The Chaff & The Wheat
We will now cover our
objections to Calvinism by the same acronym TULIP that is commonly
used to remember the doctrines. As needed we will look at quotes from Calvin
and Spurgeon as accurate representations of the doctrines. Calvinists have the
practice of claiming you don’t understand them when you carry out the rational
inferences of their doctrines. My encounters with them have instructed me that
they don’t think anyone understands the doctrines if they disagree with them. Please
read closely as we are not presenting here an Arminian rebuttal. We believe the
scriptures teaches that all men can be saved through Christ, but that men, some
men will be saved according to God’s eternal purpose. Calvinism or ‘the
doctrines of grace’ as its adherents prefer, is a remarkably consistent systematic
series of teachings that err remarkably from the truth.
Please review the definition of faith here as it will be pivotal throughout the discussion.
Please review the definition of faith here as it will be pivotal throughout the discussion.
T
The first letter ‘T’ stands for total depravity which would be referencing the total inability of
men to do anything spiritual, even choose to believe the gospel due to his
wretched state in sin. A very popular passage for Calvinists to attempt to
validate their claims is John 6:26-71. This passage it is explained by the
Calvinist teaches that since none seek after God (Rom.3:11) they must be drawn
by the Father to come to Christ (6:44 Acts 17:27). We would agree so far (see
the definition of faith above). The Calvinist then projects into that further
that God causes all those and only those that he draws to come to Christ and
there is no chance that they will not come nor that they will ever fall away
because ‘Christ will raise all of them up at the last day’. Of course this is
not what the text states.
The Calvinist is
quick to say that whosoever believes are only those the Father draws and if
left up to man’s will alone (a straw man fallacy) they
would never be saved for as Christ states in the previous chapter “And ye will not come to
me, that ye might have life” (5:40). They of course have no reasonable explanation
of verse 34 of the same chapter where Christ says to these same people “these things I say, that ye
might be saved”. This creates quite a dilemma for the Calvinist when
Christ desires those to be saved who will not come to him and whom God has
predestined for eternal damnation. They impulsively respond in such cases with
exaggerated retorts such as ‘you are saying that mans will is omnipotent’ as if
God cannot freely choose to allow man a genuine choice (while upholding their
will-Heb.1:3) and limit his grace in certain instances (as Mark 6:5 or Psa.78:41-
where they “limited the Holy One of Israel”) by their unbelief -without ceasing to be God. Many
times they will puff up and respond ‘Lazarus (John 11) had no choice nor power
to choose to believe when he was dead and we are dead in sins- therefore we
cannot choose to respond to the gospel call’. This of course wrests the
scripture to distortions it never reasonably infers- for if as in the case of
Lazarus he is dead he could do no good
or evil (Isa.41:23, Ecc.9:5, 10); this means that an unbeliever cannot do
good or evil. Calvinists say you must be regenerated in order that you might
believe (see the section on irresistible grace). Consider a brief quote from
Spurgeon (sermon 182) “But to truly come to Christ is not in your power until
you are renewed by the Holy Spirit!” Were they simply to mean
the Spirit reproves the world (Jn.16:8) and leads us to Christ we might find
unity with them; instead we find error. Consider Eph.1:13- In whom ye also trusted, after
that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that holy Spirit of promise. And again John 1:13- But as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name: Notice the truth is the opposite of the Calvinists claims.
Indeed the
scriptures teach that apart from Christ
we are guilty of past sins which we have already committed (2 pet. 1:9 Ezek.
