Calvinism: Its Essence

The point: Undergo a traumatic but blessed Copernican revolution in your spiritual and mental experience, realizing God is the center of all existence, not your happiness or desires.

Just as the scientific world underwent a Copernican revolution, realizing the Earth was not the center, so too must believers undergo a spiritual revolution, realizing God, not man's happiness, is the center of all existence.

age in which you will be born again. In the beginning, you will be born again. In the beginning, you and I live and most of us being products of the public school system in which we received 13 years of very consistent brainwashing in humanism. We begin to think in these terms about a Copernican revolution in our whole lives. The scientific world finally faced the fact that this little old Earth

15:49 - 16:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin begins defining Calvinism by refuting the caricature that it is a rigid system of logic imposed on Scripture. He argues that Calvinism arose from painstaking exegetical…

Comparing the caricatures of Calvinism to political caricatures during an election year, Martin explains that caricatures distort and misrepresent their subject, which is what happens to Calvinism.

have any gift of caricature. ...are let out of the woods and they fill our newspapers with their art history. And

17:45 - 17:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second caricature refuted is that Calvinism is a dreary determinism leading to inaction or a cold, arbitrary God. Martin counters this by highlighting that the greatest…

A humorous anecdote about a Calvinist falling down stairs and saying, 'Well, I'm glad that's over,' is used to illustrate the caricature of Calvinism as a dreary, fatalistic determinism.

I have no doubt that some of you have had this caricature embedded in your own thinking, and perhaps even as you've come to seminary, you've got your heels in because you say, I maintain my simple Christian faith, and I'm not going to let this bulldozer of logic run me over. We've said enough to make you realize that's not a bulldozer, and to run you over. Second caricature is that Calvinism is a lopsided preoccupation with a dreary determinism. It's the picture of blind faith.

25:04 - 25:43 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second caricature refuted is that Calvinism is a dreary determinism leading to inaction or a cold, arbitrary God. Martin counters this by highlighting that the greatest…

The metaphor of a 'foolish dog who wrings his hands and says, Now, let me see. Who shall I damn, and who shall I save?' is used to caricature God as arbitrarily and heartlessly dealing with eternal destinies.

You know, you heard about the fellow that fell down the stairs, the Calvinist, and he supposedly looked up the flight of stairs and said, Well, I'm glad that's over. You see, that's the caricature. That fall down the stairs was determined in a fixed and eternal decree, and now that he had the bump on his britches, he was glad it was all over with. And then there's also the picture, the caricature under this general heading of this idea that it's a lopsided preoccupation with a dreary determinism, a picture of a foolish dog who wrings his hands and says, Now, let me see.

25:43 - 26:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second caricature refuted is that Calvinism is a dreary determinism leading to inaction or a cold, arbitrary God. Martin counters this by highlighting that the greatest…

The image of a 'cold-hearted parson droning on about the decrees and infralapsarianism and supralapsarianism while sinners in his congregation' is used to caricature Calvinism as detached and unconcerned with souls.

Who shall I damn, and who shall I save? And arbitrarily, you see, in a heartless, cold way, is dealing with the eternal destinies of men. Or it may be under this heading, the picture of the cold-hearted parson droning on about the decrees and infralapsarianism and supralapsarianism while sinners in his congregation. I fear that sometimes maybe that's not all caricature.

26:26 - 26:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that your ministry, whether as a mother, Sunday school teacher, or pastor, is simply the extension of your theology into life and practice.

Martin recounts a conversation with leaders of a 'successful' Christian movement who defended their methods by repeatedly saying, 'What we've got works,' illustrating the pragmatic, man-centered philosophy prevalent in American religious life.

A few months ago I talked with two leaders in a Christian movement that is known for its, quote, success. And as we sought to isolate the issues of the message and methods used in proclaiming their gospel, and to evaluate them in the light of Scripture, the answer that was thrown back in my teeth again and again was this. What we've got works. What have you got that works better?

30:13 - 30:38 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Calvinism withdraws the eye from the soul and its destiny and fixes it on God and His glory. It has zeal, no doubt, for salvation but its highest zeal is for the honor of God.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about providentially finding B.B. Warfield's booklet 'Calvin as a Theologian and Calvinism Today' in England, which greatly aided his preparation for the lectures.

And at this point, may I say, I am greatly indebted to a very kind providence of God in putting into my hands just a week and a half ago this little booklet by B.B. Warfield, Calvin as a Theologian and Calvinism Today. The night before my wife and I left England to fly back home a week ago Monday, I spent the evening in the home of a young preacher whom I had met on a previous trip to England and going through his library looking for some materials that might help me in the preparation of these lectures, I found Calvinism. And I didn't have it

32:44 - 33:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin applies the essence of Calvinism specifically to soteriology, summarizing it with James Packer's phrase: 'God saves sinners.' He explains that this means the entire Godhead…

The story of David choosing five smooth stones from the brook to fight Goliath is used as an analogy to explain the concept of election as a selective act of the selector's will, not a ratification of pre-existing choices.

Election, the very meaning of the word, when used in even a natural sense, is present with the concept of a selectivity bound up in the will of the selector. Septuagint, when it speaks of ...

49:34 - 49:53 Read in full sermon