Why Calvinism’s Logic About God’s Goodness Fails

Why Calvinism Cannot Be True

I have written about this before—why Calvinism cannot be true. Here I will attempt to condense my argument for easier consumption and agreement.

But, first, what do I mean by “Calvinism” here? I mean belief that God, the God of the Bible, of Jesus Christ, renders all things that happen certain according to an eternally divided plan that is unalterable, and that according to that plan God rendered certain sin and all its consequences, including hell and those who would suffer in it eternally, and that those who suffer in hell for eternity deserve that punishment even though, according to God’s plan and power, they could not have done otherwise than they did (viz., sin).

Now, if anyone disagrees with that version of Calvinism, I challenge them to read and listen to John Piper. He says the same in books, sermons, and YouTube interviews.

But, Calvinists argue that, in spite of that belief, they believe that God is perfectly good.

Calvin, Edwards, Hodge, and Piper

My argument is that there is only one way to make sense of that claim that they believe God is perfectly good even though he predestines people he caused (rendered certain) to sin to suffer punishment in hell eternally for doing what they could not have avoided doing.

(Side note: Far too many Calvinists lose track of their own theology when it comes to combining their doctrines of meticulous providence and election/predestination. It is strictly illogical to separate them once they have both been stated clearly and unequivocally as in Calvin, Edwards, Hodge, and Piper.)

Thesis: It is impossible to believe two absolutely contradictory propositions at the same time. God gave humans the gift of logic. Our minds are incapable of believing illogical things simultaneously.

Strictly Illogical Unless

Calvinism claims that sinners are responsible for their sins and deserve eternal punishment in hell EVEN THOUGH God foreordained and rendered certain the fall itself and everything without exception. Sinners cannot help sinning. Yet, they deserve hell. That is strictly illogical unless…

Calvinism claims that God is good and loving and righteous and just even though he foreordains sin(s) and renders sin(s) certain. That is strictly illogical unless…

So what is the “unless?” Calvinism can only be possible IF it relies on what is called theistic voluntarism—the belief that WHATEVER GOD DOES IS GOOD JUST BECAUSE GOD DOES IT. In other words, “good” means something entirely different in God than in humans. In fact, there is no analogy. The word “good” becomes equivocal, when applied to God.

What Is The Alternative

If a Calvinist admits to being a theistic voluntarist, then I can only say that his or her God is other than the God revealed in Jesus Christ who wept over Jerusalem because it rejected him when he wanted to gather them into his arms.

What is the alternative to theistic voluntarism? It is that God has an eternal and immutable nature that is essentially good, loving, just, and righteous and will not allow him to make people sinners and then condemn for sinning.

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