What do Calvinists believe?

[Josho]

We know Calvinists believe in Pre-destination and most of them believe in Cessationism, but are there any other Calvinist beliefs/doctrines that differentiate from other Christian denominations? What denominations are under Calvinism? I think Presbyterians are one of them, but I believe there are more denominations under Calvinist theology

And who was John Calvin? Why did he start a new movement of Calvinism? Did he purposely start it? Or did Christians just happen to follow him and it became what is now known as Calvinism?

 

[Enoch111]

We know Calvinists believe in Pre-destination and most of them believe in Cessationism, but are there any other Calvinist beliefs/doctrines that differentiate from other Christian denominations?

If one wants to know exactly what Calvinists believe, they hold to Reformed Theology. And it is fully presented in The Westminster Confession of Faith. Many of those doctrines are common to other Christians, but not those which relate to TULIP.

T = Total Depravity
U = Unconditional Election
L = Limited Atonement
I = Irresistible Grace
P = Perseverance of the Saints

 

[Nancy]

We know Calvinists believe in Pre-destination and most of them believe in Cessationism, but are there any other Calvinist beliefs/doctrines that differentiate from other Christian denominations? What denominations are under Calvinism? I think Presbyterians are one of them, but I believe there are more denominations under Calvinist theology

And who was John Calvin? Why did he start a new movement of Calvinism? Did he purposely start it? Or did Christians just happen to follow him and it became what is now known as Calvinism?

Hi Josho,
Any denomination can be of Calvinistic beliefs but, I do know it is definitely within the Baptist and the Methodist Church's.

 

[ChristisGod]

If one wants to know exactly what Calvinists believe, they hold to Reformed Theology. And it is fully presented in The Westminster Confession of Faith. Many of those doctrines are common to other Christians, but not those which relate to TULIP.

T = Total Depravity
U = Unconditional Election
L = Limited Atonement
I = Irresistible Grace
P = Perseverance of the Saints

And the 5 solas

• Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
• Sola fide ("by faith alone")
• Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
• Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
• Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

 

[Enoch111]

And the 5 solas

• Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
• Sola fide ("by faith alone")
• Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
• Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
• Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

All Bible-believing Christians can agree with the Five Solas. But not necessarily with TULIP. And that is rather a shame, since all Christians should be in agreement about the Gospel.

 

[prism]

The TULIP stuff was a reaction against the Arminian Jacob Arminius who wrote a refutation against Calvinism. The earmark of the original Calvinism as laid out in Calvin's Institutes was Covenant Theology.

 

[Josho]

If one wants to know exactly what Calvinists believe, they hold to Reformed Theology. And it is fully presented in The Westminster Confession of Faith. Many of those doctrines are common to other Christians, but not those which relate to TULIP.

T = Total Depravity
U = Unconditional Election
L = Limited Atonement
I = Irresistible Grace
P = Perseverance of the Saints

What is the Westminster confession of faith?

 

[Michiah-Imla]

Calvinists believe what John Calvin says.

Bible believing Christians believe what the word of God says.

 

[Stumpmaster]

Hi Josho,
Any denomination can be of Calvinistic beliefs but, I do know it is definitely within the Baptist and the Methodist Church's.

Hi Nancy,

Having studied the Wesley's and Methodism in some detail I must make a distinction between Wesley Methodists and Calvinistic Methodists.
Quote:
In 18th-century England Calvinistic Methodism was represented by the followers of George Whitefield as opposed to those of John and Charles Wesley, although all the early Methodists in England and Wales worked together, regardless of Calvinist or Arminian (or Wesleyan) theology, for many years. [Source: Calvinistic Methodists - Wikipedia ]

John Wesley and his friend George Whitefield agreed to disagree on the subject of whether God has given us freewill to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and to believe or not believe that God raised Christ from the dead, as per Romans 10:9

 

[Enoch111]

What is the Westminster confession of faith?

It is the "catechism" of Reformed Christians. Here's the link.
Confession of Faith: The Orthodox Presbyterian Church

 

[CharismaticLady]

If one wants to know exactly what Calvinists believe, they hold to Reformed Theology. And it is fully presented in The Westminster Confession of Faith. Many of those doctrines are common to other Christians, but not those which relate to TULIP.

T = Total Depravity
U = Unconditional Election
L = Limited Atonement
I = Irresistible Grace
P = Perseverance of the Saints

I find that not all Calvinists agree on T = Total Depravity. In fact, I think I'll make a post and see.

 

[Enoch111]

I find that not all Calvinists agree on T = Total Depravity. In fact, I think I'll make a post and see.

All Calvinists must accept the Westminster Confession as their own statement of faith. So I don't see how they could avoid Total Depravity as stated in the Westminster Confession (see above post).

CHAPTER 6
Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof
1. Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin, God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.

2. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body.

3. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed; and the same death in sin, and corrupted nature, conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation.

4. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.

5. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be, through Christ, pardoned, and mortified; yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.

6. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.

 

[CharismaticLady]

5. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be, through Christ, pardoned, and mortified; yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.

6. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.

6 seems to negate 5. If that's the actual wording, maybe Calvinists are confused as to what to believe.

