With the summary of chapter 3 “The New Covenant Constitution and Arminianism” from a Reformed Baptist Manifesto written in the last post, it seems like a good time to expound upon some of the central tenets of Calvinism, otherwise known as the Doctrines of Grace.  Before beginning, it would serve us well to examine the historical development of Calvinism.  I should point out that while the name Calvinism has been given to the synthesis of 5 particular theological concepts, they didn’t originate with John Calvin (1509-1564).  In fact, the 5-points of Calvinism were written after Calvin’s death and were written as a defense of the 17^th Century orthodox faith against what was determined to be the “heresy” of Arminianism[1].

Though Calvin certainly held to “Calvinism”, as can be seen in his Institutes of Christian Religion, historically, the beliefs can be traced throughout church history to the writings of Augustine (354AD-430AD), and I would argue to the Apostle Paul and all of inspired Scripture.  However, for some reason when modern evangelicals hear the term Calvinism they immediately put up a wall of defense and condemn not only Calvin, but anyone who would follow the teachings of this dastardly villain[2] (in their mind).  The problem is they, like me at one time, know little to nothing about Calvin neither the man nor the beliefs which share his name.  Without the work of Calvin, building upon the work and reformation of Martin Luther, there would have been no Protestant Reformation, no separation from Rome.  Calvin was not only instrumental in the Reformation, the proclamation of the gospel, the advancement of systematic theology, the writings of biblical commentaries, but he was instrumental in the discussions of church vs. state, church government, work ethic, and an argument could be made that America, as a democracy, owes the establishment of a republican form of government to John Calvin.  Take a few minutes to view the brief video about Calvin below (forgive the Desiring God commercial) or listen to the longer biography by Steven Lawson given at the 2009 Ligonier Conference, also below.

To understand the basis for the 5-points of Calvinism, we must examine why they were even written to begin with.  Largely, they were the consequence of a rebuttal to a contrary set of doctrines advanced in Netherlands in the early 17^th century.  The “5-points of the Remonstrants”, as they are known, were drafted in 1610 by the Remonstrants, a group who sought to carry on the legacy of their teacher Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609).  They were written to set forth an opposition or protest against the teachings of Calvin, particularly as they were expounded upon by the author of the Belgic Confession (1561)[3].  Written in face of persecution from the Roman Catholic Church, the Belgic Confession remains one of the most helpful and comprehensive confessions of the Reformed faith.  For the purposes of why the Belgic Confession was written, see the helpful article here: http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/belgic-confession/

Controversy swirled for nearly a decade after the publication of the Remonstrant’s articles.  To settle the dust storm, a synod was called to examine these articles as they related to the confessions of the Belgic churches.  “This synod convened on November 13, 1618 consisting of 39 pastors and 18 ruling Elders from the Belgic churches, 5 professors from the universities of Holland, 19 delegates from the Reformed churches in Germany and Switzerland, and 5 professors and bishops from Great Britain. France was also invited but did not attend. The Synod was thus constituted of 86 voting members in all. There were 154 formal sessions and many side conferences held during the six months that the Synod met to consider these matters. The last session of the Synod was held on May 9, 1619.”[4]

Upon study of the Remonstrant’s objections, and a comparison of their beliefs with Scripture, the Synod determined that the Arminian doctrines were unscriptural.  Not only did they reject their assertions, but they drafted a rebuttal setting forth the beliefs that had been advanced by Calvin, et.al., coming out of the Reformation.  This document, called formally The Canons of Dort[5], contained, among other issues, a point by point rebuttal of the 5 articles set forth by the Remonstrants.  This summarized 5-point rebuttal is what has become commonly known as the 5-points of Calvinism.  As irony would have it, neither Calvin nor Arminius were alive during this debate, consequently, neither were able to stamp their own signatures upon the beliefs that have now become synonymous with their names.

Below you will find a helpful comparison of the two 5-point systems[6].  It’s not difficult to see the modern evidences of Arminianism in today’s church.  Although Arminianism was rejected at the Synod of Dort, these beliefs were revived from their dormancy through the ministry of John Wesley (1703-1791) (and others) and have come to dominate much of modern evangelicalism.  There is much more that could be said regarding the issue, but numerous books and anthologies have been written documenting the historical debate and defending/rebutting each position as the discussion wears on into the 21^st Century.