Paragraph 2. This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in man, nor from any power or agency in the creature, being wholly passive therein, being dead in sins and trespasses, until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit; he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it, and that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead.
2 To,/ 1:9; Eph. 2:8
Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:5; John 5:25
Eph 1:19, 20
You can readily see how the second position is supported by the 1st and the 1st by the 2nd. The Calvinist Methodist Confession 1823 similarly states:
Article 12. On the Election of Grace.
God from eternity elected and appointed Christ to be the covenant head, mediator, and surety of his church, to redeem and save it (a). God elected also in Christ a great multitude, which no man can number, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, to holiness and eternal life (b): and appointed all the means necessary to accomplish this end (c). This election is eternal (d), righteous (e), sovereign (f), unconditional (g), particular or personal (h), and unchangeable (I). The election of grace wrongs no one: though God in righteousness left some persons unpredestinated, yet, he did them no injustice; they are in the same condition in which they would have been if there had been no election; and if there had been no election of grace, no flesh would have been saved.
Those who would object to this position of the acrostic suggest that election to salvation is conditional. It depends upon man's choice and not God's. Provisionist speak of God's unconditional love and then hold to a doctrine of conditional salvation. If grace is given on the merit of a choice, is it not then merit and no longer grace alone? At the very least it would be Grace + whatever measure of merit a right choice can merit. It is said by those who object, that injustice is done to man if election to salvation is left to God alone and not to man's free will. However, if it is not left to God alone, how then can it be by grace alone, of necessity it must be given on behalf of some measure of merit. It is said by some, that man must have free will. The Calvinist position is that man's will is free to choose and will choose whatever he wants and deems what is best. Man's state of corruption however leaves him in such a state he will never choose the way of heaven. As stated in the London confession, only through God's election of grace is the will made willing and the man able to see and desire heavenly things. Man must believe the Gospel to be saved, this is made possible through grace alone. Those who do not believe are not compelled to unbelief by God, it is their natural state and of their own free choice to reject the Gospel of grace and go their own way, it is foolishness to them. No injustice is done to them, though they hear, they simply do not have ears to hear. What they hear of the Gospel generates no desire or appeal of their senses, so they reject it on the basis of their own free will. Perhaps they even understand the Gospel as presented, acknowledging there is a God, and even that He has sent his Son to save us from our sins. Some may profess to be Christians, yet they do not delight in Christ or the Gospel, it does not move them, it is simply a mental assent to the truth they have heard. Saving faith and a love for God can only come by the grace of God acting upon the human soul. Repentance to saving faith is something granted by God and not generated as a fountain source of the human soul. Acts 11:18 ESV
(18) When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Lest some would say this only acknowledges God's inclusion of the Gentiles, Paul tells Timothy,
2 Timothy 2:24-26 ESV
(24) And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
(25) correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
(26) and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Merit Merrian-Webster - noun
mer·it ˈmer-ət ˈme-rət plural merits: (a) praiseworthy quality : VIRTUE (b): character or conduct deserving reward, honor, or esteem (c): a person's qualities, actions, etc. regarded as indicating what the person deserves to receive.
It is difficult to say, that a choice to accept the Gospel, does not meet the definition of merit if indeed it is a quality of the human will by which one receives God's grace. For if grace is withheld where the quality is lacking, how does the presence of the quality not become merit? It is only if the choice is a product of grace itself and not a natural quality of the human will that it cesses to be merit.
Romans 11:5-6 ESV
(5) So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
(6) But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John clearly states those who believed were born not of the blood or the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but God. If it were not man's will, how did man become willing but only by the Spirit of God?
John also tells us in John 5:21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.” The Son does not give life to everyone, but to whom He will. If He gave life to everyone, everyone would have life.
