Episode Focus: The gospel invitation, human will, God’s sovereignty
Audience: Christians who believe “whosoever will” contradicts Calvinism

One of the most frequently raised objections to Calvinism is the appeal to verses that say “whoever believes” or “whosoever will may come.” Many Christians assume these passages contradict the doctrines of grace—especially election and irresistible grace.

In Episode 7 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast, we examine what Scripture actually means by “whosoever will.” By letting the Bible interpret itself, we show that the universal gospel invitation and God’s sovereign grace are not in conflict, but work together in God’s plan of salvation.

Do passages that say “whoever believes”:

• Teach that human will is the decisive factor in salvation?
  Or

• Affirm a universal gospel invitation that only God’s grace enables sinners to accept?

• Where the phrase “whosoever will” appears in Scripture

• The difference between the gospel invitation and human ability

• Why Scripture says no one seeks God apart from grace

• How God makes sinners willing to come to Christ

• How divine sovereignty and human responsibility coexist

• John 3:16 — Whoever believes will have eternal life

• Revelation 22:17 — Let the one who desires take the water of life

• Isaiah 55:1 — Come, everyone who thirsts

• Matthew 11:28 — Come to Me, all who labor

• Romans 3:10–11 — No one seeks for God

• John 6:44 — No one can come unless the Father draws him

• John 8:34 — Slaves to sin

• Romans 8:7 — The flesh does not submit to God

• John 6:37 — All the Father gives will come

• Ezekiel 36:26 — God gives a new heart

• John 3:3–8 — Born again by the Spirit

• Acts 16:14 — The Lord opened Lydia’s heart

• Philippians 2:13 — God works in us to will and to act

• John 6:37 — Whoever comes will not be cast out

• Romans 9:16 — Salvation depends on God’s mercy

• Acts 17:30 — God commands all people everywhere to repent

“Whosoever will” does not contradict Calvinism.

Scripture teaches that:

• The gospel invitation is genuine and universal

• Anyone who comes to Christ will be saved

• The reason anyone wills to come is because God first works in the heart

Grace does not close the door to sinners—it opens blind eyes so they willingly walk through it.

Episode Summary

In this supplemental episode, we address a common objection to the doctrine of Irresistible Grace by comparing two encounters with Jesus: the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus the tax collector. Both men encountered Christ, but only one experienced saving grace. Scripture reveals that the difference lies not in human willingness, but in God’s sovereign, effectual call.

• Luke 18:18–23 – The Rich Young Ruler

• Luke 19:1–10 – Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

• John 6:37

• John 6:44

• John 6:65

• Ezekiel 36:26–27

• Romans 8:7–8

• Ephesians 2:1–5

• 1 Corinthians 1:23–24

• External call vs. effectual call

• Human inability and spiritual bondage

• Christ’s sovereign initiative in salvation

• Grace that transforms the heart

• Salvation as mercy, not obligation

“Irresistible Grace does not mean no one resists God—it means no one resists God when He gives a new heart.”

The Closet Calvinist Podcast

Episode 6: Is Calvinism Fair? What About God’s Justice?

Episode Focus: God’s justice, fairness, mercy, grace, election
Audience: Christians wrestling with questions of fairness and divine sovereignty

One of the most emotionally charged objections to Calvinism is the question of fairness. Many people ask whether it is just for God to choose some for salvation and not others, and whether election makes God unjust.

In Episode 6 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast, we examine what Scripture actually teaches about fairness, justice, and mercy. Rather than asking whether Calvinism is fair by human standards, this episode asks a deeper biblical question: What do sinners truly deserve—and what does grace really mean?

Is Calvinism:

• Unfair and unjust?
  Or

• A biblical explanation of God’s mercy toward undeserving sinners?

• How modern ideas of “fairness” differ from biblical justice

• Why Scripture never describes salvation as something God owes

• Paul’s direct response to the fairness objection in Romans 9

• Why mercy, by definition, cannot be demanded

• The difference between justice and grace

• How God’s justice and mercy meet perfectly at the cross

• Deuteronomy 32:4 — All God’s ways are just

• Psalm 89:14 — Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne

• Romans 9:14 — “Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!”

