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Confirmation of Doctrine from Scripture | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome you curious minds to the deep dive.
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I am your host speaker. And I am your expert speaker.
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Today we're taking a full, deep dive into, well, a really
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central concept within Reformed theology, God's election.
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It's a doctrine that frankly has shaped theological thought for
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centuries, and it certainly sparks a lot of discussion and
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reflection. It really does.
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And our listener has given us a very enlightening stack of
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sources to work with, mostly excerpts from John Calvin's
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Institute to the Christian Religion, plus a collection of
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votes. Yes.
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And our goal today, our mission is pretty clear.
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We want to get a distinct, a clear understanding of how
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Calvin saw divine election and specifically how he drew a very
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sharp line between his view and that, well, that common idea
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that God chooses people based on knowing beforehand about their
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future merits or their good works.
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Great. So we'll lay out what Calvin
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actually taught, how we backed it up with Scripture, and maybe
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think about why this distinction really matters for how we
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understand God and salvation. So as we get ready to sort of
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unpack this, what jumps out at you first from this material?
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What's the initial striking element?
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Well, what's really compelling, I think, is Calvin's absolute
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insistence on on relocating the source of salvation.
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Relocating. Yeah, He consistently points us
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away from anything we do, any human action or quality, and
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puts the focus squarely on God's own role, God's purpose.
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It just fundamentally shifts where you look for the origin of
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salvation. It makes it entirely God's
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initiative. And that that repositioning is
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just key to getting Kelvin on this.
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All right, let's open this up then by talking about that main
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point of disagreement right away, this widespread idea about
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how God makes his choices, a view Kelvin argues strongly
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against. Indeed, yeah, the sources
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highlight this commonly accepted belief.
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And it wasn't just a fringe idea.
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It was held by many respected authors across different times,
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and it basically proposes that God's election is, well,
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conditional. Conditional on what?
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Conditional on what he foresees, people will achieve or become
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their future merits. So, the idea goes, God adopts
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those he foreknows will not be unworthy of His grace.
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Ah OK, so he sees something good or at least not unworthy in the
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future. Right.
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And on the flip side, he appoints to damnation those
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whose future attitudes he sees will be inclined to evil
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intention and ungodliness. So it's like God's choice is a
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reaction to what he sees coming down the line from us humans.
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Pretty much it makes human foresight or our future actions
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a kind of contributing factor in his decision.
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OK, so if God's choice is seen as being influenced by what he
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foresees in US, that definitely puts a certain weight on human
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action, doesn't it? It does.
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And Calvin, right from the start, makes it really clear
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he's strongly against this interpretation.
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How does he push back against this idea, which he calls
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covering election with a veil of foreknowledge?
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Well, he's pretty uncompromising in his critique.
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He argues this idea, this veil of foreknowledge, doesn't just,
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you know, obscure the real doctrine.
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He says it actually pretends or feigns that election originates
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somewhere else, somewhere other than in God himself.
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So it misplaces the source. Exactly.
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It falsely points the cause of election to something outside of
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God, something found in US, and he sees that as a really serious
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misrepresentation. He says quite strongly that
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God's truth is here too sure to be shaken, too clear to be
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overwhelmed by men's authority. Strong words.
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Yeah, for Calvin, this isn't just a minor theological point.
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It's a direct challenge to the nature of God's sovereignty, the
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purity of his grace. And it doesn't matter how many
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smart people might have supported this other view
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historically. So he felt the Bible was just
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too clear on this. He believed the scriptural
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witness was so unambiguous that no amount of human thinking or
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historical weight could legitimately override it.
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So this isn't just a casual debate.
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It's got deep historical roots, this argument.
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Why was it so critical for Calvin to challenge the specific
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view of foreknowledge? Why put so much energy into
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dismantling it? That's a really good question.
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If you look at the bigger picture, the reason becomes very
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clear. If election depends even a
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little bit on foreseen human merits, well, then you're
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attributing A cause for salvation that starts outside of
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God's own sovereign will. OK, so it diminishes God's role.
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It absolutely diminishes God's exclusive role in salvation.
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It kind of shifts some of the credit, you could say, away from
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God's free favor and onto some quality or future action in US.