Matthew affirms the same, Matt. 11:25-27 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Let's examine what the Scriptures have to say. In Romans 8:29-30 ESV
(29) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
(30) And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Paul expounds more upon this in Ephesians 1:3-14 ESV
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
(4) even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
(5) he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
(6) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
(7) In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
(8) which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
(9) making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
(10) as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
(11) In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
(12) so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
(13) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
(14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Very few Christians have an issue with the doctrine of election, the objection arises in how the election came about. Those who object to the position of Unconditional Election in the acrostic "TULIP" propose that God looked down through time and saw the choice everyone would make, and those He foresaw that would choose Him, he would elect them to salvation. This is gathered from the phrase in Romans 8:29 "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined . . ." And it is certainly true that God knows those who are his and who will believe the Gospel and who will not. Their assertion that he knows is correct, however, the assertion that he bases his election on that knowledge is more difficult to prove. It is nowhere spoken of in Scripture and is assumed from verse 29 to support their understanding of Salvation. If God looked down through the corridor of time and if God’s decision was based on man’s decision, that would be God choosing in a passive sense, after the foundations were laid, and man choosing in the active sense during the process of time. But Scripture uses the active form of the verb in Greek, prognosis, for “foreknowledge”. It is the concept of a very deliberate choice. It is used in Peter 1:1-2 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, According to the "prognosis" foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”
Luke uses the same language in Acts 2:22-23 ESV
(22) “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—
When Paul expounds more deeply in the letter to the Ephesians in verse 4 he explains that God chose his people before the foundation of the world with a purpose in mind. That he might make them holy and blameless. (4) even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In verses 5-6, he says God predestined us according to the purpose of his will that his grace might be praised. (5) he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, (6) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. He continues to explain in verse 9 that this all is a mystery hidden in his will all being according to the purpose that he set forth in Christ. (9) making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ. In verse 10, we understand this mysterious plan is going to unfold in time, it was conceived in eternity and is displayed in time. (10) as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In verse 11 we are taken a step further, we see it is He who is working all these things out according to the counsel of His will that was determined in eternity. (11) In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, In verses 13 and 14, Paul explains that this plan became a reality to us when we heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, and believed in him. It was then we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. (13) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. It is difficult to press into Paul's reasoning the idea that God chose his people by the means of looking down through time and seeing what we would do. Paul indicates the counsel of God's predestination was established before time existed. Time and everything in it had yet to be created, and yet the purpose and plan of our Salvation were already established as well as the means to accomplish it.
It is understandable why our minds reach for a conditional election over an unconditional election. We naturally want to protect God's image from appearing to be unloving to some while merciful and loving to others. It is said sometimes it is unimaginable that God would choose one man for heaven and another for hell without giving him a choice. That is a misunderstanding for the Gospel of John reveals our state of existence through the words of Jesus, John 3:18 ESV
(18) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
The world is condemned already. If God never offered a single soul forgiveness of sins, would God be unloving? God forbid! The fact we don't demand that the judicial system pardon and release every prison inmate, does that make us an unloving people? Appealing to the love of God is a convenient way of reaching our emotions, but we cannot do so at the expense of his justice. God's justice is as evident as His love and just a perfect. The angels that sinned, who are much more glorious and majestic than man, are also condemned already and God has not offered forgiveness to a single one, does that make God unloving? God forbid! If God devised a plan whereby he might save one angel, would that make him loving? The millions in the world today who have never heard the Gospel are condemned already, if they died outside of Christ is God unloving to judge them? Absolutely not, for His judgment is just and right. However, because God is loving, he elected many out of the mass of fallen humanity to be saved by grace alone through faith alone.
(12) I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
(13) though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
(14) and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
(15) The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
(16) But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
In verse 13 Paul understands he was saved with a purpose, saying in verse 16 that he had received mercy for this reason, because he had exhibited so great a display of unbelief, he was saved as an example of God's patience and mercy to sinners, not because he saw what he would choose or because he loved him so much. As a sinner, while exhibiting so great a display of unbelief and hatred for the Gospel, he was overcome with God's grace resulting in an irrisible flow of faith and love for Christ Jesus. It was an effectual means predetermined by God to affect the call of many of God's elect to bring them to saving faith.
This is affirmed in Paul's letter to Timothy, 2 Timothy 1:9-10 ESV
(9) who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
(10) and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
Notice he states it was according to God's own purpose and grace that was given before the ages even began, but it was manifested in time through the appearing of Christ. He says the same thing in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV
(13) But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
(14) To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God chose us to be saved, through the work of the Spirit and a belief in the truth, namely the Gospel. Still, some object on the grounds of God's character suggesting it is not the nature of God to make such a choice. However, in Deuteronomy 10:14-15 ESV we see that is exactly what God does among his people.
(14) Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. (15) Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.
