Jonah was a Hyper-Calvinist

Most are familiar with the term Calvinism, but most are not familiar with what Calvinism is.  Calvinism is a system of theology that was developed as a response to the Arminian Remonstrance and is best expressed in an acrostic known as TULIP. 

The acrostic is as follows:

Total Depravity of Man
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints

A generalized understanding of these five points emphasizes the sovereignty of God, especially in the context of salvation.  Most (if not all) Calvinists would argue that God has predestined some to be saved.  This is known as the "elect" or the "chosen."  Some adherents to this theology have emphasized God's sovereignty in salvation so much that they refuse to evangelize because "God already knows who is going to be saved."  This is known as "Hyper-Calvinism."  The argument is: Why should I spend time trying to lead people to salvation when I don't know who God has already chosen?  If God has chosen them, then they will be saved whether I evangelize or not.

Hyper-Calvinism is an unbiblical understanding of evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8) and God's sovereignty in salvation, but it is biblical in the sense that it is expressed in the Bible, and when it was, it was portrayed as disobedience.

In the book of Jonah, God calls the prophet to "arise" and go to the wicked city of Nineveh.  Jonah instead goes "down to Joppa," then "down into a ship," "down into the sea," and finally "down into the belly of a fish."  It was the fish that did Jonah in and God essentially gave him a mulligan, or a "do-over."  On his second chance Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, he prophesied against it, and they repented and were spared.  This made Jonah very angry, even to the point of death (Jonah 4:1).  (Jonah was perhaps the only evangelist in history who saw an entire city turn to God and was upset over it!)

Jonah's reason is outlined in the following verse:

"Was not this what I said while I was still in my own country?  Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity" (Jonah 4:2).

Jonah was essentially saying that He knew how sovereign and compassionate God was, and he therefore didn't feel the need to be involved in God's plan.  One could say that Jonah was a Hyper-Calvinist.

Most are familiar with how the story ends.  God essentially asks Jonah three questions:

1. Are you this compassionate about your self? (Jonah was moved from his place of comfort)
2. Are you this compassionate about your stuff? (Jonah was upset over a plant)
3. Should you not instead be compassionate about sinners? (Jonah should have been concerned over the lost people of Nineveh)

Hyper-Calvinism is a dangerous misunderstanding of God's sovereignty in salvation.  God is indeed sovereign in how He wills and calls, but He offers man the opportunity to be involved.  When we fail to do the work of evangelism, we are sinning against a God who has told us to "arise" and we are instead "going down."