• Romans 3:10–12 — No one is righteous

• Romans 3:23 — All have sinned

• Romans 6:23 — The wages of sin is death

• Exodus 33:19 — God has mercy on whom He has mercy

• Romans 9:15–16 — Mercy depends on God, not human will or effort

• Ephesians 2:8–9 — Salvation by grace, not works

• Matthew 20:1–15 — The parable of the laborers in the vineyard

• Job 41:11 — Who has a claim against God?

• Isaiah 55:8–9 — God’s ways higher than human ways

• Romans 3:24–26 — God is just and the justifier

• Isaiah 53:5–6 — Christ bears the punishment for sinners

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 — Christ was made sin for us

Calvinism is unfair.

If God were fair, every sinner would receive judgment. The wonder of the gospel is not that God does not save everyone—but that He saves anyone at all.

Grace is not something God owes.
Mercy is not something sinners deserve.
Salvation is a gift—freely given and sovereignly bestowed.

Episode Focus: Free will, human responsibility, God’s sovereignty, saving grace
Audience: Christians concerned that Calvinism denies human choice or turns people into “robots”

One of the most common objections to Calvinism is the claim that it destroys human free will. Critics often argue that if God sovereignly saves, then human choices must be meaningless or coerced.

In Episode 5 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast, we examine what Scripture actually teaches about human responsibility, the condition of the will, and God’s sovereign grace. Rather than denying free will, biblical Calvinism explains why the human will needs to be freed by grace in order to truly choose Christ.

Does Calvinism:

• Deny human free will and moral responsibility?
  Or

• Teach a biblical understanding of the will that explains humanity’s need for grace?

• How the Bible speaks about human choice and responsibility

• Why Scripture does not describe the will as morally neutral

• The effects of sin on human desires and decision-making

• How God’s sovereignty and human responsibility coexist

• Why regeneration precedes faith

• True freedom as Scripture defines it

• Deuteronomy 30:19 — “Choose life”

• Joshua 24:15 — “Choose this day whom you will serve”

• Acts 17:30 — God commands all people everywhere to repent

• Romans 10:9–10 — Call to believe and confess Christ

• Jeremiah 17:9 — The heart is deceitful

• John 8:34 — Everyone who sins is a slave to sin

• Romans 8:7–8 — The flesh does not submit to God

• Ephesians 2:1–3 — Dead in trespasses and sins

• Proverbs 16:9 — Man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps

• Proverbs 19:21 — The Lord’s purpose prevails

• Genesis 50:20 — Human intent and God’s intent

• Acts 2:23 — Christ crucified by God’s plan and human hands

• John 1:12–13 — Born of God, not of human will

• John 3:3–8 — Born again by the Spirit

• Ezekiel 36:26–27 — God gives a new heart

• Acts 16:14 — The Lord opens Lydia’s heart

• John 8:36 — If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed

• Romans 6:17–18 — Freed from sin, enslaved to righteousness

• Galatians 5:1 — Christ has set us free

Calvinism does not destroy free will.

Scripture teaches that people choose freely according to their nature—and apart from Christ, that nature is enslaved to sin. God’s grace does not violate the will; it liberates it.

True freedom is not the ability to choose anything we want.
True freedom is the ability to choose Christ.

The Closet Calvinist Podcast Episode 4: Is Calvinism Cold—or Is It Deeply Pastoral?

Episode Focus: Pastoral theology, assurance, God’s character, comfort in suffering
Audience: Christians concerned that Calvinism feels harsh, cold, or impersonal

One of the most common criticisms of Calvinism is not theological—it’s emotional. Many people say the doctrines of grace feel cold, abstract, or disconnected from real-life struggles.

In Episode 4 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast, we examine whether that perception is biblical. By looking closely at Scripture, we ask whether Calvinism actually distances believers from God—or whether it provides some of the deepest pastoral comfort found in the Bible.

Is Calvinism:

• A cold, mechanical system that minimizes compassion and care?
  Or

• A deeply pastoral theology that offers assurance, comfort, and hope to weak and suffering believers?