The 3rd objection is found in the term Limited Atonement of the acrostic (TULIP), which the Calvinist understands to mean that Christ's atonement was provided for those only whom God Elected. Here again, you can see how one point depends upon and supports the other points. This is not to say Christ's atonement was not of value to save all, only that the necessary application was to the Elect, the 1689 London Baptist states:
Chapter 8, Paragraph 1. It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be the mediator between God and man; the prophet, priest, and king; head and savior of the church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world; unto whom He did from all eternity give a people to be His seed and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.
Isa. 42:1; 1 Pet. 1:19, 20
Acts 3:22
Heb. 5:5,6
Ps. 2:6; Luke 1:33
Eph. 1:22, 23
Heb. 1:2
Acts 17:31
Isa. 53:10; John 17:6; Rom. 8:30
In the Calvinist Methodist Confession of 1823 article 18, it is stated;
It was ordained that his Person should stand in the stead of those persons (and those only) who had been given him to redeem.
Those who would object to the Calvinist position say that Christ's Atonement was given to all, even those who reject the Gospel and walk not with Christ. This argument is difficult to sustain, not only through scripture but reason alone would dictate otherwise. How could God apply Christ's Atonement to those He will not save? If He does indeed from all eternity know all things, could Christ's Atonement be of so little value as to be applied and given to those whom He knows will never receive it? Is its value such that it cannot save them outside of the one requirement it does not itself provide, namely faith? So far the acrostic "TULIP" has shown us that God took out of the depraved condemned human race a people for Himself, of His own election and provided everything for them and their salvation, even providing the faith necessary to believe. He wholly and completely saved them, not leaving it to chance or anything by which they could come short of receiving. They were His by choice and he would save them all losing none.
Matt. 1:21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” We see in Matthew that Christ was ordained to save His people, not just the ones he saw from some foreknowledge, but His people. He did more than make a provision for their salvation, He actually saved them.
Matt. 20:28 “… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” We also understand Christ came to ransom many, His life was given for many, not all. Why should he give his life in ransom for those who will never appropriate it? You cannot give to those who will not receive, if it is purchased and not received, the purchase accomplishes nothing.
Matt. 26:28 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
John 10:11, 15 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” He makes atonement for the sheep, never is it said He provides atonement for the goats. Never do you see a goat becoming a sheep. There is a separation, the goats on the left and the sheep on the right. You have lost sheep who must be found, and you have sheep of another fold. He gives his life for all the sheep, the lost sheep and other fold sheep. But never does he give atonement for the goats.
Acts 13:48 “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Luke does not tell us that those who believed were appointed to eternal life, but those who had been appointed, the sheep that heard His voice, the elect that had been chosen, believed.
Acts 20:28 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” The flock is His, the shepherd oversees His sheep, and it is the sheep that has been purchased by atonement, not the goats.
Rom. 8:32-34 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Paul tells us God did not spare His Son but delivered Him up for us all. Notice it is not all people, but His elect. Did he justify all people? No, atonement is made for His elect.
Eph. 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it, we are never told he makes atonement for any other than the church. If indeed God knows the end from the beginning, he has always known His church and who they were. They were His flock, His sheep, and He gave His life for them.
Heb. 2:17 “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Propitiation is made for the sins of his people, how can it be that atonement can be made for those who are not and never will be his people?
Heb. 9:15, 28 “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
Those who are called are the ones who receive eternal inheritance and they will be many.
Rev. 5:9 “And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Christ did not redeem with His blood every tribe, every language, every people, and every nation. No, He redeemed and made atonement for His elect out of every tribe, language, people, and nation. It is unequivocally stated that Christ's atonement is limited, even among those who object to limited atonement in the acrostic (TULIP) must at least admit it is limited to only those who believe. Still many insist atonement is made for all, even if the scriptures state that those who believe are appointed to do so. It is limited only in its application, not in its value, it is sufficient for any and all who will repent and put their trust in Christ. No man will ever come to Christ and find atonement insufficient to atone for his sins. No one will ever say, I came to Christ, but I was not one of His elect so I could not be saved!
The 4th objection of the acrostic (TULIP) is irresistible Grace, the Calvinist understands that once a man by grace is made willing, his eyes open to the beauties of Christ, the wonder of this grace is to him, irresistible. Not that he is brought to Christ dragging his feet unable to resist, but the beauty of such grace is so attractive that he comes running with great joy at its discovery.
