Piper on the New Calvinists

This video is from the recent Religious Newswriters Association meeting in Minneapolis. Speaking on behalf of the New Calvinists were John Piper, Collin Hansen, and Carolyn James.



More audio and video from this meeting is available here.

HT: Desiring God

Conversion After Conviction

"And we, who used to find our rest in ourselves, yearn for the Lord. And also, on the other hand, although our iniquity deserves something quite different, this merciful Father, in his incredible goodness, then voluntarily reveals himself to us who are thus afflicted and terror-stricken. And by such means, which he knows to be helpful to us in our weakness, he calls us back from error to the right road, from death to life, from ruin to salvation, from the realm of the devil to his own realm.

To all those whom he pleases to reestablish as heirs to eternal life the Lord has ordained, as a first step, that they should be distressed in their conscience, bend beneath the weight of their sins, and moved to live in his fear. To begin with, therefore, he sets out his Law, which is what brings us to this state."

- John Calvin, Truth For All Time

Calvin on Free Will

"Scripture often asserts that man is the slave of sin. What it means is that his mind is so far removed from God's righteousness that he thinks of, deeply desires and undertakes nothing that is not evil, perverse, iniquitous and sullied; for the heart, having drunk its fill of sin's venom, can emit nothing but sin's fruits.

However, we must not think that there is some violent necessity driving man to sin. He sins with the full agreement of his own will, and he does it eagerly and in line with his own inclinations.

The corruption of his heart means that man has a very strong and continuing hatred of the whole of God's righteousness. In addition, he is devoted to every kind of evil. Because of this he is said not to have the free power of choosing between good and evil - which is called free will."

- John Calvin, Truth For All Time