18:22), and
condemned for sin which dwelleth in us presently. We consist of a spirit, and
soul, and body (1 Thess.5:23). The bible mentions the "filthiness of the
flesh and spirit" (2 Cor 7:1), it mentions the "mind and conscience
is defiled" (Titus 1:16). It mentions "fleshly lusts which war
against the soul" (1Pet 2:11), and our soul in need of purification and
salvation (1 Pet.1:9,22). It points out the sin of our soul (Mic.6:7), the
heart being deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer.17:9). It
says that the "spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy" (James
4:5), and concerning our vile (Phil 3:21) mortal body Paul says "O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
(Rom.7:25) God not only hates our works (Isa. 64:6, Prov.28:9) but he is angry
with us everyday
as sinners (Psalm 7:11). God said in Isaiah 1:5-6 concerning our condition
"the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the
foot unto the head there is no soundness in it..." “For I know that in me
(that is in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" Rom.7:18. We cannot find
how even to perform that which is good (v18), we do the evil that we would not,
and the good that we would we do not (Rom 7:20). Paul reveals that this is
"sin that dwelleth in me" (Rom.7:17), and "evil is present with
me" (7:21), that is in his flesh. It is called the law of sin and death
(7:25, 8:2), and Paul says that it is in our members (7:23). James also says
the same in 4:1. He says that wars and fightings come from our lusts, that war
in our members. This is the lust of the flesh in 1 Jn 2:16, and "fleshly
lusts" in 1 Peter 2:11. James further reveals that this is where
temptation comes from, the enticing of "his own lust" (1:14). He says
that "when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death" (1:15). Paul shows that sin is alive in
our mortal body (Rom.6:12). He speaks of it deceiving us and slaying us
(Rom.7:11), and reigning (6:12), moving (7:5) and working death in us (7:13).
Under this condition, we are condemned already (Jn 3:18), and the wrath of God
abideth upon us (Jn 3:36). Our carnal mind is enmity
against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be and
so we cannot please God. We are
children of wrath fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind (Eph.
2:3), and the damnation of hell is inescapable (Mat. 23:33). We are guilty
before God (Rom. 3:4) and appointed to die, then face the judgment (Heb. 9:27)
Job 25:4 "How
then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a
woman? Job 15:16 "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which
drinketh iniquity like water? Job 9:20 "If I justify myself, mine own
mouth shall condemn me:" This is because as Paul state in Romans 3:9 we
are "all under sin", v 10 "There is none righteous, no not
one", v 12 "there is none that doeth good", v19 "all the
world may become guilty before God". Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:20:"There
is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not", "For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23). "If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves... If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar..." (1Jn 1:8,10) We are dead (alienated from
the life of God- Eph.4:18) in trespasses and sins (Eph.2:1) and under the
influence of the evil spirit working in the children of disobedience (2:2).
Therefore we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind,
have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth
up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast
consumed us, because of our iniquities. (Isa.64:5-6) Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Rom.14:23) and we were children
in whom is no faith (Dt.32:20).
Because this is
true and we are indeed in a wretched state God must reveal himself to us and
seek us and impress his presence unto us, that we should seek
the Lord, if haply we might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far
from every one of us: (Ac.17:27). And although the state we are in makes
us detestable to God’s righteousness, his compassion is moved by our
helplessness. He sees us by his love as those hopelessly lost who grope for the wall like the blind, and
we grope as if we had no eyes:
we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men
(Isa.59:10). We cover this in more detail under ‘irresistible grace’, but briefly
God afflicts men and they cry out and he stirs up his mercy towards them many
times (Ps.107:10-31). But some will still harden their hearts and repent not
(Rev.9:20-1).
It will also be
claimed that total depravity makes man incapable of believing, for the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor.2:14). Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. (Rom.8:7-8) This is pointed to as indicating that
someone cannot believe and receive Christ until God regenerates him. Again we
agree man cannot sincerely come to God whenever he desires (Prv.1:28), for they
say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire
not the knowledge of thy ways.
(Job 21:14) and do not like to retain God in their knowledge (Rom.1:28). But it
would be a false dilemma to say that therefore
men must be regenerated so they can believe. He can grant them space to repent
and they not repent (Rv.2:21). God is continually trying men’s hearts for the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings (Prv.5:21). For the eyes of the Lord run
to and fro throughout the whole earth (2 Chr.16:9) and God
tries men’s hearts to prove them (2 Chr.32:31), and he sends his prophets to
correct (Jon.1:2, 2 Chr.36:15-16). And so God is maintaining this balance to bring about his purpose, and
if things begin to wax exceedingly sinful he will preserve a remnant (Rom.9:27,
29) and bring down the proud and depose the haughty. He is the husbandman
waiting for the precious fruit of the earth and must prune and weed (Jam.5:7)
and prepare the crops for the harvest (Isa.28:23-9). Even instructing his
people to pray for kings and those in authority so we can lead a quiet and
peaceable life (1 Tim.2:1-2).