The 1689 London Baptist in Chapter 14, Paragraph 2. says, By this faith a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word for the authority of God himself, and also apprehends an excellency therein above all other writings and all things in the world, as it bears forth the glory of God in his attributes, the excellency of Christ in his nature and offices, and the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit in his workings and operations: and so is enabled to cast his soul upon the truth consequently believed; and also acts differently upon that which each particular passage thereof contains; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life and that which is to come; but the principle acts of saving faith have immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, and resting upon him alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.
Acts 24:14
Ps. 19:7-10, 69:72
2 Tim. 1:12
John 15:14
Isa. 116:2
Heb. 11:13
John 1:12; Acts 16:31; Gal 1:20; Acts 15:11
The Calvinist Methodist Confession 1823 says:
Regeneration consists in a gracious and supernatural change, wrought by the Spirit of God in all those who are saved to eternal life, by making them partakers of the divine nature (a), which is the principle of a holy life, effectually working in the whole man, and for that reason called “the new man” (b). The holy nature received in regeneration acts in all those who are made partakers of it in direct opposition to every form of corruption, and after God who created it (c). This change produces in the whole man a lively impress of God’s holiness, as a child bears the image of his father (d). God alone is the author of this change. It is generally wrought by means of the word, and is set forth in Scripture under several names; such as quickening, forming Christ in the heart, partaking of the divine nature and circumcising the heart (e). This change is wrought in order that men may glorify God by bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, and purifying the soul, so as to be meet to enjoy fellowship with God forever.
Those who object to the Calvinist view must say that when a man comes to see and understand the beauties of Christ and the wonder of grace proclaimed in the Gospel, it is not so beautiful as to compel him to come running to those beauties. It must be that upon that gaze, the man considers in his own will what is best, and in that consideration, the beauties of Christ are not so beautiful that the world cannot still have an overwhelming appeal upon his soul. The grace offered is not so wonderful that man cannot resist, but can indeed resist and choose the corruptions of the world over the beauties of Christ and His grace.
John affirms that the elect of God will come, and His grace will be irresistible to the soul of the one He has chosen and given to Christ, those He has purchased with His own blood. John 6:37, 44-45, 64-65 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught by God. Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” We again have affirmation that repentance is granted by God and it won't be some that he has purchased, but all that He has purchased and given to Christ will come when they hear the Gospel. Those He will in no way cast out. He goes on to say, No one can come unless the Father draws him. Some will say, yes, but he can resist and choose not to come even as the Father draws him. But he has already said all will come, so we can't say some will not unless we mean those He does not draw. Still, some insist he draws all men, it is difficult to convincingly argue that he draws all when he already knows those who will not believe. Are we to understand that God knows they will never believe and still in the face of vanity, continues to draw as if He has hope in that which can never be?
John informs us Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and that they would not come unless it had been granted to them by the Father to do so. John speaks even more clearly in John 10:26-29 “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” The sheep are specially identified, they are the ones who will hear and respond to the Gospel and they will follow him. They are His sheep because the Father has given them to Him. We can see from this analogy why some hear the Gospel and respond and some do not. There is a group known as His sheep who hear and respond to the Gospel, and then there is a group who are not his sheep and do not believe, for if they were his sheep, they would believe.
The 5th point of objection to the acrostic (TULIP) is, Perseverance of the Saints, the Calvinist understands that a man once brought to Christ by these means, though he may stray in his weakness, will never abandon his faith and love of Christ. This is not to say that a man who once makes a profession, but turns back to his old ways and remains is assured of his salvation. For one must truly remain faithful till the end, it simply means that those who have been brought by these means and can truly see the beauties of Christ, his eyes cannot be finally captured again and overcome by the world and unbelief.
Speaking upon this doctrine the 1689 London Baptist states Chapter 17, Paragraph 1. Those whom God has accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, from which source he still begets and nourishes in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality; and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon; notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them, yet he is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraved upon the palm of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity.
John 10:28, 29; Phil. 16; Tim. 2:19; 1 John 2:19
Ps. 89:31, 32; 1 Cor. 11:32
Mal. 3:6
The Calvinist Methodist Confession 1823 likewise says in article 17, The Christian’s assurance may in divers ways be shaken and impaired: if he falls into any sin and grieves the Spirit, he loses the light of God’s countenance and walks in darkness (g). But the Christian can never lose that seed of God which is in him, or the life of faith, or the love of Christ. The Spirit restores him in God’s good time and meanwhile keeps him from utter despair. The evil of his sin is revealed to him, and he is chastened by the Lord, that he may not be condemned with the world. But he is strengthened in all his affliction to hope in God; yea, he has hope in his death.
