Today is our last sermon on John Calvin. I want to say thank you to everyone who has persevered through this journey. I know sometimes it was heavy and complicated. This week I came across another big word I had never seen before- “Monergism” (It comes from the Greek mono meaning “one” and erg meaning “work”) and it is a term for the belief that the Holy Spirit is the one agent, the only agent, who effects regeneration of Christians. In other words, it is only by the power of God that we can be saved. It is not up to us, it is not about our works, but rather it is all about God’s work in us. We talked about this last week while considering the Irresistible Grace and the Holy Spirit working in us to draw us to God.
Our final installment of Calvin’s thought is called Perseverance of the Saints. Perseverance of the Saints is a doctrine that states all who are chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end. It is a natural outgrowth of the movement from Total depravity, God’s election, which makes Christ’s atonement only apply to those whom God chose, and the wonderful nature of God’s Love and Grace which is the impetus of it all. With everything starting with the sovereignty of God, it would make sense that God could not fail to bring those elected to their eternal home. Calvin wrote, “Whatever God mercifully promises, he also faithfully performs.” (Inst. 766) It would be impossible for God to be wrong and for some to fall away from the faith. In our Gospel lesson, Jesus said, “This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that (God) has given me, but raise them up on the last day.” The “last day” of course is the day of resurrection, the promised time of God’s reign, and the faithful believers joining with Christ.
At our lunch discussion last week, people wanted to know about this idea of once saved always saved and whether or not WE are the elect? This truly is the issue with Perseverance of the Saints. I must confess, up until now I have been working with only two choices–those stuck in sin, and those claimed by God. Calvin thinks in shades of grey; thankfully not 50 of them. Remember he is a lawyer. Calvin created four classifications about justification- or one’s right relationship with God.
First is the one with no knowledge of God and immersed in idolatry. That would be the one stuck in total depravity. Next comes the person initiated into the sacraments, yet by impurity of their actions belong to Christ in name only. Remember grace was thought to come through the sacrament, so they were going through the motions but their actions declared they did not belong to Christ. Third are the hypocrites who conceal with empty pretenses their wickedness of heart. They say all the right things, but don’t believe it. Finally Calvin declares the regenerated soul, those elected by God, who by God’s Spirit makes true holiness their concern. (Inst. Pg. 768) It is this last group who has received God’s grace and out of a joyful love for Christ live lives worthy of God’s calling and they are given the promise of eternal security.
So you might be wondering what of the middle two? Calvin writes the Christians in name and the hypocrites “have not been reconciled to God.” (Inst. P 744) So for Calvin there are lots of people who look like Christians, but who have not been elected. This is what Calvin explains as the visible and the invisible church. The visible church is the church structure- like the Catholic Church he was fighting against. Calvin described the church invisible as “that which is actually in God’s presence, into which no persons are received but those who are children of God by grace of adoption and true members of Christ by sanctification of the Holy Spirit… [it] includes not only the saints presently living on earth, but all the elect from the beginning of the world.” He continues in contrasting this church with the church scattered throughout the world. “In this church there is a very large mixture of hypocrites, who have nothing of Christ but the name and outward appearance…” (Institutes 4.1.7) For it is only God who knows who is elect. But as we talk about the perseverance of the saints these nominal Christians or downright hypocrites help us to understand how some people appear to fall away. For Calvin they were never part of God’s elect to begin with.
This takes us to our Romans passage and the four steps that lead to salvation. Those whom God predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.” Here we see that predestination is an unbroken golden chain. This is the process God uses to bring the elect into glory. God predestines, calls, justifies, and surely then they are glorified. If you get the first part of salvation you get it all. It’s unbreakable. All those whom God predestined to be saved will be glorified, will have eternal security. And how could it be otherwise? How could the Sovereign God predestine a thing to occur and it not occur? It is impossible!
Some people have called the Perseverance of the Saints; Eternal Security. You might want to think of is as Social Security for your soul. God guarantees the promises of salvation, much like the federal government guarantees benefits to those who reach the age of retirement. At 65 you are promised medical, monetary and emotional benefits with Social Security. Eternal security means the elect are predestined, justified and glorified; and God is the guarantor of our spiritual benefits. At least with God we don‘t have to worry about a trust fund running out.
Perseverance of the Saints is really about the saint persevering, continuing in a state of grace. Calvin spoke of the first grace given by God through Jesus Christ – by dying on the cross making us righteous. We are saved through the first grace of Christ’s death on the cross. The second grace works in us through the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s purpose. Through the second grace we respond to God. Simply put Perseverance is the idea that all those whom God elects and gives new life are so preserved by divine grace that, although subject to temptation and sin, they never lose the grace of adoption. We will never lose our status as a child of God. A good story that helps us to understand Perseverance of the Saints is the Prodigal son. Once we have been adopted by God, claimed as one of God’s children, then no matter where we go, or what we do, we will long to return to the fold, to the love of our Father. Living high, or exploring the world will not compare to what we already have in our connection with God. Each one of the elect is the prodigal child and cannot lose that relationship. For the elect, God’s love calls them back. The second grace of the Holy Spirit moves to lead us back to God, and receive God’s wonderful welcome!
Later in Romans we see all the hardships and trials that can pull us away from God. There might be times we are like the prodigal and things come before God. If we are truly the elect, God will work in our lives to bring us back to the community of faith. That is our assurance of our faith; our infinitely perfect promise that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not life or death, nor angels or rulers or things present or things to come, for we are secure in the love of God.
In the opening I mentioned Monergism, only the work of the Holy Spirit will lead to our salvation. That is contrasted with Synergism- meaning it is what God does and what we do that gets us to heaven. For some would have us think it is the synergy of God and our works that earn our way to heaven. For Calvin, nothing could be farther from the truth. He quotes Romans saying, “If it is by grace, it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace.” Grace is what God does and grace is how we find salvation. The more we think of these matters, the more thankful we are that our perseverance in holiness and assurance of salvation is not dependent on our own weak nature, but upon God’s constant sustaining power, and upon God’s gracious love.
Perseverance of the saints is a wonderful, and comforting belief, but it has unintended consequences that get us into trouble. Upon first hearing some think this give us license to live however we want, for our salvation is guaranteed. The problem is telling sinful people like ourselves no matter what you do you will be saved. This kind of thinking takes away the incentive, it removes the joy of receiving God’s grace and it makes us complacent. Calvin strongly believes God’s grace received by the elect will create a longing, a deep longing, to live by God’s commandments. This is not to earn our reward, but vital joy of receiving grace, so our grateful hearts love God fully and completely and our actions follow suit.
Perseverance of the saints sounds like we persevere in living faithful lives, we seek, we strive, and we yearn to lead lives worthy of God’s calling. Not true! God preserves us in Grace, keeps extending grace to us, loves us more than we deserve and we in response persevere as followers of Christ. AMEN.
