I Chose Jesus and I’m Proud of It?

“I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, "You are mine, and you shall be mine. I claim you for myself." My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Free Will – A Slave by C. H. Spurgeon is well worth a pilgrim’s time.

I come from an Arminian background and my understanding of Calvinism is slight. My increasing awareness of certain deceptions pressing against Christianity is curious. Possibly it is my own curiosity, maybe these deceptions are simply becoming more prolific, or perhaps more spiritual forces are at work. To what end or benefit this curiosity is to anyone but me is questionable.

One commonality within these deceptions is a man centered focus. "It’s all about me." I am therefore sensitized to positions that focus on man first and foremost as opposed to God centrality. Arminian approaches to God are certainly more man focused than Calvinistic approaches. Arminian man chooses God and God reciprocates by accepting him. Calvinistic man has no ability to choose God because of man’s fallen nature. God chooses those whom He wishes and man can only respond and be grateful for the selection, or is that election. (From my limited understanding.)

A Calvinist would have no problem with a “many paths to God” question. For a Calvinist there is no path from man to God. The path is from God to man. Humanism could not survive in a Calvinistic atmosphere. There exists no air for humanists to breathe. Does this make Arminian views deceptive? I can not go that far. I'm not that smart. But I see it allows an opening for deception to enter.

Am I now a Calvinist? I am a Christian and grateful to God for being one. I am not proud of any intestinal fortitude or innate wisdom producing my selection of Jesus Christ out of the many choices available to me. Does that make me a Calvinist? Somewhat.