Similarly Calvinist will say believing is a
work and salvation is not of works. They will then point out these verses- “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent.”(Jn.6:29) & “And this is his commandment,
That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ…” (1 Jn.3:23) Faith
is not a work of the law- the law led us to the faith of Christ (Gal.3:17-26).
Consider the contrast between faith and
work: Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; (Rom.4:16) And if by
grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it
be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
(Rom.11:6) Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay:
but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law. (Rom.3:27-8) But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness. (Rom.4:5) Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed
in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by
the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh
be justified. (Gal.2:16) Again the works
of the law are not the hearing of faith
(Gal.3:2)
So what does Jesus
mean that the work of God is to believe? There is dead faith (faith without works)- Ja.2:17, 20, 26; and there are dead works (works without faith)-
Heb.6:1, 9:14, Rv.3:1; and there are the works/obedience of faith- Heb.11, 1
Th.1:3, 2 Th.1:11, Rom.1:5, 16:26, Ac.6:7- “being mixed
with faith” Heb.4:2 (resulting in the righteousness of the saints Rev.
19:8- the gold, silver and precious stones in 1 Cor.3:12-5). ‘Work’ in the John
6 context is ongoing; notice v26 “Ye seek me”, v27“Labour” v28 “the work of
God”. The Christian ironically is to labour to maintain a state of rest in the
finished work of God (Heb.4:1-2, 11, 3:12-14). We lose our life to find it
(Mt.10:39); we work not but believe (Rom.4:5) unto good works (Eph.2:8-10,
Tit.3:8). So faith is the root that
generates the works which are the
fruit (Jn.15:4-8). How do we know when it is a dead work or a living one; gold
or stubble? The eyes of him with whom we have to do (Heb.4:12-3, 1 Cor.4:4-5,
Rev.3:15-19).
All men are not
always totally hardened in pride and there are progressive steps towards worse
conditions. If the society is so corrosive that God cannot find, say ‘ten
righteous’ (Gen.18:32) or even one (Jer.5:1) to stand in the gap and make up
the hedge (Ezk.22:30) he will destroy it. Even the Calvinist says that ‘total
depravity doesn’t mean men are as bad as they could be’. Not all men’s ‘sins
have reached unto heaven’ (Rv.18:5) so they
appeal to ‘common grace’ to explain a lack of a complete and total deviation of
society; that God preserves men from being as bad as they could be (through
governments Rom.13:1-4 for example as well as destruction and the prayers of
the saints- 1Tim.2:1-2). And when men’s sins are said to have ‘come to the
full’ (Gen.15:16, Dan.8:23) or ‘reach unto heaven’ (Rv.18:5) God has to ‘visit
the iniquity’ (Lv.18:25) or ‘remember their
iniquity, and visit their sins’ (Jer.14:10) in judgment if they don’t repent
(Jon.3:10). Consider Manasseh’s case:
Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done
these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did,
which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:
Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am
bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both
his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria,
and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth
a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. (2 Ki.21:11-13) Likewise Sodom
and Gomorrah were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly (Gen13:13) and the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was great,
and their sin was very grievous (Gen.18:20) and so God brought upon them
vengeance of eternal fire. (Jd.7) Righteousness
exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people (Prv.14:34).
God therefore increaseth the nations, and
destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again
(Job12:23). While all have indeed sinned God preserves (through common grace if
you will) a level of moral stability and where men can be reached by his natural
revelation and not just seized by a legion of devils (Job 1:10); rather they
must give place to the devil (Eph.4:27). In this field of the world men have
the option to be a just man (not sinless but upright before other men)
that walketh in his integrity
(Prv.20:7) or a become wicked exceedingly and do worse than all that were before him (1 Ki.16:25, 30).
Some men’s humility comes up for a memorial before God although they are not
regenerated (Ac.10:1-5) and these are ordained for eternal life and given a
chance to hear and believe the gospel (Ac.13:48). Cornelius
the centurion, was a just man, and one that feareth God, and
of good report among all the nation of the Jews (Ac.10:22). We know he was not perfectly
just before God for there is not a
just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not (Ecc.7:20); and so he was just before and among men.
