Law and Grace: Calvin, Arminius, and the Meaning of the Law in the 7th Chapter of the Epistle to the...

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Law & Grace:

Calvin, Arminius, and the Meaning of the Law in the 7th Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans

rendan !ones "#Connor

Advisor: $rofessor Lee %andel

pring, '()'



*he Calvinist+Arminian deate arising from !acous Arminius# academic and theological

dissent ecame the definitive model of conte-tuali.ing $redestination and the direct influence of

!ohn Calvin#s writings, especiall/ on the 0utch Reformed Church tradition1 *he 0utch Reformed

Church#s re2ection of Arminian theolog/ reinforced Calvinist $redestination as the ma2or

soteriolog/, the theor/ of salvation, of the 0utch reformed church1 3n man/ wa/s, this ecame

commonl/ seen as Calvin#s greatest theological contriution.

) ut Arminius# message, if not his

actual theolog/, is succinct, and often palatale than $redestination1 4is soteriological model

found use in man/ places, most notal/ in the theolog/ of !ohn %esle/ and the Methodist

tradition, as well as the official position of the Anglican Church1 Man/ contemporar/ aptist and

Evangelical groups also draw a line of inspiration from the controversial 0utch professor of

theolog/1' *he Arminian controvers/ eventuall/ lead to the /nod of 0ort, the largest, and

argual/ most important conference in Reformed Church#s histor/1 *he /nod of 0ort officiall/

recogni.ed the five ma2or points of Calvinist soteriolog/ in the effort to draw contrast to the

perceived heres/ of Arminianism1 As salvation is one of the most core doctrines of faith, the

desire to get it correct pervaded in the church#s theological conscience15

Arminius# heterodo- position assumed the same agents of focus as Calvin#s: the

relationship etween the "ld Covenant and the 6ew Covenant, or the Law and the Gospel, as

the/ are freuentl/ called in the writings, respectivel/1 oth theologians share man/ similar

positions, especiall/ considering how Arminius was directl/ mentored in Geneva under Calvin#s

associate, *heodore e.a18 *he most visile departure Arminius too9 from Calvin came in his

) 4oward A1 laatte, The Arminian Arm of Theology: The Theologies of John Fletcher, First Methodist Theologian

And His Precusrsor, James Arminius %ashington 01C1: ;niversit/ $ress of America, )<77=, )>1' 3id15 laatte, )?18 !a9o 4ermans.oon, who Latini.ed his 0utch name to !acous Arminius upon entering academia for further

intellectual crediilit/, was orn "ctoer )(th, )?>(, in the central 0utch cit/ of "udewater, in the province of

the ancient cit/ of ;trecht1 4is father, 4ermann !a9os, died in his infanc/1 4is mother allowed him to e

adopted out of desperation, first / local Reformed pastor *heodorus Aemilius, then / ;niversit/ of Marurg

professor of Mathematics Rudolph nellius1 0espite an initial fascination in his mother#s Roman Catholic



understanding of Gospel to mean Christ#s death as the introduction of $revenient Grace, the

preceding, universal Grace from God that is allotted to an/od/ who chooses, / their own free

will, to accept1 Meanwhile, Calvin#s followers preferred 3rresistile Grace, which emphasi.ed the

power and fore9nowledge of God to select whomever 4e willed for guaranteed alvation1 *his

difference in perspective toward Grace is a 2umping+off point for a variet/ of other arguments

and scriptural e-egesis, ut it is in their position on the Law, on its definition, function, and

relationship with the Gospel, that varies with sutle, ut with important distinction1

Calvin and Arminius found a source of 2ustification toward their theolog/, especiall/ in

regards to the Law, within $aul#s Epistle to the Romans1 *he d/namic oo9 directl/ follows the

Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles as not onl/ the longest of the $auline letters, ut / man/ as

his greatest written legac/ for the estalishment of a Christian theolog/1? 6ot to e diminished,

Romans is still a literal letter written / $aul to a specific group of people that he had never met,

notes professor and former dean of @ale 0ivinit/ chool Leander E1 ec91 Moreover, the

theolog/ is not comprehensive, it lac9s man/ definitions, and was written for the purpose of

convincing Gentiles of the saving power of Christ1 3t is a discourse, not a program1> *he si-teen

chapters cover a variet/ of ideas and notions, ut the seventh chapter contains a fascinating

rhetorical treatise not repeated an/where else in the letter1 3n a section discussing the ethical

implications of the Gospel, and the lingering effects of the Law, $aul#s use of rhetoric suddenl/

eliefs, Arminius# interests shifted to the increasingl/ popular of !ohn Calvin#s initiation1 4e was the first ever to

receive the 0octor of 0ivinit/ degree from the ;niversit/ of Leiden1 4e would later serve as professor of

theolog/ at the universit/, until his death in )>(<1 uccessful in his theological studies, he gained permission to

continue education in Geneva and asel, cities directl/ ministered / !ohn Calvin, stud/ing directl/ underCalvin#s close associate and co+reformer, *heodore e.a, eventuall/ writing against his soteriological position of

upralapsarianism1 3n )?BB, ecclesiastical authorities in Amsterdam offered him a pastoral position, which heheld for the ne-t fifteen /ears1 %hen two of the ;niversit/ of Leiden#s prominent professors of theolog/, r1

