What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God (2018 Revised Edition) by Dave Hunt, Sort-of Review

 What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God (2018 Revised Edition)
by Dave Hunt

I can't remember clearly when was the first time I was exposed to Calvinism. Come to think about it, perhaps it was through books that I read (seem obvious) or sermons that I heard, or both. For sure I was reading lots of books by avid Calvinists in the past such as C.H. Spurgeon, John Piper, J.I. Packers, R.C. Sproul, and my all-time favorite John MacArthur (a.k.a. JMac). God has used - and continues to do so - their books and teachings to shape my mind and understanding of the Scripture. But I have this against them: the core teachings of Calvinism, especially on soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), are incompatible and inconsistent with Scripture. By core teachings, I'm referring to five points that can be summarized by the acronym TULIP. Having said that, I do believe (for now) that Reformed Theology is the closest to biblical Christianity as compared to other major theological systems. We must keep in mind that all theological persuasions are not perfect. It is the Word of God alone that is inerrant, infallible, and perfect.

I'm friendly to the Calvinists but I'm not one. So, am I an Arminian? No (By the way, Jacob Arminius was a good guy. And the opposite of Calvinism is not only Arminianism. Grow up!). How about a Provisionist? Interesting but not yet fully persuaded. For now, although it is helpful to know where ones stand theologically, I have no affiliation with any label. To say, I'm a Biblicalist is a cliche. But I do want to say that there is no biblical mandate or obligation for us to make the decision. Maybe the best way, for now, is to either ignore the label or settle with one or continue to learn and explore. I choose to be proactive. I've been listening to dozens of debates, podcasts, and talks to wrap my mind on these matters. I would like to encourage you to do the same (except for not being too obsessed). On the topic of Calvinism, I highly recommend the late R.C. Sproul's What Is Reformed Theology? Understanding the Basics book and talk series on Ligoniers Ministry YouTube Channel. R.C. was a good teacher, theologian, and communicator. On the other hand, if you want to read on the topic against Calvinism, then, I highly recommend the late Dave Hunt's What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God. I have other recommendations too but for basics, try these two as your introductions.

I love Dave Hunt. He was the embodiment of "zeal with knowledge" and "logic on fire" on par with Walter Martin. He addresses many topics and wrote numerous books on theology, the church, prophecy, cults, occults, New Age, and other religions and critiques of Catholicism, Islam, and yes, Calvinism, among others. You will either love him or hate him but think you must! In this book, Dave Hunt hopes to show how Calvinism misrepresents God's love, decrees, sovereignty, will, foreknowledge, grace, nature, character, gospel, and, of course, the Scripture. Some things I agree with, some statements I disagree with, and many times I hold my judgment. There are strengths (for example, quoting well-known Calvinism proponents to define their own terms) and weaknesses (for example, the tone of his writings, if you're not familiar with him, seems angry and very critical) as any provocative book would have. If you're a Calvinist, you will be triggered by the chapters on the (other) "horrific" beliefs and practices of John Calvin and his early followers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. And not to mention that of Augustine of Hippo. So, read this book at your own risk!

NOTE: Btw, there are other good (some are better!) non-Calvinist teachers and writers that you should explore too such as David Pawson, Chuck Missler, A.W. Tozer, Adrian Rogers, C.S. Lewis, Michael Heiser, Frank Viola, John Stott, Hwa Yung, etc. Read widely.

