“For although the sad devastation which everywhere meets our view may proclaim that no church remains, let us know that the death of Christ produces fruit, and that God wondrously preserves his church, while placing it as it were in concealment. Thus it was said to Elijah, ‘Yet I have me seven thousand in Israel’ (1 Kings 18:18)” (John Calvin, Institutes, 4.1.2).
First, wherever “the true Church is found, the true gospel is always found” (https://agrammatos.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/ccf6-the-church.pdf).
Second, while John Calvin DID believe “that the death of Christ produces fruit” in the case of the elect, he did NOT believe Christ’s death produced fruit for ALL whom Christ died. Thus, Calvin did NOT believe that the death of Christ was efficaciously able to produce the fruit of salvation of itself apart from the sinner’s efforts. The following shows Calvin’s damnable belief that Christ died for everyone without exception:
The following are quotes from John Calvin, each followed by an explanation of what he was saying. You will find that what he was saying cannot be explained in any other logical way. John Calvin was an unregenerate man when he made these statements. Those “converts” from Roman Catholicism who believed what he said about the atonement were doing nothing more than going from the Roman Catholic Whore Church into the Protestant Whore Church. They were just going from wicked Roman Catholic universal atonement to wicked Protestant universal atonement, from being lost Roman Catholics to being lost Protestants.
HETERODOXY HALL OF SHAME
“And, indeed, in the Second Epistle of Peter, Christ alone is mentioned, and there he is called Lord. But He means that Christ is denied, when they who had been redeemed by his blood, become again the vassals of the Devil, and thus render void as far as they can that incomparable price.” [Commentary on Jude 4]
Calvin is here saying that some of those who were redeemed by the blood of Christ go back to being vassals of the Devil. [These people that Calvin believed were redeemed by the blood of Christ are described in 2 Peter 2 as false teachers who bring in damnable heresies (v. 1), made to be taken and destroyed, who shall utterly perish in their own corruption (v. 12), and cursed children (v. 14), among other things.]
“Also we ought to have good care of those that have been redeemed with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we see souls which have been so precious to God go to perdition, and we make nothing of it, that is to despise the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Sermon on Ephesians 5:11-14]
Calvin is here saying that souls that go to perdition are precious to God, because they have been redeemed with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The four reasons, whereby Paul doth carefully prick forward the pastors to do their duty diligently, because the Lord hath given no small pledge of his love toward the Church in shedding his own blood for it. Whereby it appeareth how precious it is to him; and surely there is nothing which ought more vehemently to urge pastors to do their duty joyfully, than if they consider that the price of the blood of Christ is committed to them. For hereupon it followeth, that unless they take pains in the Church, the lost souls are not only imputed to them, but they be also guilty of sacrilege, because they have profaned the holy blood of the Son of God, and have made the redemption gotten by him to be of none effect, so much as in them lieth. And this is a most cruel offense, if, through our sluggishness, the death of Christ do not only become vile or base, but the fruit thereof be also abolished and perish …” [Commentary on Acts 20:28]
Calvin is here saying that the lost souls within the church are part of the redemption gotten by Christ, and the fruit of the death of Christ is abolished and perishes when the pastors do not do their duty.
“He makes this favor common to all, because it is propounded to all, and not because it is in reality extended to all; for though Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and is offered through God’s benignity indiscriminately to all, yet all do not receive him.” [Commentary on Romans 5:18]
Calvin is here saying that although Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, yet all do not receive Him. If he had just said, “Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world,” we could have considered the possibility that he could have meant “the whole world of the Jews and Gentiles” or “the whole world of the elect” and not everyone without exception. But he goes on to say that “all do not receive him,” which means that he believed that Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, including all who do not receive him.
“True it is that the effect of His death comes not to the whole world. Nevertheless, forasmuch as it is not in us to discern between the righteous and the sinners that go to destruction, but that Jesus Christ has suffered His death and passion as well for them as for us, therefore it behoves us to labour to bring every man to salvation, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be available to them …” [Sermon CXVI on the Book of Job (31:29-32)]
Calvin is here saying that Jesus Christ has suffered His death and passion for the righteous as well as the sinners that go to destruction. (Note also that Calvin used the term “whole world” to mean everyone without exception.)
“The word many is not put definitely for a fixed number, but for a large number; for he contrasts himself with all others. And in this sense it is used in Romans 5:15, where Paul does not speak of any part of men, but embraces the whole human race.” [Commentary on Matthew 20:28]
Calvin is here saying that in Matthew 20:28, the “many” for whom Christ was given as a ransom is not talking about any part of the human race but the whole human race. If he had just said that Christ is a ransom for the whole human race, we might be able to consider the possibility that he did not mean everyone without exception. But he contrasts “part” and “whole,” obviously meaning that he believed that Christ was given as a ransom for the whole human race as opposed to just part of the human race.
After finding these quotes, we obviously could not call ourselves Calvinists (although we had already stopped calling ourselves Calvinists before finding these quotes), since we do not believe what Calvin believed regarding the essential gospel doctrine of the efficacious atonement of Jesus Christ. Calvin did not believe that the work of Christ secures the salvation of all whom He represented. He did not believe that the work of Christ alone is what makes the only difference between salvation and damnation.
We hope that this article will make others think about what names they attach to themselves, now that the real meaning of some of these names has been put forth. We are not “Reformed.” We are not “Calvinists.” We are followers of Christ – the true Christ whose atoning blood and imputed righteousness is the only ground of our salvation.”
Agrammatos 