John Calvin #3: His Teaching

Oliver Woods argues that in order to find relief from God's judgment, there needs to be a recommitment to God's law as the foundation for the criminal justice system. He urges readers to read Exodus 20-24 daily and plead for God's mercy. Calvin systematized Lutheran teaching and recovered Augustine's doctrine of predestination and salvation. Calvin's views on civil government evolved, and he believed in the doctrine of interposition, where lower rulers have the power to lead against tyranny. Calvin's views on the law of nations differed from Augustine's, as he believed the civil ruler could legislate apart from the law of Moses. Calvin assigned the primary functions of civil government to establish justice and protect the worship of God. He also believed in the defense of sound doctrine. Calvin's doctrine of interposition required passive disobedience to commands that go against God's word and prayer for a deliverer. He believed that the civil magistrate is accountable to God and is th Hello everybody, and welcome to greatbiblereset.com, which is a return to God's definition of Christian nationalism in Exodus 20-24, which is the original Mosaic covenant for the nations. This is Oliver Woods arguing that without a national or local recommitment to God's law as a foundation for our criminal justice system, there can be no relief from the heavy hand of God's judgment. So I urge you to read that section of scripture daily, Exodus 20-24, for 30 days, and plead for God's mercy in light of it every day, and let us see what God will do. The two never met, but Calvin systematized Lutheran teaching, not only salvation by faith in the atoning work of Christ alone, but many other doctrines as well. He and Luther recovered Augustine's doctrine of predestination and salvation, and salvation by faith alone. But Calvin rejected Luther's view that the host was turned into the Lord's literal flesh during communion. He insisted on the figurative meaning, but he shared Luther's love of hymn writing. At times, he adopted well-known tavern tunes to the lyrics of the faith. Calvin's views on civil government evolved with each edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, which was one of his two main literary productions. Especially his doctrine of resistance, he ended with a doctrine of interposition, or the lower ruler has power to lead the people against tyranny. The people have no such power, but must endure injustice and pray God to raise up a deliverer. The people must, however, passively resist commands to disobey God. Calvin's views on government came in part from contacts with the radical Anabaptists, where he held them to be confused regarding the doctrine of creation. They believed that the old creation was totally spoiled by the fall, according to Calvin, and this led them to extremes of one, pacifism, and two, revolution. They embraced, many of them or most of them embraced socialism, rejected infant baptism, trusted in an inner light. They were opposed by reformers and Catholics alike. Now Calvin departed from orthodoxy in his view of the law of nations. This was a carryover from his training as a lawyer or from Augustine's two-kingdom approach, and in this he taught that the civil ruler may legislate apart from the law of Moses, depending on the situation. For the statement of some, Calvin said, that the law of God given through Moses is dishonored when it is abrogated and new laws preferred to it is utterly vain. Instead, we must conclude that Calvin at this point is utterly vain in choosing the law of man over the law of God. His early legal training apparently appears to have blurred his vision for the civil ruler. This lays a basis for future generations to replace God's law with natural law. The fall has left man unable to derive true statements from nature. Instead, nature confirms man's built-in knowledge of God's existence, according to Psalm 19, 1-4. Calvin has been accused of burning the heretic Servetus, who denied the deity of Christ. However, Calvin was not a member of the city council that condemned Servetus, he was a witness and he did in fact ask for a milder form of execution. This is what happened to the best of my understanding. There were three things. First, according to Exodus 23-21, which is part of our law of the covenant that we referred to earlier, it requires extreme freedom of conscience for the unbeliever residing in a city or a nation committed to govern by the law of God, in other words, a Christian nation. Quote, You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. If you afflict him at all, and he does cry out to me, I will kill you with the sword. So it's very blunt, it's not a duty of the civil magistrate, it's God himself, I will kill you with the sword. However, second, freedom of speech contrary to the law of the word of God is not permitted in such a Christian nation that's committed to the law of the word of God because it violates the first commandment, thou shalt have no other gods before me. So it's treason in a Christian nation bound by oath to the law of God. If a stranger persists in such speech, he is to be excommunicated and exiled. Third, if he returns from exile, then he must be first of all counseled but ultimately executed according to Deuteronomy 17, 12, as quote, a man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that man shall die. Thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. So in his pastoral dealing with Servetus, Calvin warned him not to return to Geneva or the city council would do this, but he returned anyway and they did it. Now this, I know this sounds strange to the ears