Calvinism and Despair

It is not the intention here to argue for or against Calvinism, but rather to address the narrower issue that is often raised with regard to this doctrine, namely, does Calvinism foster negativism and despair? A glance at the tenets of Calvinism would almost certainly cause most observers to conclude that it is an austere and terrifying doctrine that could easily drive a person to despair. It seems to stress God's severity and sovereignty above His love, and puts man in a helpless condition.

But does Calvinism lead to negativism, or is it more a matter of each individual's own disposition? God seems to use it to encourage, not to discourage, as is evidenced by a verse like Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you." If God emphasizes His sovereignty as a reason for hope, why does man often see it as a reason for despair? Certainly one way of trying to answer this question would be to pour over all of the details of Calvinist doctrine, and the kinds of responses it's likely to produce. That's one way. But that's a rather extensive exercise, and one that is not likely to resolve the issue. Even after exhausting all of the practical, objective reasons as to why this doctrine might indeed lead one to despondency, we will still be left where we started--with a set of facts that some face with one mindset, and others face with another.

The bottom line is not one of theology, but one of psychology. The person who is naturally inclined to introspection and moroseness will see Calvinism as a reason to despair; the positive thinker will see it as a reason to hope. The power of positive thinking applies to the Christian--be he a Calvinist or not--as much as it does to anyone else. Christ Himself said that "as a man thinks, so is he." And Paul wrote: "whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report....think on these things." (Philippians 4:8).

Negative thinking is one of the hardest habits in the world to break, and the person mired in this mindset will latch onto any excuse to continue that pattern. Calvinism is the perfect excuse. For the person naturally inclined to say "what's the use?" what could be better than a doctrine that emphasizes man's depravity and helplessness? At every turn, every point that calls for a change he doesn't want to make anyway, he has the perfect excuse--What difference will it make, anyway?

The two most prominent words in the vocabulary of the negative thinker are "Yeah, but." Every possibility, every opportunity, every bright spot is met with these words, followed by the justification for the negative take on the situation. For the negative thinker, Calvinism is just another idea he puts in the blank after the "Yeah, but." If it weren't Calvinism, it would be something else. It's guaranteed as sure as there's a God that there would be something else to go in that blank.

A preacher once described Calvinism in the following terms: At the gate of Heaven is a sign saying, "believe and you will be saved." Inside is a sign saying, "By grace you have been saved, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God." Some people switch the signs, so that a man gets to the gate, sees a sign saying he can only be saved if he's been chosen for salvation, and proceeds to sit down and eat a baloney sandwich. So, what's the answer? Leave the signs where they are.

The positive thinker lets God be God. He leaves the business of election with God, and concerns himself with the business of salvation. He's willing to "work out (his) salvation, for it's God who works in (him)". The negative thinker can't leave the signs where they are; he can't leave election with God, and salvation with himself and God. That's the nature of negative thinking--it's always looking back or ahead, never concerning itself with the present. The positive thinker stops at God's commands and tries to obey them. Period.

Now, none of this is to say that the negative thinker isn't entirely right in his thoughts that he can't repent, or do anything else for that matter, unless it's already been decreed by God. It's not even suggesting that this is not a discouraging thought, or even hat he shouldn't be discouraged by it. All that's being suggested here is that this tendency toward looking at things in a negative way is there by way of a psychological predisposition rather than out of theological necessity. It will be found in areas of the persons life that in no way pertain to theology; even in matters where his will is not constrained by whether or not he's been chosen, but strictly by other psychological factors, he will have this same negative outlook, the same indecisiveness, the same excessive introspection. He will have more trouble than most in choosing a tie in the morning, or whether or not to call in sick for work when he's ill, or whether it will be paper or plastic at the check-out line. He will also be more likely to see the glass as half empty rather than half full in other, more humdrum aspects of his life.

Now, of course one could argue that God does control this person's psychological make-up, and therefore it amounts to the same thing. That's true, but misleading at the same time. He does have a harder time picking out a tie, but he does finally pick one; he doesn't allow his belief in God's sovereignty to stop him in this regard, even though God could stop him. Instead he says, in effect: God has control over my attire, but he's given me a decision to make about the ties, so I will make it.

But, you might object, man does have free will with regard to what tie to wear, but not with regard to repentance. That's true, but again: the negative thinker isn't acting, or thinking, out of theological necessity, but rather out of his psychological make-up. The theological necessity that applies to him applies to everyone, but the positive thinking Calviniist does not draw the same conclusions. The psychology is driving the theology, not the other way around, even if God is in charge of both. In other words, if the negative thinking Calvinist could ask God Himself what was holding him back--theological necessity or his own negative thinking, God would say his negative thinking. Yes, God is in charge of that, too, but now we're out of the problem of Calvinism--namely, the impossibility of man repenting unless he's been elected--and into a different arena, namely, the problem of a man's negative thinking--his negative thinking in all areas of life. Calvinism has simply become the tool for this thinking, whereas before he knew of it (Calvinism) the tool may have been his short stature or lisp or large waistline.

Jeremiah 17:9 states: "The heart is deceitful above all else, and is desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Before we presume to know our own heart, it is worth considering just how dreadfully deceitful it can be, even going as far as to trick ourselves into believing we do what we do because God, in effect, is making us, an argument not much better than Adam's "the devil made me do it." Now, that too may have been true, but it wasn't the real reason Adam ate that apple. God knew the real reason then, and he knows the real reasons now. The sooner we accept those reasons, the sooner we can stop blaming God and start trying to obey Him.