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Right. If God chooses me because he
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sees I'll be worthy or have faith.
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Then your wordiness or your foreseen faith becomes part of
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why you're saved, and that makes salvation less about pure,
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unearned grace a gift and more like God responding
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conditionally. Which Calvin would see as
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undermining God's role as the sole author of salvation.
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Precisely, it takes away from the complete praise do only to
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Him, and it also sort of suggests that humans, even after
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the fall, have some spark of goodness or ability to start a
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meritorious response that God just notices and rewards.
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Which clashes with the reformed view if human nature.
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Directly, the idea that we're corrupted by sin and totally
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unable to earn God's favor on our own.
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So this whole debate ties into fundamental views of God, grace
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and humanity. OK, so this brings us to a
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really interesting point. If election isn't about what God
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sees in us, what he foresees will do, then what is it about
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for Calvin? Where does he locate the genuine
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origin? Calvin points us squarely and
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only towards God's own character, His nature.
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The sources make it plain election comes entirely from
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God's own decision and His purpose.
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So purely from within God himself.
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Yes, an act of His sovereign will started from within his own
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being. It's not a reaction to anything
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outside him. No perceived quality in US.
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It's God's prerogative exercise based purely on his own reasons,
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a self-sufficient, self determining choice.
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And what does Scripture say about this?
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You mentioned Calvin leans heavily on Paul.
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What language does Paul use to describe this divine source?
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Paul is definitely a cornerstone here.
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He states very explicitly in Ephesians one verse 5, that God
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chose us according to the good pleasure of His will.
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The good pleasure of his will. That phrase sounds significant.
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It's absolutely central. It means God's decree of
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election is fixed only by his own desire, his volition.
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He's considering nothing outside himself with which to be
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concerned and making his decree. So no external factors at.
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All no, no outside advice, no human worthiness, no foreseen
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action or condition influences this choice.
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It's an internal self starting act of God's will.
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And that phrase, good pleasure of His will really removes any
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possible basis for us to boast or claim we had a part in
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earning salvation. It's God's free favor.
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Free given. And a really compelling argument
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to back this up is the timing of the choice, Paul says It
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happened before the creation of the world.
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How does that specific timing completely rule out human merit?
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Oh, the timing is huge. Before the creation of the
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world, as Ephesians 1.4 says, Or before the foundations of the
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world were laid. That's a powerful direct
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refutation of any idea of foreseen merits, because at that
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point, individuals did not yet exist.
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Simple as that. There was no one to observe, no
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future actions to foresee, so there was no basis for
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distinction among people based on any foreseen qualities or
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merits. Why?
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Because there was no real worth on our part to even consider.
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We hadn't even been created yet, let alone done anything good or
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bad. Exactly.
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So the choice had to be purely God's, completely independent of
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anything we could ever do or be. As Calvin puts it, we were
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adopted into this eternal inheritance because in ourselves
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we were not capable of such great excellence.
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God's choice came before our actions, even before our
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existence. That does bring a lot of
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clarity. If we didn't exist, we couldn't
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have earned it. But then Paul also says God
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chose us so that we should be holy.
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This seems like a really important distinction is needed
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here, right? How does Calvin understand
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holiness in this verse? Yes, this is a truly vital
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distinction. Calvin comes back to it again
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and again. God shows us that we should be
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holy and spotless and irreproachable in his sight.
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Quoting Ephesians 1.4 again. OK, Calvin clarifies that
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holiness here is a consequence. It's a purpose of election, not
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its cause. Consequence not 'cause.
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Right to suggest God chose us because he foresaw we would
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become holy. Calvin says that will invert
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Paul's order. It flips it backwards.
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It would imply that our future holiness gave cause to election,
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which Calvin sees as completely illogical.
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If the holiness found in believers comes from election,
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it can't logically be the prior reason for election.
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That makes sense. The effect can't 'cause the
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cause. Precisely, and he loves to quote
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Augustine here, whose famous line is God's grace does not
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find, but makes those fit to be chosen.
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Makes those fit to be chosen, yeah.
