The Closet Calvinist Podcast

Bonus Episode 7 Title: If Election Is True… How Do I Know I’m One of the Elect? In this bonus episode of The Closet Calvinist Podcast , we tackle a deeply personal and often troubling question: 👉 If election is true, how can I know if I’m one of the elect? Rather than speculating about God’s hidden will, Scripture directs us to look somewhere far more certain— to Christ Himself . This episode wal...

Episode 20: The Five Solas — The Gospel Recovered Episode Focus: The Five Solas of the Reformation, the biblical gospel Audience: Christians seeking clarity on how Scripture summarizes salvation and God’s glory In Episode 20, we step back from the Five Points of Calvinism to examine something even more foundational: the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation . The Five Solas are not slogans inve...

Bonus episode 6 Title: Is Sola Scriptura Bibliolatry? What Sola Scriptura actually teaches The definition of bibliolatry Scripture as God’s Word Jesus’ use of Scripture as final authority The danger of elevating tradition The Reformation defense of Scripture 2 Timothy 3:16–17 John 17:17 Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 Mark 7:6–13 Acts 17:11 Martin Luther John Calvin John Owen Charles Spurgeon George Whitefield...

Episode 19 (Part 5 of 5): P — Perseverance of the Saints Series: The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) Episode Focus: Assurance, God’s preserving grace, the security of the believer Audience: Christians asking whether salvation can be lost In Episode 19, we conclude our five-part series on the Five Points of Calvinism by examining P — Perseverance of the Saints . This doctrine teaches that those wh...

🎙️ The Closet Calvinist Podcast Episode 18 (Part 4 of 5): I — Irresistible Grace Series: The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) Episode Focus: Effectual calling, regeneration, God’s sovereign grace Audience: Christians seeking biblical clarity on how salvation is applied In Episode 18, we continue our five-part series on the Five Points of Calvinism , focusing on I — Irresistible Grace , often calle...

Episode 17 (Part 3 of 5): L — Limited (Definite) Atonement Series: The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) Episode Focus: The intent and effectiveness of Christ’s atoning work Audience: Christians wrestling with what Christ actually accomplished on the cross In Episode 17, we continue our five-part TULIP series by addressing one of the most debated doctrines in Reformed theology: Limited (or Definite...

Bonus Episode 5 — Why I Am NOT a Hyper-Calvinist! A Biblical Balance of Sovereignty and Responsibility Description What is hyper-Calvinism—and how is it different from biblical Calvinism? In this bonus episode, we address a common misconception: that believing in God’s sovereignty in salvation means denying evangelism, invitations, or human responsibility. Scripture teaches no such thing. While th...

Episode 16 (Part 2 of 5): U — Unconditional Election Series: The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) Episode Focus: God’s sovereign choice, grace apart from merit, assurance Audience: Christians seeking a biblical understanding of election In Episode 16, we continue our five-part series on the Five Points of Calvinism , focusing on U — Unconditional Election . Unconditional election teaches that God...

Bonus Episode 4 — Nietzsche, Unbelief, and Total Depravity How Friedrich Nietzsche’s Quote Reflects the Biblical Teaching of John 3:19 (Scripture: ESV) Description The atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote: “It is our preference that decides against Christianity, not arguments.” Though Nietzsche intended this as a critique of Christianity, his observation unintentionally reflects a pr...

Episode 15: T — Total Depravity - (Part 1 of 5) Series: The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) Episode Focus: Total depravity, human inability, the necessity of grace Audience: Christians seeking a biblical understanding of humanity’s condition apart from grace In Episode 15, we begin a five-part series examining the Five Points of Calvinism , starting with the foundational doctrine of Total Depravi...

Episode 14: “Flesh and Blood Did Not Reveal This” — Peter’s Confession and Total Depravity Episode Focus: Total depravity, divine revelation, saving knowledge of Christ Primary Text: Matthew 16:13–17 (ESV) Audience: Christians seeking biblical clarity on how anyone comes to saving faith in Christ In Matthew 16 , Peter makes one of the most profound confessions in all of Scripture: “You are the Chr...

Bonus Episode — Acts 13:48 How Do Non-Calvinists Explain This Verse? Description Acts 13:48 is one of the clearest verses in the New Testament regarding the relationship between divine sovereignty and human belief. After Paul and Barnabas preach the gospel to the Gentiles in Antioch, Luke records a striking statement: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” For many Calvinists, this...

Episode 13: Acts 13:48 — “As Many as Were Appointed” and the Doctrine of Election Episode Focus: Election, God’s sovereignty, faith as the result of God’s appointment Primary Text: Acts 13:48 (ESV) Audience: Christians examining whether the Bible explicitly teaches election Acts 13:48 is one of the clearest and most direct statements in Scripture regarding the doctrine of election: “And as many as...

🎙️ The Closet Calvinist Podcast Episode 12: Ephesians 2:8–10 — Grace, Faith, and the Doctrine of Election Episode Length: ~50–60 minutes Episode Focus: Election, grace, faith as a gift, God’s initiative in salvation Primary Text: Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV) Audience: Christians seeking biblical clarity on election and salvation by grace Ephesians 2:8–10 is one of the most quoted passages in all of Scri...

The Closet Calvinist Podcast Episode 11: “The Master Who Bought Them” — Does 2 Peter 2:1 Refute Limited Atonement? Episode Focus: Limited (Definite) Atonement, election, false teachers, covenant language Primary Text: 2 Peter 2:1 (ESV) Audience: Christians wrestling with objections to Calvinism from 2 Peter 2:1 One of the most frequently cited verses against the doctrines of limited atonement and...

Episode 10: Why This Debate Matters! Episode Focus: Theology, assurance, evangelism, worship, pastoral care Audience: Christians wondering why the Calvinism–Arminianism debate matters in real life After examining doctrines such as election, free will, grace, evangelism, and assurance, a natural question arises: Why does this debate matter at all? In Episode 10 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast , we...

Bonus Episode In this bonus episode, we address a question that provokes strong reactions among Christians: Why is Calvinism so deeply disliked—even among believers? The answer is not primarily emotional, cultural, or historical. It is theological . Calvinism is resisted because it teaches that salvation is governed entirely by God’s sovereignty , not human autonomy. This episode explores why that...

Episode 9: Arminian Counter-Arguments — and Calvinist Responses from Scripture Episode Focus: Arminian objections, Calvinist responses, biblical theology Audience: Christians seeking clarity on the Calvinism–Arminianism debate In this episode, we address several of the most common Arminian objections to Calvinism and examine how Calvinism responds—not with philosophy or speculation—but with Script...

Episode Focus: Pride vs. humility, grace, election, boasting, worship Audience: Christians who believe Calvinism leads to arrogance or elitism One of the most common relational criticisms of Calvinism is that it produces pride. Some argue that believing God chose you inevitably leads to arrogance or spiritual superiority. In Episode 8 of The Closet Calvinist Podcast , we examine this claim in the...

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 E...

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 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 o...

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 C...

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 disconnec...

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 ,...