Public Intellectual: John Calvin

John Calvin is a public intellectual who used his insight about the bible to reform a large sect of Christianity- although not all. A philosopher of the word of God, his extremist view points have left a mark on Protestants throughout the world, as well as a mess for many other Christians to clean up. John Calvin, although highly regarded as a revolutionary intellect in the Protestant community, contradicts his own credibility as a theologian and expert of the bible, through his “5-point theory,” which is not even scripturally supported and thus often challenged by the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
Perhaps the most ironic part of John Calvin’s life is the fact that he was raised in a devout Catholic family, which he then later broke away from to become one of the most prominent reformers of the protestant denomination. But before I get into all that, lets back up a little. Calvin was born in France in 1509. His father wanted him to become a Catholic priest due to the family’s close ties with the local Cathedral, but Calvin had other plans. He went to study at the College de Marche in Paris to prepare for the university. At this time, around the year 1527, Calvin was still a practicing Catholic, but was friends with many who were influenced by the writings of Martin Luther and Jacques Lefevre d’Etaples, which were popular in Paris at the time. So naturally this was a factor that caused Calvin to eventually leave the Church and join the reformation as well. In 1528 Calvin went to study law in Orleans. After receiving his degree in 1533 he left Paris because he associated with many who wrote against the Catholic Church. And basically to make a long story a little shorter, he eventually broke away from the Catholic Church by 1536. Calvin then proceeded to spend the rest of his life, until his death in 1564, mainly in Geneva and Strasbourg where he preached and wrote about the bible, his doctrine, The Institutes of the Christian Church, as well as others.
The core of John Calvin’s teachings was based on taking the Holy Scripture literally. In other words, if it’s not in the bible don’t believe it. If it is, you have to follow it word for word. Another one of Calvin’s teachings was his idea of predestination and the “doctrine of the elect.” This led to Calvin’s famous “5 Points,” or otherwise know today as “5- Point Calvinism.” And this, fellow readers, is where it’s about to get interesting.
Now before I get into what exactly the 5-points of Calvinism are, I want to point out that I can see why so many may have respected Calvin as a preacher and even an intellect. I mean let’s face it he knew the bible, literally, from front to cover. And as a non-Protestant I respect those who may believe his teachings. But as a Roman Catholic I feel that it is my duty to challenge Calvin’s 5-point theory. I believe he is wrong, and it is hard to believe that some one who claimed to have been so knowledgeable about the Christian faith was so off target. Calvin used scripture as the basis for everything he taught, or Sola Scriptura, which is Latin for “by scripture alone.” Yet nowhere in the bible is Sola Scriptura supported. Instead it says, “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth,” 1 John 3:18. And yet Ironically it is scripture, the very heart of what Calvin taught, that contradicts Calvin’s ideas about faith.
So with this said, as a Catholic I challenge his beliefs about faith and respond to them from my Catholic perspective.
And so ladies and gentlemen, the 5 points of Calvinism…
Calvinism is known as the acronym T.U.L.I.P. This stands for:

Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints

Total Depravity is the idea that we as humans inherited sin through Adam in the Garden of Eden. Calvin taught since we, as humans are so sinful we are therefore unable to desire or freely choose God in this unholy state of being. Because of this, God has already “predestined” those who are to believe in him and be saved.
I’m sorry, but I beg to differ. Yes, there are passages in the bible that point out man’s sinful nature. And we’re all sinners, because we’re human. But if God predestined who was to be his followers, than Jesus died in vain. Calvin teaches that there is no free will. If this is so then all our experiences are false. For example, when I went to church last week it’s because I freely wanted to go and believe on my own in Jesus Christ. But Calvin would think that God is making me go because I am just too spiritually dirty to decide that on my own. I’m sorry but as Catholics we teach that God is love. And when you love someone you would never force them to love you are be with you. True love is the longing for others to be happy. Because of this God does not want to force himself upon his children, but rather give them the freedom to come to Him to be healed from any pain and forgiven of any sin. Calvin is wrong. God loves all his creation, or else he wouldn’t of made them! And because He loves us all so much he gives them all an opportunity to choose Him and be saved. If you want to get technical a simple example that refutes Calvin’s teaching are the Ten Commandments. God would not have sent us these rules if we were not able to willfully, on our own choose to obey them. Instead He would have just saved the piece of stone, no Moses, and just picked the people He chose to obey Him.
Unconditional Election stems from Total Depravity. Unconditional election is the idea that God pre-elects all those who are to be saved. Well, this can be proven not true through the very Word of God found in the Gospel of Matthew 23: 37, “ Jerusalem, Jerusalem you who killed the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen who gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!” In this verse one can pick up on one key point. Here God is telling the Israelites that he wanted them to follow Him and show them the greatness of His love, but they denied Him. Therefore the people of Jerusalem had free will. So Total Depravity is false. And because this is false, God also does not predestine who will be saved. He wanted Jerusalem to be saved but they did not obey him, so therefore God did not come just for a select few that would automatically choose to believe in Him, but rather wants everyone to choose Him. The Catholic Church teaches that God desires all for salvation and this, as stated above can be proven through scripture.
The next Calvinistic point is Limited Atonement. This means that Jesus only died for the “elect” that God predestined. As a Christian this theory disturbs me. The Catholic Church, and most other Christian denominations, teach that Jesus died on the cross for everyone! Many verses from the bible prove this idea of Calvin to be completely wrong. Probably one of the most well known bible verses, John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Or in 1 John 2:2, “He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” Key word: World. World means everyone- not just a selected group. Once again, Calvin is contradicted through the same scripture he studied his whole life.
The next point of Calvin is Irresistible Grace, which means God only sends His Grace and Holy Spirit to his “elect” to help them turn from their sinful ways and helps them better understand God’s word. This is a grace that Calvin taught could not be resisted by the “elect.” The Catholic Church teaches that God’s grace is open to all. Calvin’s theory is challenged in verses like Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all,” or in John 1:16, “From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace.”
The last point of Calvinism, Perseverance of Saints, ties directly into irresistible grace. This is the theory that once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (in Calvin’s case, those elected by God), then you are eternally saved; nothing you can do will prevent you from enjoying eternal glory in Heaven one day. As Catholics we believe that there are grievous sins that, if willfully not repented for, do have the potential to separate you from salvation. Man has the free will to turn away from God’s ways, and it’s up to us to ask for the forgiveness of those sins. We are not perfect “elect” who will always be successful in our faith. We are human and we make mistakes. We all are in dire need of a savior, some one to help us get through life and pick us up when we fall. Calvin’s theory is a mockery of what Heaven is- a final prize for those who lived in God’s ways, trying their best despite the many challenges of life. St. Paul speaks of Heaven in his First letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the crown? Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadow boxing. No I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). St. Paul talks about winning a crown. This crown is heaven. Believers are in this game of life, and in order to one day reach heaven we must work hard, through being a good person and obeying God. Life can be hard and following God’s way can be difficult, that’s why we must “train” ourselves to overcome these temptations and always turn and rely on God in our times of need. To sum it up, heaven is a reward for those who persevered in this life, despite the many temptations to turn from God.
The word of God is no doubt important to every Christian. However, John Calvin, as much as he knew the bible, was contradicted by scripture itself. Christianity revolves around God’s love for all and His longing for everyone to experience His glory. Although he is long gone, I respect John Calvin as a person and as someone who did love God, but as a Catholic Christian, I challenge Calvin’s teachings because it skews who God really is- Hope and Salvation for all.