Could Someone Explain Calvinism?

5thKingdom

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What's the difference?


When you ask what the difference is between a "Calvinist"
and a man who believes what the Bible says... the answer
will differ from one person to another.

I say that I am NOT a "Calvinist" because
(a) I have not read that much of his work and
(b) I do not believe everything he taught was accurate (Biblical).

However, I do find that SOME of what he taught is accurate in that it harmonizes
with ALL RELATED Scripture... which is the only measure of truth.



.
 
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ClementofA

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When you ask what the difference is between a "Calvinist"
and a man who believes what the Bible says... the answer
will differ from one person to another.

I say that I am NOT a "Calvinist" because
(a) I have not read that much of his work and
(b) I do not believe everything he taught was accurate (Biblical).

However, I do find that SOME of what he taught is accurate in that it harmonizes
with ALL RELATED Scripture... which is the only measure of truth.



.


How do your beliefs differ from Calvin and Calvinism?

https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf

"I'm reminded of the movie Ben Hur. When Ben Hur encountered Jesus at the cross, he comes away and says "I felt him take the sword out of my hand." "
 
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5thKingdom

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How do your beliefs differ from Calvin and Calvinism?


As I said above:

I say that I am NOT a "Calvinist" because
(a) I have not read that much of his work and
(b) I do not believe everything he taught was accurate (Biblical).

However, I do find that SOME of what he taught is accurate in that it harmonizes
with ALL RELATED Scripture... which is the only measure of truth.


If you have a specific subject I would be glad to respond with what the Bible says.
But I may not have any idea what Calvin said about the subject.

BTW.... much of the eschatology taught in the Reformation was completely wrong
because God PROMISED to keep that information "sealed" until the "time-of-the-end"
and/or the "Season and Time" on earth AFTER the Fourth Kingdom was destroyed.
So that information remained "sealed" (to all Saints) until AFTER the Great Tribulation.


.
 
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Rick Otto

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How do your beliefs differ from Calvin and Calvinism?

https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf

"I'm reminded of the movie Ben Hur. When Ben Hur encountered Jesus at the cross, he comes away and says "I felt him take the sword out of my hand." "
(If I may) I love to answer this, even when unasked:
I agree with his soteriology, but I part ways with his sacramentology and ecclesiology, especially in the area of church discipline,

That covers the basics, Servitus, transubstantiation/real presence, and salvation.
 
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HighCherub

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Calvinism is based heavily off of St. Augustine, who believed in an immutable God. Immutable means unable to be changed.

Inevitably, this means predestination, including man's intercession- God weighs it according to the will He decided from the beginning.

The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) are generalized points of theology which adhere to the precepts of predestination.
 
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bbbbbbb

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Calvinism is based heavily off of St. Augustine, who believed in an immutable God. Immutable means unable to be changed.

Inevitably, this means predestination, including man's intercession- God weighs it according to the will He decided from the beginning.

The Five Points of Calvinism (TULIP) are generalized points of theology which adhere to the precepts of predestination.

Calvinism is essentially the monergism of Augustine. The problem with Catholicism is that it has rejected monergism in favor of synergism. Synergism might be fine if only the terms could be crisply defined. The Old Testament Law is a form of synergism in which the terms are crisply defined, but neither the Catholic Church nor the New Testament are framed in these crisp terms. The result in the Catholic Church is a very fuzzy soteriology in which the individual is required to do innumerable works in order to hope that they might possibly, maybe, perhaps be saved.
 
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Ronald

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Elect means chosen. Not everyone is chosen, otherwise everyone would be saved. Since God knows who will be saved, He knows who won't. These are the reprobate. To be fair, He may call them and give them an opportunity to come but they do not hear His voice. Only His sheep hear His voice. I do not adhere to 5-point Calvinism, I think it is flawed and I can go through it but it would take pages - not interested. The Bible claims narrow is the gate and few find it. Is it open to all? God is fair, but again, He knows all will not come. Calvin's idea of Irresistible Grace removes a persons will to choose. I think for those who have been chosen, it's irresistible. But for those who have not, the resist and continue to rebel. Does God love all? He hated Esau. He destroyed the world once before and only saved eight on the Ark. Does that mean He didn't love them? They were full of wickedness but He knew they would end up that way, nevertheless, Noah preached to them, but they did not hear and believe. Jesus preached to the Pharisees, but they did not hear. He actually condemned them didn't He; "Brood of vipers ... white-washed tombs ... Who will save you from the Gehenna?"
Matt. 2:22 "... but for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened."
Matt. 24:31 " ...elect from the four winds, form one end of heaven to the other."
1 Peter 1:2 "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ .."
See also Rom. 8:33; Col 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10; Titus 1:1
God chose us, He didn't chose everyone.
Sorry to intrude in your "Denomination Specific" but you may not get an objective, unbiased response this group.
 
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HighCherub

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Calvinism is not a rejection of free will, Calvin simply mocked the obsession with 'free will' being spoken in churches and condemned it as a means to God.
It was a direct consequence of people not understanding his notions which still follows today.

Calvinism teaches that it is the faculty of the will to choose good with assistance of grace and evil when grace is absent.
People all about 'free will' ultimately make a wrong assessment of free will altogether- they turn it into something that it simply is not.
 
