I'm not doing any such ridiculous thing. Goodness gracious. If you say, though, that John Calvin was a murderer because he approved of the execution of Christians, then, yes, even according to Scripture itself, you have to say the same of Paul (at that time Saul), who, according to Luke in Acts 8:1, approved of Stephen's execution. Wow. But yes, Saul’s involvement with Stephen’s death set him off on a series of killings and persecutions of Christians. Though Jesus’ followers scattered throughout Samaria and Judea, Saul pursued them wherever he could find them.
“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” Acts 8:3
The Greek word there translated to the English “made havoc” commonly refers to destroying a city or mangling by a wild animal. The fact that Saul pursued both women and men and not men alone indicates he was inflicting the most severe punishment whenever possible on whomever possible. Paul even admits to such:
"I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities" (Acts 26:9-11)
...and ...
"I thank Him Who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief." (1 Timothy 1:13)
<eye roll> History is history, for sure. As I said above, though, Calvin did some very sinful and reprehensible things. But none of it nullifies the great things he said and wrote.
One of the things Calvin preached and wrote much about was repentance. He very much believed, as did all the Reformers, what was later written into the Westminister Confession, that Christians should repent of each one of their sins particularly. To suggest that Calvin did not repent of his sins, whatever they were, and over and over again, is baseless and ridiculous. Calvin himself said ~ and I quote ~ "Repentance is the true turning of our life to God, a turning that arises from a pure and earnest fear of Him, and it consists in the mortification of the flesh and the renewing of the Spirit," and "Scripture points out this difference between believers and unbelievers; the latter, as old slaves to their incurable perversity, cannot endure the rod; but the former, like children of noble birth, profit by repentance and correction." And Paul... we have no record of him actually repenting of anything. But we do read in Romans 2 him saying that God, in His mercy, leads us to repentance.
Rubbish. He did, and so did Paul. And so do all true Christians, those born again of the Spirit.
You be you, for sure.
Which no Calvinist does, but only to not try to rewrite history, as... many do.
<chuckles> Name one. I already wrote a post... and no one responded; big surprise there... that Calvin did not reject "free will" or say that man did not have free will, quoting extensively John Calvin himself, so there's one off your list...
Like I said, you be you.
Grace and peace to you.
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