Calvinism is a Protestant denominational position that adheres to the theological traditions and teachings of John Calvin (1509-1604), along with other preachers of the Reformation era. Although he was a second generation Protestant Reformer, John Calvin was the first to systematically organize Reformed doctrine. His Institutes of the Christian Religion, contributed significantly to Reformed religious thought. What He wrote from a pastor’s perspective, rather than that of a scholar and has often been misrepresented. The purpose of his hermeneutical writing was to edify the Christian church. Consequently, his influence continues today in most Reformed and Presbyterian churches. 

Like Martin Luther his theologic beliefs were derived from Scripture alone (sola Scriptura). He Believed the Bible meant what it said and and was the final authority for Christians as revealed by the Holy Spirit. He believed in an all powerful, sovereign, triune God with each person of the trinity equal in power and substance. God continues to engage with his creation and, from the beginning, had selected (predestined) a certain number of people (the elect) to be reconciled to himself. 

He sent Jesus to pay the penalty of sin for the elect, to whom the Holy Spirit would be given to open their eyes to the gospel. Then God would grant them the ability to accept the good news by faith, which would save them (sola fidei). From that point on, they would live as God’s covenant people, fulfilling what has been termed the Calvinist covenant of works. Calvin believed the elect could be identified by exhibiting three characteristics: a profession of faith, exemplary moral character and love of the Lord’s Supper. For Calvinists, baptism of both adults and children, which is not to be repeated, signifies entry into the visible body of Christ, the church.

The theological stance for which he is remembered has been called the Five Points of Calvinism and is represented by the acronym, TULIP. Each point builds on the one it follows. Those five points are:

1. Total Depravity. Sin infects all aspects of human life. All are sinners who are unable to save themselves or choose to follow Jesus without divine intervention. God does all the work leading to a person’s salvation.

2. Unconditional Election. God chooses who will be saved (elect) through his sovereign will. Anyone God has not chosen will be damned, destined for an eternity in hell.

3. Limited Atonement. Jesus died for the elect, alone, rather than for the sin of the world.

4. Irresistible Grace. The elect cannot resist the call of the Holy Spirit to come to faith in Jesus.

5. Perseverance of the Saints. Salvation, eternal security, cannot be lost. Once an elect person is saved he or she remains saved.

For a divergent view, see Arminianism.

Virtually every Christian denomination, fellowship or church practices some form of baptism because that is what Jesus told us to do, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 | NIV) The primary meaning of the word translated as “baptism” is “to dip or plunge under water.”

Baptism of believers demonstrates repentance and entrance into a covenantal relationship with Jesus based on faith. Baptism of infants is based on vicarious faith, the parents’ faith. If it works as designed, the infant is raised in a loving, supportive community of faith until he or she is old enough to make an informed profession of faith. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. Consequently, there are adults walking around thinking they are good with God because they were baptized as babies, but they do not know why they were baptized at all. (As an aside, there is more direct scriptural support for baptism for the dead than there is for infant baptism.)

If we see baptism as a part of the new covenant, baptism may be compared to circumcision under the Abrahamic covenant. It conveys no direct spiritual benefit beyond making a person part of a community of believers. If baptism saved us it would be a “work” and that would dilute grace. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast”(Ephesians 2:8-9 | NIV).

Unlike repentance and sanctification, baptism is not indispensable to salvation but whenever possible should be viewed as the act of an obedient disciple. Jesus himself was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).  “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16 | NIV). Notice failure to believe condemns, not failure to be baptized. It is a symbolic gesture that tells the world one has chosen to follow Jesus. It unites the believer in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

The baptismal “formula” most Christian communities use is drawn from The Great Commission, Matthew 28:19-20. It is some version of, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” But that is like ending a prayer by saying “We ask these things in the name. Amen.” Jesus said, “ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:14 | NIV) Jesus expects us to use his name, Jesus, not his eternal relationship, Son. Baptizing in the name of Jesus is consistent with the practices of the apostles and the 1st century Church. (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48 and 19:5). The “formula” that directly reflects early church practice would be some version of, “I baptize you in the name of Jesus.”