To read my other book reviews, CLICK HERE

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #DaveHunt #Calvinism #Reformed #GodsLove #Theology #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Nature of Sacraments

as remembrance of Him

In this section from the 1559 edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin explores the relation between a sacramental sign and the grace which it signifies. Notice the emphasis placed on God’s deliberate accommodation to human weakness. He writes:

“To start with, we must consider what a sacrament is. It seems to me that a simple and proper definition is that it is an outward sign by which the Lord [Jesus] seals on our consciences the promises of his good will towards us in order to sustain the weakness of our faith; and by which we in turn bear witness to our piety toward him in the presence of the Lord and of his angels, and before human beings. More briefly, it is a testimony of divine grace toward us, confirmed by an outward sign, with mutual attestation of our piety towards him. Whichever of these definitions is preferred, its sense does not differ from that given by Augustine, who teaches that a sacrament is ‘a visible sign of a sacred thing’ or ‘a visible form of an invisible grace’; however, it explains the thing itself better and more clearly…

Now, from this definition we understand that a sacrament is never without a prior promise but is joined to it as a sort of appendix, with the objective of confirming and sealing the promise itself, and of making it clearer to us and, so to speak, ratifying it. God thus makes allowance first for our ignorance and slowness, then for our weakness. Yet, properly speaking, it is not so much needed to strengthen his holy Word as to support out faith in it. For God’s truth is of itself firm and sure enough; nor can it receive better confirmation from any source other than from itself. But as our faith is slight and feeble unless it is supported at every point and sustained by every means, it trembles, wavers, totters, and finally falls down.

So our merciful Lord, by his infinite kindness, adjusts himself to us in such a way that, since we are creatures who always creep on the ground, cleave to the flesh, and, do not think about or even conceive of anything spiritual, uses these earthly elements, and sets before us in the flesh a mirror of spiritual blessings. For if we were incorporeal (as Chrysostom says), he would give us these very things naked and incorporeal. Now, because we have souls inserted into our bodies, he imparts spiritual things under visible ones. This does not mean that the gifts set before us in the sacraments are bestowed with the natures of those things; rather, that they have been given this signification by God.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) Institutes, IV.xiv.1, 3; in Joannis Calvini: Opera Selecta, ed. P. Barth and W. Niesel, vol.5 (Munich: Kaiser Verlag, 1936), 259.1-261.3

2) The Christian Theology Reader, edited by Alister E. McGrawth (Oxford UK: Blackwell Publishers Inc, 1995), 312-313.

So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Marks of the Church

Pic taken from: http://resurgencecdn.com/

John Calvin here defines the essential features, or “marks” of the true church as the preaching of the Word of God, and the proper administration of the sacraments. A degree of failure or diversity on other matters may be permitted, providing that these two essential features are present. He wrote:

“Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and listened to, and the sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution, it is in no way to be doubted that a church of God exists. For his promise cannot fail: ‘Whenever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20)… If the ministry has the Word and honours it, if it has the administration of the sacraments, it deserves without doubt to be held and considered a church. For it is certain that such things are not without fruit. In this way the unity of the universal church is preserved, which diabolical spirits have always tried to tear apart; and we do not deny authority to those lawful assemblies which have been set up in accordance with the opportunities of different places in mind.

We have identified that the distinguishing marks of the church are the preaching of the Word and the observance of the sacraments. These can never happen without bringing forth fruit and prospering through God’s blessing. I do not say that wherever the Word is preached there will be immediate results, but that wherever it is received and takes root, it shows its effectiveness. When the preaching of the gospel is reverently heard and the sacraments are not neglected, there for the time being no false or ambiguous form of the church is seen; and no one is permitted to ignore its authority, flout its warnings, resist its counsels, or make light of its chastisements – much less to break away from it and wreck its unity. For the Lord values the fellowship of his church so highly that all those who arrogantly leave any Christian society (provided that it holds fast to the true ministry of Word and sacraments) are regarded by him as deserters. He so values the authority of the church that when it is violated he believes that his own authority has been diminished…

When we say that the pure ministry of the Word and pure mode of celebrating the sacraments are a sufficient pledge and guarantee by which we may recognize as a church any society, we mean where both these marks exist, it is not to be rejected, even if it is riddled with faults in other respects. What is more, some shortcoming may find its way into the administration of either doctrine or sacraments, but this ought not to estrange us from communion with this church. For not all articles of true doctrine are of equal weight. Some are so necessary to know that they should be certain and unquestioned by everyone as proper to religion, such as: God is one; Christ is God and the Son of God; our salvation rests in God’s mercy; and the like. There are other [articles of doctrine] disputed among the churches which still do no break the unity of faith…

I am not condoning error, no matter how insignificant it may be, nor do I wish to encourage it. But I am saying that we should not desert a church on account of some minor disagreement, if it upholds sound doctrine over the essentials of piety, and maintains the use of the sacraments established by the Lord.”