Those who object to the Calvinist position say that a man, after seeing the glories of God and the preciousness of Christ, still finds in the world such beauty as to again turn their eyes away and leave Christ to again live for themselves never to return. The new creation dies and becomes the old man again, if indeed by grace and some small measure of merit, they obtained Salvation, they also now must maintain that Salvation by some small merit of their works added to grace, and if they die outside of those merits they again lose their Salvation and are again eternally damned.
Other objections:
It is objected sometimes on the grounds of fairness. God must be fair, therefore he must provide atonement for all so that all might be saved. This is a very weak objection, for in what view does this fairness exist? If indeed salvation is offered to all, how is it that most die never hearing the Gospel? How is it fair that a man dies for want of hearing the Gospel and is condemned? It must be by God's Omniscience that God knows all, the end from the beginning. He must know then multitudes will die that would have been saved if they had heard the Gospel, yet he still condemns them, and this is said to be fair? Also, if in His Omniscience He knows all things from eternity, He of necessity has always known many would reject His salvation, yet he chose to create them anyway. Those who object to the Calvinist view as well as those who do not must contend with this, or confess God is not Omnisciencant, of which then He would cease to be God by definition.
The view that Salvation must be offered to all and that man must be free to choose is said to be fair and just, this is set over the Calvinist view of Election. The view in objection to the Calvinist view says Christ's atonement is provided for all, yet all are not saved. It says Salvation is offered to all, yet all do not hear the Gospel and are condemned. It says if a man does hear, he must be free to choose. Yet even here there is inequality, for one man may be persuaded by a great preacher or orator, while another hears the Gospel only by an inexperienced layman who is not as persuasive and unable to persuade him, and the man is therefore condemned for his unbelief.
One then argues that it is not the preacher or the layman, but the drawing of the Holy Spirit. Then He must draw equally all men, it would be unfair for God to meet with Saul on the way to Damascus and save him and let other men go condemned with a lesser experience. A view of Salvation that is offered to all and places the deciding factor in the autonomy of man's free will is an unfair and unjust system. Every line of this argument ends in despair and hopelessness while it lays bare God's Sovereignty and power to save.
I do not sarcastically lift up these questions in the face of those who object, I lift them before my own face as I examine the Arminian system of faith.
How is it possible for God to Atone for the sins of the whole world and the world still be condemned?
[He does not atone for the sins of the whole world, only the Elect] - Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
How is it that the weight of eternity is placed upon man's fallen will which is unable to understand spiritual things?
[It is not and he cannot except God first regenerate the human spirit that he is made willing] - 1st Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
If a man never hears the Gospel, how is it he is still condemned if his sins are atoned for?
[They are not atoned for and though he hears the Gospel, he will never receive it, if he would he most certainly be saved] - John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God., Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
If a man is saved through his will by choosing righteousness, how is it his decision to come to faith is not merit?
[Because the faith is of Grace and a gift of God] - Eph 2:5-8 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
If a man is saved by grace, how is it he must maintain his Salvation by works?
[He does not, by that same grace he is kept and by that same grace produces works of faith] - Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
If a man still retains some spark of good to enable him to choose Salvation, how is it that an equal spark does not work equally in all men?
[He does not retain any spark of good but is wholly defiled] - Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
If that spark of good is not equal, how is it not merit for those who have enough, and judgment for those who do not?
[There is no spark, salvation is of the Lord, and that by grace] - 2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
If the Holy Spirit woos men to Salvation, must he not woo them equally?
[He does not woo, He saves and gives life] - John 3:3-8 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
If he woos all men equally, how is it not merit for those good enough to respond?
[He does not woo, but Sovereignly Saves for none are good enough to respond] - Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
If God knows who will be saved and who will not, must he still equally woo those He knows will not come to justify Himself?
[He effectually calls those who are His] - John 6:35-40, And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:64-71 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
If God looks down through the corridor of time and sees who will be saved and who will not, if a man's life is cut short, yet God sees in this corridor of time he would have been saved had he lived, how is it he is still condemned?
[God is Sovereign over all things in time, and controls all events according to his own purpose] - Eph 1.11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
There are whole nations whose people are deprived of hearing the Gospel; if a man is truly autonomous and his will free to choose, then it must be that many would be saved if they could only hear. How is it then God condemns those who he knows would be saved if they heard?