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Our holiness, our virtues, our faith, all these are spiritual
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gifts. They are the results of God's
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prior choice, not the conditions that prompted God to choose us.
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This understanding really turns our usual human assumptions
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about becoming good upside down. So if our holiness, our
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goodness, is the result and not the reason for God's choice,
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what does this actually mean for how we understand our role
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versus God's role in salvation? This really reframes the whole
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dynamic of grace and human effort, doesn't it?
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It absolutely reshapes that dynamic.
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It means, as Calvin puts it, God's goodness anticipates men,
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that among them he finds nothing, either past or future,
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to win them his favor. God's goodness comes first,
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finding nothing in us. Yes, our whole spiritual life,
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any virtues, any good works we display are all effects flowing
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from this prior unmerited choice by God.
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It really highlights that the salvation of His own is His own
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work. So we have no claim, no
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bargaining chip. None.
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No intrinsic goodness, no ability to start a meritorious
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response that would somehow obligate God to act Everything
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good in US related to salvation is a downstream consequence of
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God's upstream decision that. Leaves no room for human
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boasting then. Not a shred.
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It places all the glory, all the credit, squarely on God's
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sovereign initiative and His pure, unadulterated grace.
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It's very humbling perspective, really.
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OK, now Calvin doesn't just state these things
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theologically. He builds his whole case on
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Scripture. Which biblical accounts does he
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lean on most heavily to show God's sovereign hand in election
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totally separate from human deeds or foreseen merit?
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He uses several examples, but the story of Jacob and Esau,
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especially as Paul interprets it in Romans 9, is absolutely
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central for Calvin. He sees it as offering, well,
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what he considers undeniable proof.
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Jacob and Esau, OK, tell us. About that well, he notes, they
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were both sons of Abraham, literally enclosed together in
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their mother's womb. But crucially, Paul points out,
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they were chosen and rejected, though they were not yet born
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and had done nothing either good or bad.
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Before birth, before any actions.
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Exactly. And Paul says this distinction
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was made specifically in order that God's purpose of election
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might continue not because of works, but because of his call.
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So the timing before any deeds plainly refutes the error that
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derives election from foreknowledge.
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It directly contradicts that idea.
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Directly and God's declaration. Jacob I loved but Esau I hated,
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which Malachi records in Paul quotes was effectively true from
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God's perspective even before their birth, powerfully
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supporting this idea of God's unconditioned choice.
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And Calvin adds another layer to this something about Birthright.
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Yes, he highlights that God even disregarded the rite of
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primogeniture. You know, the established custom
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where the first born son got the main inheritance and blessing.
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Esau was the elder. But Jacob got the blessing.
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Right, Calvin says. God overturned this expectation
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specifically to deprive the flesh of all reason to boast.
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It shows God's absolute freedom to choose based on His own will,
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not human custom or expectation. That's a strong point about
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primogeniture. So the lesson from Jacob and
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Esau isn't just about who got the earthly blessing, is it?
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What's the deeper spiritual meaning Calvin sees here for us?
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That's a really good clarification.
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No, Jacob's election wasn't just about getting more camels or
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land, though that was part of the story.
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Calvin argues the earthly blessing, the primogeniture, was
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an earthly symbol to declare Jacob's spiritual election.
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A symbol of something more. Yes, signifying an unfading
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blessing in God's eternal Kingdom.
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Calvin understood that God used these visible temporal things
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like blessings, land, promises as signs pointing to a much
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deeper eternal reality, salvation, inclusion in his
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covenant people. So the promise of Canaan pointed
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beyond itself. Yes, it contained within it a
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spiritual promise of a heavenly home, eternal fellowship with
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God. It means Jacob was in Calvin's
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words and grafted into the body of Christ, that he might share
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the same life. So the story goes way beyond
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just sibling rivalry. Oh, absolutely.
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It's presented as a powerful testimony to God's electing love
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and His purpose for spiritual salvation demonstrated through
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His sovereign choice. And this unconditioned choice is
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also stated really dramatically in God's words to Moses.
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It's in Exodus, which Paul brings up too.
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Absolutely. God's declaration to Moses in
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Exodus 33 verse 19, which Paul quotes in Romans 9, is another
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key pillar for Calvin. God says I will have mercy on
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whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have
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compassion. Very, direct, very.
