I’ve heard it said many times that Calvinism uses the same vocabulary as other Christians, but it has a different dictionary. Today I’m sharing three examples that illustrate this.

Calvinists defend God’s sovereignty vociferously. If you question Calvinism, they will ask you, “Don’t you believe God is sovereign?” This will seem like an absurd question. Of course a Christian believes God is sovereign.

Here is the catch.

Calvinists define sovereignty very differently than other Christians. In their framework, sovereignty = determinism.

Here are three short videos that show the outworking of this view. I am not familiar with the last man, but John Piper and James White are not random Calvinists. They both have significant followings in the Calvinist and Reformed world.

My comments continue after the videos.

John Piper on God’s Sovereignty Over Dust

John Piper defends the idea that every particle of dust is determined by God.

James White on God’s Sovereignty and the Rape of a Child

James White says that God ordaining the rape of a child brings purpose to the situation.

Dr. Theodore Zachariades on God Ordering Adultery

Dr. Theodore Zachariades declares that God orders people to commit adultery. 

Defining Sovereignty

Calvinists believe that in order for God to be “sovereign” then He must be in absolute control of every single thing that happens. But they do not define control the way most Christians would. In their minds, it means He must cause everything to happen. If He doesn’t cause it to happen, then it means He doesn’t have complete control. 

So the question that naturally must follow is this.

Is God the author of evil? 

If God orders a man to commit adultery, how is He not in some way responsible? 

Is that how you define sovereignty?

A king is sovereign over a land, but does that mean he controls every single thing that happens in his kingdom? 

What does it mean for God to be sovereign?

If you ever get into a conversation or debate with a Calvinist, you must be prepared to deal with this issue. It is one of the biggies. 

When a Calvinist speaks of sovereignty and defends it so passionately, remember what that word means to them. 

They believe they are defending God’s honor. 

After watching these videos, do you see it that way?