John Calvin's Position On Predestination

“Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.” Swami Vivekananda

Even though there are some similarities between Presbyterian and Anglican denominations, there are many more differences. These differences include their opposing views on predestination, the sacred texts they use in their church, their sacraments, and their interpretation of the Lord’s Supper. Therefore, although Anglicans and Presbyterians are both Christian denominations that were formed from the Protestant Reformation, they have fundamentally different theological structures, and they disagree on many key aspects of doctrine.

The Presbyterian position on predestination is inherently based on Calvinistic doctrine. John Calvin played a integral

part in many of the aspects of the Presbyterian doctrine, such as predestination and the sovereignty of God.
“God preordained, for his own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation.”
Calvin was one of the fathers of Protestantism, and Presbyterians are one of the main branches from it. Presbyterians believe that because God is omniscient, he was able to choose the people who would come to salvation and those that would not. As a whole, the Presbyterians are somewhat divided on the topic of predestination. Contrary to this ideology, Anglicans believe that God extends his grace to all mankind and anyone can be saved. As 1 Timothy 2:4 says, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” While the Anglicans believe that all human beings can be saved, the Presbyterians believe that only those who have been elected by God can be saved. Ironically, both of these views can be found in scripture, and the subject of predestination is a problematic theological debate.
Although they were created within a few centuries of one another, Anglicans and Presbyterians have extremely different views on which sacred texts are used in the church. Anglicans refer to The Common Book of Prayer, which includes The Catechism, as a book of their beliefs. They most frequently use the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which includes the Apocrypha. Although they do not believe that the Apocrypha was divinely inspired by God, they still include it in their Bible. On the contrary, the Presbyterians do not believe that the Apocrypha is part of the canon of scripture. The Anglicans also use the 39 Articles of Religion to define their doctrine and outline theological concerns. Presbyterians, however, have no religious texts or books that they refer to other than the Bible. This is because the main focus of Presbyterians is salvation, and the promise of salvation is found solely in the Bible. Additionally, the Anglican Church uses the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed in its worship services, and as a general statement of faith.
These two denominations also differ greatly in their interpretations of the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper is a ceremony that most Christian denominations would include. Traditionally, it is comprised of a loaf of bread and a cup of wine which represent Jesus’ body and blood, respectively. Anglicans refer to the Lord’s Supper by the names Holy Communion or Eucharist. This sacrament is made up of two parts: the Word of God and the Holy Communion. The Word of God can be broken into seven different components. These include the Collect of the Day, The Lessons, The Holy Gospel, the Sermon, the Prayers of the People, The Confession, and The Peace. The Eucharist includes The Offertory, The Great Thanksgiving or the Prayer of Consecration, The Breaking of the Bread, and The Communion of the People. Communion is one of the two sacraments for the Presbyterians. Their approach to communion is very simple and unsystematic. They focus less on rituals or customs, but more on the hearts of their congregation and the great sacrifice of Christ. When Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room, he gave them the Lord’s Supper to continue as an act of remembrance in his name. The name the Lord’s Supper refers to the fact that it is celebrated on the Lord’s Day, which is Sunday. The Presbyterians concentrate on the two symbols that make up communion; the bread and the wine. It is of great importance that these two symbols show clearly “the fullness, wholeness, and goodness of God’s grace in Christ” . Another crucial difference is that Anglicans use an altar for the emblems of the Eucharist, and Presbyterians use a table for the Lord’s Supper. While these two denominations have different perceptions of the Lord’s Supper, they both include the two most paramount elements; the bread and the wine. As it says in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, “and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper

he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Thus, these two groups celebrate communion differently.
The Anglican church believes in the seven sacraments of the Church, while the Presbyterians believe there are only two sacraments. A sacrament is a religious ceremony or act of the Christian Church that is regarded as an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual divine grace, in particular. The seven sacraments included in the Anglican Church are baptism, Eucharist, confirmation, marriage, anointing of the sick, reconciliation, and ordination. The Bible talks about the anointing of the sick in James 5:14-15 where it says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” The Presbyterians believe there are only two sacraments: baptism and The Lord’s Supper. We can see these two sacraments clearly outlined in the New Testament, and displayed by Jesus himself. Both of these sacraments are covenants that Jesus made to the early Church, while he lived on this Earth. The covenant of the Lord’s Supper is clearly shown in 1 Corinthians 11:26, which says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” In the same way, the covenant of baptism signifies new life in Christ and the death of the past life. This is shown in Colossians 2:12, “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Although the sacraments from both denominations are different, they are still relevant interpretations of the Bible.
Another imperative difference between Anglicans and Presbyterians is their levels of governing bodies. The Anglican governing body starts with the parish, which is led by a Rector and a Vestry. The parish is guided by the priest, who wears the Anglican vestments. The Vestry is comprised of elected members of the parish. A deanery is a grouping of parishes within a diocese. A diocese is a geographic area under the jurisdiction of a Diocesan Bishop as chief pastor. A diocese is governed by a diocesan synod composed of the bishop and elected members of the clergy and laity chosen by the parishes. Bishops are elected by diocesan synods. An Archdeaconry is a unit within a diocese, larger than a deanery, headed by an Archdeacon. An Ecclesiastical Province is a grouping of dioceses into a common area.
In contrast, the Presbyterians are guided by the Presbyterians Polity. The Presbyterian governing body starts with the congregation, which is led by Presbyters, who are elected by congregation members who serve on assemblies. Groups of Regional groups of congregations form a Presbytery. Groups of Presbyteries are governed by a Synod. All of the Synods make up the General Assembly . Although there are many differences between the governing bodies of the two denominations, they both share the belief that the head of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ. As Colossians 1:17-18 says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
Another difference between the Anglicans and Presbyterians is their contradictory views on the sacrament of baptism. Presbyterians and Anglicans both believe that infants can be baptized; however, Anglicans believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. This view is clearly shown in a verse from the Common Book of Prayer, which says,
“Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and that our Saviour Christ saith, None can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of water and the holy Ghost; I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to this child that thing which by nature he cannot have, that he may be baptized with water and the holy Ghost, and received into Christ’s holy Church, and be made a lively member of the same.”
Presbyterians see this sacrament differently because they believe that salvation is by faith in Christ alone, and that baptism is not necessary for a sinner to be saved. They hold to the account of the thief on the cross, where Jesus clearly said, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” This story clearly shows that baptism is not necessary for salvation because the thief was never baptized, but was in Heaven that same day.

In conclusion, one of the things that set these denominations apart is their interpretations of the Bible. However, all members of different Christian denominations are all part of the universal church. Although Anglicanism and Presbyterianism are exceptionally different from one another, they have the same basic belief, in that Jesus Christ is the centre of their faith and worship. Therefore, although Anglicans and Presbyterians are both Christian denominations that were formed from the Protestant Reformation, they have fundamentally different theological structures, and they disagree on many key aspects of doctrine. As 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”