Calvinism's Incoherent Hypersensitivity Part 1 - Sovereignty of God

Hypersensitivity is being overly sensitive about an issue that is simply unwarranted.  It is being irrational and even incoherent over one or more facets of a topic.  That is exactly what Calvinism does on some issues that are vigorously tied to their doctrines.  These hypersensitivities drive their doctrines.  There are two hypersensitivity issues that seem to stand above the others and this article discusses the first one.  The second issue will be discussed in a separate blog post.

#1: The Sovereignty of God

Calvinists are so hypersensitive over the "Sovereignty of God" that they have actually redefined the words "sovereign" or "sovereignty" to mean something not found in a dictionary or revealed in scripture.

Calvinist hypersensitivity starts with the idea that God is absolutely sovereign and fully in control. Most Christians believe that God is sovereign and completely in control.  The problem is that Calvinists go well beyond this understanding of sovereignty and this is the subject of this article.

At first look, this does not seem like it should be a problem but if you study Calvinism you find that Calvinists construct doctrines that actually are built first and foremost on the foundation of their understanding of God's sovereignty.  This they do above and beyond all other truths found in scripture.

These questions arise:

1. Why is Calvinism so hypersensitive regarding the sovereignty of God?
2. Why don't Calvinists consider God's love, justice or mercy as foundational as they do his sovereignty?
3. Why is sovereignty held up as more important than any of God's other attributes by Calvinists?

Traditional Christianity has focused more on God's love as the core foundation of God's character and that it is his love that carries his will forward.  By contrast, Calvinists promote God's sovereignty as the overall key aspect in understanding God's character and will.

Considering Calvinism's stance then questions should be asked:
1. Does the Bible portray God as being fixated on his sovereignty?
2.  Does scripture show God to be some kind of narcissist sitting in heaven fretting over the idea that he might not be seen as being sovereign enough?
3. Does God control every aspect for every person including their thoughts?

Fortunately, these questions are easily answered.  While scripture does make it clear that God is sovereign over all things, it does not communicate sovereignty as being greater than God's love, mercy, truth and justice.  This is the case throughout scripture. God's sovereignty is never given priority over his other glorious attributes.

While there are a few mentions of God's sovereignty in the Old Testament, the New Testament rarely mentions the subject.  In fact, the word "sovereign" is mentioned just five times in the entire New Testament and the word "sovereignty" is not used at all.  In comparison, how often does the New Testament mention God's love?  The word "love" is used 261 times in the New Testament and it is usually used in the context of God's love.  "Love" therefore is the emphasis in scripture while sovereignty is acknowledged but never exalted above God's other attributes including love.

The Bible as a whole contains no agenda for God's sovereignty as does Calvinism. Though it is recognized, it is not emphasized like Calvinism insists that it should be. This brings us to the next very important issue that seems so central within Calvinism. That issue is Calvinism's fixation on the concern that man must recognize God's sovereignty as greater than anything else.  Scripture does not establish this sentiment at all.  Instead we find God eschewing his sovereignty so that men may know his humility.  Paul makes it clear:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus stated regarding himself:

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29 

Scripture convinces us that Jesus was more concerned with revealing his humility then being concerned about making sure everyone knew how sovereign he was.

Calvinists proclaim a theology that starts and ends with God being sovereign.  They demand that God's sovereignty be given priority over every other spiritual truth.  It is like they think God is paranoid that man won't think he is sovereign.  I don't think God is sitting in heaven worrying that everyone on earth knows how sovereign he is.  God is not afraid of man's frailties or weaknesses nor is he disturbed that man under values his sovereignty.  It is strange that Calvinism presents God as a kind of narcissist that fears his sovereignty is not preeminent.

This kind of Calvinist philosophy is difficult to substantiate from scripture and it gets worse. Calvinists take their concerns one step further by redefining what 'sovereignty" really means. Reformed theology makes "sovereignty" mean that God has predetermined everything beforehand and this includes everything that happens in the world.  They state that everything that is done is only done by God's good will and pleasure and there is nothing that happens that God did not predestine.

Calvinists claim that everything is pre-fixed and that man does not have free-will to do anything on his own.  In doing so, Calvinists simply make God a master manipulator or micro-manager of everything that has happened or will happen in the future.