!unius and Luc *relcatius, died within pro-imit/, ;niversit/ officials selected Arminius to fill the vacated

position, much to the chagrin of the strictl/ Calvinist surviving porfessor, ranciscus Gomarus1 3n a run of poetic

drama, Gormarus would go on to lead the /nod of 0ort in condemning Arminius# writings in )>)<1 laatte, <1? Leander E1 ec9, Abingdon New Testament Commentaries !omans Dol1 >1 Edited / Dictor $aul urnish1

6ashville: Aingdon $ress, '((?=, 581> ec9, 5?1



where can an/ longer e the utilit/ of aptism unless this remain as its foundationthat we all

agree in one faithIF)( 3n suggesting that an ideal model of Christianit/ is not onl/ possile, ut

necessar/ for the Church#s effective e-istence, it would have to change1 Re+aligning the Christian

faith to a new set of doctrine, especiall/ against hundreds of /ears of tradition, reuires a

pedagogical approach, thus Calvin approached Religion in a s/stematic, functional design,

tracing his theolog/ from its rudimentar/ foundations to its e-trapolations1

Conversel/, Arminius, schooled in not onl/ Calvin#s direct tradition, also gained much

e-perience with the pre+$rotestant Reformation theological and literar/ advances and st/les

made / the cholastic tradition of Roman Catholicism1 %hile Calvin wrote roughl/ )(,(((

words for the '? verse chapter, Arminius drafted at an upward word count of B?,(((, consisting

of dense, compacted pages of dissertation concerning mainl/ verses )8+'? of the 7 th Chapter1

Calvin writes a self+contained piece of e-egesis, ut Arminius adds the references of do.ens of

ancient Church athers, Medieval cholastics, and contemporar/ theologians1 Nuite simpl/,

Arminius# dissertation lac9s an/ of the concision or pedagogical writing st/le that Calvin ma9es

an effort to appl/1 $erhaps it should come to little conclusion that Arminius# legac/ tends to e

rememered through the later interpretation and actions of his more evangelical followers, most

famousl/ !ohn %esle/ and the fellow Methodists1

ut what is the LawI Calvin#s personal e-egesis of the word is multifaceted, and this is

made more difficult / the passage#s conte-tual amiguit/1 oth Calvin and Arminius go to a

great deal of length to define the properties and functions of the Law, efore creating a

distinctive interpretation1 Calvin offers such a statement as the sutitle for the 7th Chapter, oo9

33 of The %nstitutes of the Christian !eligion: *he Law was given, not to restrain the fol9 of the

old covenant under itself, ut to foster hope of salvation in Christ until his coming1F %ithin the

)( !ohn CalvinJ *rans1 0illenerger, !ohn1 elections from His 'ritings Atlanta, GA: cholars $ress, )<7?= '871



)<>( %estminster $ress edition of The %nstitutes, editor and professor of Church histor/ !ohn *1

Mc6eill offers an interpretation of the asic categories of Law in Calvin#s s/stem:

*he term #law# for Calvin ma/ mean )= the whole religion of Moses 331vii1 )=J '= the

special revelation of the moral law to the chosen people, i1e1, chieftl/ the 0ecalogue and

!esus# summar/ 31 Diii=J or 5= various odies of civil, 2udicial, and ceremonial statutes

3D1-- )8+)>J Comm1 Harmony Four (oo)s of Moses* cf1 0ecalogue supplementsF=1 "f

these, the moral law, the true and eternal rule of righteousnessF 3D1--1)?=, is most

important1 3t appears in three conte-ts shown in the three uses,F elow, paragraphs >+)?1

or Calvin a positive evaluation of the law allows the third useF to e the principal one,

while for Luther the condemning function is the chief one: cf1 Luther, Comm1 Gal1 5:)<1

Calvin regards the condemning function as accidentalF to its true purpose: Comm1 33

Cor1 5:7J Comm1 Rom1 7:)(+))1))

*he last point is of 9e/ interest, and will e addressed in the anal/sis of Calvin#s commentar/ of