When Paul preached the gospel in a synagogue to the lost Jews first notice how
he addressed them- “Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his
hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience…Men and brethren,
children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you
is the word of this salvation sent” (Ac.13:16, 26) What man is he that feareth
the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose (Ps.25:12). Abimelech
had integrity of heart and God preserved him from sinning ignorantly
(Gen.20:3-6). Men exercise themselves in pride and humility continually under
God’s mighty hand, and so there are “ye that fear
God” who when otherwise left to themselves there is “no fear of God before
their eyes” (Rom.3:18). As in Nineveh where they feared not God nor desired his
ways (Jon.1:2) until the preaching of Jonah and they humbled themselves
(3:4-10) and God was merciful unto them (4:2).
But back to John
6:26-71; are we to believe our Calvinist brethrens interpretation that “all
that the Father draws will be raised up at the last day”? Let us be aware that
according to normal logical procedure it is not rational to think that ‘all that come are drawn therefore all that are drawn come’. That
would be to say ‘all Virginians are Americans therefore all Americans are
Virginians’. The fallacy is clear. As we examine the text we find ‘all that
come are drawn’ but not their assertion ‘all that are drawn come’. We also know
from other passages Christ states “And I, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (Jn.12:32) and he “lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (1:9); and yet not all come
(Jn.5:40) even when he desires that they might be saved (v34).
We see in John 6 a group of people seeking
Christ because of carnal lusts- “Ye seek me, not
because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were
filled” (v26). Christ
desiring ‘that all men might believe’ (Jn.1:7) sincerely implores
them “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you” and “This
is the work of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath sent”
(v27, 29). Although he made a true and genuine appeal to them Jesus knew their
hearts were not fit for the kingdom and he did not commit himself to them (v64,
2:23-5). But there were others who were ‘waiting for the consolation of
Israel’, those who received John’s baptism, bruised reeds and smoking flax,
those who had the Father’s word abiding in them (5:38-9) believing Moses and
the prophets (5:46-7, 1:45); and these had ears to hear Christ when he came.
They had been listening to the Father’s words; they had heard and learned of
the Father (6:45) and were all “taught of God”. These did truth (3:21). And
Christ also came for them for the Father committed them to him to build his
church (Matt.11:25-7, 16:15-8). They are not of the
world (Jn.17:16) but Christ would send them into the world (17:18) “that the
world may know that thou hast sent me” and “that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me” just as “these have known that thou hast sent me” (17:21, 23,
25). They did not independently seek God (Rom.3:11) but they did respond to
God’s natural revelation (Rom.2:14-15, 1:19-21) and his supernatural revelation
(Rom.3:2).
Now the Calvinist who is pre-committed to
their doctrines import their interpretation into the text and conclude that if
Christ came to gather and teach those the Father had given him then therefore no genuine salvation was
offered or was possible to any others. But notice his words to these who
“believe not” v36- “my Father giveth you the true
bread from heaven”
v32, “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never
hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” v35, “Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink
his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”v53-4 “It
is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life.”v63
The problem was they would not
believe v64. So “the word preached did not profit them,
not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”(Heb 4:2) The Calvinist error has Christ speaking guile
here (1 Pt.2:22) for his words were not genuinely offered to them. As in the
story of the rich young ruler where “Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him” sell all and “follow me”
(Mk.10:21-2). The man responded as these disciples in John 6 and “went away”
from the Lord. Do we also impute to the Lord a disingenuous offer? God forbid.
