The true belief of Calvinism is that God in His sovereign grace chose His children before the foundation of the world, and that He saves those whom He has thus chosen, and preserves them eternally in Christ so that they cannot be lost. The false belief is that God has decreed the everlasting destruction of millions, and that there is no offer of salvation except to the elect. This latter doctrine was not, however, taught specially by Calvin, and the former is as old as Augustine, so that CALVINISM is merely a name for a creed (see also ARMINIANISM).