Book Review…

Or perhaps I should say “Booklet Review.”  Whilst enjoying a week at The Wilds Christian Camp I noticed that my wife had brought along the book “What is a True Calvinist?” by Philip Graham Ryken.  Having finished up my ordination doctrinal statement I thought I’d see what that book was about.  The book, or booklet, is part of a series entitled “Basics of the Reformed Faith” and is a mere 30 pages long.  As Ryken set the theme of the book in the first paragraphs I was relieved that this was not strictly an exercise in intellectual gymnastics, but rather an effort to show that true Calvinism is merciful, gracious, loving and above all God-Centered (which in turn promotes mercy, grace and love).

Ryken begins with a quote by Sinclair B. Ferguson: “The goal of theology is the worship of God.  The posture of theology is on one’s knees.  The mode of theology is repentance.”  Ryken goes on to observe that “There is a combative streak in Calvinism, and whenever the doctrines of grace are divorced from warm Christian piety, people tend to get ornery.”  This mirrors not only my observations of some “Calvinists” but also mirrors an occasional combative flair that rises up within me when I hear things that differ from what I feel is doctrinally correct. [A good link to some resources on Calvinism in the meta]  Ryken continues by spending a paragraph describing the feelings many have toward Calvinism including the feeling that “the doctrines of Calvinism will deaden and kill anything: prayer, faith, zeal, holiness.” But he continues “This ought not to be.  In fact it cannot be, provided that Calvinism is rightly understood.”  With that introduction Ryken makes six points (not going hyper here) as he considers what the doctrines of grace mean for personal growth in godliness, seeking to answer the question, What should a true Calvinist be like?  As he does this he uses Isaiah’s interaction with God in Isaiah 6 to illustrate his points throughout the book (These illustrations I’ll leave for you to read about).

His first observation is that the Calvinist has a God-Centered mind.  Here he quotes B.B. Warfield:

The Calvinist is the man who has seen God, and who, having seen God in His glory, is filled on the one hand with a sense of his own unworthiness to stand in God’s sight as a creature, and much more as a sinner, and on the other hand, with adoring wonder that nevertheless this God is a God who receives sinners.

The second observation is that the true Calvinist must have a penitent spirit.  Ryken feels that this point needs to be emphasized because “although people who identify themselves as Calvinists are usually strong-minded, they are not always large-hearted.”  But a penitent spirit is the natural reaction to someone who is God-centered.  To see God for who He is makes us realize the sinners that we are.  The fact that we are, dust, unworthy, undone, unclean and ruined to name a few Biblical terms, is hammered home to the person who sees God for who He is.

The third observation, that a true Calvinist has a grateful heart, naturally flows from the soul who sees God, has a penitent spirit and is a recipient of God’s grace.  God does not leave us in our sins, but through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Heb 9:22) makes atonement for our sin.  Here Ryken quotes the Dutch Calvinist Abraham Kuyper saying that the true Calvinist is someone:

who in his own soul, personally, has been struck by the Majesty of the Almighty, and yielding to the overpowering might of his eternal Love, has dared to proclaim this majestic love over against Satan and the world, and the worldliness of his own heart, in the personal conviction of being chosen by God Himself, and therefore of having to thank Him and Him alone, for every grace everlasting.

The true Calvinist will echo the gratefulness of the English Reformer John Bradford as he spied a drunk lying in the gutter and said “There but for the grace of God lies John Bradford.”

The fourth observation of the true Calvinist is that he has a submissive will.   We know that we cannot save ourselves and that salvation is all of God.  However we also submit ourselves to the will of God to preach the gospel, making disciples of all nations.  Isaiah said to God “Here am I, send me” even though he knew he was being sent to a people who would not listen.  This submissive will to God recognizes that we must depend on God for “results” and that our efforts are vain in and of themselves and therefore we must make a commitment to a life of prayer!  Ryken notes that some think that belief in God’s sovereinty inhibits prayer because if God has already decided what he is going to do, nothing we can do will change what he has planned from all eternity.  But the purpose of prayer, seen in the Lord’s Prayer, is that God’s will be done! (Matt 6:10)  Therefore prayer is an exercise in submitting our will to God’s will.  One irony that Ryken points out is the irony of those who do not believe that God is sovereign in salvation praying for the salvation of the lost!  He makes the point vividly:

Imagine for a moment that God is not sovereign in grace, but that salvation ultimately depends on the sinner’s own choice.  How then should we pray?  Do we say:  “Dear Lord, I realize that there may not be much that you can do about this, but if there is, please help my friend somehow to become a Christian”?   Of course no one actually prays this way; the very idea is absurd.

I think one of the best observations of the book is that everyone is a Calvinist when they pray.

The fifth observation is that a true Calvinist will seek to live a holy life.  “Absolute dependence on God, with a complete resignation to his will, does not diminish the need for active spiritual growth.  On the contrary, the true Calvinist practices the pursuit of holiness.”

And finally the true Calvinist recognizes that “Holiness is not an end in itself, but serves the greater glory of God.”  The true Calvinist knows that the final goal of our election, and sanctification is the glory of God.

This is an easy book to read, and whether you’re not sure about this Calvinist thing, or whether your a Calvinist struggling with  how to graciously live out the doctrines of grace, I highly recommend this book(let).