“Christ Vs. Calvin”

(Calvinism’s View of the Gospel)

by Tim Childs

 

   John Calvin, famed 16^th century reformer, taught many preachers who attended his theological school in Geneva, Switzerland.  

Since Calvin’s interest in theology was heightened by the teaching of such notables as Augustine, Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther, he decided to continue his study in the realm of religion instead of pursuing law.  Over some 25 years he wrote, edited and set his beliefs down in a formal record known as The Institutes of the Christian Religion.  His influence continues to be felt more than four centuries after his death by tuberculosis while the doctrines he made so popular have found a place in the heart and creeds of as many as 80 to 90 percent of main-line denominations.

 

John Calvin’s system, which grows out of a pre-Dark Age foundation, features a distorted view of God, a distorted view of man; a distorted view of the Holy Scripture in general, and the gospel of Jesus Christ in particular. 

 

   His doctrines are summarized under five major tenets easily remembered by the “TULIP” acrostic. The letter “T” stands for Total Hereditary Depravity; “U” for Unconditional Election or (predestination); “L” for Limited Atonement; “I” for Irresistible Grace; and “P” for Perseverance of Saints.

 

   Calvin’s doctrine held that every man born into the world upon birth became infected, as it were, by Adam’s sin, often referred to as “Original Sin.”  It is claimed that we do not only experience the effects of Adam’s sin, but we also inherit his guilt of sin, (contrary to Ezekiel 18:20), and our very nature is totally depraved upon birth.  So, upon birth, we supposedly were totally depraved and hateful toward God and everything good and holy, deserving God’s condemnation and the wrath of hell.  This is his doctrine of total hereditary depravity, the unbiblical foundation upon which everything else (equally unbiblical) in his system is built.

 

   Calvin’s doctrine imposes limitations on the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ which was commissioned by the Lord to be carried into the entire world and delivered to every person, (Mark 16:15-16). The doctrine of this uninspired, human system suggests that due to the depravity of the human heart, the gospel is impotent to convert the sinner until such time as the Holy Spirit acts directly upon the heart of the individual (called prevenient grace), preparing him or her to both understand and receive the Word.  It is further claimed by Calvin that even faith, itself, is a gift the Holy Spirit puts into the heart of those God has predestined as “the elect” while withholding the gift of faith from those he allegedly foreordained (specific individuals with real names) to be the “non-elect.”

 

   The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus upon his return to heaven to do a work the Father had designated for him. Jesus told those disciples who would soon become his Apostles that he would not leave them as orphans, but would send the “Comforter” to them (chapters 14 – 16 of John’s gospel). The Holy Spirit was not sent to overshadow the propitiatory or atoning work that Christ had done through his vicarious death for man.  The Holy Spirit, in part, was sent to aid the messengers who would declare the fullness of the gospel in complete accuracy even speaking in languages they had never studied or spoken before (Acts 2:6-10).  The Holy Spirit came to testify of Jesus (John 15:26) as did the Apostles with the help of the Spirit (1 John 4:14).  That testimony was to the effect that God, the Father, sent his Son to be the Savior of the world (not just a few here and there), but “whosoever will”, (Revelation 22:17).

 

   Paul was not reluctant to travel to Rome and preach the gospel message there just as he had so many times and places before.  He boldly pronounced: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17). The Apostle declares that the gospel, not the Holy Spirit, is the power unto salvation.  The Holy Spirit’s work enabled the presentation of a complete and perfect message of God’s offer of grace and pardon.  “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…” (Titus 2:11-12).

 

   The gospel message, being part of the complete Word of God is not impotent to convert the sinner.  The gospel/Word of God is that which sanctifies (John 17:17), sets men free from the bondage of sin (John 8:32), and further produces faith in the human heart (Romans 10:17), (rather than a direct gift imposed/instilled into the heart).  The Lord, nor the Holy Spirit converted Paul directly, but rather told him to go into the city of Damascus where he would be taught what he should do (cf. Acts 22:16).  God uses agency to convert the sinner:
”the word of his grace” (Acts 14:3). “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23).  The Apostle indicated it was the gospel message by which the Corinthians had come to be saved (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

 

God’s word is not impotent nor is his gospel message through Jesus our Savior: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).  In the parable of the sower Jesus explained the results of sowing His word, (Matthew 13:18-23).

