His Ashes Cry Out Against John Calvin
Dan Corner
All reference sources are listed at the end of this article.
[Daniel D. Corner, 1995 copyrights
this article.
Permission is granted to copy this article IN ITS ENTIRETY only for free
distribution.]
(E-mails received about this expose) "One
year ago, while taking an European History class, I chose to do a final project
on John Calvin. After gathering all the information from books that I could, I
turned to the Internet for the latest information. What I found was an article
titled, 'His Ashes Cry out Again John Calvin.' Shortly after reading it, I
changed my topic from John Calvin to Michael Servetus. Interested by this story
and seeing much of your information came from Bainton's book, 'Hunted Heretic,'
I searched madly for a copy, through used bookstores, for about a year. One
day, I received a letter that I might purchase a copy for a not-so-high amount
that was signed by Bainton himself. Rather pleased, I've read and enjoyed the
book. Now, a year later, I'm back at this web site, scratching up information
for a friend on his report on Calvin. The whole point of this is that I
would just like to thank you for giving me a whole new point of view on John
Calvin. This web site has one thing that many don't and that's credibility. Thanks
again."
"On
Monday I received a phone call from the chairman of the board of the church I
pastor. Brother Phil was upset some of his fellow Christian school board
members were pestering him about not being a Calvinist. They were saying his
simple Bible believing faith was simplistic and he needed to study John Calvin
to understand what it means to be saved. He asked me for help. Well I had long
ago in college studied Calvin and decided his position on predestination was
not in line with the clear teaching of Scripture. Well I had two funerals to do
this week and no time to prepare anything. Well I located your work: His Ashes
Cry Out Against John Calvin on the internet. I read this work word for word
to the men's Sunday School class and the reaction was - every fellow agreed who
needs a murderer to teach Bible doctrine! Thank the Lord your article His
Ashes Cry Out Against John Calvin headed off a very devisive issue. I am
waiting to hear what the school board members think when they read His Ashes
Cry Out Against John Calvin! Thank you."
You are
about to read an important part of church history from the Reformation period
that has been so concealed in our day that very few people know the facts.
Brace yourself for a shock.
On October 27, 1553 John Calvin, the founder of
Calvinism, had Michael Servetus, the Spanish physician, burned at the stake
just outside of Geneva for his doctrinal heresies!(1) Hence, the originator of the popular doctrine of "once
saved, always saved" (known in certain circles as "the perseverance
of the saints") violated the cry of the Reformation -- "Sola
Scriptura" -- by murdering a doctrinal heretic without Scriptural
justification. This event was something Calvin had considered long before
Servetus was even captured, for Calvin wrote his friend, Farel, on February 13,
1546 (seven years prior to Servetus' arrest) and went on
record as saying:
"If
he [Servetus] comes [to Geneva], I shall
never let him go out alive if my authority has weight."(2)
Evidently, in that day Calvin's
authority in Geneva, Switzerland had ultimate "weight." This is why
some referred to Geneva as the "Rome of Protestantism"(3) and to Calvin as
the "Protestant 'Pope' of Geneva."(4)
During
Servetus' trial, Calvin wrote:
"I
hope that the verdict will call for the death penalty."(5)
All
this reveals a side of John Calvin that is not well-known or very appealing, to
say the least! Obviously, he had a prolonged, murderous hate in his heart and
was willing to violate Scripture to put another to death and in a most cruel
way. Although Calvin consented to Servetus' request to be beheaded, he
acquiesced to the mode of execution employed. But why did Calvin have a death
wish for Servetus?
"To
rescue Servetus from his heresies, Calvin replied with the latest edition of
his 'Institutes of the Christian Religion,' which Servetus promptly returned
with insulting marginal comments. Despite Servetus's [sic] pleas, Calvin, who
developed an intense dislike of Servetus during their correspondence, refused
to return any of the incriminating material."(6)
"Convicted
of heresy by the Roman Catholic authorities, Servetus escaped the death penalty
by a prison break. Heading for Italy, Servetus unaccountably stopped at Geneva,
where he had been denounced by Calvin and the Reformers. He was seized the day
after his arrival, condemned as a heretic when he refused to recant, and burned
in 1553 with the apparent tacit approval of Calvin."(7)
In the
course of his flight from Vienne, Servetus stopped in Geneva and made the
mistake of attending a sermon by Calvin. He was recognized and arrested after
the service.(8)
"Calvin
had him [Servetus] arrested as a heretic. Convicted and burned
to death."(9)
From
the time that Calvin had him arrested on August 14th until his condemnation,
Servetus spent his remaining days:
" ...
