Calvin and the Secret Providence of God

by Richard A. Shaward

I post this because I have come to admit that most modern “Calvinists” are not “PURE” “PRACTICAL” Calvinists. In my case, for 20 years I leaned to the more moderate Calvinism of Sproul. When have you heard, if you attend a Calvinistic church, this pure Calvinism from your Pulpits recently?  Here is Calvin’s Gospel from his own mouth. I have not changed the quotes in any way. Read Calvin’s whole book (its not very long) yourself for the rest.

Now remember though, everything Calvin is teaching here is a “SECRET” that HE IS REVEALING.

————————————————————————————————“THE DEFENCE OF THE SECRET PROVIDENCE OF GOD” by John Calvin

From Article I “although my doctrine is that the will of God is the first and supreme cause of all things, yet I everywhere teach that wheresoever in His counsels and works the cause does not plainly appear, yet that there is a cause which lies hidden in Himself, and that according to it He has decreed nothing but that which is wise and holy and just. . . With reference to the doctrine of permission, we will speak of that hereafter in its place. But for the present, if you should be disposed to reply that the foreknowledge of God is not the cause of evils, I would only ask you this one question: If God foresaw the destruction both of man and of the devil before He created them, and did not, at the same time, decree their destruction, why did He not apply, betimes, an adequate remedy, which should prevent their Fall and their liability thereto?

From Article II “But not to wrangle about words, I willingly, and in a moment, confess that what I have written is this: “That the Fall of Adam was not by accident, nor by chance; but was ordained by thesecret counsel of God.”

From Article III “You would have us to rest content with the permission of God only. But God, by His prophet, asserts that His will and His hand are in the whole matter as the moving cause. . . . What! when God calls in Satan for His purposes, as the instrument of His vengeance, and openly gives him commandment to go and deceive the prophets of Ahab, does this positive command differ nothing from a mere permission? The voice of God contains in it no ambiguity whatever, “Who (saith God) will go and deceive Ahab for me?” Nor does God command Satan in any obscure manner “Go thou and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets” (1 Kings xxii.). “

From Article IV “You yourself, however, will one day find, to your sorrow, how abhorrent a crime it is to trifle and lie in this manner concerning the secret mysteries of God! And that you may clearly understand that you are not dealing with me in this your war against the truth, but with the supreme judge of heaven Himself, whose tribunal, you may be assured, you can never escape, listen to that which Job testifies? and certainly under none other influence than the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? that the doings of Satan, and of the robbers who plundered him, were the works of God Himself. . . . Now if you turn your back on the term “foreknowledge,” the definitiveness of the terms, “determinate counsel,” will floor you at once. Nor indeed does the former passage leave the least degree of ambiguity behind it, namely, that Pontius Pilate and the Jews, and the wicked people, did whatsoever God’s hand and His counsel had before determined to be done.”

From Article VII and IX “But when God turns the hearts of men to the obedience and worship of Himself, that is another form of His working altogether. For as we are all, by nature, bent on obstinacy and resistance no man will desire to do good unless he be acted upon of God and led so to do. . Because God does not govern the reprobate by His regenerating Spirit; but He gives them over to the devil, and leaves them to be his slaves; and He so overrules their depraved wills by His secret judgment and counsel, that they can do nothing but that which He has decreed. Hence, such is the Divine harmony and marvelous consistency of these things”

From Article X “When God testifies that false prophets are sent by Him, and that His hand is upon them, to cause them to deceive men or kings, this is not an act of His mere patience or permission, but an exercise of His effectual power.”

From Article XI “Indeed, were you but acquainted, even in the least degree, with that Gospel, concerning which you thus vainly prate, you would easily understand how it is that God richly rewards that righteousness which He sets forth in His glorious law, nor ever deprives of their promised crown those who from the heart obey His commandments, and yet righteously punishes all those who refuse their obedience. These latter, nevertheless, He calls His servants, because He holds their hearts in His hands for the accomplishment of His eternal purposes.”

“But the essential question is now, whether there is but one way in which God can show forth His glory.For if the glory of God did not continually shine forth out of the lies, as well as out of other wickednesses, of men, Paul speaks in vain when he says that God alone is true, but all men are liars; and he speaks equally in vain when he immediately adds, “But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say, Is God unrighteous? ” (Rom. iii. 5.)

From Article XII “If it really seems to you an absurdity to teach that the wicked do the work of God, enter the battle at once with Jeremiah, the prophet of God, whose words are these, “Cursed is he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently, and that keepeth back his sword from blood” (Jer. xlviii. 10). Now, by thework of the Lord, the prophet evidently and undeniably means hostile slaughters and desolations, which you surely must call wickedness, seeing that they proceed from pure avarice, cruelty and pride.”

From Article XIII “You deny that it is lawful and right in God to condemn any one of mortals, unless it be on account of sin committed. Now numberless mortals are taken out of life while yet perfect infants. You had better then commence your virulent war with God Himself, Who casts innocent babes, just taken from the wombs of their mothers, under the guilt of original sin, and subjects them to His wrath and the desert of eternal death.

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My conclusion? Maybe there is no “secret of God” Calvin. All we need to know has been revealed openly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and held by the Church. See also the other post from the book “The Eternal Predestination of God” by John Calvin (more pure Calvinism).