 

   Hear the Holy Scripture: “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”  (Romans 10:6-17).  Do we ever stop and wonder why God did not have Paul write about the Holy Spirit’s direct operation upon the human heart in this matter of justification?  John Calvin spoke and wrote far more about it than did the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit is silent about that. Isn’t that interesting?  Will you follow Calvin to the grave, or Christ unto life eternal in heaven?

 

  The doctrine popularized by Calvin presents itself in opposition to the doctrine of Christ as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.   Calvin, like Augustine, saw God as one who arbitrarily selected those to be “the elect” and viewed man little more than a puppet on a string without any choice in the matter of salvation.

  

   Calvin’s doctrine, published in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, additionally shows his distinctive way of viewing man, whom God created in his own image.   In this critical matter, John Calvin shows his beliefs and those of his predecessors to be quite dissimilar from those of Jesus Christ and the revealed Word.

 

   Upon creating Adam and Eve and placing them in the beautiful Garden of Eden, he gave them certain responsibilities that were associated with their freedom of choice.  He gave them work in tending the garden.  God provided the food they needed to sustain them as there was fruit available from various trees within its perimeter.  God gave both of them commandment not to eat of a certain tree.  This was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Satan, full of lies and cunning subtlety, used three of the same tools with them as he used with Jesus during his days of trial in the wilderness, and with us even yet today: (1) the lust of the flesh; (2) the lust of the eyes; and, (3) the pride of life (cf. 1 John 2:6).

 

   Many of us are all too familiar with what occurred next.  Adam and Eve failed the trial by Satan. We bear in mind how God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does he tempt man to sin (James 1:13).  Because of man’s disobedience, sin entered the wonderful world God had created for their habitat and pleasure.  Not only did sin enter, but the tragic effects entered, too.  One might study Genesis chapter 3 with profit to learn the outgrowth or consequences of their sin.  It is interesting to note how the Scripture does not include any mention of Adam’s “nature” being changed to one that is sinful.  Adam had the freedom to disobey God before, and being cast out of the garden he would continue to be the same person with the same identity with the same freedom to choose between right and wrong.

 

   In contrast, Calvin says that as a result of Adam’s sin, often referred to as “Original Sin,” all the descendents of Adam and Eve are born with “inherited sin” and/or the guilt of Adam that is passed down to them.  Therefore, when a baby is born into the world it is born with a depraved, corrupt little spirit so that the newborn immediately is worthy of hell, God’s wrath and condemnation should it die, should God not have predetermined it to be among “the elect.”  Calvin says that all the guilt of Adam’s sin falls upon us and we all were as guilty as Adam and “totally depraved” the moment we drew our first breath.

 

   But, thanks be to God that the message of Christ and the Holy Word of God is different from the teaching of John Calvin: 

 

   In the Holy Bible we are taught that sin is something man may commit in thought, in word, or in deed; but not merely in being born into the world.  “Sin is the transgression of the law”, and “all unrighteousness is sin”; we further may sin in failing to do the good we know we ought to do (1 John 3:4; 5:17; James 4:17).

 

   “And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-4). Young children have so many wonderful qualities about them, qualities that are found in those who may enter the kingdom of heaven; their purity of heart or innocence, their gentle, and their forgiving spirit and humility.  Jesus never taught that babies needed to be baptized or “confirmed” or forgiven.  However, to all those who are responsible for their sinful thoughts and deeds, being culpable and having the capacity to believe on his name, he gave them power to become the sons of God (John 1:12-13).  One of the conditions to being born again and receiving forgiveness is “repentance” toward God; yet, how can an infant child repent of something he is unaware of and not guilty of?  How can an infant child have faith in Christ as the only begotten Son via the message of the gospel as presented in Acts of Apostles?  The truth revealed from heaven is that children are safe being pure and innocent until such time as they personally choose wrong or evil over that which is good.

 

   God is the Father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9). Our Heavenly Father is the source or originator of our spirit or soul that is placed within the newborn child during its development in the womb.  The soul of that child is just as pure and clean as the Maker thereof, and it does not become depraved merely by exiting the birth canal.  Through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David wrote, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:13-14).