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And Calvin interprets this as God's clear declaration that he
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finds in men themselves no reason to bless them, but takes
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it from his mercy alone. So mercy originates purely from
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God's side. Entirely, It signifies his
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decision to show mercy is purely his own sovereign will, flowing
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from his own nature, with no external trigger or human input
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required. It makes it crystal clear that
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the ultimate source of mercy and salvation is God's free,
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benevolent choice, not anything we deserve.
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It really drives home the idea that salvation from start to
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finish is God's work rooted in his mercy.
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It does completely. So these Old Testament examples
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consistently show God making choices independent of what
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people have done or will do. What about Jesus himself?
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Do his own teachings align with his view of God's sovereign
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initiative? Yes, absolutely.
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Christ consistently confirms that election originates in the
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Father's sovereign will, and he also speaks of his own active
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role in it. Where do we see that?
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Well, first, his statement in John 15 verse 16 is very direct.
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You did not choose me, but I chose you.
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That's pretty unambiguous. It is, and Calvin points out
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this rules out past merits, but also indicates his disciples had
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nothing in themselves for which to be chosen if he had not first
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turned to them in his mercy. It's not just about those 12
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guys. It's a universal truth for all
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believers. It challenges our natural
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tendency to think we initiate our relationship with God.
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That is a striking statement, cutting against our usual way of
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thinking. What else does Jesus say that
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highlights this divine initiative?
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He also speaks very clearly about the Father's role in
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giving and drawing people. In John chapter 6 verse 37 he
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says all that the Father gives me will come to me.
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OK, the father gives them. Yes, and then later in John 6
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verses 44 and 45, no one can come to me unless the Father
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draws him. Everyone who has heard and
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learned from the Father comes to me.
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So coming to Christ is a result of the Father's drawing.
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Exactly, Calvin says. This establishes election as the
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beginning of our reception into the surety and protection of
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Christ. It shows that our coming to
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Christ, that act of faith, turning to Him, happens because
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of the Father's prior gift and drawing.
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It's not based on our independent human will or effort
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making the first move. It signifies God's initiative is
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the first 'cause the start of the sequence.
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Right, the initial and moving cause of salvation.
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And it seems Christ also makes a very clear distinction, almost a
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separation, between those who belong to him and the world in
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his prayers and teachings. He definitely does.
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In his high Priestly prayer in John 17 verse 9, he explicitly
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differentiates. He prays, I am not praying for
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the world, but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are
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thine. That's a clear separation.
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It is. It shows a clear separation,
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indicating a limited number are rescued by grace, while the
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world itself is left to its own destruction.
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As Calvin puts it, based on these texts, this particularity
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is a stark illustration of election in action.
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And he also mentions choosing them out of the world.
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Yes, in John 15 verse 19 He tells the disciples if you were
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of the world, the world would love its own, but because you
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are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
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therefore the world hates you. Again, reinforcing their special
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status comes from His choice, not something inherent in them.
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And does Christ claim an active personal role in this choice
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himself, or just attribute it to the Father?
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No, he claims an active role too in John 13 verse 18, speaking
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about Judas among the disciples. Christ says I know whom I have
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chosen. I know whom I have chosen.
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Yes, that signifies his active, conscious role in the divine
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choice. He's distinguishing a particular
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species, as Calvin describes it, marked out not by their virtues
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but by this heavenly decree. His choice isn't based on merely
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observing them, but on what he himself has decreed and
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intended. So it really is like a chorus of
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voices from Scripture, all pointing to God's initiative.
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Yes, it's a consistent message from Christ across different
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teachings, all underscoring the purely divine origin and agency
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and election. It makes it clear salvation is
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thoroughly God's work, beginning to end.
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OK, it's clear this doctrine has deep scriptural roots.
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But did Calvin just come up with this interpretation, or did he
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draw from earlier theologians to strengthen his arguments?
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Oh, Calvin definitely didn't stand alone.
