Wednesday, February 26, 2020

John Calvin on Predestination and Why People Reject His Formulation Thereof


In response to Sebastian Catellio, John Calvin wrote the following which really plays into the common claim that Calvinism is Gnostic in the sense that knowledge of truth doctrines is reserved for only an elect few, and total depravity blinds all outsiders thereto:

. . . I define predestination . . . as the free counsel of God by which he governs the human race and every single part of the universe according to his immense wisdom and incomprehensible justice . . . you are prevented from seeing anything in perfect light by your depravity of mind, your appetite for being quarrelsome, and the diabolical pride that has blinded you. (John Calvin, The Secret Providence of God, ed. Paul Helm [trans. Paul Helm; Wheaton: Crossway, 2010], 62)


On Calvinism, see:

An Examination and Critique of the Theological Presuppositions Underlying Reformed Theology