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QvQ

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I agree with Calvin. His view matches reality. People love their sins. Sinning is both profitable and pleasurable. Sex, drugs, rock and roll. And the certain type of low cunning amongst the white collar class who profit from greed and trickery then preen themselves, believe that their ill gotten gains are proof they are better, smarter than other people.
John 3:6 Those born of the flesh.
"Living on the road, my friend, supposed to make you free and clean but now you wear your skin like iron, your breath is hard as kerosene." Willie Nelson
But then, one among them who is an animal whose sole interest and ambition is to satisfy the flesh by whatever means that one can get away with, sees the Light. That one is attracted to that Light, to the Spirit, like a moth to a flame. How did that happen? And being in the mud with former associates, it is to wonder, why not them? Is it really "free will?" That one did not have free will or even any desire to change before the time the Light appeared so when and how the Light appears and to whom? And why those others cannot see or hear or simply don't want to. That is what Calvin addressed.
The elect. And that one cannot turn back. Cannot "not see" the Light.
Do I believe Calvin is an infallible source with all the answers? No, but I think he understood some theological questions that are profound and relevant.
 
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bbbbbbb

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I agree with Calvin. His view matches reality. People love their sins. Sinning is both profitable and pleasurable. Sex, drugs, rock and roll. And the certain type of low cunning amongst the white collar class who profit from greed and trickery then preen themselves, believe that their ill gotten gains are proof they are better, smarter than other people.
John 3:6 Those born of the flesh.
"Living on the road, my friend, supposed to make you free and clean but now you wear your skin like iron, your breath is hard as kerosene." Willie Nelson
But then, one among them who is an animal whose sole interest and ambition is to satisfy the flesh by whatever means that one can get away with, sees the Light. That one is attracted to that Light, to the Spirit, like a moth to a flame. How did that happen? And being in the mud with former associates, it is to wonder, why not them? Is it really "free will?" That one did not have free will or even any desire to change before the time the Light appeared so when and how the Light appears and to whom? And why those others cannot see or hear or simply don't want to. That is what Calvin addressed.
The elect and that one cannot turn back, cannot deny the Truth of the Light. To deny, "nope, never saw that" would be a lie. That, perhaps, is the unforgivable sin and the paradox of those two concepts, all sins forgiven except one.
Do I believe Calvin is an infallible source with all the answers? No, but I think he understood some theological questions that are profound and relevant.

What I find helpful is knowing that Calvin did not pluck these ideas out of thin air, but based them firmly in scripture. Nor was he the first to see these things. Augustine of Hippo spread these teachings wide and far in his earlier days. I do find it ironic that the Catholic Church sainted Augustine, but anthmatized Calvin and other Reformers.
 
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The Liturgist

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I agree with Calvin. His view matches reality. People love their sins. Sinning is both profitable and pleasurable. Sex, drugs, rock and roll. And the certain type of low cunning amongst the white collar class who profit from greed and trickery then preen themselves, believe that their ill gotten gains are proof they are better, smarter than other people.
John 3:6 Those born of the flesh.
"Living on the road, my friend, supposed to make you free and clean but now you wear your skin like iron, your breath is hard as kerosene." Willie Nelson
But then, one among them who is an animal whose sole interest and ambition is to satisfy the flesh by whatever means that one can get away with, sees the Light. That one is attracted to that Light, to the Spirit, like a moth to a flame. How did that happen? And being in the mud with former associates, it is to wonder, why not them? Is it really "free will?" That one did not have free will or even any desire to change before the time the Light appeared so when and how the Light appears and to whom? And why those others cannot see or hear or simply don't want to. That is what Calvin addressed.
The elect and that one cannot turn back, cannot deny the Truth of the Light. To deny, "nope, never saw that" would be a lie. That, perhaps, is the unforgivable sin and the paradox of those two concepts, all sins forgiven except one.
Do I believe Calvin is an infallible source with all the answers? No, but I think he understood some theological questions that are profound and relevant.

Calvin was a great and gifted theologian. I am a Congregationalist, which implies Calvinism; personally I have always been an Arminian in terms of soteriology, and I also disagree with Calvin on icons, but there is also a lot that he wrote that one can agree with, and his Institutes represents the closest thing to a Protestant answer to the Summa of Thomas Aquinas or the Fountain of John Damascene, or the writings of Gregory Palamas (who despite being Eastern Orthodox and differing with Aquinas on the issues of the filioque and created grace, did much admire him).
 
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The Liturgist

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What I find helpful is knowing that Calvin did not pluck these ideas out of thin air, but based them firmly in scripture. Nor was he the first to see these things. Augustine of Hippo spread these teachings wide and far in his earlier days. I do find it ironic that the Catholic Church sainted Augustine, but anthmatized Calvin and other Reformers.

To be fair though much of what Calvin said was not said by Augustine.
 
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QvQ

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To be fair though much of what Calvin said was not said by Augustine.
Augustine was converted by operation of virtue and vice. He was ashamed, although, I will grant that perhaps seeing the Light, he realized he was naked. Augustine differs from Calvin because Calvin realizes there are those who feel no shame and don't have St. Monica as a mother.
There are those animals who, perfectly adapted and comfortable in their wallow, are lifted by the Hand of the Master and taught new tricks. Whose Will is That?
 
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