Romans chapter 71

%ithin the ne-t chapter of The %nstitutes, Calvin details his e-planation of the Moral Law

as contained / the statement of the *en Commandments1 3n its principle, *en Commandments

are a ph/sicall/ written e-pression of the 6atural Law engraved universall/ on the hearts of all

people1 ut man is so shrouded in the dar9ness of errors that he hardl/ egins to grasp through

this natural law what worship is acceptale to God,F Calvin writes, asserting his point of the

inherent distance etween God and Man, 4e is so puffed up with haughtiness and amition, and

so linded / self+love, that he is as /et unale to loo9 upon himself and, as it were, to descend

within himself, that he ma/ humle and aase himself and confess his own miserale

condition1F)' *he implicit message of the Moral Law ecomes clear, humanit/ needed this direct

)) !ohn CalvinJ *rans1 Mc6eill, !ohn1 %nstitutes of the Christian !eligion1 $hiladelphia: *he %estminster $ress,

)<>(= 58B1)' Calvin, %nstitutes, 5>B1



instruction as a result of its inailit/ to maintain the trust of God as efore the all of Man, the

unwritten, intangile 6atural Law could not suffice1 *he Moral Law, then, while written as a

tangile document to a specific group of people in time, is an e-tension of the unchanging and

immutale righteousness of God1 3t is onl/ when we $refer his will to our own do we render to

him the reverence that is his due, it follows that the onl/ lawful worship of his the oservance of

righteousness, holiness, and purit/1F *he multitude of the laws of Moses found throughout the

Torah coalesce into the )( Commandments Moses received at Mount inai, and stand as the

ine-orale ualit/ of God#s righteousnessJ *hat the Law is divided into ten words is e/ond

dout, for on the authorit/ of God himself this has often een confirmed1F)5

Calvin ma9es great note of the distriution of the two tales of the Commandments1

0rawing from the tradition from the church father "rigen, he speculates that the first tale of

Commandments contains the first three, with the remaining seven on the following talet1 *he

purpose for this not onl/ reflects the numerical m/ster/ of God 5 for the *rinit/, 7 as a general

m/stical numer=, ut additionall/ reinforces the distinction Christ ma9es etween the two Great

Commandments1)8 *he first talet, commandments )+5, concern the duties of religion devotion in

the worship of GodJ the second, commandments 8+)(, the duties toward other people1 *he duties

toward God ta9ing precedent over the responsiilities toward human9ind1)? %hile this ma/ seem

li9e a minor point, it reinforces Calvin#s assertion that the entire thrust of the Moral Law,

including its prescription to the contemporar/ societ/, rests on the dutiful, ut not legalistic,

reception of the 0ecalogue1

%hile Calvin goes to great detail to discuss the implications of the individual

)5 Calvin, %nstitutes, 5>81)8 Matthew '':57+8(= 571 4e said to him, @ou shall love the Lord /our God with all /our heart, and with all

/our soul, and with all /our mind1F 5B1 *his is the greatest and first commandment1 5<1 And a second is li9e it:

@ou shall love /our neighour as /ourself1F 8(1 "n these two commandments hang all the law and the

prophets1H)? Calvin, %nstitutes, 57)1



Commandments and the multitude of approaches to the Law, as it is understood to e the Moral

Law, he sees it as clearl/ e-isting to fulfill three ma2ors functions, as encapsulated further in The

%nstitutes irstl/, the Law affirms the supreme righteousness of God while reinforcing the fallen

nature of humanit/, in perhaps the most definite and reinforced aspect of Calvin#s theolog/1 %ith

the great standard of the Law, all people are rendered ine-cusale, and are driven into a despair

over their natural distance from God in their lac9 of righteousness1 ince the Law is o2ectivel/

impossile to follow in its entiret/, it %arns, informs, convicts, and lastl/ condemns, ever/ man

of his own unrighteousness1 or man, linded and drun9 with self+love, must e compelled to

9now and to confess his own feeleness and impurit/1F *o this effect, there can e no oasting of

one#s potential, as all people are removed from the possiilit/ of appeasing God ased on the

pervasiveness of "riginal in1)>

econd, the Law deters malevolent activities, as a $rotection of the communit/ from

un2ust men,F)7 and A deterrent to those not /et regenerate1F)B %hile the people that might have

the urge to do delierate harm ma/ not e regenerate in God or part of the Elect, Calvin attriutes

the fear of punishment as enough of a deterring factor to 9eep them from sinning with aandon1

3ndeed, the more the/ restrain themselves, the more strongl/ are the/ inflamedJ the/ urn and

oil within, and are read/ to do an/thing or urst forth an/whereut for the fact that this dread

of the Law hinders them1F)< Calvin vests much on the fear of hellfire to minimi.e crime,

lasphem/, and misuse of se-ual urges, ut it follows that the utilit/ of the Law e-tends even to

the regenerated Christians, of whom ma2orit/ Calvinist theologians in Arminius# time and place1