• Why Calvinism is often perceived as emotionally cold

• The difference between caricatures of Calvinism and biblical doctrine

• God’s sovereignty as a source of comfort rather than fear

• The pastoral heart of Jesus toward sinners and sufferers

• Assurance of salvation grounded in God’s faithfulness, not human strength

• Why the doctrines of grace matter most in seasons of doubt, weakness, and suffering

• Psalm 103:13–14 — The Lord’s compassion toward His children

• Isaiah 46:3–4 — God carries His people from beginning to end

• Lamentations 3:31–33 — God does not afflict from the heart

• Matthew 11:28–30 — Christ invites the weary to find rest

• John 10:11 — The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep

• John 10:27–29 — Christ keeps His sheep secure

• Luke 15:4–7 — The shepherd seeks the lost sheep

• Romans 8:1 — No condemnation for those in Christ

• Romans 8:28–39 — God’s purposes and inseparable love

• Philippians 1:6 — God completes the work He begins

• 1 Peter 1:3–5 — Believers are kept by God’s power

• 2 Corinthians 12:9 — God’s grace is sufficient in weakness

• Hebrews 4:15–16 — Christ sympathizes with our weaknesses

• Isaiah 42:3 — A bruised reed He will not break

• Ezekiel 36:26 — God gives a new heart

• John 6:37 — Christ will never cast out those who come to Him

• Jude 24–25 — God keeps His people from stumbling

Calvinism is not cold.

When rightly understood, the doctrines of grace are profoundly pastoral. They offer assurance to doubting believers, comfort to the suffering, humility to the proud, and hope to those who know their need for grace.

Rather than placing the weight of salvation on human strength, Calvinism directs weary sinners to a faithful God who saves, keeps, and carries His people from beginning to end.

Episode Focus: Evangelism, missions, God’s sovereignty, the Great Commission
Audience: Christians concerned that Calvinism undermines evangelism

One of the most common criticisms of Calvinism is the claim that belief in God’s sovereign election makes evangelism unnecessary. If God has already determined who will be saved, why preach the gospel at all?

In Episode 3 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast, we examine this objection in light of Scripture. Rather than discouraging evangelism, biblical Calvinism teaches that God saves His people through the proclamation of the gospel—making evangelism not optional, but essential.

Does belief in God’s sovereignty:

• Remove the need for evangelism?
  Or

• Provide confidence and hope in gospel proclamation?

• Christ’s clear command to evangelize

• God’s use of means to accomplish salvation

• Jesus’ own evangelistic ministry

• Paul’s theology of election and missionary zeal

• The distinction between biblical Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism

• Why God’s sovereignty strengthens evangelistic confidence

• Matthew 28:18–20 — The Great Commission

• Mark 16:15 — Proclaim the gospel to all creation

• Acts 1:8 — Witnesses to the ends of the earth

• Romans 10:14–17 — Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ

• 1 Corinthians 1:21 — God saves through the preaching of the gospel

• John 6:37 — All given by the Father will come to Christ

• John 6:40 — Everyone who believes will have eternal life

• Luke 19:41 — Jesus weeps over Jerusalem

• Mark 1:15 — Call to repentance and faith

• Romans 9:16 — Salvation depends on God’s mercy

• Romans 10:1 — Paul’s desire and prayer for the lost

• Acts 18:9–10 — God has many people yet to be saved

• 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 — God gives the growth

• 2 Corinthians 4:6 — God opens blind hearts to see Christ

• Ezekiel 36:26 — God gives new hearts

• Acts 17:30 — God commands all people everywhere to repent

• 2 Peter 3:9 — God’s patience toward sinners

Calvinism does not kill evangelism.

Biblical Calvinism teaches that:

• God sovereignly saves

• The gospel must be preached

• Evangelism is the ordained means by which God calls His people

We evangelize because Christ commands it, sinners need it, and God uses it.

The confidence of evangelism does not rest in human persuasion—but in God’s power.

Episode 2: Is Calvinism Biblical—or Just John Calvin?

Episode Focus: Church history, biblical theology, Reformation theology
Audience: Evangelicals, Reformed-curious listeners, Calvinism skeptics

One of the most common objections to Calvinism is not theological, but personal:
“I don’t follow Calvin—I follow Jesus.”

In Episode 2 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast, we examine whether Calvinism is simply the theology of one man, or whether it represents biblical truths taught long before John Calvin ever lived. This episode traces the doctrines of grace back to Scripture itself, showing that Calvinism rises or falls not on Calvin’s authority—but on the Bible.

Is Calvinism:

• A man-made theological system created by John Calvin?
  Or

• A biblical framework drawn directly from Scripture and affirmed throughout church history?