 

Unlike Calvin’s teaching, God teaches the universal precept how a man is not the recipient of the guilt incurred by the wrong of a son, nor is a son guilty of the sins of his father: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son”(see Ezekiel 18:20). 

 

   Further, if Calvinism were true, then God would have been confronted with an insuperable problem of clothing Jesus in human flesh. He came as the seed of Abraham that he might identify with us who are struggling in the flesh (Hebrews 2:16-18).  Jesus’ fleshly descendents went all the way back to Adam, too.  He is known both as the “Son of God” and the “son of man.” How could Jesus be our Savior if the doctrine of inherited sin is true since he was born of a woman?  The truth is that Adam’s sin did not genetically affect man’s D.N.A.  It did not reshape or corrupt our “nature.”  Our “nature” is just the same as Adam’s nature before “the Fall.”  We are not puppets.  We are free moral agents who may and often times do make the wrong choice, but you and I are no more inclined to make the wrong choice because Adam did.  Man needs to stop searching for someone else to blame for his sin as indicated by a recent bumper sticker that simply said, “Eve was framed.”

 

   Calvin further claims the mind of man is so depraved, so corrupt, so hateful toward God that man is completely unable to choose God or seek after him without a direct work of grace upon his mind by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, so that he is incapable of resisting its mighty power.  Thus, Calvin suggests that even faith (Ephesians 2:8) is a gift of God that he instills into the heart of man.  Calvin would have men believe the gospel, in and of itself, does not have the power to save lost sinners because it is claimed a man’s heart is incapable of receiving it or responding to it.  Calvin removes any responsibility that relates to salvation from man’s shoulders and places it completely upon God.

 

   Thankfully, Christ gives a different representation of spiritual truths relating to who may be saved from their sins and iniquities.  Christianity is a revealed-from-heaven religion. It is one God designed to be taught by people to others (Acts 8:30-31; 2 Timothy 2:2).  The eunuch of Ethiopia did not have a direct working of the Holy Spirit, but Philip to teach him the Word of the Lord.  If he had had a direct “illumination of the Spirit,” he would have had no need for Philip to explain the text of Isaiah chapter 53.

 

   The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).  The Word of God sanctifies (John 17:17), sets men free (John 8:32), and produces faith through its hearing (Romans 10:17).  Man is responsible for the state of his own heart and various types of soil (hearts) will produce different degrees of fruitfulness according to Jesus’ parable of the sower (Matthew 13).  Jesus gave no intimation that the Holy Spirit went forth to prepare the ground (act directly upon the heart) before the gospel seed was sown.

 

   Paul, through the Holy Spirit, declared the truth of God before the Athenians how “[God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:26-27).  The truth is that God may be found by men who are seeking. “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me” (Proverbs 8:17).  According to Calvin’s doctrine, what would the adverb “early” have to do with anything?

 

   The truth of Christ is that God, our Heavenly Father wants all men to be saved, and he has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (2 Peter 1:3). Paul writes further of God, “who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1Timothy 2:4). Jesus says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

 

   God wants all men to repent of their sins and iniquities so they may be saved (Acts 2:38; 17:30-31; 2 Peter 3:9).  Hearing the message of God’s goodness is so designed as to soften man’s heart, prompting him to repent (Romans 2:4).  Why would Christ and his Apostles command men to repent and turn to God if it was impossible, according to Calvinism, for them to do so?  Why would Christ and his Apostles command men to repent and turn to God if it was impossible for them not to do so?  God gives commands, just like he did to Adam and Eve, because they can be disobeyed.  Like Adam and Eve were given choices to make, God has given us the freedom to choose life through his Son or eternal separation and death in rejecting him.  If I am ultimately lost, I will have no one to blame but myself.  I may honor and glorify him presently through good choices, and submitting to Jesus the Lord of my life, but I cannot honor and glorify him in being lost. Don’t judge yourself unworthy of everlasting life (Acts 13:46).  “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye” (Ezekiel 18:32).  Will you follow Calvin to the grave, or Jesus Christ unto life eternal in heaven?

 

[A note concerning hermeneutics: No Bible passage should be interpreted in such a way that puts it in direct conflict with other Bible passages.  The Bible is its own best interpreter and passages more difficult to understand (consisting of Hebrew poetry or symbolical language) should be interpreted in light of easier texts.  God is not self-contradictory.]