Peggy made an interesting comment on my last post (Salvation According to Calvinism – in Memes) that is directly related to a few videos I had planned to share at some point. Since she raised the topic, I decided to go ahead and put these in a post. Here is what she said:

I have a theory that most prominent Calvinists today have never spent any time “wandering in the wilderness”, and so they have never developed a close dependence on God. It shows in their lack of compassion to people who are struggling, who they assume to be lacking in election or in works.

Biblically, there are numerous examples of people with spiritually significant wilderness experiences: Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Elijah, Joseph, David, Jonah, Daniel, John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, those referred to in Hebrews 11:38….

I think there is something to this. When I replied to her comment, I also linked to a video about the types of people attracted to Calvinism which you can see here: Personality Types Drawn to Calvinism.

So let’s look at the two videos I saved to share. 

WARNING: This May Be The CRINGIEST Video You Watch About Calvinism 

The first one has a title that might sound a bit click-baity and over the top. Watch this video and see if you still think that afterwards. 

How do I know if I am saved? | John MacArthur

Next up we have this one. My heart breaks for this woman. 

There is so much that could be said about MacArthur’s answer. The part about her name at the start is just icky. He doesn’t really answer her specific questions. 

All of his answers are based on her feelings, her desires, etc. Nothing about the certainty of God’s word and Jesus’ sacrifice. Why in the world would we tell someone to rely on their feelings? How is this biblical? 

I’ve written recently about the destructiveness of these doctrines in The Destructive Teachings of Lordship Salvation and the Perseverance of the Saints. Here we see it being lived out in real life. The poor woman is clearly emotionally wrecked by these doubts and thoughts. 

The Damage of Lordship Salvation w/ John MacArthur

Here is a short response video that I thought encapsulated why MacArthur’s Calvinistic answer is so sad and lacking. After you watch it, click over and read the comments on YouTube. This teaching is so destructive. It is heart-breaking to see how many people are tormented by these doctrines.