/ following the Law, all can live in safet/1

*hird, it urges well+doing in the communit/ amongst elievers as a wa/ of goal for

)> Calvin, %nstitutes, 5?81)7 Calvin, %nstitutes, 5?B1)B Calvin, %nstitutes, 5?<1)< Calvin, %nstitutes, 5?B1



drawing nearer to God#s righteousness1 Calvin egins this e-planation with a particularl/

noteworth/ point: *he third and principal use, which pertains more closel/ to the proper

purpose of the law, finds its place among elievers in whose hearts the pirit of God alread/

lives and reigns1F'( *his is the function of the Law that encourages one to meditate on the

integrit/ of one#s nature and, and return to the fundamental ideal of a unified Christian societ/1

3nstead of wor9ing as 2ustification for God to punish the human race, or a ase inde- of

transgressions for human eings to recogni.e as the cause for their condemnation, the Law is the

greatest source of motivation for the ethical life1 *hus, the complete arogation of the Law in the

teleolog/ of the Gospel is not onl/ unnecessar/, ut a misreading of the purpose of the Law1 As

Calvin succinctl/ puts it, %hoever wants to do awa/ with the law entirel/ for the faithful,

understands it falsel/1F')

Calvin#s distinctions etween the different offices of the Law serve ultimatel/ as an

interpretation, and an e-trapolation, of scripture1 ecause Calvin#s theolog/ is ile+ased, it is

through the close reading of the scripture itself that provides the closest understanding to the

divine revelation of the te-t1 As '(th centur/ Calvinist scholar *141L1 $ar9er wrote,

*he asis of Calvin#s theolog/, therefore, is the elief that though the ile alone can

God e 9nown in 4is wholeness as Creator, Redeemer, and Lord of the world1 4e is not

discernile in an/ other place ++ in the creation, or in man#s science, or in the course of

histor/ and e-perience1 And if we are to 9now of God, we must go to the place where 4e

can e found, it is to the scriptures that we must go, and that we shall find 4im as 4e

is111*he criptures are not man#s guesses aout the m/ster/ of God, nor are the/ the

conclusions that men have drawn from retain data at their disposal1 "n the contrar/, the/

are the revealing of the m/ster/ of God / God 4imself, God#s precious revelation of

'( Calvin, %nstitutes, 5>(1') Calvin, %nstitutes, 5>51



4imself to ignorant and sinful men1''

*he commentar/ on the 7th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans ecomes perhaps one of the

uintessential te-ts in the 6ew *estament to e evaluated, especiall/ to gain insight into the

interpla/ etween the Law and Calvin#s soteriolog/1

0espite going into great detail aleit, not as /.antine as Arminius,= Calvin#s

interpretation of the '?+verse chapter is rather succinct1 $aul descries the Law as giving his

universal man an awareness of what is or is not a transgression in God#s mind1 %ith this self+

awareness, the Man cannot help prevent himself from delieratel/ sinning, turning awa/ from

God1 *he Law itself is not ad, ut it is sin that is the corrupting force in all of humanit/1 *he

man, with his conflicted sense of self, continues to do not the good he would li9e to do, ut *he

evil 3 do not want to do1F'5 ecause the flesh is corrupted and incapale of earning an/

2ustification through God regardless, and ecause the pirit of the man activel/ pursues the sense

of dut/ in the Moral Law, Calvin views the man as representative as a memer of the Elect, who

still struggle with upholding the righteousness of the Law, ut are no longer needed to 2ustif/

themselves to God / an/ adherence to the Law, having een motivated to do so out of an innate

desire to pursue righteousness1 As Calvin sums up his position in the ))th verse, *he Law shows

to us the wa/ of living rightl/: ut as we egin then onl/ to perceive our erroneous course, when

the Lord loudl/ reproves us, $aul sa/s rightl/, that we are led out of the wa/, when sin is made

evident / the Law1F'8 *herefore, not onl/ does the Moral Law serve a continued function since

the estalishment of the 6ew Covenant in the death and Resurrection of Christ, the pangs of

moralit/ are virtuall/ guaranteed as result of the sin dwelling within one#s flesh, regardless of the

'' $ar9er, ?B1'5 Romans 7:)<1'8 !ohn CalvinJ *rans1 Rev1 "wen, !ohn1 Calvin College, OCommentar/ on Romans1O 7:)), Accessed 6ovemer,

'()', http:PPwww1ccel1orgPccelPcalvinPcalcom5B1pdf1



state of one#s salvation1'? %ithin the commentar/ itself, Calvin provides several points of nuance,

as well as ac9+up to the assertions covered in the %nstitutes of the Christian !eligion, oth /

Calvin toward his own theor/ of Moral Law, ut also for editor !ohn Mc6eill#s interpretation of

