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To: Cronos

What was Calvin’s spin on predestination?


676 posted on 03/20/2010 4:39:42 AM PDT by esquirette (If we do not know our own worldview, we will accept theirs.)
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To: esquirette; xone
Good question -- let me answer what I, personally,in my humble opinion, have read is the "spin" of Calvin and Luther on predestination. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Lutheran believed in an unconditional election to salvation while Calvin believed in Unconditional election to salvation and damnation

Martin Luther's attitude towards predestination is set out in his On the Bondage of the Will, Luther based his views on Ephesians 2:8-10, which says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Luther maintained that sin incapacitates human beings from working out their own salvation, that they are completely unable to bring themselves to God. Luther believed in single predestination. That is to say, desiring to save all fallen human beings, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of the whole world on the cross.

This differs from Calvin's view of Unconditional election which teaches that before God created the world, He chose to save some people according to His own purposes and apart from any conditions related to those persons

Calvin believed that human beings did not have free will because that would take away from the power of God. Man could not actively work to achieve salvation. God predetermines at the beginning of time who would be saved and who would be damned. Those predestined for salvation were defined by their virtuous lines, and they were referred to as "the elect." Also, the elect could be determined by their economic and material success.

In contrast, Luther believed that anyone could reach salvation as long as he had faith. This belief is shown in his famous statement "justification by faith." One does not have to be "chosen" to have faith under Martin Luther's beliefs.
677 posted on 03/20/2010 5:26:29 AM PDT by Cronos (St. Ambrose -- elected by popular acclaim)
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