4A - Religious Concepts of Predestination, with reference to the teachings of St Augustine and John Calvin

What is Augustine's doctrine on predestination called?

⇨ Doctrine of Original Sin

What is Augustine's doctrine grounded in?

⇨ The Fall
⇨ We are "seminally present in the loins of Adam"

Augustine: What is concupiscence?

⇨ A radical defect of humans, as a direct outcome of original sin, which affected our originally perfect nature

⇨ A turning away from God (spiritual desires) due to a strong desire for earthly pleasures

⇨ Not a sin, it is a deficiency: an inability to choose good/resist earthly desires when in conflict with God's laws

⇨ Yearning for lower appetites in conflict to God-given reason (similar to Mill's higher/lower pleasures)

Augustine: Why is Jesus not affected by concupiscence?

⇨ Humans inherit concupiscence as they are born out of sexual intercourse, an act of concupiscence

⇨ Jesus ≠ born from sexual intercourse ∴ free of sin

Augustine: What Bible passage gives credence to the view that we inherit sin from Adam?

⇨ Romans 5:12: "just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death came to all people because all sinned"

Augustine: What does 'messa peccati' translate to, and what does it mean?

⇨ 'a lump of sin'

⇨ Humanity is born messa peccati

⇨ "so hopelessly corrupted that we are absolutely incapable of doing anything good by our own forces"

⇨ Humanity's ability to choose freely = infected by sin ∴ incapable of raising itself from spiritual death

Despite predestination, Augustine believed in 'liberum abitrium'; what does this mean?

⇨ 'free will'

⇨ The power to make choices free from predestination

⇨ Humanity's essential nature is liberum abitrium

What does 'libertas' mean, and what does Augustine say about it?

⇨ 'liberty'

⇨ Concupiscence overrides liberum arbitrium ∵ people have lost their libertas

⇨ Our free will "has been utterly wasted by sin" - we are unable to refrain from sinning

⇨ Baptism addresses original sin but does not affect concupiscence

Augustine: How will some people receive salvation?

⇨ Through God's grace

⇨ God did not intend that all humanity remain in this state

⇨ God's grace = love/mercy given to us by God - he desires that we have it, not ∵ we have done anything to deserve it

Augustine: What are the people called who are chosen to receive salvation?

⇨ The elect/saints

⇨ They freely respond in the right way

Augustine: What are the people called who are not chosen to receive salvation?

⇨ The reprobates

⇨ Responsible for their sin, and receive God's wrath

Augustine was aware of the problematic nature of God saving some but not others.
How did he respond to this?

⇨ The human intellect is incapable of understanding the workings of divine salvation

⇨ Grace only leads to a partial restoration of the intellect

What is Calvin's doctrine on predestination called?

⇨ Doctrine of Election (aka, the Doctrine of the Living Saints)

What does Calvin's doctrine revolve around?

⇨ The uncompromised sovereignty of God
⇨ God alone decides who is saved

According to Calvin, what is the only source of knowledge about God?

⇨ Scripture - 'sola scriptura'

⇨ It is the sole infallible rule of faith

⇨ He dismisses all efforts going beyond the scripture as pure speculation

⇨ His reasoning is driven by scripture rather than philosophy

Give three Bible passages that support Calvin's predestination.

⇨ Ephesians 2:8: "For it is by grace you are saved through [...] the gift of God"

⇨ Romans 8:29: "And those he predestined [...] he also glorified"

⇨ Mark 4:11: "The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside, everything is said in parables."

According to Calvin, owing to the Fall, what has happened to humanity?

⇨ We are "totally depraved"
- Depraved in all areas of the heart, mind and will
- We are unable to respond in faithful obedience to the invitation of God through Jesus
- People cannot choose for themselves to repent and believe

Calvin taught that God chose two groups for damnation/salvation.
What was Calvin's view later referred to as?

⇨ Double predestination

Elaborate on Calvin's view of the elect.

⇨ They are chosen by God to have their sins forgiven through Jesus' sacrifice/atonement

⇨ They have done nothing to deserve it: it is a divine mystery as to why some are chosen

⇨ Nobody can know for sure which group they belong to, but it is possible for the elect to guess/be aware of their status
- Most important indicator of being elect = "the calling of God": an inward certainty that God has chosen them for salvation

⇨ They generally show traits of being elect, which reflect their godly status e.g. honest, hard-working

⇨ They can still be sinful, but God predestines them to have faith in Jesus ∴ when they sin, they cannot resist "the calling" to seek forgiveness

Elaborate on Calvin's view of the reprobates.

⇨ Chosen by God

⇨ Likely to show traits of why they will remain unsaved, e.g. laziness

⇨ At the end of their lives, they will go to hell and there is nothing that can be done about it
- They can still do some acts of moral goodness, but will fall prey to sin

⇨ Predestined not to have faith in Christ ∴ their sins remain with them as they do not seek Jesus' atonement - deaf/blind to message of gospel

What did Calvin say would inspire wonder/reverence?

⇨ The mystery of which predestined group you belong to

Explain Calvin's view of limited atonement.

⇨ God made a predestined choice for all people before they were born

⇨ The number of people = fixed by God for eternity and they cannot do anything to change it (Jehovah's Witnesses believe 144,000 will be saved (the number appears 3 times in Revelation))

⇨ Jesus died for the elect only: "This is my blood, which is poured out for many" - not 'all'

⇨ John 15: Jesus said that he had laid down his life for his sheep, which implies that there were people who were not his sheep

What did McGrath say about Calvin's predestination?

⇨ For Calvin, it was never meant to be a central premise. His later followers centralised it and developed the doctrine of limited atonement

Calvin: Explain irresistible grace and the perseverance of the elect.

⇨ The elect cannot resist "the calling"

⇨ Those who profess and fall away are deemed not to have a genuine faith ∴ are not part of the elect

⇨ The Holy Spirit regenerates the elect to ensure they continue to love God + keep his commands

When was the Synod of Dort?
What was it?

⇨ 1618-9
⇨ An international meeting to settle the controversy between Calvinism and Arminianism on the issue of predestination

What mnemonic can be used to show the five points of Calvin's predestination that his supporters summed up at the Synod of Dort?

⇨ TULIP
- Total depravity
- Unconditional election
- Limited atonement
- Irresistible grace
- Perseverance of the elect