CALVINISM (2)

The Five Pillars of Calvinism Summarized

Victor M. Eskew

 

            In our last installment, we looked at the life of John Calvin.  He, like others of his era, wanted to do two things.  First, he wanted to return to the Bible as the authority in religion.  Second, he desired to reform the Catholic church.  When the latter could not be done, he and others often broke with Catholicism and embraced various groups of the Protestant movement.

            John Calvin wrote his teachings down in “The Institutes of the Christian Religion.”  The Institutes organized reformed thought into a systematic theology.  His teachings were so unique to him that a Lutheran theologian referred to them as “Calvinism” in 1552.  Luther looked upon this term as an insult.  He wanted his teachings to be referred to by the words “reformed theology.”  Others argued that the term “Calvinism” was too narrow.  There were many involved in shaping the tenets of reformed theology.  Even Calvin admitted that many of his teachings were taken from the theology advocated by Augustine of Hippo.  However, the term “Calvinism” prevailed. 

            Calvinism has been summarized by five teachings that are intertwined with one another.  These five teachings can be remembered by using the acrostic, T-U-L-I-P.  “T” is total hereditary depravity.  “U” is unconditional election.  “L” is limited atonement.  “I” is irresistible grace.  And, “P” is perseverance of the saints.  In this article, let’s briefly define each of these doctrines.  When we refute them in future articles, we will lay them out in more detail. 

            Calvinism begins with total hereditary depravity.  In other words, man is wicked, corrupt, and vile.  He is depraved from birth.  His depravity is the result of the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Adam passed a “fallen nature” on to his descendants.  This depravity is “total” or complete in nature.  Man’s flesh and spirit are evil.  Because of this depravity, man is deaf, blind, and dead to the things of God.  In this condition, man cannot respond at all to any call of God whatsoever.

            However, before the foundation of the world, God elected some men to be saved.  All others will be lost and sentenced to eternal condemnation.  The election was unconditional.  God made the determination.  If God elected you to be saved, you will be saved.  Man plays no part in the election process at all.

            Unconditional election naturally leads to the next pillar of Calvinism, limited atonement.  The atonement involves the death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary.  The atonement involves the shedding of blood for the remission of sins.  The atonement is the divine price that was paid in order to redeem sinful man out of the hands of Satan.  Calvinists teach that the atonement of Jesus was “limited. “  Since certain ones had been elected by God to be saved, then Christ only died for these individuals.  Jesus’ death was not for all.  Jesus’ death only paid the price for the sins of specific sinners, the elect.

            The fourth tenet of Calvinism, irresistible grace, is tied to the previous two teachings.  Remember, Calvinism says God elected a certain number of people before the foundation of the world to be saved.  If God elected them, they must be saved.  Thus, when God offers them His grace, it is irresistible.  The elect cannot refuse to be saved.  When God calls them, they must accept his offer of salvation.  In the matter of salvation, the elect do not have a choice.  This choice was made for them by God.

            The last pillar of Calvinism is a natural consequence of the previous teachings.  Once a person has been saved by the grace of God, he can never fall from that saved state.  He was elected by God before the foundation of the world.  Jesus died for him.  God called him by His grace, and it could not be resisted.  Now that the elect person has received God’s  grace, he will never lose his salvation.  He was predestined to eternal life.  As a saint, he will persevere unto the very end. 

            When we read about the pillars of Calvinism, we are troubled by some of the things we hear.  Two questions might be on the minds of those who come to understand Calvinism.  First, did God elect me to be saved?  Second, if not, did God want me to be lost?  These questions do not hinder the Calvinist.  He will go into the Scriptures in an attempt to prove each aspect of Calvinistic thought.  Those who oppose Calvinism, therefore, must not only know the verses that refute Calvinism, they must also understand the passages used by the Calvinist in an attempt prove it to be true.  We will seek to expose this false teaching in several articles to follow.