4A Religious concepts of predestination, with reference to the teachings of St Augustine and John Calvin

Question 1

What is Augustine’s doctrine on predestination called?

Answer 1

• Doctrine of Original Sin

Question 2

What is Augustine’s doctrine grounded in?

Answer 2

• The Fall

* We are “seminally present in the loins of Adam”

Question 3

Augustine: What is concupiscence?

Answer 3

• 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 w/ G’s laws
• Yearning for lower appetites in conflict to G-given reason (similar to Mill’s higher/lower pleasures)

Question 4

Augustine: Why is Jesus not affected by concupiscence?

Answer 4

• Humans inherit concupiscence as they are born out of sexual intercourse, an act of concupiscence
• J ≠ born from sexual intercourse ∴ free of sin

Question 5

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

Answer 5

• 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”

Question 6

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

Answer 6

• ‘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

Question 7

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

Answer 7

• ‘free will’
• The power to make choices free from predestination
• Humanity’s essential nature is liberum abitrium

Question 8

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

Answer 8

• ‘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

Question 9

Augustine: How will some people receive salvation?

Answer 9

• Through G’s grace
• G did not intend that all humanity remain in this state
• G’s grace = love/mercy given to us by G - he desires that we have it, not ∵ we have done anything to deserve it

Question 10

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

Answer 10

• The elect/saints

- They freely respond in the right way

Question 11

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

Answer 11

• The reprobates

- Responsible for their sin, and receive G’s wrath

Question 12

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

Answer 12

• The human intellect is incapable of understanding the workings of divine salvation
• Grace only leads to a partial restoration of the intellect

Question 13

What is Calvin’s doctrine on predestination called?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What does Calvin’s doctrine revolve around?

Answer 14

• The uncompromised sovereignty of G

- G alone decides who is saved

Question 15

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

Answer 15

• 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

Question 16

Give three Bible passages that support Calvin’s predestination.

Answer 16

• 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.”

Question 17

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

Answer 17

• 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 G through J
• Ppl cannot choose for themselves to repent and believe

Question 18

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

Answer 18

• Double predestination

Question 19

Elaborate on Calvin’s view of the elect.

Answer 19

• They are chosen by G to have their sins forgiven through J’s 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 imp. indicator of being elect = “the calling of God”: an inward certainty that G 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 G predestines them to have faith in J ∴ when they sin, they cannot resist “the calling” to seek forgiveness

Question 20

Elaborate on Calvin’s view of the reprobates.

Answer 20

• Chosen by G
• 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 w/ them as they do not seek J’s atonement - deaf/blind to message of gospel

Question 21

What did Calvin say would inspire wonder/reverence?

Answer 21

• The mystery of which predestined group you belong to

Question 22

Explain Calvin’s view of limited atonement.

Answer 22

• G made a predestined choice for all ppl before they were born
• The no. of ppl = fixed by G 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))
• J died for the elect only: “This is my blood, which is poured out for many” - not ‘all’
• John 15: J said that he had laid down his life for his sheep, which implies that there were ppl who were not his sheep

Question 23

What did McGrath say about Calvin’s predestination?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

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

Answer 24

• 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 HS regenerates the elect to ensure they continue to love G + keep his commands

Question 25

When was the Synod of Dort? What was it?

Answer 25

• 1618-9

* An international meeting to settle the controversy between Calvinism and Arminianism on the issue of predestination

Question 26

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

Answer 26

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