In this passage in John 6 we see two
distinctions made. We see something given to men and we see men given to Christ;
the recipient of one is men the recipient of the other is the Son. Notice the
distinction, 1st- men given to the Son- v37 “All that the Father giveth me”, v 39 “all which he hath given me”. These are those we mentioned
above as being taught of God and given to Christ when he came. Notice the 2nd
distinction- the drawing or giving to men- v44 “the Father
which hath sent me draw him”,
v45 “hath learned of the Father”, v65 ”no
man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”. So the men who the Father
gave to the Son are those who were given of the Father the drawing, the
instruction, which led them to Christ (Gal.3:24). This explains how anyone
comes to Christ- they are enabled by the Fathers drawing them. Notice that the
passage does not say that the Father only
draws certain ones. It simply asserts the positive statement ‘all that come are
drawn’. “No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day”v44. And again “no man can
come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” v65. Notice of those who are
drawn the ones who are raised up are those that come unto him. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out” v37. Also
“every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting
life: and I will raise him up at the last day”v40. Again notice what is stated is of those that believe
and come; nothing is mentioned that they cannot draw back in unbelief. Just as
in verse 44; who comes? Those that come were drawn. Who is raised up? Those
that come unto Christ. It does not state all who are drawn come. It does state that those who were given to
the Son come to him. Remember 2 distinctions are made. Therefore let our
Calvinist brethren not add into the text more than is there. Whatsoever is more
than this cometh of evil. The distinction is easy when you consider Christ’s
own words in John 12:32- And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. All men are
drawn unto Christ but not all men come unto Christ, some men draw back unto
perdition.
Let
us take one last look before we move to the next section. “All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will
raise him up at the last day.” v37-40
‘The will of him’ is the cause of most of the confusion
in the mind feverishly infected with Calvinism. For there are 2 wills (the counsel of his own will-Ep.1:11) with God and to
confuse them is to make God the direct author of sin. This is a blasphemy
chargeable to Calvinist theology. We will cover this in more detail in the next
section, but let us briefly consider these 2 wills. 1 is his eternal purpose
and 2 the will of his nature. God loves righteousness and hates iniquity by
nature (Ps.45:7). Yet even though he hates iniquity, he will use it to fulfill
his eternal purpose (Prv.16:4). God loves all men according to his great mercy
and compassion, for God is love by his very nature (1 Jn.4:8,16). And so God
provides salvation for all men (Jn.3:16). But God will not cause all men to be
saved although he causes some to be to fulfill his eternal purpose. He will
allow men to perish in their willful rebellion against him. God holds men
responsible for their actions since he has given them a free will, nevertheless
he will fulfill his eternal purpose; here we agree with the Calvinist that
God’s purpose is not waiting upon chance or man’s will. Men also for example,
will use warfare for an ultimate goal of peace. They do not want war, yet they
will engage in it for defensive purposes, to ultimately ensure peace. So we see
2 wills displayed here as well; the will for no war and yet the will to war.
They are not contradictory. A parent experiences the same display in the
chastening of their children. They do not want to chasten their children, yet
they know for both of their good, they will chasten them betimes. So people
will engage in things unpleasant, and undesirable, to bring about something
more pleasant and more desirable.
God did not desire
(according to his nature) that those who slew Christ murder an innocent man. He
hates iniquity, and commanded them saying “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
Yet he knew they would. He likewise chose (according to his eternal purpose)
the delusion (Isaiah 66:4) with which they would fall, resulting in the murder
of Christ hanging on a tree (which Jesus believed might be possible to change
for a season in the garden- Mt.26:39, Mk.14:36). God didn’t will Christ to be
killed according to his nature as holy. But according to his great love by his
eternal purpose he desired that we be forgiven our debts. And again Christ came
into the world to be killed and even desiring forgiveness for those who were killing
him (Lk.23:34).
Acts 2:23-24 Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain: [24] Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of
death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. God desires
to glorify his grace in his saints; this is his inheritance (Eph.1:6,18,3:21).
Truly then
according to the will of God’s nature of love he is not willing that any should
perish (2 Pt.3:9 –and also conversely according to his righteous nature he must
punish all sin, the propitiation of Christ is according to his eternal purpose
bringing together his infinite justice and his everlasting mercy in a moment in
time in the body of flesh of that eternal person Jesus Christ the righteous)
and “that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him,
may have everlasting life” Jn.6:39 and “this is the
Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should
lose nothing”v37. We know this is not his eternal purpose but the will
of his nature for Judas was lost- “While I was with them in
the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and
none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be
fulfilled” (Jn.17:12).