• Who John Calvin really was—and what he did not claim

• Why Calvin never called his theology “Calvinism”

• The role of the Protestant Reformation in recovering biblical doctrine

• How Scripture—not theologians—must govern doctrine

• Why rejecting doctrines because of a label is spiritually dangerous

• Romans 9:15–16 — Salvation depends on God’s mercy, not human will

• John 6:37, 44 — The Father gives a people to the Son

• Ephesians 1:4–5 — Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world

• Ephesians 2:8–9 — Salvation by grace, not works

• Acts 13:48 — As many as were appointed to eternal life believed

• Augustine (4th–5th century) taught doctrines of grace long before Calvin

• The Reformation recovered biblical teaching; it did not invent it

• Calvinism is a label applied later to summarize biblical convictions

Calvinism is not about allegiance to John Calvin.
It is about submission to Scripture.

You don’t need to adopt the label “Calvinist” to believe these doctrines—but you shouldn’t reject biblical truth simply because of the label.

The ultimate question is not:
“Do I like Calvinism?”
but rather:
“Does the Bible teach these things?”

Episode Overview

Many Christians reject the label Calvinist while affirming biblical truths that align closely with Reformed theology. In this first episode of The Closet Calvinist Podcast, we walk through the TULIP acronym and examine how Scripture itself teaches these doctrines of grace.

The goal of this episode is not debate—but biblical clarity. As each doctrine is explained, listeners are encouraged to ask an honest question: Do I already believe this?

T — Total Depravity

What it teaches:

Because of the fall, sin affects every part of human nature—mind, will, and heart. Apart from God’s grace, no one seeks Him or can come to Christ on their own.

Key Scripture References:

Romans 3:10–12 – “None is righteous… no one seeks for God.”

Ephesians 2:1–3 – “You were dead in the trespasses and sins…”

Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things…”

John 6:44 – “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”

Closet Calvinist Question:

Do you believe sinners are spiritually dead and need God to act first?

U — Unconditional Election

What it teaches:

God’s choice to save sinners is based on His grace and purpose—not on human merit, works, or foreseen faith.

Key Scripture References:

Ephesians 1:4–5 – Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world

Romans 9:15–16 – Salvation depends on God’s mercy, not human will

John 15:16 – “You did not choose Me, but I chose you”

2 Timothy 1:9 – Saved by grace, not because of our works

Closet Calvinist Question:

Was God’s choice to save you based on who He is—or who you are?

L — Limited (Definite) Atonement

What it teaches:

Christ’s atoning work was fully effective and accomplished salvation for His people. Jesus did not merely make salvation possible—He secured it.

Key Scripture References:

Matthew 1:21 – “He will save His people from their sins”

John 10:11, 15 – The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep

Ephesians 5:25 – Christ gave Himself up for the church

Isaiah 53:11 – “By His knowledge shall the righteous one… make many to be accounted righteous”

Closet Calvinist Question:

Did Jesus actually save you—or only make salvation possible?

I — Irresistible Grace

What it teaches:

When God calls a sinner to salvation, He changes the heart so that the sinner willingly comes to Christ. God’s grace overcomes resistance by transforming the will.

Key Scripture References:

Ezekiel 36:26–27 – God gives a new heart and new spirit

John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me”

Acts 16:14 – The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to believe

2 Corinthians 4:6 – God shines light into dark hearts

Closet Calvinist Question:

Did God open your eyes and heart to see Christ as beautiful and true?

P — Perseverance of the Saints

What it teaches:

Those whom God saves, He preserves. True believers will persevere in faith because God is faithful to finish His work.

Key Scripture References:

John 10:28–29 – No one can snatch Christ’s sheep from His hand

Philippians 1:6 – God will complete the work He began

Romans 8:30 – Those justified will also be glorified

1 Peter 1:3–5 – Believers are kept by God’s power

Closet Calvinist Question:

Is your salvation secure because of God’s faithfulness—or your own?

Episode Takeaway

If salvation is initiated by God, accomplished by Christ, applied by the Spirit, and secured forever, then many Christians already believe the doctrines summarized by TULIP—even if they reject the label Calvinism.

The question is not “Do I like Calvinism?”
The question is “Does Scripture teach these things?”