrong by having a “School of Psychology Counseling and Family Therapy.” Psychology, after all, is totally unbiblical nonsense, as well as not being founded on anything bordering on science. Along with this “school” they have a subdivision titled “Sexual and Gender Identity Institute Research” which, I’m sure you can guess what this leads to. Nothing like bowing to the culture.

“Wokism” is the new religion of our culture. Those who are “woke” really need to hear the Gospel.

The Children of Men: Understanding the Human Origins of Heresy.

Let’s look at some false teachers and learn how discernment is necessary to avoid their traps.

Emma Stark is a false prophet in the New Apostolic Reformation.

Kat Kerr is about as bizarre as these false prophets come.

Here we have a “pastor” with false teachings about dreams while abusing the story of Joseph. Pay attention to how he twists the Bible to tell his lies.

Pope Francis is again preaching un-Christian clap-trap: he is essentially saying that we are all racists.

Francis Chan should be avoided, period.

Bethel Church continues to prove they are a cult with such ridiculous prophets as the one who claims Jesus came into her bedroom with a ring and asked her to marry him!

Bethel also has some outrageous claims with their false teachings on healing.

Christianity Today Astray has long employed false teachers in their editorial staff. Now they are trying to fit evolutionism with the Bible.

Lastly, how about we learn Unwinding False Teaching?