Monday, September 15, 2008

Calvinism for Short

"We only use the term 'Calvinism' for shortness. That doctrine which is called 'Calvinism; did not spring from Calvin; we believe that it sprang from the great founder of all truth. Perhaps Calvin himself derived it mainly from the writings of Augustine. Augustine obtained his views, without doubt, through the Holy Spirit of God, from diligent study of the writings of Paul, and Paul received them from the Holy Ghost and from Jesus Christ, the great founder of the Christian Church. We use the term then, not because we impute an extraordinary importance to Calvin's having taught these doctrines. We would be just as willing to call them by any other name, if we could find one which would be better understood, and which on the whole would be as consistent with the fact. The old truths that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that I preach today, or else I would be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. And that gospel which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again." —Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

2 comments:

Penn Tomassetti said...

That is a very clear and direct quote by bro. Spurgeon. Thanks for posting it, because people sometimes accuse me of following John Calvin too much when I'm quoting Scripture.

Greg said...

I understand completely, it is ironic because Armenians are following man-made doctrine. All John Calvin was doing was showing where Armenius was wrong and God is absolutely sovereign in everything. Dr. Steve Lawson says that Calvinism (Doctrines of Grace) is not hard to see in the Bible it is just hard to accept for alot of people. Pride in self!