Calvin#s focus on Law1

eginning with the first verse in the chapter, Calvin articulates that the LawF eing

discussed is not the Roman civil law, ut the !ewish law, as Calvin addressed this letter to the

Christian communit/ living in the !ewishPEarl/ Christian conte-t of the immediate generation

following the ministr/ of !esus Christ1'> 3n the following verse, Calvin calls ac9 to his distinct

categori.ation of the Moral Law as eing united with the ethical oligation implicit in the )(

Commandments, as estalished in The %nstitutes of the Christian !eligion1 Later, in verse )',

Calvin would sa/ this much more directl/ as, ome thin9 that the words "aw and

Commandment is a repetition of the same thingJ with whom 3 agree1F='7 Derse ' also has the

virtue of eing where he first states one of the 9e/ points of his e-egesis of Romans 7: %e

ought carefull/ to rememer that this is not a release from the righteousness which is taught in

the law, but from its rigid re+uirements, and from the curse which thence follows1F'B At this

point, he is simpl/ alluding to the overarching focus $aul strives for in this Chapter1 / the

fourth and si-th verses, Calvin egins to develop his motions from the ilical te-t how the

introduction of the law parado-icall/ e-acerates sinfulness1 in is li9e a disease, as Calvin

draws out in one of his adept uses of metaphor, and the Law is li9e the medicine that inflicts on a

person a deadl/ wound when an incurale disease is more e-asperated / a healing remed/1 As

without the Law+in+6ame the )( Commandments= given from God to Moses, humanit/ would

have sinned simpl/ out of the corruption of the flesh, ut it would not have egun to sin with

'? Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:)81'> Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:)1'7 Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:)'1'B Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:'1



such vigor and intention as after the specific rules were created when the !ewish people were

traditionall/ seen as having een delivered from the ondage of laver/1 Calvin is ver/ clear

aout the identit/ of the Law: it is not ad or the cause of sin1 Rather, it is hol/, as well as $lain+

dealing and 2ust: sin leads to death and miser/J the Law is good and leads to happiness1F '< *he

Law ma/ have lead all people to the awareness of sin, ut without it, there could e even no

attempt at virtuous life, regardless15(

Derses '), '', and '5 present a different sort of Law, which Calvin and Arminius address

almost identicall/, and serve a slightl/ different meaning than the uestion of the Moral Law or

6atural Law, and its relation to the Gospel for defining the motions of soteriolog/1 till, this is

important, especiall/ for the sa9e a clarit/, as it gives dignit/ to Calvin and Arminius# distinction

etween the Law that enales sin to corrupt a person, and the actual value of the Law itself15)

4ere $aul supposes a fourfold Law,F Calvin writes in his input on verse '), *he first is the

Law of God, which alone is properl/ so called, which is the rule of righteousness1F *he Law of

God is essential identical to the Moral Law, ut it is followed / the Law of the Mind, *he

prompt readiness of the faithful mind to render oedience to the 0ivine Law1F *he Law of the

Mind wor9s in tandem to *he Law of God, and represents the will of the pirit, independent of

the flesh, which is capale of aspiring toward the righteousness codified in the Law of God the

Moral Law=1 0irectl/ opposed to these two forces are the Law of in, antithetical to the Law of

God, and the Law of the Memers, which directl/ opposes the Law of the Mind1 3n the resulting

conflict of the Law of the Memer against the Law of the Mind, the Law of in now has the

opportunit/ to corrupt As Calvin descries this militaristic metaphor, *he Law calls man to the

rule of righteousnessJ iniuit/, which is, as it were, the t/rannical Law of atan, instigates him to

'< Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:))15( 3id15) Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:71



wic9edness: the pirit leads him to render oedience to the divine lawJ the flesh draws him ac9

to what is of an opposite character1F5' Derses '), '', and '5 descrie not an ethical or civil code,

ut a theor/ to how the ehavior of God, Mind, in, and lesh consistentl/ act in relation to the

Moral Law1

*he e-pression of attlefields, of a constant war for one#s integrit/, does not seem

completel/ out of place in the popular understanding of Calvin1 4is message of ;nconditional

Election, and the constant, pervasive reminders of Man#s allen 6ature dissaude some from

regarding it as a desirale religious positions to ta9e1 *he commentar/ on the final two verses

provides what might e the est reasoned approach to this understandale, conte-tual prolem to

the purported grimness to Calvin#s theolog/1 or $aul teaches us, that the most perfect, as long

as the/ dwell in the flesh, are e-posed to miser/, for the/ are su2ect to deathJ na/, when the/

thoroughl/ e-amine themselves, the/ find in their own nature nothing ut miser/1F55 Derse '?,

the last in this d/namic chapter, $aul gives two final messages, one declaration of 2o/ to God,

and a statement of desire, as one ought to rather e a slave to the Law of God than ever serve the

