Blake Long

When I came to saving faith, I began to devour books on Christianity. Some were good, others were not. But I quickly found myself, by God’s grace, learning from the likes of John Piper, John MacArthur, RC Sproul, Matt Chandler, et al. I was saturating myself with strong biblical teaching from men who made it their mission to be about the Bible.

As I continued learning, eventually I noticed that I was a Calvinist. During that time, I wore the label like I was playing a game of Heads Up! I vociferously watched every video about the doctrines of grace and read many, many books and articles. In too many scenarios, I would be more concerned about talking TULIP than talking, in general, about Jesus and the Bible.

For a decent amount of time, I was in the “cage stage” of Calvinism. Not only was I rough around the edges regarding how I spoke to people about theology, but I cared more, in a sense, about converting someone to Calvinism than to the historic Christian faith as a whole. Arguing about limited atonement thrilled me more than just talking about discipleship or other important things. Any theological conversation had to eventually end up about the doctrines of grace.

I must’ve been exhausting for some people.

As I’ve matured (by the Spirit) as a Christian, I’ve come to a more balanced position. Without reservation, I firmly believe in the doctrines of grace, and, when appropriate, I will defend them. There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s good to have strong convictions. And even though I’ve always believed that one doesn’t have to affirm Calvinism to be a Christian (duh), I’ve finally learned to practice that on a daily basis.

What I am most concerned about these days is not whether someone holds to the doctrines of grace, but whether said person is about the Bible. Would I love for someone to believe in Reformed theology? Absolutely. But it’s not a hill to die on.

The most important thing is for someone to be about the Bible. This by itself can be tricky because there are many progressive “Christians” who claim to be about the Bible, but then interpret Scripture in an unorthodox manner. That’s not being about the Bible. Being about the Bible means believing, and holding firmly to, the historic central tenets of the Christian faith. Don’t be too concerned about whether someone is a Calvinist, but be more concerned about them loving Jesus, loving the Bible, and being plugged into a biblical church.

Again, don’t get me wrong: I have strong convictions in Reformed theology and believe it to be true. I believe Reformed theology glorifies the Lord. I will still have passionate discussions with others about these doctrines if appropriate and worthwhile. But I am saying—I am advocating—for us to be more passionate about someone being discipled, for example, than for someone simply knowing TULIP.

Let me provide more here, because I fear some will say I’m creating a false dichotomy. I don’t believe so, contextually speaking. If you’re plugged into a church that is solid and grounded in Scripture—and happens to be Calvinistic—praise God! I love that. Talk about Reformed theology and your discipleship—and everything in between—with joy in your hearts!

What I am cautioning against is this: going out of your way, time and time again, to be an absolute pest about if someone does or does not believe in Reformed theology. If they do—great! If they don’t—no worries! It’s certainly fine to explore that conversation further with grace and love, but don’t be too concerned if a person just doesn’t hold that position. It’s okay that they’re wrong. 😉

In the end, we just need to be about the Bible.