 

[Curtis]

We know Calvinists believe in Pre-destination and most of them believe in Cessationism, but are there any other Calvinist beliefs/doctrines that differentiate from other Christian denominations? What denominations are under Calvinism? I think Presbyterians are one of them, but I believe there are more denominations under Calvinist theology

And who was John Calvin? Why did he start a new movement of Calvinism? Did he purposely start it? Or did Christians just happen to follow him and it became what is now known as Calvinism?

Augustine was in effect, the first Calvinist.

 

[CharismaticLady]

Augustine was in effect, the first Calvinist.

Well, I like Augustine, so I disagree.

 

[Curtis]

Well, I like Augustine, so I disagree.

I’m curious how you like Augustine but never noticed he was a Calvinist before Calvin came along?

Wikipedia:
Augustinian Calvinism is a term used to emphasize the origin of John Calvin's theology within Augustine of Hippo's theology over a thousand years earlier. By his own admission, John Calvin's theology was deeply influenced by Augustine of Hippo, the fourth-century church father.

John Calvin wrote, "Augustine is so wholly within me, that if I wished to write a confession of my faith, I could do so with all fullness and satisfaction to myself out of his writings."[3]"This is why one finds that every four pages written in the Institutes of the Christian Religion John Calvin quoted Augustine. Calvin, for this reason, would deem himself not a Calvinist, but an Augustinian. [...] Christian Calvinist, should they be more likely deemed an Augustinian-Calvinist?"[4] Cary concurs, writing, "As a result, Calvinism in particular is sometimes referred to as Augustinianism."[5]

Therefore I dislike both Augustine and Calvin, since their dogma is an insult to the character and nature of God.

 

[CharismaticLady]

I’m curious how you like Augustine but never noticed he was a Calvinist before Calvin came along?

Wikipedia:
Augustinian Calvinism is a term used to emphasize the origin of John Calvin's theology within Augustine of Hippo's theology over a thousand years earlier. By his own admission, John Calvin's theology was deeply influenced by Augustine of Hippo, the fourth-century church father.

John Calvin wrote, "Augustine is so wholly within me, that if I wished to write a confession of my faith, I could do so with all fullness and satisfaction to myself out of his writings."[3]"This is why one finds that every four pages written in the Institutes of the Christian Religion John Calvin quoted Augustine. Calvin, for this reason, would deem himself not a Calvinist, but an Augustinian. [...] Christian Calvinist, should they be more likely deemed an Augustinian-Calvinist?"[4] Cary concurs, writing, "As a result, Calvinism in particular is sometimes referred to as Augustinianism."[5]

Therefore I dislike both Augustine and Calvin, since their dogma is an insult to the character and nature of God.

Hi Curtis,

Augustine said, "Love God, and do as you please." That sounded like the hyper OSAS of grace being a license to sin, so I disliked Augustine too, and thought it sounded very Calvinistic also.

But then I looked into the full quote and found that my first impression was completely wrong about this quote of Augustine's. (I don't know what else he taught so am not an expert on Augustine). The quote actually means, Love God and do as your Spirit-filled born again nature would now naturally do, which is righteousness. I also experienced becoming born again with an entirely new nature from the one I had the day before, and no longer had any desire to sin. It "pleases" me to do righteousness. That is my new nature, and I can hear God's voice and know He abides inside me. That was the same message that Augustine actually said. He seemed to know that Jesus frees us from sin, not just from the penalty of sinning.

Calvinists I've heard believe they will always sin and never be free from sin until after they die and are resurrected. (But by that time it will be too late.) Martin Luther seemed to believe the same thing about sin. I don't know who invented the heretical saying of Jesus cleanses our "past (true), PRESENT AND FUTURE (false) sins". But it sounds like Luther when he said, "even if we were to commit murder and adultery 1000 times a day, it would not separate us from God."

 

[ChristisGod]

I find that not all Calvinists agree on T = Total Depravity. In fact, I think I'll make a post and see.

Then they are not Calvinists by default and James Arminius believed in TD. You have no clue what you are talking about WoF lady.

 

[CharismaticLady]

Then they are not Calvinists by default and James Arminius believed in TD. You have no clue what you are talking about WoF lady.

I made a post in this forum; please vote. I'm serious, the question has bothered me for years about Calvinists, and no Calvinist I've found agrees with each other. If you don't agree with either statement in the poll, then tell me why.

I'm not WoF because they have too many misinterpretations, but they have more faith in their little finger, than a room full of Calvinists put together. And so do Seventh-day Adventists. At least they are not lawless, though they don't know much about the New Covenant at all.

 

[ChristisGod]

I made a post in this forum; please vote. I'm serious, the question has bothered me for years about Calvinists, and no Calvinist I've found agrees with each other. If you don't agree with either statement in the poll, then tell me why.

I'm not WoF because they have too many misinterpretations, but they have more faith in their little finger, than a room full of Calvinists put together. And so do Seventh-day Adventists. At least they are not lawless, though they don't know much about the New Covenant at all.

Calvinism is all 5 points or nothing.