Law of in1 Calvin reflects on this epilogue accordingl/, reminding the reader that although

people do not /et get to e-perience the glor/ of heaven, the/ are never without aspects of 2o/ that

come from the service and admiration from God1 *he faithfull/ elect cannot ever come within

grasp of oe/ing God#s %ord the Moral Law, not in its rigor, ut in its timeless suggestion of

action= to its greatest fulfillment, the/ are still to run the race,58 until the/ are ale to finall/ put

off their odies, and rid themselves of the curse of the flesh at the end of their lives, and egin

the full process of regeneration1 $aul#s rhetorical man emodies the archet/pical Christian

follower for Calvin, who continues to find a solace in the unsha9eale, inconceivale perfection

5' Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:')155 Calvin, Commentar/ on Romans,F 7:'?158 ' *imoth/ 8:7



not all, of Calvin#s postulations1 Regardless of Arminius# intentions, the 0utch Reformed Church

too9 great offense at this notion that ree %ill, in its most road definition, might e-ist, ecause

it would seemingl/ run counter to the agreed ualit/ of the omnipotence of God, as well as

undermine the estalished relationship etween Law and Gospel within the understood

soteriological model1 3n fact, most of Arminius# surviving writings are framed as responses or

deates to criticisms or pamphlet tracts eing passed against him15< Arminius 2ustifies his ase

position, that all human eings can come into salvation / accepting the omnipresent $revenient

Grace offered / God through Christ, / first descriing two models of how God#s will, and

humanit/#s will, interact1

*here are at least two wa/s to outline the said interaction, Arminius speculated, first

proposing a compatiilit/ model, where there are two agents of causes, the will of God and the

action of a person, with the person alwa/s having free agenc/1 *he second model has God

manipulating people#s actions to fulfill the second contingent= cause18( Arminius ta9es a strong

stance against this second, and strictest, form of determinism: 6o contingent thingthat is,

nothing which is done or has een done contingentl/can e said to e or have een done

necessaril/, with regard to the divine decree1F8) *he differing root models of soteriolog/ loo9 at

necessar/ and contingent causes, and the space in human e-istence for free agenc/1 *o define

terms, a necessit/ cause is either asolute, or relative1 Asolute necessit/ event happens without

regard of an/ cause, or supposition, while relative necessit/ happens after a cause is estalished1

God e-ist / an asolute necessit/, ut the rest of the world is contingent in its e-istence18' God

freel/, and without an/ need to e-plain, decreed to form the world1 3n this sense, all things are

5< *he three volumes of The 'ritings of Arminius contain several sections responding to pulic criticism, including

Apolog/ Against *hirt/+"ne 0efamator/ ArticlesF and *went/+ive $ulic 0isputations1F8( Arminius, vol ), '<>18) Arminius, vol ), '<'18' Arminius, vol ), '<51



done contingentl/ in respect to the divine decree1 Arminius argues that it is far more glorious to

reali.e onl/ God has asolute necessit/ in his necessar/ actions and e-istence, ma9ing 4is

goodness ecome a supreme o2ect of our commendation185 *hrough his will, God is cause of all

things1 %hen he acts through second causes, with or without them, 4e ta9es no effect from them1

*he contingenc/ of second causes does not necessitate their occurrence188 ollowing a

determinist model, if God willed an individual to have faith in order to e saved, it would e no

different than if God had saved that man without faith as a necessit/1 Rather, salvation and faith

should e seen as the gifts of God, not the teleological end of God#s will1 aith is a condition

reuired / God to e performed / him who shall e saved, efore it is a means of otaining

salvation18?

ree will, thus, can e-ist within the infinite 9nowledge of God, as an individual delivered

from sin is capale of thin9ing, willing, and doing that which is good, ut not without the

continued aids of divine Grace1F8> God promises eternal life to all who elieve in Christ, with the

word elieveF having the force of a demand or reuirementJ and the phrase thou shalt e

saved,F as Arminius argues, having the force of a suasion, part of the promise that God had

initiall/ made in the Law187 A eliever cannot e in dout, unless he douts the willingness of

God1 *hus, if the appeal of $redestination is the freedom to the will of God without fear, than the

strength of Arminius# free will model of soteriolog/ comes in allowing one to e confident in

one#s own salvation1

%hile Arminius is famous for his direct challenge of Calvinist soteriolog/, his

perspective on the relationship etween Law and Gospel mirrors several of Calvin#s points, ut

85 Arminius, vol ), '<?188 Arminius, vol ),8?'+518? Arminius, vol ), 'BB18> Arminius, Dol ), '?'187 Arminius, Dol ), 'B71



directl/ contradicts him in his interpretation and e-egesis of the 7 th chapter of Romans1 Much

li9e Calvin, his outline of his theor/ of Law must e found outside the commentar/ itself1 %ithin

his set of letters entitled Public is-utations, Arminius crafts his clearest outline of the ma2or

columns of 0ivine Law1 God impressed 0ivine Law on humanit/ through the written word to the