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He relied quite heavily on the later theological work of
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Augustine of Hippo. Yeah, and this gives important
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historical context. It shows this wasn't some brand
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new idea from the Reformation, but really a recovery, a
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reemphasis of a strong understanding articulated
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centuries earlier by one of the church's most influential
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thinkers. That is interesting.
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What was Augustine's view on election, and was it always the
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same as the view Calvin later championed?
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Well, Augustine's perspective on grace and election actually
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changed over time. It evolved.
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Oh, how so? For a while early on he actually
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held an opinion closer to the one Calvin refutes.
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He thought God distributed grace based on his foreknowledge of
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how people would use it well. So initially he held a more
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conditional view. Yes, for a time, but then as he
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gained in his words a better knowledge of scripture,
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especially during his long fight against the Pelagian heresy.
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Pelagius, who emphasized free will.
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Right. Pelagius argued for a very
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strong human free will capable of doing good and earning
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salvation, making God's grace almost like a reward.
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Augustine, reacting to this, dove deeper into Paul's letters,
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especially Romans. And this study changed his mind.
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Profoundly, he not only retracted his earlier view as
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patently false, but stoutly refuted it.
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This is significant. A major church father changing
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his mind based on deeper scriptural study and theological
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debate, landing on this unconditioned view of election.
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So what was key in that shift? For Augustine, he specifically
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criticized the idea of foreseen merits.
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He pointed out that Paul when faced with the question of God
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being unjust in his choices in Romans 9.
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Well, Paul does not say this. Meaning Paul doesn't defend God
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by pointing to human merits. Instead of Paul takes refuge in
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God's judgments and mercy. Paul appeals to God's
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sovereignty, not human actions exactly.
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So Augustine's mature view, forged in that battle, became
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very from on this point. Absolutely his definitive stance
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the 1 Calvin quotes often became God's grace does not find, but
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makes those fit to be chosen. That phrase again, it really
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captures it. It perfectly encapsulates the
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idea any goodness, faith or worthiness in US is a direct
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result of God's prior initiating work, not a precondition for it.
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And he used Christ's words too. Yes, he used You did not choose
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me, but I chose you to argue against foreseen goodness,
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Augustine reasoned. If Christ chose them based on
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foreseeing their goodness or their choosing Him, His
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statement wouldn't make much sense, would it?
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It would be redundant. Christ's words clearly state His
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choice was the initiating action.
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That historical development does add significant weight to
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Calvin's position. It really does.
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What about other theological challenges?
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Did Calvin engage with thinkers from different periods or
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schools of thought on this? He did.
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He acknowledges some earlier figures, like Origin, Jerome and
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even Ambrose for a time, initially lean towards Grace
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being based on foreseen good use or merit.
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So he knew he wasn't the first to grapple with these different
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views. Right.
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But he also notes that even Ambrose, who auged and cited,
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also said that God calls whom he vouchsafes to call and makes
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godly whom he wills, which fundamentally aligns with God's
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sovereign choice. So the theme wasn't totally
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absent, even among those who held other related ideas.
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OK, beyond the early church fathers, how did Calvin deal
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with later scholastic thinkers like Thomas Aquinas?
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Aquinas is known for his, let's say, intricate theological
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arguments. Yes, Calvin definitely addresses
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what he calls the subtlety of Thomas Aquinas.
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Aquinas tried to bridge divine sovereignty and human
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responsibility within that scholastic framework.
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How did Aquinas approach it? Well, Aquinas suggested
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foreknowledge of merits could be a cause in a kind of secondary
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sense. He proposed that while merit
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isn't the primary cause of election from God's side, God
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could maybe be said to predestined glory on account of
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merits because he decrees to give the grace by which people
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can merit that glory. That's something complicated.
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Like God enables the merit, foresees it, and then
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predestines based on the enabled merit.
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It's a bit. Intricate.
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Yeah. An attempt to give human actions
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a place within the divine decree, even if those actions
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are themselves grace enabled. It connects foreseen merit and
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God's choice, but maybe more indirectly.
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So how does Calvin respond to that kind of nuanced reasoning?
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Does he buy it? Not at all.
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He dismisses it pretty strongly as an absurd affectation.
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Absurd affectation. Wow.