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So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Concept of Justification

Up to about the year 1500, the term “justification” was widely understood to mean “to be made righteous.” This interpretation, which had its origins in the writings of St. Augustine (or Aurelius Augustinus. I recommend reading his autobiography, The Confessions. Awesome!), saw justification as both an event and a process. The Reformation, however, saw justification defined exclusively in forensic terms – that is, as an event, in which sinners are declared to be righteous before God. Justification is then followed by sanctification, a process in which believers are made righteous. In this passage, John Calvin provides a classic articulation of this forensic notion of justification.

“To be justified in God’s sight is to be reckoned as righteous in God’s judgement, and to be accepted on account of that righteousness… The person who is justified by faith is someone who, apart from the righteousness of works, has taken hold of the righteousness of Christ through faith, and having been clothed with it, appears in the sight of God not as a sinner, but as a righteous person. Therefore justification is to be understood simply as the acceptance by which God receives us into his favour as righteous people. We say that it consists of the remission of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ…

There is no doubt that we obtain justification in the sight of God only by the intercession of the righteousness of Christ. This is equivalent to saying that believers are not righteous in themselves, but on account of the communication of the righteousness of Christ through imputation, something to be noted carefully… Our righteousness is not in us, but in Christ. We possess it only because we participate in Christ; in fact, with him, we possesses all his riches.”

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References:

1) Institutes of the Christian Religion, III.xi.2, 23; in Johannis Calvini: Opera Selecta, ed. P. Barth and W. Niesel, vol. 4 (Munich: Kaiser, 1931), 182.25-183.10; 206.17-32.

2) The Christian Theology Reader, edited by Alister E. McGrath (Oxford: Blackwell), pg. 234-235

So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Grounds of Redemption

The Big Story of Scripture (Pic: Christianity Today)

In this short letter, Calvin provides a very brief summary of his general position concerning the doctrine of redemption. A fuller treatment may be found in his famous book Institutes of the Christian Religion, book 2, chapters 1-17. The style used by Calvin in his brief “letter of advice” (consilium) is much lighter and simpler than that adopted in the Institutes, making this extract unusually easy to follow and understand.

“The first man (Adam) of all was created by God with an immortal soul and a mortal body. God adorned him with his own likeness, so that he was free from any evil, and he commanded him to enjoy all that was in his pleasant garden, with the exception of the tree (of knowledge of good and evil) in which all life was hidden. He was so concerned that he should keep his hand away from this tree that he told him that he would die when he first touched its fruit. However, he did touch it. As a result, he died and was no longer like God. This was the primary origin of death. That this is true is proved by the following words: “As often as you eat of it, you will die”…

Man was therefore driven into exile, along with his descendants, in order that, having lost “the horn of plenty,” he should be miserable and experience all kinds of work and every ill, seeking food, sweating and suffering cold, often hungry, often thirsty, always wretched. Finally, God took pity upon this unfortunate and thoroughly unhappy man. Although the sentence which he passed upon him was correct, he nevertheless gave his only and much-loved Son as a sacrificial victim for such sins. By reason of this amazing and unexpected mercy, God commended his own love towards us more greatly than if he had rescinded this sentence. Therefore Christ, the Son of God, was both conceived through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin. He was finally raised up on the cross, and through his own death delivered the human race from eternal death.” (Bracket mine).

So you want to be a Calvinist? Please reread what John Calvin himself wrote.

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References:

1) Consilium de peccato et redemptione; in Corpus Reformatorum, vol.10, part 1, ed. G. Baum, E. Cunitz, and E. Reuss (Braunschweig: Schwetcshke, 1871), pp. 156-157.

