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Calvin's Teachings 1 CALVIN’S TEACHINGS THE DOCTRINE OF other side of their formal/functional di- SCRIPTURE IN CALVIN chotomy. In the course of the book, they AND TURRETIN: included Calvin in the group promoting a functional inspiration and the Reformed A PERSONAL JOURNEY Orthodox (and Turretin specifically) in TIM PRUSSIC1 the group espousing a formal inspiration. Having read Rogers and McKim thor- Before I even thought about matricu- oughly, and trusting that their historical lating at Western Reformed Seminary, I research was correct, I struggled deeply had great interest in the art and science with the doctrine of scriptural inerrancy of the interpretation of Scripture, or for a handful of years – even into semi- hermeneutics. One’s hermeneutics, I nary.4 came to find, to a great degree depends on one’s view of Scripture: its inspira- The Rogers/McKim Proposal was tion, integrity, inerrancy, unity, etc. Thus, one more book in a long line of scholar- fresh out of college, I began to search for ship pitting Calvin against his later fol- books on the inspiration of Scripture. I lowers. Further, the Proposal did it on happened upon a then twenty-year-old the sacred ground of the inspiration of book which appeared to be of great prom- Scripture. A distorted view of Scripture ise and seemed right up my alley: The Au- has devastating effects on one’s theol- thority and Inspiration of Scripture: An ogy, as Scripture is the fountainhead of Historical Approach by Jack Rogers and theology. Donald McKim.2 The major thrust of this Intrigued with the Rogers/McKim book (which has since been called the Proposal, I decided to put it to the test by “Rogers/McKim Proposal”) is that, comparing the doctrine of Scripture in throughout history theologians have John Calvin and Francis Turretin.5 What viewed inspiration with a tendency either follows in this article is a bit of the fruit of toward what they call “formal” inspira- my research into the doctrine of Scrip- tion or “functional” inspiration. By for- ture in two of the greatest theologians in mal inspiration, they mean that the text the Reformed tradition, John Calvin and of the Bible itself is inspired by God, and Francis Turretin. I’ll examine first the form by functional inspiration, they mean that of their writing and then the content of the Holy Spirit uses the authoritative text their doctrine. of the Bible to work in the lives of people.3 A mere comparison of the respective In other words, Rogers and McKim lo- tables of contents of Calvin’s and cate formal inspiration in the text itself, Turretin’s Institutes immediately reveals while functional inspiration is the Spirit’s the fact that these two great theologians application of that text to people. They arranged their work in substantially offer these two views of inspiration as different ways. Calvin organized his In- very close to mutually exclusive; they stitutes after a soteriological model group theologians on either one or the The WRS Journal 16:2, August 2009 2 beginning with human knowledge of God logians understood revelation as falling as Creator, moving into the knowledge into two distinct but related categories: of God as Redeemer, the means and ben- natural and special. They both affirmed efits of Christ’s grace, and finally into the that God is clearly revealed through na- external means of grace. Turretin, how- ture as Creator and Sustainer of the world ever, ordered his work after a more fo- (this is sometimes called “general” rev- cused, analytical model. He separated out elation). There is no lack of clarity in the discussion into fairly self-contained sec- revelation, but sinners confuse God’s tions (called loci, or places), similar to the clearly-revealed truth. Thus, sinners hold way the Westminster divines ordered the distorted notions of God—not because chapters of the Confession. The major natural revelation is faulty, but because source of this organization difference was of their own sin and rebellion. Further, rooted in historical context. Calvin was a Turretin agreed with Calvin that the rev- second-generation Reformer and the first elation of salvation from sin was revealed great systematizer of Reformed Protes- only through special revelation.7 tantism. In Calvin’s day, the Reformation Neither Calvin nor Turretin limited was moving across much of Europe like a special revelation to Scripture alone. raging fire, but it was not yet a mature They affirmed that God had, throughout theological movement. Calvin’s Institutes history, revealed himself in various ways reflect both the power and organizational throughout the ages of the church. The immaturity of his age. Turretin, by con- fullest revelation made to the church is trast, was a Reformed scholastic, or God’s written word. Regarding