John Calvin vs. Zane Hodges
Did Calvin deny "Lordship Salvation"?

by Mitch Cervinka

Zane Hodges is an outspoken opponent against the so-called "Lordship" position taken by John MacArthur and others. A few years ago, I listened to an audio tape of a message by Mr. Hodges entitled "Lordship Salvation", in which he claimed that Martin Luther and John Calvin denied the Lordship position. He cited R. T. Kendall, who claimed that John Calvin could not have signed the Westminster Confession, because, he alleged, the Westminster divines had departed from Calvin's views on this issue.

I took notes as I listened to Hodge's tape, and then consulted Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion to see what Calvin had to say on these issues. Here is a summary of what I found. Nearly every signficant point made by Hodges was clearly contradicted by Calvin!
 
Zane Hodges, from his cassette tape "Lordship Salvation" John Calvin, from his Institutes of the Christian Religion
"Lordship salvation collapses a very vital distinction: the distinction between salvation and discipleship. And it is common among Lordship Theologians to insist that the call to discipleship is a call to salvation." "Corresponding with this, the Evangelists uniformly employ the terms believers and disciples as synonymous." (p. 473)
"What we normally mean by faith is that we have a persuasion or a conviction, or we have an assurance about something or about someone... So the word 'faith' ought to be self-defining. Lordship theology redefines faith. Lordship theology imports into the basic and natural idea of faith things which ought not and do not belong in that concept. For example, in Lordship Theology, surrender, commitment, sometimes even repentance, is included within the concept of saving faith. So faith becomes more than simple trust, or more than simple persuasion about the truth of something." "Still, however, though the whole of Scripture is against them, they dogmatically give the name of faith to a persuasion devoid of the fear of God." (p. 476) 

"Christ cannot be known without the sanctification of his Spirit: therefore faith cannot possibly be disjoined from pious affection." (p. 476)

"Their whole error lies in this, that while the term faith has a variety of meanings, overlooking this variety, they argue as if its meaning were invariably one and the same." (p. 477)

"The human heart has so many recesses for vanity, so many lurking places for falsehood, is so shrouded by fraud and hypocrisy, that it often deceives itself. Let those who glory in such semblances of faith know that, in this respect, they are not a whit superior to devils." (p. 478)

"... John Calvin warned sternly and repeatedly against finding assurance in the fruits of the Spirit, or in the results of our conversion. In other words, it was the view of John Calvin that, if we look within ourselves, we will not find assurance, that we will find all sorts of reasons for wondering whether we are Christians at all." "Meanwhile, believers are taught to examine themselves carefully and humbly, lest carnal security creep in and take the place of assurance of faith." (p. 478)

It is clear that Mr. Hodges and Mr. Kendall did not exercise much care when reading Calvin's writings on this subject. Their statements about Calvin are false and misleading. Indeed, Mr. Hodges' outline almost seems to have been a point-by-point refutation of Calvin's teachings in the Institutes. That Mr. Hodges would claim Calvin as a supporter of his position is incredible!

Mr. Hodges and his associates fail to recognize that saving faith is one aspect of a package called "regeneration". Other items in the package include repentance from sin, submission to God, and loving reverence for God. This package is 100% God's gift to His elect, and none of it--not even faith--is in any way man's contribution (John 1:12-13; 6:44, 65; Ephesians 2:4-10; etc.)

A second thing which Mr. Hodges and his companions fail to recognize is that there are counterfeits to saving faith. Believing Bible facts is not enough... the demons believe, and tremble! (James 2:19). The Jews who believed on Jesus in John 8:30-31, soon wanted to kill Him (vss. 37, 40, 59). We must examine our faith to see if it is the genuine article, lest we find that we are like the Pharisees, whose doctrine was generally correct, but whose heart was far from God (2 Cor 13:5; Acts 23:6; Matthew 15:7-9).

Genuine faith is so convinced of the gospel that it acts upon what is believed. An inactive faith betrays a lack of confidence. Noah built the ark far from any body of water, suffering ridicule for it, because he was convinced that God would send the Flood, just as He had promised. The entire 11th chapter of Hebrews teaches us that genuine faith acts upon what is believed. James puts it this way: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20).

The third thing which Hodges fails to understand is that God's salvation is a powerful salvation. The Holy Spirit so transforms the heart and mind of the believer that he will not only believe, but will also repent of his sin and submit to Christ's authority. Those so-called believers who have no use for repentance or Lordship have never experienced the grace of God. They are no more saved than the "believing" Jews who wanted to kill our Lord in John 8:59.

To say that salvation is both free and costly is no contradiction. First, it is free to us but costly to our Lord who paid the sacrifice for us. Second, once we are saved, God freely gives us the grace to persevere through great and costly trials. We experience suffering, but it is God's free, powerful grace which gives us the courage to face these trials, and the patience to endure them.

It is Mr. Hodges who has redefined "faith". Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary defines faith as:

1 a: allegiance to duty or a person: LOYALTY  b (1): fidelity to one's promises  (2): sincerity of intentions 2 a(1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God  (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion  b(1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof  (2): complete trust  3: something that is believed esp. with strong conviction; esp. a system of religious beliefs (p. 446).
Thus, Calvin was correct in stating that: "the term faith has a variety of meanings" and that they are in error who (like Mr. Hodges) "overlooking this variety, ... argue as if its meaning were invariably one and the same." (Institutes, p. 477)

Finally, the purpose for self-examination is not merely to obtain assurance, but to avoid false assurance. It is true that our faith should rest squarely in Christ. But what if we are deceived into thinking that our "faith" in Christ is the genuine article when it is not? Scripture tells us that those who continue in wanton sin are unsaved (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). If you can examine yourself and find no change from your former way of life, then it is safe to conclude that your "faith" in Christ has missed the mark.

What should be our response to such a conclusion? We should despair of ourselves and cry to God for mercy. It is just such despair which can drive us to genuine saving faith in Christ. Those who endlessly repeat the mantra "Assurance is of the essence of saving faith" achieve nothing by it except to confirm false assurance in the hearts of counterfeit believers. This drives them ever farther from the godly despair which brings men savingly to Christ.

The Bible so frequently calls upon unbelievers to repent of their sin that one would have thought it inescapable that repentance is inextricably bound up with saving faith (Matthew 3:2, 8; 11:20-21; 12:41; Luke 3:3, 8; 5:32; 13:3, 5; 15:7; Acts 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; etc.). This may seem problematic to those who suppose that faith is man's contribution to salvation, and who nevertheless want to affirm that salvation is "not by works". Yet, if faith were a human contribution to salvation, it would be a "work" in the Scriptural sense.

Paul could contrast "faith" with "works" in Romans 3:20-22, 27-28; 4:1-5 only because he was contrasting a God-given faith with man-generated works. In other passages, "works" are contrasted, not with faith, but with God's purpose, grace and mercy...

2 Timothy 1:8-9 -- ... God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

Titus 3:5 -- He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Since faith is every bit as much a gift of God as repentance and obedience, there is no reason for us to hide from "Lordship" as though it were somehow incompatible with saving faith. Submission and repentance always accompany saving faith, because all of these graces flow from the regenerate heart which God, the Holy Spirit, bestows upon His elect people.

When faith is present, but submission and repentance are not, you can be certain that the "faith" is illegitimate, and that the individual is still unregenerate. We do no service to such people by assuring them that their faith will certainly save them.


For further study on this important subject, I recommend you read John MacArthur's excellent books, The Gospel According to Jesus and The Gospel According to the Apostles.

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