Ed Bulkley Warns Calvinists Not To Believe OSAS

On his radio show yesterday, Dr. Ed Bulkley demonstrated his misunderstanding of the Calvinist doctrine of Perseverance, by saying:
"Don't hold onto this idea of once saved always saved, regardless if you're a Calvinist or not. Some of you are six point Calvinists. You don't understand that Calvin only had five points to begin with. But let me tell you something, you need to understand that if God says 'watch out!' - you better watch out! But you say 'but I'm saved and I'm going to go to heaven no matter what I do' - that's anarchy!". Lets examine this misunderstanding, and see where Dr. Bulkley has gone off the tracks with it.

For those of you who don't know, Ed Bulkley is a Biblical Counseling advocate, and pastor of LIFE Fellowship Family Bible Church in Denver, Colorado; his website is ReturnToTheWord.org. If you are interested, you may listen to the section of his radio program in which he made the statement above
(2 minutes - MP3):

CLICK HERE TO PLAY NOW . . . or to download this MP3 file for later: right click the link and then "save target as"

There are many times where it's clear that someone is trying to demonize or misrepresent Calvinism. I think in Dr. Bulkley's case however, he has simply misunderstood the eternal security aspect of Calvinism. Here's a review:

"You don't understand that Calvin only had five points":

Actually, Calvin had no points at all!

The five points of Calvinism (aka: the TULIP) were systematized in the next century, well after Calvin's death. The five points were a response to an opposite set of points developed by the Arminians of the day.

"Don't hold onto this idea of once saved always saved,
regardless if you're a Calvinist":

Dr. Bulkley is making the common mistake of confusing Calvinism's doctrine of Perseverance of The Saints with the belief often held in Arminian circles called "once saved always saved". Dr. C. Matthew McMahon
from A Puritan's Mind website explains:

There are common misconceptions about the doctrine
of The Perseverance of the Saints. This doctrine does not mean "once saved always saved". This corruption of the doctrine has been popular in recent years, but has never been a true representation of the doctrine.

"but I'm saved and I'm going to go to heaven no matter what I do"

Dr. C. Matthew McMahon continues, and explains why the concern above is not a realistic characterization of the beliefs of a Calvinist:

"Once saved always saved" is more keenly given the name "Perseverance of the Sinner" instead of "the saint" for it teaches that man can be saved by Christ and then sin habitually, do whatever he wants, and still "persevere to the end". It is often used as an excuse and caricature of [Calvinism] because such a teaching does in fact bring reproach on those who would believe it. The Bible does not say that a man can be a Christian and may never change. To say that one is eternally secure and that such a man may still sin any way is a false misrepresentation of the doctrine as a whole. Perseverance of The Saints teaches that once God has renewed the heart of a sinner through the application of the redemption wrought by Christ upon the cross, He will continue to be saved and show forth the fruits of that salvation. The sinner perseveres because of Christ, but he continually shows himself as one who has been changed by Christ. God has saved the individual and will sanctify him until the end when he is ultimately glorified, and in heaven. It does not mean man has a license to sin. [read more]

Whereas I realize that Dr. Bulkley has likely made a mistake out of ignorance of Calvinism, I'm certain that he also has a sense of responsibility for accurately representing the topics, people, and beliefs that he discusses on his radio program. I've emailed this article to his ministry, and have invited them to respond below and make a correction on the air.

I happen to know of Calvinists who are listeners and supporters of his program, and I'm sure that Dr. Bulkley does not want to misrepresent their beliefs, or to portray their beliefs as somehow harmful or dangerous.