CALVIN

and the

REFORMED

TRADITION

On the Work of Christ and the Order of Salvation

Richard A. Muller

a division of Baker Publishing Group

Grand Rapids, Michigan

© 2012 by Richard A. Muller

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Muller, Richard A. (Richard Alfred), 1948–

Calvin and the Reformed Tradition: on the work of Christ and the order of salvation / Richard A. Muller

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8010-4870-8 (pbk.)

1. Reformed Church—Doctrines—History. 2. Jesus Christ—History of doctrines. 3. Jesus Christ—Person and offices. 4. Salvation—Christianity—History of doctrines. 5. Calvin, Jean, 1509–1564. 6. Calvinism. 7. Protestant Scholasticism. I. Title.

BX9422.3.M845 2012

232—dc23

2012028060

The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

To

David C. Steinmetz

Teacher, Mentor, Colleague, Friend

with Gratitude

Contents

Preface

1. From Reformation to Orthodoxy: The Reformed Tradition in the Early Modern Era

Approaching Reformation and Orthodoxy

Deconstructing the Master Narratives

Method and Content—Once Again

Toward a Contextualized Intellectual History of Reformed Protestantism

An Overview of the Study

2. Was Calvin a Calvinist?

Defining the Question: Varied Understandings of “Calvinism”

“Calvinism” as Calvin’s own position

“Calvinism” as the approach of Calvin’s “followers”

“Calvinism” as a name for the Reformed tradition

Theological Considerations: Calvin in Relation to the Later Reformed

The problem of TULIP

The problem of predestination, christocentrism, and central dogmas

The humanist-scholastic dichotomies

Calvin, Calvinism, and covenant theology

Conclusions

3. Calvin on Christ’s Satisfaction and Its Efficacy: The Issue of “Limited Atonement”

“Atonement” and “Limited Atonement”: A Problem of Terminology

Universality of Offer and Limitation of Salvation: The Exegetical Issue

Calvin and the Traditional Scholastic Distinction: Infinite Sufficiency and Limited Efficiency

Manducatio indignorum and the Limitation of Sacramental Efficacy

Limited Salvific Intention, Limited Intercession, and Limited Union: Correlative Aspects of Christ’s Priestly Office

Conclusions

4. A Tale of Two Wills? Calvin, Amyraut, and Du Moulin on Ezekiel 18:23

Amyraut, Calvin, and Exegesis: The Issue of Ezekiel 18:23

Reading Calvin’s Exegesis: Amyraut on the Interpretation of Ezekiel 18:23

Calvin’s Interpretation of Ezekiel ...