the Scrip- schoolman. Reformed scholasticism ture in this present age of the church, both (sometimes called Reformed orthodoxy) men stressed that, while God certainly developed as the Reformation advanced had the power to reveal himself in other and took ground. Once Reformed ways, the written word of Scripture is schools were established, teachers began given to the church, beyond which we to ponder how best to teach theology in ought not seek revelation. In the pithy an academic or scholastic context. They words of Turretin, “God is not bound to drew heavily on the medieval scholastics the Scripture, but has bound us to it” (Duns Scotus, Bonaventure, Aquinas, (Turr. Inst. II. ii. 2). Calvin, in obvious etc.) to aid them in the form of presenta- agreement, railed against the Anabaptists tion, while they drew heavily on the Bible for separating the work of the Spirit from through the Reformers, medieval scho- the written word of God, in which, alone, lastics, and church fathers for the con- we recognize the Spirit. tent of that teaching.6 The difference in organization, therefore, does not neces- For by a kind of mutual bond the Lord sarily reflect a difference in the content has joined together the certainty of of teaching. his Word and of his Spirit so that the perfect religion of the Word may abide As one moves past the differing in our minds when the Spirit, who modes of organization to the content of causes us to contemplate God’s face, their teaching, one is deeply impressed, shines; and that we in turn may em- not with the differences in teaching, but brace the Spirit with no fear of being with the similarities. Broadly, both theo- deceived when we recognize him in The WRS Journal 16:2, August 2009 3 his own image, namely, in the Word. is centered in the question of how the (Calv. Inst. I. ix. 3) text of Scripture comes to be understood as divine and authoritative by a person. God’s word, the Bible, is the last word for Calvin taught that when the Holy Spirit the church and is tied closely to the Spirit convinces a person of the divinity of the of God. According to Calvin and Turretin, Scripture, he does so through the Scrip- God has bound us by his Spirit to the ture itself apart from the external indicia Scripture. (indications or marks) of its divinity. The The authority of Scripture can be con- Westminster Confession offers a helpful sidered both objectively and subjectively list of these marks: (i.e., what the Scripture is of itself and We may be moved and induced by what it is to a particular person). In the the testimony of the Church to an high objective consideration, we detect no dif- and reverent esteem of the Holy Scrip- ference between Calvin and Turretin. Sim- ture. And the heavenliness of the ply, if God spoke the Scripture, it bears matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the his authority, which is infinite. Turretin, majesty of the style, the consent of for example, reasoned thus: “The ques- all the parts, the scope of the whole tion of the authority of Scripture depends (which is, to give all glory to God), upon its origin… since it is from God, it the full discovery it makes of the only cannot be other than genuine way of man’s salvation, the many (authenticus) and divine” (Turr. Inst. II. other incomparable excellencies, and iv. 1). the entire perfection thereof, are ar- Under the consideration of the sub- guments whereby it does abundantly jective authority of Scripture, we come to evidence itself to be the Word of God: a significant discontinuity between yet notwithstanding, our full persua- Calvin and Turretin. This discontinuity sion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word For Calvin, the words of in our hearts.8 Scripture have more authority than the histori- The indicia are helpful in preparation for cal conjectures of schol- belief in the Scripture, as they brush aside ars, even when those unnecessary obstacles, and they can conjectures are plausible strengthen and buttress faith, but they are preparatory and ancillary. Turretin, by and weighty. More contrast, saw the Spirit convincing the succinctly, for Calvin, if it person of the authority of Scripture is written in the Book, it through the marks themselves. 9 He made is true. The Bible, being it clear that faith is “formed” on the ratio- God’s own word, from his nal basis of the “sure marks”: very mouth, cannot err. Although faith rests on the authority of [divine] testimony, and not on sci- The WRS Journal 16:2, August 2009 4 entific demonstration, it does not fol- low that it cannot be supported by At the end of the day, the intellectual arguments at times, espe- Rogers/McKim Proposal cially when faith is first formed, be- cause faith, before it believes, should is found wanting.
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