Calvinism (Reformed Churches)
Reformation Wall in Geneva; from left to right:William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox
Calvinism (also called the Reformed tradition or the Reformed faith) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and
forms of Christian practice of John Calvin and other Reformation-era theologians. Calvinists broke with the Roman Catholic Church but differed with Lutherans on the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, theories of worship, and the use of God's law for believers, among other things.
Calvinism
can be a misleading term because the religious tradition it denotes is and has
always been diverse, with a wide range of influences rather than a single
founder. The movement was first called "Calvinism" by Lutherans who
opposed it, and many within the tradition would prefer to use the word Reformed. Since the Armenian controversy, the Reformed (as a branch of Protestantism distinguished from Lutheranism) are divided
into Armenians and Calvinists, however it is now rare to call Armenians Reformed, as many see these two schools of thought as opposed, making
the terms Calvinist and Reformed synonymous.
While
the Reformed theological tradition addresses all of the traditional topics of
Christian theology, the word Calvinism is sometimes used to refer to particular
Calvinist views on soteriology and predestination, which are summarized in part by the five points of Calvinism. Some have also argued that Calvinism as a whole stresses the sovereignty or rule of God in all things – in salvation
but also in all of life.
Theology
Revelation and Scripture
Reformed
theologians believe that God communicates knowledge of himself to people
through the Word of God. People are not able to know anything about God except
through this self-revelation. Speculation about anything which God has not
revealed through his Word is not warranted. The knowledge people have of God is
different from that which they have of anything else because God is infinite, and finite people are incapable of
comprehending an infinite being. While the knowledge revealed by God to people
is never incorrect, it is also never comprehensive.
According
to Reformed theologians, God's self-revelation is always through his son Jesus Christ, because Christ is the only mediator between
God and people. Revelation of God through Christ comes through two basic
channels. The first is creation and providence, which is God's creating and continuing to
work in the world. This action of God gives everyone knowledge about God, but
this knowledge is only sufficient to make people culpable for their sin; it
does not include knowledge of the gospel. The second channel through which God
reveals himself is redemption,
which is the gospel of salvation from condemnation
which is punishment for sin.
In
Reformed theology, the Word of God takes several forms. Jesus Christ himself is
the Word Incarnate. The prophesies about him said to be found in the Old Testament and the ministry of the apostles who saw him and communicated his message are
also the Word of God. Further, the preaching of ministers about God is the very Word of God
because God is considered to be speaking through them. God also speaks through
human writers in the Bible, which is composed of texts set apart by God
for self-revelation.
Reformed
theologians affirm that the Bible is true, but differences emerge among them over
the meaning and extent of its truthfulness. Conservative followers of the Princeton theologians take the view that the Bible is true and inerrant, or incapable of error or falsehood, in every
place. Another view, influenced by the teaching of Karl Barth and Neo-Orthodoxy, is found in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Confession of 1967. Those who take this view believe the Bible to be the primary
source of our knowledge of God, but also that some parts of the Bible may be
false, not witnesses to Christ, and not normative for today's church. Dawn DeVries, a professor at Union Presbyterian Seminary, has written that Barth's doctrine of Scripture is not capable
of resolving conflicts in contemporary churches, and proposed that Scripture
not be thought of as the Word of God at all, but only human reports of the
revealed Jesus Christ.
Five points of Calvinism
The
central assertion of these points is that God saves every person upon whom he
has mercy, and that his efforts are not frustrated by the unrighteousness or
inability of humans.
·
"Total depravity," also called "total
inability," asserts that as a consequence of the fall of man into sin, every person is enslaved to sin. People are
not by nature inclined to love God but rather to serve their own interests and
to reject the rule of God. Thus, all people by their own faculties are morally
unable to choose to follow God and be saved because they are unwilling to do so
out of the necessity of their own natures. (The term "total" in this
context refers to sin affecting every part of a person, not that every person
is as evil as they could be). This doctrine is derived from Augustine's explanation of Original Sin. While the phrases "totally depraved"
and "utterly perverse" were used by Calvin, what was meant was the
inability to save oneself from sin rather than being absent of goodness.
Phrases like "total depravity" cannot be found in the Canons of Dort,
and the Canons as well as later Reformed orthodox theologians arguably offer a
more moderate view of the nature of fallen humanity than Calvin.
·
"Unconditional election" asserts that God has chosen from eternity those whom he
will bring to himself not based on foreseen virtue, merit, or faith in those
people; rather, his choice is unconditionally grounded in his mercy alone. God
has chosen from eternity to extend mercy to those he has chosen and to withhold
mercy from those not chosen. Those chosen receive salvation through Christ
alone. Those not chosen receive the just wrath that is warranted for their sins
against God.
·
"Limited atonement," also called "particular
redemption" or "definite atonement", asserts that Jesus's substitutionary atonement was definite and certain in its purpose and in
what it accomplished. This implies that only the sins of the elect were atoned for by Jesus's death.
Calvinists do not believe, however, that the atonement is limited in its value
or power, but rather that the atonement is limited in the sense that it is
intended for some and not all. Some Calvinists have quipped, "The
atonement is sufficient for all and efficient for the elect," while other Calvinists find such wording
confusing rather than helpful.[who?] All Calvinists would affirm that the blood of Christ was
sufficient to pay for every single human being IF it were God's
intention to save every single human being. But Calvinists are also quick to
point out that Jesus did not spill a drop of blood in vain (Galatians 2:21),
and therefore, we can only be sure that His blood sufficed for those for whom
it was intended, however many (Matthew 26:28) or few (Matthew 7:14) that may
be. Some Calvinists also teach that the atonement accomplished certain benefits
for all mankind, albeit, not their eternal salvation. The doctrine is driven by the Calvinistic
concept of the sovereignty of God in salvation and their understanding of the
nature of the atonement. At the Synod of Dort, both sides agreed that
the atonement of Christ's death was sufficient to pay for all sin and that it
was only efficacious for some (it only actually saved some). The controversy
centered on whether this limited efficacy was based on God's election (the view
of the Synod and of later Reformed theologians) or on the choice of each person
and God's foreknowledge of that choice (the view of Arminius).
·
"Irresistible grace," also called "efficacious grace", asserts that
the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined
to save (that is, the elect) and overcomes their resistance to obeying the call
of the gospel, bringing them to a saving faith. This means that when God
sovereignly purposes to save someone, that individual certainly will be saved.
The doctrine holds that this purposeful influence of God's Holy Spirit cannot be resisted, but that the Holy Spirit,
"graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent,
to come freely and willingly to Christ." This is not to deny the fact that
the Spirit’s outward call (through the proclamation of the Gospel) can be, and
often is, rejected by sinners; rather, it’s that inward call which cannot be
rejected. In fact, every saved person can testify how, at some point in their
life, they “felt overwhelmingly compelled” to believe in Christ, as if they
“had no choice but to follow Him.” This is what is meant by the effectual
calling of God.
·
"Perseverance of the saints" (or perseverance of God with the saints) (the word
"saints" is used to refer to all who are set apart by God, and not of
those who are exceptionally holy, canonized, or in heaven) asserts that since God is
sovereign and his will cannot be frustrated by humans or anything else, those
whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until
the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin
with (1 John 2:19), or, if they are saved but not presently walking in the
Spirit, they will be divinely chastened (Hebrews 12:5–11) and will repent (1
John 3:6–9).
No comments:
Post a Comment