John Calvin: Not a Calvinist

Humble_Disciple said:

My intent on this forum has not been to convince others that Calvinism is true, but only that they should be more tolerant of Calvinists, especially since some of history's greatest missionaries and evangelists have been Calvinists.

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Humble_Disciple said:

It's perhaps no secret to anyone that I'm a great admirer of John Calvin who, like Martin Luther, risked his own life to promote the great scriptural truth of salvation by faith alone through grace alone.

I'm going to demonstrate, based on John Calvin's own words, that John Calvin was not a Calvinist.

According to modern-day Calvinists, the five points of Calvinism are an unbroken chain, and if one link is proven to be untrue, then the entire system fails.

As we can see, based on Calvin's own words, he, in the very least, rejected the doctrine of limited atonement:


My intent on this forum has not been to convince others that Calvinism is true, but only that they should be more tolerant of Calvinists, especially since some of history's greatest missionaries and evangelists have been Calvinists.

Ecclesiastes 7:18
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3
Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

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Humble_Disciple said:

Which quote?

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How Calvinistic was John Calvin? What did he teach concerning the extent of the atonement? Let us ponder his own words:

Isaiah 53:12- "I approve of the ordinary reading, that He alone bore the punishment of many, because on Him was laid the guilt of the whole world. It is evident from other passages, and especially from the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, that manysometimes denotes all."
Mark 14:24- "The word many does not mean a part of the world only, but the whole human race." In other words, Christ’s blood was shed for the whole human race.
Matthew 20:28- "‘Many’ is used, not for a definite number, but for a large number, in that He sets Himself over against all others. And this is its meaning also in Rom. 5:15, where Paul is not talking of a part of mankind but of the whole human race."
John 1:29- "And when he says the sin OF THE WORLD, He extends this favour indiscriminately to the whole human race....all men without exception are guilty of unrighteousness before God and need to be reconciled to Him....Now our duty is, to embrace the benefit which is offered to all, that each of us may be convinced that there is nothing to hinder him from obtaining reconciliation in Christ, provided that he comes to him by...faith."
John 3:16- "He has employed the universal term whosoever, both to invite all indiscriminately to partake of life, and to cut off every excuse from unbelievers....He shows Himself to be reconciled to the whole world, when He invites all men without exception to the faith of Christ."
Romans 5:18- "He makes this favor common to all, because it is propoundable to all, and not because it is in reality extended to all (i.e. in the experience); for though Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and is offered through God’s benignity indiscriminately to all, yet all do not receive Him."
2 Corinthians 5:19- God "shows Himself to be reconciled to the whole world" and Calvin goes on to say that the "whole world" means "all men without exception."
Galatians 5:12- "It is the will of God that we should seek the salvation of all men without exception, as Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world."
Colossians 1:15- "This redemption was procured by the blood of Christ, for by the sacrifice of His death all the sins of the world have been expiated."
Hebrews 5:9- "He (the writer of Hebrews) has inserted the universal term ‘to all’ to show that no one is excluded from this salvation who proves to be attentive and obedient to the Gospel of Christ."

Calvin even taught that the lost were purchased by Christ's blood: "It is no small matter to have the souls perish who were bought by the blood of Christ" (The Myster of Godliness, p. 83).
http://skipslighthouse.blogspot.com/2014/11/calvins-favorite-flower-was-not-tulip.html

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Humble_Disciple said:

It's a collection of quotes from various
commentaries of Calvin.

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Humble_Disciple said:

I wouldn't know, since I have never attended a church where Calvinists were the majority.

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Humble_Disciple said:

It's perhaps no secret to anyone that I'm a great admirer of John Calvin who, like Martin Luther, risked his own life to promote the great scriptural truth of salvation by faith alone through grace alone.

I'm going to demonstrate, based on John Calvin's own words, that John Calvin was not a Calvinist.

According to modern-day Calvinists, the five points of Calvinism are an unbroken chain, and if one link is proven to be untrue, then the entire system fails.

As we can see, based on Calvin's own words, he, in the very least, rejected the doctrine of limited atonement:


My intent on this forum has not been to convince others that Calvinism is true, but only that they should be more tolerant of Calvinists, especially since some of history's greatest missionaries and evangelists have been Calvinists.

Ecclesiastes 7:18
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3
Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

Click to expand...

Humble_Disciple said:

It's perhaps no secret to anyone that I'm a great admirer of John Calvin who, like Martin Luther, risked his own life to promote the great scriptural truth of salvation by faith alone through grace alone.

I'm going to demonstrate, based on John Calvin's own words, that John Calvin was not a Calvinist.

According to modern-day Calvinists, the five points of Calvinism are an unbroken chain, and if one link is proven to be untrue, then the entire system fails.

As we can see, based on Calvin's own words, he, in the very least, rejected the doctrine of limited atonement:


My intent on this forum has not been to convince others that Calvinism is true, but only that they should be more tolerant of Calvinists, especially since some of history's greatest missionaries and evangelists have been Calvinists.

Ecclesiastes 7:18
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

1 Corinthians 8:2-3
Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

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Humble_Disciple said:

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Humble_Disciple said:

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Humble_Disciple said:

"The freedom of the Christian is not freedom to do what he or she wants but freedom to obey God—willingly, joyfully, naturally," John MacArthur.

Also, in the words of Calvinist apologist Cornelius Van Til, "Sin did not take away from man any of the natural powers that God had given him."

Calvinists are incredibly inconsistent, especially since Calvin himself never taught limited atonement. Nonetheless, they are still our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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