So who is John Calvin, and just who are the "Elect" ?
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John Calvin (1509 - 1564) his theology was anti-Catholic, influenced by Luther. He emphasized salvation through predestination, chosen at birth to be saved. Since God knows everything, he knows at conception if someone will go to heaven or hell. This will show up in the way a person lives and prospers. Calvin emphasized a "puritanical" approach to life: no drinking, swearing, card playing, gambling, etc. Calvin thought materialism and wealth were good.
To Calvin, material wealth on earth meant salvation. Calvin stressed work: work is good for you, work builds character, and work equals success. So, the middle class was the easiest to convert to Calvinism because Calvin justified their lifestyles. He ended monasteries and celibacy practices for ministers. John Calvin simplified worship: prayers, singing of psalms, scripture readings, and a sermon. The church was governed by elected elders. Calvinism, people choosing their leaders, is democracy. John Calvin made a huge contribution to what we know as the United States.
The most notorius episode in relation to Calvin was the Servatus murder. See The Servetus Murder
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On October 27, 1553 John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism, had Michael Servetus, the Spanish physician, burned at the stake just outside of Geneva for his doctrinal heresies!(1) Hence, the originator of the popular doctrine of "once saved, always saved" (known in certain circles as "the perseverance of the saints") violated the cry of the Reformation -- "Sola Scriptura" -- by murdering a doctrinal heretic without Scriptural justification. This event was something Calvin had considered long before Servetus was even captured, for Calvin wrote his friend, Farel, on February 13, 1546 (seven years prior to Servetus' arrest) and went on record as saying:
"If he [Servetus] comes [to Geneva], I shall never let him go out alive if my authority has weight."(2) .
At this point I should warn the reader about Christian Reconstructionism. This belief system claims to be Calvinism or Reformed Theology, that America should be setup as a democratic theocracy based on Old Testament Law. Among other things they promote genocide for non-Christians and the death penalty on everything from abortion and homosexuality, etc. This "Calvinism" has alarmed some theologians and fooled me into believing it was traditional Calvinism. It's had an enormous influence on fundamentalist churches like the Southern Baptists and Pentecostals. It's endorsed by both Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson neither following Calvinism. For more on this see Royal Race of the Redeemed.
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Doctrines:
Calvinist theology is translated into the following basic doctrines, expressed by the word TULIP:
T: Total Depravity (Inability) refers to the fact that human sin has affected every aspect of the human character - thought, emotions, will, etc. Calvinism teaches that an unsaved person is completely unable to find salvation on his or her own. Salvation is only possible if God wills it and causes it through the work of the Holy Spirit.
U: Unconditional Election is the doctrine which teaches that God chooses some to be saved and some to be damned. These choices are not, however, based upon any acts performed by those people or any merit which they have achieved (otherwise, there would be a violation of the principle of Total Depravity).
According to Calvinism, election and damnation are based solely upon God's will and nothing else. In fact, election and damnation were decided before the world was even created, which results in complete predestination for all humans. Somehow, though, humans are still responsible to believe in Christianity - not that this appears to do any good. Denying either is heresy, thus it is necessary to believe both, despite the fact that they contradict each other.
L: Limited Atonement is a concept which teaches that Christ died for the sins of some (those predestined to heaven), but not for others (those predestined to hell). Thus, Christ did not die for the sins of the entire world, because otherwise the entire world would go to heaven. Instead, Calvinists believe that Christ died to atone for the specific sins of specific sinners, and only God knows who they are.
I: Irresistible Grace refers to the fact that when God has bestowed his grace upon a person because they have been predestined for heaven, it is impossible for a person to "resist" this grace and not end up in heaven. No matter what they do and no matter what they think, they are saved. In Calvinism, this is the corollary of the principle of Total Depravity, which teaches that it doesn't matter what a person does or thinks, it is impossible for them to avoid hell unless that happens to be what God wills. Calvinists take comfort in the idea that God's love will overcome their sins, but only because they assume that they are among the elect.
P: Perseverance of the Saints is the doctrine which argues that the saints (i.e., those whom God has saved) will always remain under God's protection until they are brought to heaven. In other words: Once a Saint, Always a Saint. The difference between this and Irresistible Grace is more a matter of emphasis than content.
The Calvin puts believers in a moral dilemma: should they even bother trying to be good? What's the point? |