in an atrocious dungeon with no light or heat, little food, and no
sanitary facilities."(10)
Let
it be noted that the Calvinists of Geneva put half-green wood around the feet
of Servetus and a wreath strewn with sulfur on his head. It took over thirty
minutes to render him lifeless in such a fire, while the people of Geneva stood
around to watch him suffer and slowly die! Just before this happened, the
record shows:
"Farel walked beside the
condemned man, and kept up a constant barrage of words, in complete
insensitivity to what Servetus might be feeling. All he had in mind was to
extort from the prisoner an acknowledgement [sic] of his theological error -- a
shocking example of the soulless cure of souls. After some minutes of this,
Servetus ceased making any reply and prayed quietly to himself. When they
arrived at the place of execution, Farel announced to the watching crowd: 'Here
you see what power Satan possesses when he has a man in his power. This man is
a scholar of distinction, and he perhaps believed he was acting rightly. But
now Satan possesses him completely, as he might possess you, should you fall
into his traps.'
When the
executioner began his work, Servetus whispered with trembling voice: 'Oh God,
Oh God!' The thwarted Farel snapped at him: 'Have you nothing else to say?'
This time Servetus replied to him: 'What else might I do, but speak of God!'
Thereupon he was lifted onto the pyre and chained to the stake. A wreath strewn
with sulfur was placed on his head. When the faggots were ignited, a piercing
cry of horror broke from him. 'Mercy, mercy!' he cried. For more than
half an hour the horrible agony continued, for the pyre had been made of
half-green wood, which burned slowly. 'Jesus, Son of the eternal God,
have mercy on me,' the tormented man cried from the midst of the flames
...."(11)
Although
we essentially have the same in the conversion of the repentant thief (Luke.
23:42,43 cf. Luke. 18:13) and the Scripture, "Everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13), Farel still reckoned
Servetus an unsaved man at the end of his life:
"Farel
noted that Servetus might have been saved by shifting the position of the adjective
and confessing Christ as the Eternal Son rather than as the Son of the Eternal
God."(12)
"Calvin
had thus murdered his enemy, and there is nothing to suggest that he ever repented
his crime [sic]. The next year he published a defense [sic] in which
further insults were heaped upon his former adversary in most vindictive and
intemperate language."(13)
As the Roman Catholics of 1415 burned John Hus(14) at the stake
over doctrine, John Calvin, likewise, had Michael Servetus burned at the stake.
But was doctrine the only issue? Could there have been another reason, a
political one?
"As
an 'obstinate heretic' he had all his property confiscated without more ado. He
was badly treated in prison. It is understandable; therefore, that Servetus was
rude and insulting at his confrontation with Calvin. Unfortunately for him, at
this time Calvin was fighting to maintain his weakening power in Geneva.
Calvin's opponents used Servetus as a pretext for attacking the Geneva
Reformer's theocratic government. It became a matter of prestige --
always the sore point for any dictatorial regime -- for Calvin to assert his
power in this respect. He was forced to push the condemnation of Servetus with
all the means at his command."(15)
"Ironically
enough, the execution of Servetus did not really bolster the strength of the
Geneva Reformation. On the contrary, as Fritz Barth has indicated, it 'gravely
compromised Calvinism and put into the hands of the Catholics, to whom Calvin
wanted to demonstrate his Christian orthodoxy, the very best weapon for the
persecution of the Huguenots, who were nothing but heretics in their eyes.' The
procedure against Servetus served as a model of a Protestant heretic trial ....
it differed in no respect from the methods of the medieval Inquisition
.... The victorious Reformation, too, was unable to resist the temptations of
power."(16)
Is it possible for a man such as John Calvin to have been a "great theologian"
and at the same time to act in this reprehensible way and afterwards show no
remorse? Dear reader, do you have a heart that could, like John Calvin, burn
another person at the stake?
Let us illustrate this way. Suppose a man from your congregation
with a reputation for being a spiritual leader captured your neighbor's dog,
chained it to a stake, then used a small amount of green kindling to slowly
burn the dog to death. What would you think of such a person, especially if he
afterwards showed no remorse? Would you want him to interpret the Bible
for you? To make the matter even worse for John Calvin, a person,
unlike a dog, is created in the image of God! Like it or not, we can only
conclude from this evidence that John Calvin's heart was darkened, and not
enlightened, as a result of his murderous hate for Servetus. At best, Calvin
was spiritually blinded by this hate and therefore, spiritually hindered from
rightly dividing the word of truth.(17) At worst, which
was apparently the case, John Calvin himself was unsaved, according to
Scripture:
"But the cowardly, the
unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their
place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second
death" (Rev. 21:8).