2) The Christian Theology Reader edited by Alister E. McGrath (Oxford: Blackwell), pg. 186-187

So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Relation between Old and New Covenants

Law and Gospel, separate or continuity? (Pic from: http://project246.com/)

Martin Luther argued for a sharp distinction between “law” and “gospel.” While conceding that the Old Testament contained “gospel” and the New Testament “law,” Luther’s general line of argument is that the Old Testament belongs to a different category than the New. In contrast, John Calvin insists on the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. They are identical in terms of their substance; their difference relates to their administration. Calvin sets out three such points of difference.

“Now from what has been said above (previous notes of the Institutes), we can see clearly that all people who have been adopted by God into the company of his people since the beginning of the world were covenanted to him by the same law and by the bond of the same doctrine as remains in force among us… The covenant made with all the patriarchs is so similar to ours, both in substance and in fact, that the two are really one and the same; what differences there are relate to their administration…

First, we hold that it was not material prosperity and happiness which was the goal set before the Jews, and to which they were to aspire, but the hope of immortality. Faith in this adoption was made certain to them by oracles, by the law, and by the prophets. Second, the covenant by which they were bound to the Lord did not rest upon their own merits, but solely upon the mercy of the God who called them. Thirdly, they both possessed and knew Christ as Mediator, through whom they were joined to God and were to benefit from his promises.”

So you want to be a Calvinist? Please reread what John Calvin himself wrote.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) Institutes, II.x.1, 2; in Joannis Calvini: Opera Selecta, ed. P. Barth and W. Niesel, vol.4 (Munich: Kaiser, 1931), 403.5-404.22.

2) The Christian Theology Reader edited by Alister E. McGrath (Oxford: Blackwell), pg. 58

So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Nature of Faith

In this important analysis of the nature of faith, provided in the 1559 edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin establishes a direct relation between faith and the merciful promises of God. Note the emphasis placed upon the role of the Holy Spirit in revealing and sealing this knowledge. Calvin also deals with the question of whether the certainty of faith necessarily implies that doubt is excluded from the Christian life. For Calvin, doubt is a normal part of the Christian life, and is not inconsistent with his emphasis upon the trustworthiness of God’s promises. Calvin wrote:

“Now we shall have a right definition of faith if we say that it is a steady and certain knowledge of the divine benevolence towards us, which is founded upon the truth of the gracious promise of God in Christ, and is both revealed to our minds and sealed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…

When we stress that faith ought to be certain and secure, we do not have in mind a certainty without doubt, or a security without any anxiety. Rather, we affirm that believers have a perpetual struggle with their own lack of faith, and are far from possessing a peaceful conscience, never interrupted by any disturbance. On the other hand, we want to deny that they may fall out of, or depart from, their confidence in the divine mercy, no matter how much they may be troubled.”

So you want to be a Calvinist? Please reread what John Calvin himself wrote.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) Institutes, III.ii, in Joannis Calvini: Opera Selecta, ed. P. Barth and W. Niesel, vol.4 (Munich: Kaiser, 1931), 16.31-35; 27:25-36.

2) The Christian Theology Reader edited by Alister E. McGrath (Oxford: Blackwell), pg. 15

So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on Predestination

Young(er) John Calvin

[I just want you to read John Calvin himself and make up your own mind. God's Word is forever remain the Truth above all truths] The doctrine of predestination is of major important to Calvin. In this mature statement of his views, Calvin declares that some people are predestined to eternal life, and others to eternal death. This doctrine, known as “double predestination,” affirms that only those who are elected to salvation will, in fact, be saved. Notice how Calvin draws a clear distinction between “predestination” and “foreknowledge.” He writes:

“The covenant of life is not preached equally to all people, and amongst those to whom it is preached, it does not meet with the same acceptance either constantly or in equal degree. In this diversity the unsearchable depths of God’s judgment are made known. For there is no doubt that this variety is subordinate to the will of God’s eternal election. If it is clear that salvation is freely offered to some while others are barred from access to it, on account of God’s pleasure, this raises some major and difficult questions.

