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Pastor’s Message
“This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:3-4
July 10th will mark the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth. Calvin had intended to be a Catholic priest, but had entered law instead. He was greatly influenced by the writings of Martin Luther. Breaking away from Catholicism, he left France and settled in Switzerland in exile.
Some of Calvin’s teachings were right in line with Scripture. For example, he taught the total depravity of mankind. Even since Adam’s fall into sin, man has become totally corrupt. We are conceived and born in sin, with no inclination to do good. God’s description of mankind is “that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Gen. 6:5). So Calvin also believed that it was only by God’s grace that we are saved. He held firmly to the truth that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 8-9).
But Calvin also promoted some false teachings as he tried to understand the works of God. One of his most famous false teachings is called “Double Predestination.” It is his answer to the perplexing question of “why are some saved and not others”.
Many false teachers had answered that question by looking to a difference in man. Man either chose to do good, or he chose to do evil. Along the same lines some have taught that some have made a decision to believe in Jesus and follow him, while others have not made that decision. Calvin knew that this could not be the answer, for the Bible had described all men as totally corrupt with no ability whatsoever to do good or even to believe in the grace of God.
So Calvin went in the opposite direction. If the difference of “why some are saved and not others” does not lie in man, then it must lie in God. And so he taught that God in His sovereignty as God decided from eternity that some would be saved and others would be condemned. This is what is called “Double Predestination”. God predestined some to be saved and others to be lost. Those whom He predestined to be saved will come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved by grace through faith. Those whom He predestined to be lost will resist the working of the Holy Spirit and will be lost for all eternity.
While this all sounds good and plausible, it clearly goes against the clear testimony of Scripture that God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. To say that God has predestined some to be condemned, and at the same time wants them to be saved makes God to be double-minded (which He is not). The Bible never says that God has chosen any for damnation, but that those who are condemned must bear the full blame for their condemnation.
So what is the answer to the question, “Why are some saved and others not”? The answer is that we are saved totally due to God’s grace and that others are lost totally due to their own stony hearts that will not believe God and follow Him. This answer leaves a lot of question marks that our limited understanding cannot answer right now. But instead of having to fit this truth into the confines of our intelligence, we simply submit our every thought to the Word of Christ. Our salvation is totally due to God’s grace to us in Christ. Man’s damnation is totally due to himself. This is what scripture teaches. This is what we believe.
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