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THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION
JOHN CALVIN, Translated from the French by Robert White
When Calvin says that he would not have spoken of election had Scripture not led the way, we need not doubt his word. If he defends the doctrine with vigor, it is because it runs as an unbroken thread through both Old and New Testaments. Like the doctrines of providence, atonement and the new birth, it is a doctrine of sovereign grace.
Calvin did not invent election: it is a doctrine which belongs to the universal church. Its importance for him lies in the fact that it anchors the work of redemption, not in our feeble powers of will, but in God’s inexplicable love for sinners, and it traces that work to a determination freely made in heaven before the world began.
The present volume offers a variety of sources, newly translated from the French, which throw fresh light on Calvin’s doctrine of election. In place of his more formal works such as the Institutes from which the doctrine is usually derived, texts have been selected which were intended for oral delivery to a largely non-specialist audience. The tensions inherent in the doctrine, such as God’s mercy versus his justice, are honestly acknowledged and answered. Throughout, appeal is made not to philosophical speculation but to God’s revealed word. To depart from Scripture, the Reformer holds, is to enter a labyrinth from which there is no way out.
There is no hint of bookishness in the texts presented here. This is theology for Everyman – clear, comprehensive and rich in practical application. And it leads, as all good theology should, to the praise of God’s glory.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
I. ELECTION: A SUMMARY STATEMENT
On Eternal Election, an address given in the Church of Geneva
II. ELECTION AND REPROBATION
1. God’s Promise Fulfilled (Genesis 25:12-21)
2. God’s Unfathomable Secret (Genesis 25:21-23)
3. The Greater and the Lesser (Genesis 25:21-23)
4. The Day of Small Things (Genesis 25:24-28)
III. ELECTION IN CHRIST: SERMONS ON EPHESIANS 1
1. A Choice Made in Heaven (Ephesians 1:3, 4)
2. Loved in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:4-6)
3. Christ Our Surety (Ephesians 1:7-10)
4. The Holy Spirit’s Seal (Ephesians 1:13, 14)
IV. ELECTION IN CONTEXT: A SERMON ON EPHESIANS 3
From First Creation to Second (Ephesians 3:9-12)
APPENDIX I: Election: Doctrinal Formulations
APPENDIX II: Critics of Calvin’s Doctrine
APPENDIX III: Calvin and the Preaching of Election
INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
INDEX OF SUBJECTS
"If you would honor God aright, you should know that he does not want the word that he has spoken to disappoint you, provided you do not profane it by your unbelief. He desires to show you clearly how faithful he is to his promises." -Calvin, Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles (SC 8:28).
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