Elder Jeremy Sarber On Hyper Calvinism

Elder Jeremy Sarber, former "Primitive Baptist" pastor, with whom we had the privilege of helping him to see the errors of Hardshellism, is doing some good preaching and writing. Though once a North Carolina resident, he now resides in Indiana. You can find a link to his blog writings in a link on this web page. He is an excellent writer and bible teacher. He was also once a contributor to this blog and I consider him a close friend though we have never met in person. 

In a recent e-mail of one of his writings he says (highlighting mine):

"A recent conversation about some of the differences between Calvinism and Hyper-Calvinism motivated me to pull Iain Murray’s book, Spurgeon V. Hyper-Calvinism: The Battle For Gospel Preaching, off my shelf and re-read it. I finished it in only two days.

I still remember the first time I read it. I believe it was in 2015, maybe 2016, as my tenure as pastor of a Hyper-Calvinist church was coming to an end. I no longer agreed with the doctrinal traditions of the church, and I was struggling more and more to preach what I believe is biblical without upsetting the church and causing division. I sensed my time as their pastor was coming to a close. Though I was upset about it—I loved the church and wanted to stay with them—I found a lot of encouragement in Murray’s book."

The Hyper church he means is a Hardshell church.

"Ironically enough, I learned about the book only because a Hyper-Calvinist preacher recommended it to me. Looking back, I’m still unclear why he suggested I should read it. My best guess is that he believed I would see errors in Spurgeon’s arguments against Hyper-Calvinism, but instead, my soul was refreshed to read his quotes. Here’s a man who understands the flaws and dangers of Hyper-Calvinism, I thought. Here’s a man who not only faced criticism from his Hyper-Calvinist brothers, but also thrived through the controversy."

"The entire history of the controversy is fascinating to me because, to some degree anyhow, I feel as though I’ve lived through it. On a much, much smaller scale, I feel as though I’ve walked in Spurgeon’s footsteps. I’ve had to move against tradition and suffer both public and private criticism from fellow pastors as a result."

I too have lived through it. So too has Elder Fralick. So too has Elder Emmons. So too have other Hardshell preachers who we have helped to come out of the Hardshell cult.

"Perhaps you can understand why the book was an encouragement to me six or seven years ago."

After saying these things, under the sub title "Overemphasis on election" brother Sarber writes the following good things. 

"Two points in the debate stood out to me when I first read Murray’s book. The first was Spurgeon’s critique of the Hyper-Calvinist’s mishandling of the doctrine of election. I don’t have the book in front of me, so I can’t cite it, but I certainly remember the thrust of Spurgeon’s argument. He argued that the doctrine of election was meant to be understood by someone only after his conversion to Christ. In other words, election is taught to be a comfort to believers."

Well, a hearty amen to that brother Sarber! I am glad also that you are putting that new focus into practical work! I believe in unconditional election, and in the absolute predestination of all things, but I do not make these the focus of my preaching and teaching. Spurgeon is a good model for us Calvinists.

"Unfortunately, Hyper-Calvinists tend to place the doctrine of election at the front and center of their preaching and thinking. It becomes the emphasis of everything they believe, teach, and even practice. They are constantly thinking in terms of God choosing some for salvation and not others. While that is absolutely true, first of all, election is not where gospel preaching starts. Just observe the preaching of Christ and his apostles to the masses. Yes, they taught election, but it was never the first thing."

Again, amen and amen!

"Second, though the doctrine of election is true and biblical, it should not stifle our evangelism. Frankly, we don’t know everyone whom God has chosen, and we’re not supposed to. We are commanded to preach the gospel. We are commanded to call sinners to repent. We are commanded to evangelize indiscriminately. We are commanded to “preach the gospel to every creature,” as Spurgeon liked to say (Mk 16:15 KJV)."

Amen! That is right!

"This kind of zealous, indiscriminate evangelism doesn’t happen among Hyper-Calvinists. You won’t hear apostolic gospel preaching from them. You won’t hear them call unbelievers to repent and turn back, that their sins may be blotted out, as Peter did (Ac 3:19). That sounds almost Arminian."

This makes me think of Brother Bob Ross and his booklet "The Killing Effects of Hyper-Calvinism." It is a very good read and he too was a lover of C.H. Spurgeon. He was a leading publisher of Spurgeon's works.

"Instead, Hyper-Calvinists narrow their focus on the doctrine of election to such a degree that they essentially reverse the Great Commission in their minds. Rather than Christ telling the church to go and make disciples, they believe the church should wait for sinners to come to them (Mt 28:19). After all, the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God (1Co 2:14). Consciously or not, they wait to see some evidence of God’s work in a person’s heart before they make any effort to evangelize, but that’s not an idea that comes from any plain teaching of Scripture. In fact, it contradicts the most plain teachings of Scripture.

For "evangelize" we should probably use the word "proselytize"! As for their "effort" to evangelize, one of their first labels, besides "Hardshell," was "anti effort" Baptists, and also "do nothings." 

Under the sub heading "Underestimating God’s love" brother Sarber said these things.

"The second issue in Murray’s book that resonated with me years ago was the matter of God’s love for sinners. This is another area where the Hyper-Calvinist’s overemphasis on election leads to misunderstandings—in this case, a misunderstanding about God’s very nature."

I agree and I have written on the grievous error of the Hypers and Hardshells who deny that God has any love for the non elect. God does love all men, but he especially loves his chosen bride. Did not Christ keep the commandment which says "love your neighbor as yourself"? Will the Hyperist deny that Christ loved all men, all his neighbors, even his enemies?

“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” is a verse that continually runs through the Hyper-Calvinist’s mind (Ro 9:13). In turn, he thinks of God’s affections and compassion in black-and-white terms. God either loves or hates. He cannot possibly feel something in between, which defies our own experiences as his image-bearers. While we, too, can either love or hate, we also feel degrees of both love and hate. I have friends I love, but I don’t love them to the same degree I love my wife or children. I believe God can love in different degrees as well."

That is right. Amen.

"Re-reading Spurgeon V. Hyper-Calvinism has stirred a lot of emotions from the past, but animosity isn’t one of them. Sincerely, I have tremendous love and respect for my Hyper-Calvinist brothers and sisters. Nothing I’ve said here comes from a spirit of bitterness or resentment. Like Spurgeon, I wish they could see the truth of God more clearly, but I still appreciate the truth they do profess and defend."

The same with me brother! My whole ministry towards the Hardshells has been out of love and concern for their standing with God. I used to be a Hardshell Hyper Calvinist. But, like you, came to see how they had become a cult and had serious errors. You can read brother Sarber's article in full at his web site here:

https://jeremysarber.com/spurgeon-versus-hyper-calvinism

He also has lots of good articles and transcripts of his teaching lessons (sermons) available.