They can be explained only when election and predestination are rightly understood. Many find this a puzzling subject, in that it seems to be nothing less than capricious, that out of the human community some should be predestined to salvation, others to destruction. But it will become clear in the following discussion that such confusion is needless. In any case, the complexity of this matter makes known both the usefulness of this doctrine and also the very sweet fruit which it brings. We shall never be clearly persuaded, as we ought to be, that our salvation flows from God’s free mercy until we come to know his eternal election, which casts light on God’s grace by this comparison: he does not indiscriminately adopt all to the hope of salvation but gives to some what he denies to others…

Predestination, by which God adopts some to the hope of life, and sentences others to eternal death, is denied by no-one who wishes to be thought of as pious. But there are many, especially those who make foreknowledge its cause, who surround it with all kinds of petty objections. Both doctrines are indeed to be located within God, but subjecting one to the other is absurd. In attributing foreknowledge to God, we mean that all things always have been, and always will be, under his eyes, so that there is nothing future or past to his knowledge, but all things are present – present in such a way that he not only conceives them through ideas, as we have before us those things which our minds remember, but he truly looks upon them and discerns them as things placed before him. And this foreknowledge is extended throughout the universe to every creature. We call predestination God’s eternal decree, by which he determined with himself what he willed to become of each human being. For all are not created in equal condition (non enim pari conditione creantur omnes); but eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others. Therefore, as any person has been directed (conditus) to one or the other of these ends, we speak of him or her as predestined to life or to death.”

So you want to be a Calvinist?
Please reread what John Calvin himself wrote and other writings.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) Institutes of the Christian Religion, III.xxi.1, 5; in Joannis Calvini: Opera Selecta, ed. P. Barth and W. Niesel, vol.4 (Munich:Kaiser, 1931), 368.33-369.14; 373.33-374.17

2) The Christian Theology Reader, edited by Alister E. McGrath (Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc., 1995) pg. 232-233.

So You Want to Be a Calvinist? John Calvin on the Natural Knowledge of God

John Calvin opens the 1559 edition of his classic book, Institutes of the Christian Religion, with a discussion of how we know anything about God. According to Calvin, a true and full knowledge of God is only available through Scripture. However, Calvin insists that a natural knowledge of God is possible, which prepares the way for the full knowledge of God, and eliminates any human excuse for being ignorant of God’s existence or nature. Note especially Calvin’s argument for an implanted sense of divinity within human beings:

“There is within the human mind, and that by natural instinct, a sense of divinity (divinitatis sensus). This we take to be beyond controversy. So that no-one might take refuge in the pretext of ignorance, God frequently renews and sometimes increases this awareness, so that all people, recognizing that there is a God and that he is their Creator, are condemned by their own testimony because they have failed to worship him and to give their lives to his service. If ignorance of God is to be looked for anywhere, surely one is most likely to find an example of it amongst the more backward peoples and those who are really remote from civilization (ab humanitatis cultu remotiores). Yet, in fact (as a pagan has said) there is no nation so barbarous, no people so savage, that they do not have a pervasive belief that there is a God…

There has been no region since the beginning of the world, no city, no home, that could exist without religion; this fact in itself points to a sense of divinity inscribed in the hearts of all people…

There are innumerable witnesses in heaven and on earth that declare the wonders of his wisdom. Not only those more arcane matters for the closer observation of which astronomy, medicine, and all of natural science (tota physica scientia)  are intended, but also those which force themselves upon the sight of even the most unlearned and ignorant peoples, so that they cannot even open their eyes without being forced to see them.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) Institutes, I.iii.1,2; in Joannis Calvini: Opera Selecta, ed. P. Barth and W. Niesel, vol. 3 (Munich: Kaiser Verlag, 1928), 37.16-46.11.

2) The Christian Theology Reader, edited by Alister E. McGrath (Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1995), pp. 57