"We know that we have come to
know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not
do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him"
(1 John. 2:3,4).
"And you know that no
murderer has eternal life abiding [continuing] in him" (1 John.
3:15, NKJV).
The
Greek adds an important word to 1 John. 3:15 that is sometimes omitted in English
translations. That word is "continuing" or "abiding" (NKJV)
and states that murderous people don't have eternal life continuing in them.
Dear
reader, since murderers are unsaved and John Calvin was a murderer, then Calvin
was unsaved! Moreover, since the unsaved are darkened in their spiritual understanding
(Eph. 4:18) and Calvin was unsaved based on Scripture, then Calvin was darkened
in his spiritual understanding.
Jesus said we can "know" people by their fruit (Mt. 12:33) --
be it John Calvin or anyone else! Similarly, the Apostle John wrote:
"This is how we know who the
children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not
do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his
brother" (1 John. 3:10).
Can
you say Calvin did what was "right" regarding Servetus? If not, then
doesn't this make him a "child of the devil," according to this verse
and others already cited? Though some will rant and rave over this conclusion, can
we Scripturally come to any other?
No
other evidence is needed to objectively assess Calvin's spiritual status.
However, two other men should also be briefly mentioned:
"Two
other famous episodes concerned Jacques Gruet and Jerome Bolsec. Gruet, whom
Calvin considered a Libertine, had written letters critical of the Consistory and,
more serious, petitioned the Catholic king of France to intervene in the
political and religious affairs of Geneva. With Calvin's concurrence he was
beheaded for treason. Bolsec publicly challenged Calvin's teaching on
predestination, a doctrine Bolsec, with many others, found morally repugnant.
Banished from the city in 1551, he revenged himself in 1577 by publishing a
biography of Calvin that charged him with greed, financial misconduct, and
sexual aberration."(18)
How Should A Heretic Be Dealt With?
How
should a heretic or any false teacher be dealt with, that is, if one is willing
to abide by the Biblical guidelines? Paul wrote Titus and touched upon this
very issue, which first starts out as a qualification for eldership in the
church:
"He [the elder] must hold
firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can
encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially
those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced,
because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to
teach -- and that for the sake of dishonest gain" (Titus 1:9-11).
Clearly, then, a false teacher should be "silenced," not by
having him killed, as Calvinism's founder did, but by refuting him with
Scripture. This is the true Christian method.
If
Calvin's example is the standard, the next time the Jehovah's Witnesses or
Mormon missionaries come to our door, we should physically overpower them, bind
them to a stake, and make human candles out of them. Can you
imagine a professing Christian doing this, much less a reputed theologian? If
done, could you force yourself to believe such a person was truly saved and
adhere to his unique, doctrinal distinctives?
Also, false teachers should be openly named as Paul openly named
Hymenaeus and Philetus who were destroying the faith of some of the Christians
whom Paul knew:
"Their teaching will spread
like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered
away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken
place, and they destroy the faith of some" (2 Tim.
2:17,18).
This
is also an important preventative against a false teacher's spiritual poison.
Why
did Calvin grossly violate these Scriptural guidelines? Since Paul's Holy
Spirit inspired directives (and example) regarding how to deal with a heretic
were diametrically opposed by Calvin, isn't it safe to assume that Calvin was
governed by a different spirit than Paul had? Moreover, why have these facts
about John Calvin's life rarely been mentioned in our day? The answer to this
last question is obvious. They are both an embarrassment and refutation to the Calvinists
who proudly refer to themselves by his name! Since they are the evangelical
majority and it is their power and influence that has the greatest sway over
what is disseminated throughout our land and even the world, this information
about their founder is seldom, if ever, heard. Many people are only now
learning the shocking facts about Calvinism's founder as they read them for the
first time!
"No
event has more influenced history's judgment of Calvin than the role he played
in the capture and execution of the Spanish physician and amateur theologian
Michael Servetus in 1553. This event has overshadowed everything else Calvin
accomplished and continues to embarrass his modern admirers."(19)
Three
important questions remain: (1) Can John Calvin be Scripturally
justified for murdering Michael Servetus? (2) Does a murderous hate, according
to Scripture, render one spiritually unable to accurately interpret the
Scriptures? (3) Can a murderer be saved according to Rev. 21:8?