!ewish people, thus Arminius euates the whole of the Law of Moses as the 0ivine Law in

uestion1 "f all the various laws, 0ivine Law has three distinct segments where all individual

laws are categori.ed1 *he first, the Moral Law, is defined as the fundamental commandment of

the love of God and of one#s neighor1 6ot onl/ does Arminius write the most aout Moral

aspect of 0ivine Law, it is also the onl/ one of the three to have its arogation in Christ to e

nuanced1 Li9e Calvin, Arminius agrees that the Moral Law is wholl/ contained in the )(

Commandments, ut this same principle of Law is also found throughout the "ld and 6ew

testament1 $ositive prescriptions are a part of this law, such as !esus# response to the $harisee that

one has the responsiilit/ to love God with one#s heart, soul, and mind, and love one#s neighor

as oneself1 6egative prescriptions li9e amuel#s call that it is etter to oe/ than to sacrifice are

included too18B 3t is the perpetual and immutale rule of living, the e-press image of the

internal 0ivine conceptionJF he writes in the opening paragraph, According to which, God, the

great lawgiver, 2udges it right and euitale that a rational creature should alwa/s and in ever/

place order and direct the whole of his life1F8< *he Moral Law, in short, provides a self+governing

standard for contentl/ redirecting oneself to God1

God emplo/ed this written Law out of his desire to give a civil and social edroc9 for

humanit/1 As will e e-trapolated further in his commentar/ on the 7th chapter of Romans, this

written law ecame misused for the advance of sin1 ;nli9e Calvin, the Moral Law, created /

God out of a sense of advancing righteousness or all 4is creatures,F ecame a motion of8B Arminius, vol), ?5'1 referencing am1 )?:''8< 3id1



forces of outside pagan groups1 *he two ma2or distinctions of the Ceremonial Law were the

actions meant to ear witness to the $romise, and the actions that served as discipline for the

regulation of the religion of the !ewish people1 ome of measures Arminius gives as e-ample for

the former include circumcision, the necessit/ of the saath, consecrations, and the dedication

of living things1 Meanwhile, the duties of $riests, of the ceremonial singers, and the statements

aout where and when certain actions were supposed to occur appl/ to the second categor/1

ecause the Ceremonial Law is rooted in the $romise of the coming of Christ, Arminius

concludes the Ceremonial Law was Arogated / the cross, the death and the resurrection of

Christ, / his ascension into heaven and the mission of the 4ol/ Ghost, / the sun#s dispersion of

the shadows, and / the entrance of #*he od/ which is of Christ# into their place, which is the

full completion of all the t/pes1F?5 *he Ceremonial Law ended not onl/ ecause of the

teleological end of Christ, ut also in the destruction of the second temple in !erusalem, the seat

of the !ewish faith1 *he legal ceremonies could not e practiced in their full effect / default1

*he !udaical Law constitutes the last part of 0ivine Law, as passed down from Moses1

0rawing from the oo9 of E-odus, Arminius notes that God ta9es the position of the ultimate

monarch/1 3t contained precepts aout the form of the political government to e e-ercised in

civil societ/, for procuring the enefit oth of natural and spiritual life, / the preservation and

e-action of the outward worship and of the e-ternal discipline commanded in moral and

ceremonial law, such as concerned magistrates, contracts, division of propert/, 2udgments,

punishments, etc1F?8 *he !udaical Law, li9e the Ceremonial Law, divides itself into two

categories, the laws of general oligation, and the societ/+specific regulations toward authorit/1

3n addition, Arminius clarifies three e-plicit purposes for wh/ the !udaical Law needed to e-ist

in its form to egin with, all corresponding to previousl/ touched on ideas1 irst, 3srael needed an?5 Arminius, vol ), ?5>1?8 Arminius, vol ), ?571



o2ective standard for maintaining its societ/1 !ust as how the Moral Law determines an

individual#s sense of direction and regulation toward God, the !udaical Law regulates the

communit/ as a whole1 econd, to the effect the recipients of the Law might e distinguished

from the communities around them, much li9e the Ceremonial Laws, with the end of preventing

a mi- of unwanted pagan influences1 *hird, it served as a sign of the $romise God estalished

from the eginning of creation, referencing future events1 *he 3sraelites could come to emrace,

*he whole 9ingdom and its administration, the chiefs of administration, the 2udges and 9ings,

prefigured Christ and his 9ingdom, and its spiritual administration1F "r as Arminius wrote as a

loose statement aout its pedagogical value, the !udicial Law served as A schoolmaster to ring

the !ews to Christ1F?? 4owever, Arminius does not hedge his theological position concerning the

