Several websites and authors further define Hyper-Calvinism as over-emphasizing God's sovereignty and under-emphasizing man's responsibility. You cannot over-emphasize God's sovereignty. If anything, God's sovereignty is under-emphasized even by those who hold to His sovereignty. The only definition that accurately defines Hyper-Calvinism is the belief that God will save the elect with little to no help from us (e.g., evangelism, preaching, prayer), and this is a false belief not supported by Scripture (as addressed in Hyper-Calvinism 2).
It seems that many Baptists and Reformed people have a failure of understanding precisely what "sovereignty" means and the limits and extensions of "man's responsibility." They under-emphasize God's sovereignty while over-emphasizing man's responsibility.
sov•er•eign [sóv-vrǝn] noun
Chief or highest; Supreme, or highest in authority and power; 'one with a superior position' to others.
Independent of and unlimited by any other.
Controlling.
Effectual.
A sovereign individual has the power and the right to control every detail of every occurrence of those under his/her authority. For example, a warden at a prison is sovereign. The lives of the prisoners are under the full, complete, and total authority of the warden's decisions and decrees. But the warden is not supremely sovereign. If a governor decides to pardon a prisoner, the warden has no choice but to obey him. Yet, not even the governor is supremely sovereign. The governor is under the authority of the President of the United States who can overrule him on certain issues. But even the President is not supremely sovereign as he has to listen to Congress. Only God possesses and exercises supreme authority, having absolute
controlling influence, being completely free and independent, without
limitations. Romans 9:20-21 illustrates this perfectly:
"The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?"
If you need an example of God's sovereign will overriding our will, which is slave to sin and the devil, look no further than Nebuchadnezzar. God made him lose his mind and act crazy for seven years (Dan. 4:31-33). You can also look to Jonah for a second example. And Saul for a third example. God is free to do with us whatever He wants, whenever He wants, however He wants, and He does so for His own glory.
Certain Baptists and Reformed people seem to think that man has a responsibility in the work of salvation. That is false and unbiblical. "Salvation is from the Lord!" (Jonah 2:9). We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:5, 8). Man is not
responsible for his faith or lack of faith. Imagine a tribal person who has never heard the Gospel and has never heard of Christ Jesus. Will this person be cast into Hell because he never heard the Gospel and never heard of Jesus? No! He will be cast into Hell because he broke God's law. Man is responsible for his
sin (imputed, inherited, and personal), for breaking the law of God. That is where man's responsibility ends!
You cannot be responsible for something you have an inability to do. A command to do something does not imply the ability to do it. If you examine Scripture closely, you will find many commands to repent and believe, and you will find some statements that man cannot repent and believe, but you will find zero statements that man can repent and believe.
"Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). Until I have heard the Gospel, I cannot exercise faith. I can only exercise faith if that faith has been granted to me by God the Father. If that faith has been granted to me, I will
respond to the Gospel by faith because the Holy Spirit will have
regenerated me, given me a new heart, and caused me to be born again
from above. Until God changes me, I cannot respond to the Gospel. When God changes me, I cannot reject the Gospel. These truths are borne completely out of Scripture.
As a lost individual, I am unregenerate, I am dead in trespasses and sins, I have a heart of stone, and I hate God. If someone comes preaching the Gospel to me, if it is my duty to respond to the Gospel, what in and of myself is able to regenerate me, cause me to be born again, cause me to become spiritually alive, give me a new heart by replacing my heart of stone with a heart of flesh, and cause me to love God so that I can and will respond to the Gospel call? Nothing!
"Those whom he predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified." Rom. 8:30
This is an all-at-once action. If you do not like the word "predestined," fine. Leave that part out and start with those whom God called. If God calls all men (each and every) to Himself, if the Gospel call is for all men (each and every), then He has also justified all men (each and every) and glorified all men (each and every). Ergo, you have Universalism, which is a heretical belief.
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:44
"For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." John 6:65
Again, if God is drawing all men (each and every) to Himself, then all men (each and every) will be raised on the last day. Ergo, Universalism. We are commanded to preach the Gospel to all men (each and every) because we do not know which men will be saved. While the Gospel call goes out to all men (each and every), it is only applied to certain men. Jesus came to "save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Not "all" people! Jesus came to "lay down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11, 15). Not for the goats! Jesus came to "[give] Himself up for [His bride, the church]" (Eph. 5:25). Not for the entire world!
Baptists and Reformed people need to develop a right understanding of, and right doctrine pertaining to, the responsibility of man. They over-emphasize man's responsibility, attributing elements to him that he has no control over. If man has a responsibility in the work of salvation, if there was a "universal duty of mankind to believe in Christ unto the salvation of their soul," then Arminianism becomes true and passages like John 6:37, 44, 65; 10:11, 15; Romans 8:29-30; Matthew 1:21; Ephesians 1:4; 5:25; etc., become false. Even verses that state men were ordained to this condemnation and state that they were not written in the Lamb's book of life from before the foundations of the world were laid become false. Sorry, but I am going to look at the whole counsel of the Word of God and derive my doctrines and beliefs directly from Scripture, without feelings and opinions.
Man's responsibility for his actions ends with his breaking of God's law. Since faith is a gift from God, and man cannot respond to the Gospel until God has changed him, man's responsibility for his actions cannot include lack of faith. Each man's responsibility needs to be looked at and understood with regard to his condition (saved or lost) and limitations. A saved man is responsible for sharing the Gospel with all men (each and every) because only God knows which men will be saved. A lost man who has heard the Gospel is responsible for rejecting the Gospel because he can only do what his evil heart wills him to do. Man is responsible for his actions, but each man's actions are based on his condition and his limitations.
"You do not believe because you are not of My sheep." John 10:26