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He found that kind of speculative reasoning unhelpful,
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even misleading. He insists firmly that the Lord
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wills that in election we contemplate nothing but his mere
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goodness. Period.
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So for Calvin, these complex distinctions just muddy the
22:08
waters. Exactly.
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He felt they distract from the pure, simple truth of God's free
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grace, trying to find some human contribution or secondary cause.
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An election is, for Calvin, an unnecessary and potentially
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dangerous speculation that complicates what he believes
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Scripture makes straightforward. And does he offer a counter
22:26
argument to Aquinas's specific logic?
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He does, actually. He kind of flips Aquinas's
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logic. Calvin argues that if
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predestination to grace follows election to life, meaning God
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first chooses you for eternal life, then provides the grace to
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get you there, then it would make more sense to say
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predestination to glory is the cause of predestination to grace
22:45
rather than the converse. So God decides the end goal
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glory 1st and then provides the means grace.
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That's his point. God assigns glory first in His
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eternal plan, and then bestows the grace needed to bring His
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chosen ones from that initial election through justification
23:04
all the way to final salvation. But really, Calvin sees these
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kinds of intricate arguments as superfluous, unnecessary for
23:11
people who believe there's enough wisdom in God's Word
23:13
itself. Just stick to the Bible.
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Pretty much. He even quotes an old church
23:17
writer who apparently said those who assign God's election to
23:20
merits are wiser than they ought to be.
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Basically, don't try to be smarter than scripture on this.
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That really highlights Calvin's commitment to grounding his
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theology directly in Scripture without getting lost in what he
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sees as excessive human speculation.
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Yes, that's a core principle for him.
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OK, this brings us to a really common, and, let's be honest,
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understandable objection. If election is so specific and
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God's will is absolute in choosing only some, how do we
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square that with a universal invitation of the Gospel?
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You know, the message calling all people to repent and
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believe. It feels like a contradiction to
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many people. Yes, this is a critical point
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and Calvin deals with it directly because it's such a
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natural question that arises from the doctrine of election.
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He knows people object saying God seems to contradict himself,
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inviting everyone universally through the gospel, but then
24:11
only actually choosing and saving a select few.
24:15
Right, that's the tension. But Calvin denies the pumice of
24:18
a contradiction. He says the objection is false
24:20
in two ways. The objection often assumes that
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because the gospel promises are universal, their effect must
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also be universal, that everyone who hears should be able to
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respond savingly. Calvin challenges that
24:31
assumption head on. OK, what are the two ways he
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argues it's false? First, he argues that God does
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not bind himself to call all equally.
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He doesn't owe everyone the same measure or opportunity of
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hearing the gospel. How does he support that?
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He points to scriptural examples, God threatening
24:47
drought on one city but raining on another, announcing a famine,
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of hearing the words of the Lord in certain places, even Paul
24:55
being explicitly guided by the Spirit, away from preaching in
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Asia and Bithynia and towards Macedonia instead.
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So God directs where the message goes, and it's not everywhere
25:05
equally. Exactly for Calvin, these
25:08
examples show God has the right to distribute this treasure the
25:11
gospel to whom He pleases. The outward call of the gospel
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isn't evenly spread to every single person with the same
25:18
intensity or effect. OK, so that's the first point.
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God directs the proclamation. What's the second point?
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Even where the gospel is widely preached, not everyone believes.
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Precisely. The second point is that the
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universality of the outward gospel call doesn't mean it has
25:32
universal efficacy. Just because the message goes
25:35
out broadly doesn't mean everyone who hears it is given
25:38
the spiritual ability to actually believe it.
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So the external call is different from an internal
25:42
enabling. Yes, Calvin says, while the
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gospel addresses all in general. Yet the gift of faith is rare.
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Faith for him is a special gift from God.
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It's not something we just conjure up through human effort
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or naturally possess as a response to hearing the words.
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He backs us up from Scripture too.
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Oh yes, he quotes Isaiah 53.1. To whom has the arm of the Lord
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been revealed, implying it's not revealed to everyone.
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He suggests the spiritual blindness, the inability to
26:09
believe, relates to God choosing not to reveal His saving power,
26:14
his arm, to them. And he brings back those verses
26:16
from John 6. He does.
