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For John Calvin the conclusion is inescapable: If humankind was incapable of doing anything, anything at all, to save itself because of the taint or corruption of Sin, and if some are saved for eternity, then it must be the Sovereign God that has saved us. On the one hand this is nothing new for this argument can be found back at least to Augustine. But in the climate of the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation Calvin was the major proponent and the doctrine of election may be his most famous, or infamous to some, teaching.
But the concept of predestination is only the start of a very important logical chain, not the end-all of Reformed thought.
As the scripture quote at the top says, with our election by God comes not just salvation for eternity but adoption. God is the “common Father of them all” because in election comes adoption. And if adopted, than we are all part of God’s family, the Body of Christ with “Christ as their common head.”
Hence the Church is called Catholic or Universal, (August. Ep. 48,) for two or three cannot be invented without dividing Christ; and this is impossible. All the elect of God are so joined together in Christ, that as they depend on one head, so they are as it were compacted into one body, being knit together like its different members; made truly one by living together under the same Spirit of God in one faith, hope, and charity, called not only to the same inheritance of eternal life, but to participation in one God and Christ. [Inst. 4.1.2]
To collapse this chain down, if predestination then the Church. There can not be one without the other, at least in Calvin’s reasoning. The two are inseparable. Calvin speaks of the Invisible Church:
Sometimes when [the Scriptures] speak of the Church they mean the Church as it really is before God – the Church into which none are admitted but those who by the gift of adoption are sons of God, and by the sanctification of the Spirit true members of Christ. In this case it not only comprehends the saints who dwell on the earth, but all the elect who have existed from the beginning of the world. [Inst. 4.1.7]
And a little bit later Calvin says something very interesting about the Invisible Church:
The Church universal is the multitude collected out of all nations, who, though dispersed and far distant from each other, agree in one truth of divine doctrines and are bound together by the tie of a common religion. In this way it comprehends single churches, which exist in different towns and villages, according to the wants of human society, so that each of them justly obtains the name and authority of the Church; and also comprehends single individuals, who by a religious profession are accounted to belong to such churches, although they are in fact aliens from the Church, but have not been cut off by a public decision. [Inst. 4.1.9]
So if I understand Calvin’s words in this translation, the invisible Church is not just those that attend, but single individuals that do not attend but have at one time accepted Christ and have not subsequently rejected Christ. If that reading is correct, this has very powerful implications I will come to in a moment.
Taking the logic chain even further we are confronted with other realities that must follow from this conclusion. The Church is not just like a family — it is a family in God. Not only can we not chose our family members, we can not even chose our own family ourselves. We are placed in the Church and those around us in the church, whether we like it of not, are given to us to care for each other as charged by God and guided by Christ.
So as we consider Calvin’s doctrine of the Church, what are the implications for the Church and our polity?
One implication is that like it or not, we belong to each other. And this is not belonging in the sense of seeing each other every Sunday morning for an hour, maybe 65 minutes if the preacher goes long. This is belonging in the sense that those around us are truly brothers and sisters in a divine family that each of us has been adopted into through no merit or decision of our own. The responsibility descends from God — as He has shown his care for us we need to show that care for those around us. And it is an awesome responsibility because, whether we agree or disagree, whether we like each other or not, we are family together.
But the quote above about single individuals really shook me. The implication is that there are those around us that are part of the Invisible Church yet are not part of a local congregation — And we have no way of being for sure short of their outright rejection. The conclusion is that there are a bunch more people around us that we need to treat as brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes for the sake of the Gospel and because all humans contain the image of God we should not mistreat or dishonor any other individual. But beyond that there are others around us who are part of God’s family.
While many have considered Calvin’s model for congregational care in Geneva, the regular visitation by the elders to determine the spiritual health of each household, as controlling and prying, in Calvin’s view of the Church it was a proactive care of his spiritual brothers and sisters. In our “my business is none of your business” modern western culture how many Presbyterian and Reformed churches send out elders to visit their whole congregation on a regular basis. My church does it every few years, far to infrequently, but I was privileged to be serving on session one time when we did do it. I will tell you that it was a very inspiring and meaningful activity to go out and get to know these individuals in their own home, one that has brought me closer to them in a way that seeing them on Sunday morning never could. As the elder making the visits I was truly blessed.