Noted Reformed Author Edwin Palmer, a leader in Calvinism stated it this way:

“All things that happen in all the world at any time and in all history—whether inorganic matter, vegetation, animal, man or angels (both good and evil ones-- come to pass because God ordained them, Even sin- the fall of the devil from 

heaven, the fall of Adam, and every evil thought, word, and deed in all of history.” (The Five Points of Calvinism, 1999)

And

R.C. Sproul Jr. wrote:  “…God desired for man to fall into sin…God created sin.” (Almighty Over All)

However, this definition of "sovereignty" is not what the word means at all and is simply not found in scripture either. Instead, study of scripture clearly shows that God constantly offers choices to men and God holds man accountable for his actions.  How would God hold man accountable if God predetermined every action of man?  This is not coherent thinking and really bad theology.

Why Calvinists are so hyper about God's sovereignty is not something I claim to understand but my suspicion is that their understanding of "sovereignty" is needed to establish their Reformed doctrines. Calvinism needs God to be a micro-meddler for their doctrines to stand.  Only if God has predetermined all things can the Calvinist doctrines of Unconditional Election and Irresistible Grace be considered legitimate.  If these doctrines are revealed as illegitimate, then the whole of Calvinism collapses like a deck of cards.

Clearly the sovereignty of God should not be overly emphasized and held up above every other word or teaching in scripture.  God is not concerned or paranoid about his sovereignty and his sovereignty is clean and pure.  God is not the "Predeterminator in Chief".  God's sovereignty simply means he has the ultimate say in all things even if in his sovereignty he determines that man has free-will.

I believe that God is sovereign and can do anything he wants at any time, at any place and to any entity but I don't believe he has predetermined all things including evil.  He has predestined that some things happen but there are things that happen on this earth that God has no pleasure in and would never predetermine.

In fact, Genesis records God's thoughts in Genesis 6:5-7:

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

This passage proves that God does not predetermine all things.  The fact that God has the ability to regret shows that man can do things that actually hurts God.

I am repulsed by Calvinism's theory that God has desired to predetermine man and the devil's sin and rebellion.  I find it abhorrent that Calvinism implies that God could predetermine rape, murder, betrayal and torture.  I find it inconceivable that God would predetermine that Hitler murder six million Jews.  I find it repugnant that God would predetermine that Stalin murder 23 million people civilians above and beyond the 20 million Soviets that perished in World War II.  I find it appalling that God could have predetermined that Mao kill more than 49 million people.

Who could tell a weeping mother that the rape, torture and murder of her 8 year old daughter was predetermined by God?  Only a Reformed Calvinist could.

Some Calvinists teach that God creates evil and they have only one passage to hinge their statement on. Let's examine that passage:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.  Isaiah 45:7 KJV

First, no one should ever build a doctrine from a single verse especially pulled out of context. Secondly, the word "evil" is only seen in the KJV.  No other version translates the Hebrew word in this way and with good reason.  In fact, the Hebrew word means:

“adversity, affliction, calamity, distress, misery.” 

Everyone agrees that God sends all of the above in certain situations to fulfill his purposes.  But the word has nothing to do with moral evil yet Calvinists use this verse to promote the idea that God created moral and spiritual evil.  He did not.  Proverbs 8:13 and Psalm 97:10 state that man should hate evil.  Would God ask us to hate evil if he did not?  There are many verses that state that God hates sin so how could he create sin since sin is evil?  Consider:

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.  Psalm 5:4 KJV

God does not predetermine evil.  He does not predetermine that genocide and human torture take place.  When God judged nations in the Old Testament, he was not sending evil but was delivering justice.  Scripture contains no substantiation for God predetermining evil. All evil has its originations in Satan and the fall of man.

The Bible conveys that idea that God proves his sovereignty by allowing man to make choices and manage certain aspects in their lives.  God does not predetermine all things; instead he intervenes whenever and however he chooses.  This is true sovereignty. That is why we pray because God intervenes by his sovereignty.  Why would anyone pray if all things are predetermined?

Calivnism's hypersensitivity regarding the sovereignty of God then is unwarranted and is simply not a scriptural understanding of God's true sovereignty.

Darrell Brantingham

(Check out my pithy tweets on my Twitter account @confrontcalvin)