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He reiterates Christ, saying, all that the Father gives me
26:20
will come to me, and no one can come to me unless the Father
26:24
draws him. These verses clearly show for
26:27
Calvin that coming to Christ happens because of the Father's
26:30
prior gift and drawing. This proves, he argues, that
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election is the mother of faith. Election gives birth to faith,
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not the other way around. Exactly.
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Faith is a consequence of election, not its prerequisite.
26:43
Preaching alone doesn't automatically make people God's
26:45
children. It's the special internal gift
26:48
of faith flowing from God's effective inward call that
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regenerates someone and leads them to believe.
26:54
So the outward call is broad, like casting a wide net, but the
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effectual work of drawing someone to faith the internal
27:02
call is specific only to the elect.
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That's a good way to put it. Now, does this doctrine of
27:07
sovereign choice also extend to those not chosen for salvation?
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Is there a flip side? A counterpart to election?
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Yes, there is. The counterpart to election is
27:16
what theology calls reprobation, and Calvin teaches that this too
27:20
is rooted solely in God's will and purpose.
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OK, so just as election isn't based on foreseen good works.
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That probation is not based on foreseen bad works.
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How does he argue that? Again, the example of Esau from
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Romans 9 is crucial. He says, as Jacob, deserving
27:35
nothing by good works, is taken into grace, so Esau, as yet
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undefiled by any crime, is hated.
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Hated before he'd done anything wrong, just as Jacob was loved
27:43
before he'd done anything right. Exactly, Paul stresses this
27:46
distinction was established before they were born and had
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done nothing, either good or bad, precisely to prove that the
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foundation of divine predestination is not in work.
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This applies to both election and reprobation.
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God's decision, whether for salvation or rejection, is
28:03
independent of human actions, past or future.
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Now that seems like a very difficult, maybe even troubling
28:09
idea for many people listening. How does Calvin explain God's
28:13
justice in this, especially when it comes to rejecting some?
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Yes, this is undoubtedly the point where many people struggle
28:19
the most when the question of God's potential injustice comes
28:23
up. Regarding Esau's reprobation,
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Calvin notes that Paul contents himself with a different
28:27
solution, Meaning Paul doesn't try to justify God by saying
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Esau got what he deserved based on foreseen evil.
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Instead, Paul simply states that the reprobate are raised up to
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the end, that through them God's glory may be revealed.
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The ultimate reason given is God's glory.
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That sounds hard to grasp. How does the Potter and clay
28:44
analogy fit in? Right.
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To address the justice question further, Calvin points to Paul's
28:49
analogy of the Potter and the clay in Romans 9.
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Paul asks rhetorically. Has not the Potter a right over
28:55
the clay to make out of the same lump 1 vessel for honorable use
28:59
and another for dishonorable? Use the Potter's right over the
29:02
clay. Yes, this imagery asserts God's
29:04
absolute right as the Creator to shape humanity according to His
29:08
own will for different purposes, without being answerable to our
29:11
human ideas of fairness. The lump represents humanity,
29:15
all equally fallen, all equally deserving condemnation from a
29:18
justice perspective. So from this common fallen
29:21
state. God, as the sovereign Potter,
29:23
forms some vessels for mercy, displaying his glorious grace,
29:26
and other vessels prepared for destruction, displaying His
29:29
righteous justice against sin. That's how Calvin, following
29:32
Paul, addresses the justice question, by appealing to God's
29:35
unquestionable right as Creator and His ultimate aim of
29:38
glorifying Himself in all his attributes, both mercy and
29:41
justice. And this leads directly to Paul,
29:43
Paul's very stark conclusion in Romans 9, tying both mercy and
29:47
hardening back to God's will alone.
29:49
Precisely. Paul wraps up that section with
29:52
the powerful sweeping statement. So then he has mercy on whomever
29:56
he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
29:58
Romans 9.18. Both actions trace back to God's
30:02
will. Both showing mercy and hardening
30:05
hearts both are attributed to God's decision alone, and Paul
30:08
warns people to seek no 'cause outside his will.