Calvin himself
tried to raise objections to these concepts in his Institutes. He discusses in
Book 1 Ch.18 Sec.1 of the concept of God “doing and permitting” as a way to
understand God’s judgments. But he openly rejects this and states that “men do
nothing save at the secret instigation of God”. Now we would do well to take
heed to the scripture that “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God:”- Dt.29:29 and so let our hearts be as the psalmist
“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither
do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.”-
Ps.131:1.
Calvin however
felt emboldened to exercise himself therein. Let’s finish the above quote regarding
men who “do not discuss and deliberate on anything but what he has previously
decreed with himself, and brings to pass by his secret direction…” Calvin
attempts to prove his bold claims by quoting a series of passages where God
brings a final act of judgment upon
men for their sins after having often reproved them (Prv.29:1), and wrests the
scripture as if God did not ‘fashion their hearts alike and
consider all their works’ (Ps.33:15) before his judgment. Without
accounting for this distinction he affirms as just that “man should be blinded
by the will and command of God, and yet be henceforth punished for his
blindness” and were one to attempt to allow any ‘permissiveness’ with God they would
contradict scripture. He believes he has “shown clearly enough that God is the
author of all those things which, according to these objectors, happen only by
his inactive permission” (Sec.3). We should be reminded that God said regarding
the sins of Israel “I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind” or “my
heart” Jer. 7:31, 19:5, 32:35. Calvin rejects any permissiveness with God
attributing to him actively and directly everything that comes to pass. The
scriptures however show us that God chooses the delusions of those he has oft
reproved first- that before God grants the devils mastery over the wicked unto
their destruction, he has called to them and stretched out his hand and send
his word unto them but they stiffened their necks until his wrath was kindled
with no remedy.
In section 3 of
the same chapter Calvin discusses the paradox of God decreeing by secret
counsel what he openly forbids in the law. He rejects that this points to 2 distinctive
wills in God. But that is seen in the death of Christ we discussed above as
well as the understanding that God’s ‘mercy rejoices against judgment’
(Ja.2:13). We know God must punish and hate sin and love righteousness by his
divine nature. But he cannot also love and have mercy upon the wicked rebel who
openly rejects God and his statutes for he must punish their sin. Yet God is
love and “The Lord is good to
all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” Ps.145:9 Therefore
the unifying of Gods nature with his “eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph.3:11) is found to be to the
praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved (Eph.1:6). In the blood of his cross righteousness and
peace have kissed each other (Psa.85:10). How unsearchable are his judgments
and his ways pass finding out! Even a Calvinist would have to admit that the
elect were at one point under divine wrath and the objects of his despite,
while also loved by God. These are two distinct wills towards Calvin’s elect.
In Sec.3 Calvin
asserts “the will of God is not at variance with itself” and “He makes no
pretence of not willing what he wills but while in himself the will is one and
undivided…” But ultimately he must
acknowledge that there are 2 wills in God, which he does stating concerning
God’s ‘one and undivided’ will- “to us it appears manifold” but “we cannot
comprehend how, though after a different manner, he wills and wills not the
very same thing”. Basically Calvin attributes everything that man or the devil
does as only God’s one and undivided will and that God punishes them for what
he directly and actively cause them to do and they could do nothing other than
what he secretly inspires. This blasphemy is too blatant for Calvin so he must
cover it by clothing it with God’s secret counsel, into which he haughtily trespasses
and which he uses as a garment of praise to cover his wicked doctrine- that
everything that happens is God’s secret active will. He attempts further to
lighten the effects of this poison of making God the author all sins by artlessly
making a distinction between Gods will and his precepts (prescriptive will) in
Sec.4 of Ch.18 as if his precepts are not his will. While we do not embrace his
heresy that “these things, which men do perversely, are of God, and are ruled
by his secret providence” Sec.4, we do acknowledge that God, after suffering
long with the sins of men, will chose their delusion in judgment (Isa.66:3-4, 2
Thes.2:10-12, Ezek.14:1-11, Zech.7:8-14, 2 Chr.36:14-21, Prv.1:20-32 etc.) and
ultimately does rule over all their sins. Finally we can agree with this part
of his quote of Augustine- “nor would He who is good permit evil to be done,
were he not omnipotent to bring good out of evil” (end of Sec.3 Ch.18)
Amen.
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