Does Calvinism/Reformed Theology Teach That God is the Author of Sin?

In an article titled "Refuting What Calvinists Believe with What Calvinists Know," Dr. Patrick Johnson, seeking to contend against Calvinism, begins his explanation of Calvinism with the following statement: "Calvinism teaches that God is the author and Creator of sin." Dr. Johnston cites no source for this statement, but he is certainly wrong. The Westminster Confession and Second London Baptist Confession (documents whose authors/editors were self-consciously in the Calvinist or Reformed tradition) plainly assert, "God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin" (this quote is from Chapter 5, Paragraph 4 in each confession).

Calvinism/Reformed Theology, in accordance with Scripture, teaches that while God is sovereign over all things (including sin), He neither authors nor approves sin. This teaching is seen in three biblical examples:

1. Joseph and his brothers,

2. Jerusalem and Assyria, and

3. Jesus and those who crucified Him.

Defending Dr. Patrick Johnson's article, an anti-Calvinist friend of mine first charged the Reformed Confessions with self-contradiction (since they say that God decrees everything that happens), then he brought forth the following quotes from John Calvin's Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God:

Certain shameless and illiberal people charge us with calumny by maintaining that God is made the author of sin, if His will is made first cause of all that happens. For what man wickedly perpetrates, incited by ambition or avarice or lust or some other depraved motive, since God does it by his hand with a righteous through perhaps hidden purpose--this cannot be equated with the term sin.

Must we then impute the guilt of sin to God, or invent a double will for Him so that He falls out with Himself? I have shown that He wills the same as the criminal and the wicked, but in a different way. So now it is to be maintained that there is diversity of kinds while He wills in the same way, so that out of the variety which perplexes us a harmony may be beautifully contrived.

While those who hold to the Westminster Confession and the Second London Baptist Confession do not necessarily feel obligated to agree with everything written by John Calvin (Baptists in particular object to Calvin's doctrine of baptism, his ecclesiology, and his view on church/state relations), Calvin's teachings on subjects such as predestination have certainly been influential among those holding to these confessions, so quotes from him on this subject are clearly relevant.

But notice what Calvin says (and what he does NOT say) in the quotes above. In the first sentence quoted, Calvin is denying, not affirming, that God is "the author of sin." His opponents charged that the outcome of his exegesis was that God would necessarily be seen as the "author of sin," but Calvin denies that this is an implication of his teaching. In the second sentence quoted, Calvin denies that God contains a "double will" of such a nature that "He falls out with Himself;" this is the main point that Calvin is defending in the passage cited: that God is NOT like the "double minded man" of Jas 1:8. There is "diversity of kinds" regarding the way in which God–who is in control of all things, never out of control–wills what comes to pass. This "variety... perplexes us," but everything finds "harmony" in God, who works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).

In these passages and others, Calvin is affirming the same doctrine found in the Westminster Confession and Second London Baptist Confession, mentioned above: that God is NOT the author or approver of sin AND that God's will is the "first cause of all that happens."

That God is sovereign over all things, yet neither the author nor approver of sin is seen in the lives of Joseph and his brothers. As recorded in Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers, "[Y]ou meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." Joseph does NOT say, 'You meant evil against me, but God didn't mean for that to happen.' Instead–in regard to the very same activity–there were two kinds of intentions at work: the brothers' intentions, which were truly evil, and God's sovereign intention, which was truly good.

That God is sovereign over all things, yet neither the author nor approver of sin is seen in the experience of Jerusalem and Assyria. In Isaiah 10:5-7; 12, God calls Assyria "the rod of My anger" and foretells that He will use this "rod" to punish Jerusalem, yet He also says that He will punish Assyria, because–while God's sovereign intention in the matter is entirely righteous–the king of Assyria is characterized by "pomp" and "haughtiness." Again, in regard to the very same activity–Assyria's military action against Jerusalem–there were two kinds of intentions at work: the Assyria's intentions, which were truly evil, and God's sovereign intention, which was truly good.

Finally and chiefly, that God is sovereign over all things, yet neither the author nor approver of sin is seen in the experience of Jesus and those who crucified Him. NO aspect of Christ's suffering was a surprise to God nor outside of God's control. God's hand and His purpose predestined everything that occurred on that glorious and awful day (Acts 4:28). Yet "Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel" (Acts 4:27) perpetrated great wickedness against Jesus. This wickedness was according to God's decree, but God committed no act of wickedness in it: the fault was all on the part of the sinners.

This teaching–that God is sovereign over all things, yet neither the author nor approver of sin is important to each one of us, as we realize that we are all sinners in need of a Savior and that our salvation is entirely dependent on God's grace. When we sin we can blame no one but ourselves; we can never claim "God made me do this." When we are saved we can give credit to no one but God Himself; we can never claim "I contributed to this."