!udaical Law: *his Law, so far as it had regard to Christ, was universall/ arogated1F?> ut,

similar to the notice on the Moral Law, Arminius notes that oserving the !udicial Law in its

astract is neither oridden nor prescried to an/ people1F?7 *he thrust of humanities#

oligation toward God comes through the inherent 6atural Law, not necessaril/ through an/

direct outline of actions or ehavior1

*he great divergence etween Calvin and Arminius# perspectives on the Law for the

contemporar/ Christian comes in Arminius# Commentar/ on the 7th Chapter of the Epistle to the

Romans1 3mmediatel/, the reader is faced with a significant st/listic difference: At over B?,(((

words, Arminius# commentar/ is more than seven times longer than Calvin#s commentar/ on the

same material1 %hile the wor9 is Arminius# dissertation, it is structured in such a wa/ to provide

and support a principle thesis, while Calvin#s wor9ed on largel/ a verse+/+verse e-egesis1

Arminius favors a writing st/le that incorporates logic with a great deal of uotes from the entire

?? Arminius, vol ), ?571?> Arminius, vol ), ?5B1?7 3id1



the latter, ut is also conuered / it and rought into captivit/ under the law of sin,

while the law of his mind fruitlessl/ contends against it, is an unregenerate man, and

placed, not under grace, ut under the lawJ ut though this man delights in the law of

God after the inward man, and though with the law of his mind he wars against the law of

4is memersJ /et not onl/ is he unale to prevail against the law of his memers, ut he

is li9ewise rought into captivit/ under the law of sin / the law of his memers, the law

of his mind maintaining a strong ut useless contestJ *herefore, the man Qdescried in

this passage is unregenerate, and placed, not under grace, ut under the lawJ "r, to state

the argument in a shorter form, omitting whatever it is possile to omit*hat man in

whom the law of the memers so wages war against the law of the mind, as, when the

latter is overcome, or at least while it offers a vain resistance, to ring the man himself

into captivit/ under the law of sin, is unregenerate, and placed under the lawJ ut in this

man, aout whom the apostle is treating, the law of the memers so wages war with the

law of the mind, as, when the latter is overcome, or at least while it offers a vain

resistance, to ring the man himself into captivit/ under the law of sinJ *herefore, this

man is unregenerate and placed under the law1>(

or Arminius, the primar/ function of the Moral Law, as was originall/ practiced / the Children

of 3srael as promise for the coming salvation of Christ, is to convince individuals of their

ro9enness and fallen nature1 rom this position, one can gain the conviction to accept the

$revenient Grace of Christ, and the Law serves as a enchmar9 of one#s state of salvation, with

adherence to the Moral Law as the significant outward sign of the internal, life+regenerating

redemption from God1

or the direct comparison and reaffirmation of the arguments presented, Calvin interprets

the Law as the sets of instructions given / God to Moses, e-emplified through the )(

>( Arminius, vol ', 5))1



Commandments, and serving as a ph/sical articulation of the 6atural Law otherwise written on

the hearts of man1 *he 3rresistile Grace of God through Christ supersedes the Law for the Elect1

*he sic9 and conflicted man in Romans 7 is a regenerated man, who is still in God#s favor,

despite his internal contradictions1 or Arminius, the Law also consists of the Moral,

Ceremonial, and !udicial Law, contained in the Law of Moses of the "ld Covenant, of which all

three served as promise for the final grace in Christ1 *he Law was arogated in the coming of

Christ, ut the Moral Law continues to serve as a condemning function of humanities# *otal

0epravit/ a 9e/ idea shared with Calvin=1 3n this total lost state, a person is drawn to God1

ecause God created the Law contingent to the ehavior of man, man has free will to accept

Grace of God, and all can e saved1 *he man in Romans 7 is not full/ regenerate, as he#s still

suffering the contradictions of the Law, ut instead h/potheticall/ has the opportunit/ to accept

regeneration1

3f the popular conceptions of Calvinism and Arminianism, particularl/ that the former is a

rigid, deterministic s/stem, and the later allows for free will, were applied to the respective

religious groups# views on Law, the results would e somewhat ironic1 Calvin, who ases the

core of his theolog/ on the affirmation of the total omnipotence of God compared to the

drasticall/ corrupted human eing, provides a surprisingl/ humanistic approach to human will,

the potential for good wor9s, and the acceptance of human imperfection than Arminius1

Conversel/, Arminius reuires a much more stringent outward displa/ of changed nature to

prove that the internal, and free, $revenient Grace of God has een effectivel/ received for

regeneration1 3n oth incidences, the effects of the Law remain present in the Christian church

od/, using the traditions of the ancient 3sraelites to help define and codif/ their spiritual

e-perience1



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