30:11
For either outcome. There's no reason for rejecting
30:15
some that originates outside God's sovereign free will.
30:17
And this underlines the point about the rest being left.
30:20
Yes, it highlights again that the world itself is left to its
30:23
own destruction to which it has been destined, underscoring the
30:27
particular nature of salvation for the elect and the absence of
30:30
that saving grace for others. It really presents a complete
30:33
view of God's sovereign decision covering all humanity.
30:36
That is a comprehensive view. OK, one final clarification on
30:39
terms then. What does Calvin mean when
30:41
Scripture does use the word foreknowledge in a positive way?
30:45
Like when Paul or Peter talk about believers being foreknown
30:47
of God? How is that different from the
30:49
foreknowledge of merits that Calvin rejects so strongly?
30:53
Yes, that's a really crucial distinction.
30:55
It has to be handled carefully or it causes confusion when Paul
30:59
talks about Israel being foreknown in Romans 11 or Peter
31:03
talks about believers being elect according to the
31:05
foreknowledge of God in first Peter 1.
31:07
Yes, those it. Is not talking about God
31:10
passively watching future events unfold from an idle watchtower,
31:14
seeing things he isn't himself bringing about that passive
31:18
observational view of foreknowledge, God just seeing
31:21
what will happen and reacting. That's the mistaken idea Calvin
31:24
consistently argues against. So foreknown in these verses
31:27
doesn't mean God just foresaw their faith.
31:30
No. Instead, in this biblical
31:32
context, foreknowledge means God actively designating, choosing,
31:36
setting apart those whom He would have as his sons for
31:38
himself. It's not just intellectual
31:40
foresight. It's an active pretemporal
31:42
purpose, an act of divine determination.
31:45
So it's more like for loved or for ordained?
31:47
Exactly. It's synonymous with what Calvin
31:50
calls secret predestination, or God's fixed determination.
31:54
God, as the author of our salvation, acts from within
31:57
himself to appoint certain people to salvation.
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So when Scripture says we are for known, it points to God's
32:03
proactive electing will and purpose, His definite decision
32:07
from eternity past, not just a passive glimpse of our future
32:11
actions or responses. He doesn't just see what will
32:13
happen, he determines it in the realm of salvation.
32:16
Yes, it's about God's authorship, not merely his
32:19
observation. That distinction is key to
32:22
understanding Calvin and these passages.
32:24
OK, this deep dive into Calvin's doctrine of election really does
32:28
bring God absolute sovereignty into sharp focus.
32:31
Doesn't. It it certainly does.
32:32
We've learned that for Calvin, God's choices don't depend on
32:35
what he sees in US or foresees will do.
32:38
Instead, they flow entirely from his own good pleasure, his own
32:41
purpose, established amazingly before the creation of the
32:44
world. Indeed, and it highlights that
32:47
our holiness, our faith, are results of His choice, not the
32:50
cause of it. His mercy and His justice are
32:52
self determined actions, not reactions to whether we are
32:55
worthy or unworthy. Right.
32:57
The examples like Jacob and Esau, Christ's own words about
33:00
choosing us, even Augustine's mature theological conclusions,
33:03
they also to point towards the single consistent truth of God's
33:07
unconditioned decision and salvation, and yes, and
33:09
reprobation too. So as you, our listener, reflect
33:13
on this understanding of election, how does this doctrine
33:16
actually shape your thoughts? Maybe about grace or your
33:20
assurance in God's plan? Perhaps it invites, well, a deep
33:23
sense of humility and maybe boundless praise for God's truly
33:26
unmerited favor. What if this doctrine is less
33:28
about some kind of rigid cold system and more about prompting
33:32
A heartfelt response, A response of awe, maybe worship to a God
33:36
who acts completely by his own sovereign decision?
33:39
That's a really compelling question to sit with.
33:41
How does acknowledging God's complete initiative in salvation
33:45
change your understanding of your own faith, your security?
33:49
It certainly challenges us to look completely beyond
33:51
ourselves, doesn't it? It does a great thought to chew
33:54
on. Thank you for joining us on this
33:55
deep dive. Until next time, keep seeking,
33:58
keep learning. And keep discovering.