of American Christians who are steeped in doctrines of political pluralism, but stop and consider, you know, are we really happy with a lawless outcome that such pluralism has produced in American cities today where we have all these competing law codes and ultimately anarchy? So what functions did Calvin assign to civil government? Well, the primary functions that Calvin assigned to civil government are the establishment of justice in terms of law and protection of the proper worship of God, number two. The magistrate may be called upon to wage war in defense of his people. War should not be conducted with severity and Calvin allows for the protection of defensive garrisons and leagues in time of peace. The prince may levy taxes for these purposes and for the maintenance of a reasonable dignity and ceremony in his person and office. The prince or the government may also own land, according to Calvin. The magistrate should maintain an attitude of restraint in the matter of taxation and limit it only to matters of public necessity so as to avoid tyrannical extortion, somewhat vague in the definition of public necessity, but Calvin makes no mention of the use of taxation for private relief, even in cases of extremity. This is left to the church and neighbors in the private sector. According to Calvin, a ruler should refrain from excessive luxury, but citizens should not begrudge the expenses of the king even when they exceed that of ordinary citizens within reason. And how did Calvin, so how did Calvin delineate the obligations of the civil magistrate to the church? Well, the role of the civil magistrate may be subsumed under two broad categories to specify Calvin. One important task of the governor is to maintain peace and tranquility within the realm by enforcement of the law. But even before that, Calvin mentions the duty of the civil power to, quote, cherish and protect the outward worship of God, end of quote, and defend sound doctrine. He refers to those passages in Isaiah, which refer to kings as foster fathers and queens as nursing mothers to the people of God, and again within a Christian nation committed to govern according to the law of God. There is a reciprocal duty of the people of God to offer prayer for the king in order that they may live in peace, godliness, and prosperity, according to 1 Timothy 2. The defense of sound doctrine is accomplished by interpreting the biblical laws and applying them to specific cases in judgment, but it also extends to the restoration of sound worship when that has been lost. We see examples of this in the scripture. So how did this doctrine of interposition actually work itself out in practice as defined by Calvin? Well, Calvin's doctrine of interposition is the biblical solution for tyranny. Calvin knows, first of all, that the Bible forbids the individual or the mob taking up arms against an oppressive civil magistrate. Rather, the people are to assume a posture of humility and prayer, recognizing the tyrant as God's means of chastising them for their sins. And frankly, this is what is lacking among American Christians and Americans today. When commanded to act contrary to the word of God, they should passively disobey, as Daniel refused to pray to an idol. They are to cry out to God for a deliverer, a lower magistrate, whom God will in due time raise up to lead the people against the tyrant. This pattern was repeated often in the book of Judges, where the people would fall into sin, but they would repent and cry out for a deliverer, whom God would subsequently raise up to execute judgment. And we, I think, are at the point of falling into sin, but we have not yet truly repented. So we need to think seriously about that. The American attitude of restoring God-given rights being usurped by evil globalists is 100 degrees out from the spirit of repentance that God is looking for in His people today. Some have asked how Calvin explained the biblical appellation of gods given to the civil magistrate. Well, according to Calvin, that title, gods, has reference to the responsibility of the civil magistrate to sit in the place of judgment, executing the laws of God. It's not that man becomes God. And this is why Psalm 82.1 says that God judges among the gods. Deuteronomy defines this to mean that the magistrates are rendering judgment for God and that God is beside them in judgment and with them in judgment. Or as Calvin puts it, the magistrate is the deputy of God and is accountable to God for his actions. Okay, then how does Calvin reconcile the magistrate's waging a war and enforcement of the death penalty with the commandment, thou shalt not kill? Well, Calvin sees no conflict between these two aspects of scripture. The prohibition against murder applies to all persons acting as private individuals and would apply to the magistrate as surely as to the citizen of no rank. However, the magistrate in his official capacity is serving as the very arm of God's justice and as such is required to put the murderer to death. And this is clearly required by both the Noahic and the Mosaic covenants. Moreover, as Calvin argues, this right to maintain justice and defend the innocent encompasses not only the individual evildoer but extends to nations that would invade an innocent people. Thus, the power to wage defensive war is not forbidden as seen in the fact that neither Jesus nor John the Baptist ever required soldiers to forsake their arms but rather to be content and not abuse their power. Alright, so thanks for your participation today everybody and please patronize our sponsors at greatbiblicalreset.com. 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