The dictionary defines atonement as “reparation for wrong or injury.” In other words it is making things right with a person you have injured in some way. Atonement is God’s plan for bringing us back into relationship with him. In a remarkable juxtaposition, biblical atonement is God taking the final step to fix what sin broke. When sin entered the world our intimate connection with him was severed and it was not absolutely restored until Jesus came to make it right himself. Beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation, the entire biblical narrative describes the steps God has taken to reach out to sinful people.

There were two kinds of atonement described in the Old Testament. The first was how one person could make things right when they or their animal injured another. The other was how people could make things right with God. The price paid for sin often resulted in the death of a living creature. The first recorded death of an animal resulting from sin is apparently Genesis 3:21. God clothed a naked and sinful Adam and Eve with animal skins. The first recorded sacrifices to God were those of their sons, Cain and Able. The were probably not to atone for sin, but sin messed that up, too.

With the implementation of the law God gave Moses, sins were typically atoned for through the sacrifice of goats, sheep and birds. “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11 | NIV). The atoning sacrifice restored a sinful person or nation to God. The writer of Hebrews described it like this “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 | NIV). The Jewish Day of Atonement sacrifice was a unique, three-part, national sacrifice requiring two goats. One goat was killed, symbolizing the punishment God exacts for sin. A second goat, a “scapegoat” was sent out into the wilderness to symbolize the actual removal and disappearance of sin. The slaughtered sacrifice was then burned to symbolize the all-consuming power of God over sin.

In the New Testament, ransom, redeem and atone are closely linked. Each word implies a quid pro quo, the giving of something to obtain something. They all describe what Jesus did on our behalf. We get a glimpse of how God’s plan will ultimately play out in terms of the Old Testament Mosaic covenant in the words of John the Baptist. When he saw Jesus he proclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 | NIV) Jesus fulfilled the law and accomplished what the law could never do by becoming the perfect sacrifice for sin. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The term many Christians used in connection with the price Jesus paid for the sins of the world is substitutionary or vicarious atonement. Jesus is our substitute in God’s eyes. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). He paid the price for our sins and effected the final reconciliation of sinful humankind to a holy God. “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12).

Antinomianism is moral lawlessness. The word antinomianism is derived from two greek words, anti (against) and nomos (law), lawlessness or against the law. In the Old Testament there were three types of laws: ceremonial, civil, and moral. Jesus’s death and resurrection eliminated the requirement for Christians to observe ceremonial law. He was the perfect sacrifice. The establishment of a secular government eliminated the need for biblical civil law. Only the moral law remained as Christianity spread.

Antinomianism is a doctrine that holds salvation is God’s gift of grace, so Christians no longer have to comply with the Old Testament moral law, the Ten Commandments in particular. Otherwise, salvation would entail acts of works. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (Ephesians 2:8-9 | NIV)

The word was coined by Martin Luther.[1] His work, Against the Antinomians,” sought to put the issue to bed by making the case that moral law is necessary for those who would follow Jesus. “The whole matter was finally settled for Lutheranism, by the formula of Concord, in 1577. It recognized the threefold use of the law: to reveal sin, to establish general decency in society, at large, and to provide a rule of life, for those who have been regenerated through faith in Christ.”[2]

Luther stressed the law’s purpose was to convict of sin and lead to repentance. Today Christians agree the law still serves two purposes; to define sin and provide moral guidelines for Jesus’s followers. This is what the apostle Paul wrote on the matter. What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (Romans 7:7 | NIV) No one, not even Paul, could live a sin free life, but we have a way to be restored to a relationship with God. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 | NIV)

Those who practice antinomianism misunderstand the distinction between justification and sanctification. We are justified by grace through faith. That grace constitutes judicial forgiveness that wipes the sinner’s slate clean and sets him or her on the narrow path. The second type, parental forgiveness, is how believers tell their heavenly Father they are sorry for letting him down. Justification results from judicial forgiveness. Sanctification, striving to be like Jesus, entails seeking parental forgiveness as often as necessary.

That does not mean Christians should be legalistic. Legalism is the belief that obedience to a code of religious law is necessary for salvation. God’s grace coupled with faith, both gifts from God, are necessary and sufficient for salvation. Antinomianism ignores moral law, altogether. Obeying biblical moral law is not legalism, but evidence we are striving to be like Jesus who followed it completely and perfectly.

[1] R.D. Linder, “Antinomianism,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2^nd ed., Edited by Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), p. 71.

[2] Ibid.