All these answers have a bearing on the credibility of
Calvin's popular "perseverance of the saints" doctrine, among others.
Regretfully, Calvin's version of Christianity is the prevalent view in our land,
but is his view Scriptural? To answer in the affirmative is to say that
Calvin's double predestination is true, that is, some are predestined
for Heaven and others are predestined for Hell without free choice on their
part!(20)
This would violate many Scriptures, especially 2 Pet. 3:9:
"The Lord is not slow in
keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
Furthermore,
Calvin's teachings declare Jesus' work on the cross was NOT infinite,
because according to that teaching, He did not shed His blood for every human,
but only for the elect -- those predestined to be saved. This is clearly
refuted by 1 John. 2:2:
"He is the atoning sacrifice
for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole
world."
Also,
his "perseverance of the saints" doctrine would assert that God's power
will keep a truly saved person secure, in spite of grievous sins committed
after regeneration and/or any doctrinal heresies that would be embraced, thus
violating many Scriptural examples and warnings which prove the opposite!
It
should be apparent that, from the founder down to us today, the
"perseverance of the saints" doctrine (most commonly known as
"once saved always saved") has most often been a "license for
immorality" taught under the banner of grace. See Jude 3,4. As
Calvin's own theology allowed for his actions against Servetus, many in our day
are sexually immoral, liars, drunkards, filled with greed, etc., while they
profess salvation. This is a ramification of Calvin's perverted grace message
-- a teaching which has "spread like gangrene" from a man who could
openly burn another to death and for the remaining 10 years and seven months of
his life, never publicly repent of his crime.
"Servetus'
ashes will cry out against him as long as the names of these two men are known
in the world."(21)
End Notes
1. "On only two counts, significantly, was Servetus
condemned -- namely, anti-Trinitarianism and anti-paedobaptism." Roland H.
Bainton, Hunted Heretic (The Beacon Press, 1953), p. 207. [Comment:
While Servetus was wrong about the Trinity, regarding his rejection of infant
baptism, Servetus said, "It is an invention of the devil, an infernal
falsity for the destruction of all Christianity" (Ibid., p. 186.) Many
Christians of our day could only give a hearty "Amen" to this
statement made about infant baptism. However, this is why, in part, Servetus
was condemned to death by the Calvinists!]
2. Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious
Knowledge (Baker Book House, 1950), p. 371.
3. The Wycliffe Biographical Dictionary Of The
Church (Moody Press, 1982), p. 73.
4. Stephen Hole Fritchman, Men Of Liberty (Reissued,
Kennikat Press, Inc., 1968), p. 8.
5. Walter Nigg, The Heretics (Alfred A. Knopf,
Inc., 1962), p. 328.
6. Steven Ozment, The Age Of Reformation 1250-1550
(New Haven and London Yale University Press, 1980), p. 370.
7. Who's Who In Church History (Fleming H.
Revell Company, 1969), p. 252.
9. The Wycliffe Biographical Dictionary Of The
Church, p. 366.
10. John F. Fulton, Michael Servetus Humanist and
Martyr (Herbert Reichner, 1953), p. 35.
12. Hunted Heretic, p. 214. [Comment: Nowhere
in the Bible do we see this sort of emphasis for one's salvation. The dying
thief, the Philippian jailer and Cornelius were all saved by a most basic
trusting-submitting faith in Jesus.]
13. Michael Servetus Humanist and Martyr, p.
36.
14. John Hus attacked various Roman Catholic heresies
such as transubstantiation, subservience to the Pope, belief in the saints,
efficacy of absolution through the priesthood, unconditional obedience to
earthly rulers and simony. Hus also made the Holy Scriptures the only rule in
matters of religion and faith. See The Wycliffe Biographical Dictionary Of
The Church, p. 201.
17. For example, in clear contrast to the meaning
that Jesus gave of the parable of the weeds in the field (Mt. 13:24-43) where
the Lord told us "the field is the world" (v.38), John Calvin taught
"the field is the church." See Calvin's verse by verse commentary of
Matthew's gospel.
18. The Age of Reformation 1250-1550, pp.
368,369. Bolsec's book in which he charges Calvin as he did is cited as Histoire
de la vie, moeurs, actes, doctrine, constance et mort de Jean Calvin ... pub. a
Lyon en 1577, ed. M. Louis-Francois Chastel (Lyon, 1875).
20. Augustine of Hippo, the Catholic theologian, was
an earlier proponent of predestination from whom John Calvin drew ideas.