[Man is not autonomous, all are dead in their sins until God gives them life] - Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Only the Calvinist view lays Salvation in the arms of a Sovereign God, who alone has the power to save and the Wisdom to choose according to his own purposes and plans. It leaves injustice to none and mercy to many and it is all to the Glory of God.
Now that I have reasoned from the scriptures, let me take a moment and reason from logic.
Applying this very limited form of logic has helped me make it through some of the more difficult theological questions, not that they were all that hard, but my thinking was so ingrained in seeing a certain way it was difficult to look in another direction.
I found that I would take a scripture such as 2Pe 3:9 (The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.) and hold to what it obviously seemed to say in spite of the fact if doing so would put me contrary to the whole of scripture.
I began to look for answers that conformed to what God was doing throughout scripture and what he was saying about himself. I don't have the time this particular passage deserves but a quick look at the context will be helpful. God's patience in his coming, his waiting, is that he is not willing that any should perish. First, if he is waiting so that none should perish, (meaning every individual who will ever live) but all come, then he is waiting in vain, for he has already missed the mark a very long time ago. Had he said waiting so that as many as would, would come, we would have a sure mark for an objection to Unconditional Election.
The logic of this thinking leaves us in the end with a God who had a desiring will for something he could never have, namely, that any should perish, of which even with long patience he found in the end lacking and unfulfilled. It leaves us with a God who in the end is found to have a creation less than he desired. More than this, it leaves us with a God who either in creation did not know these end results or was not able to create in such a way as to avoid them. Either way, it is an attack upon one or more of the attributes that he has given of himself in scripture. It is obvious to me that what God has revealed about himself within scripture will not allow me this all-inclusive interpretation. So what interpretation or understanding could we place upon it and still conform to what God has revealed about Himself in scripture?
If we apply the understanding that he is waiting patiently for all those elect, of whom he has chosen out of all nations (all men) Jew and Gentile alike, of whom he directs his patients towards in the verse considered, being us, of whom have yet to hear and receive the Gospel, we then find ourselves with a God who is in complete control, having accomplished everything he intended and with creation as he has designed, displaying His glory and the glory of His Christ in the highest possible regard. Both His great love and His perfect justice are preserved to the glory of His name. The weight of scripture upon my conscience compels me to this glorious understanding.
In other words, his patience is waiting, waiting for all whom he has chosen throughout all time and given to Christ, for he is not willing that any of them shall perish, and they are the called out of every nation, both Jew and Gentile, for he so loves the whole world, not just the Jewish nation.
But I would ask, is that fair for him to choose some and not others? The doctrine of Election is not an option for us, the Bible speaks much of it, what we debate is how God elects. Most will say when God is speaking of his elect, that he is all-knowing and looks down through the portals of time and sees who would believe and bases His election upon those. But this is not possible, not if we hold to the attributes that God has given us of himself. If He is all-knowing, how can he look through time and learn anything? If He created and then discovered something about Creation He did not know, how can we be sure of his success in our redemption if indeed there was ever a time he did not know, we are left to wonder if there is still something He does not know?
Man always does and is always free to do what he wants to do. Edwards came up one side of the mountain in his work “Freedom of the Will” and Luther came up the other side with his work “Bondage of the Will” and both arrived at the same place. Both works confirm the truth we find in scripture, it brings harmony between the scriptures that speak of man's free will and leaves God's Sovereignty intact. In Proverbs 21:1 we find that God turns the heart of the king as water, yet the king is doing exactly what he wills to do, and God is placing no force upon the will, yet he is being turned by the Sovereignty of God for His own purpose and plan in His Providence. Are we to assume He can turn the heart of a king to do as it pleases Him in all his purpose, yet when it comes to salvation, God will not turn it?
We see this in Pharaoh, Pharaoh did exactly what God said he would do when he would do it, and the way he would do it. Yet Pharaoh was acting with his free will, doing what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it, the way he wanted to do it. And because it was free, he is accountable for each and every sin he committed, yet God had before decreed them to be. This is amazing, the scripture tells us that God knows what is in man, he knows his corruption and every thought he will have, so it is nothing for him to use that nature of man in a way to accomplish his purpose and will.
I am still trying to think of an event, a book in the bible, something that could have happened by chance without God's overruling providence and Sovereign hand at work. Ruth? Samuel? Moses? Esther? Jeremiah? Etc? They all tell a piece of the story, scripture tells us he knows our thoughts before we say them, but are those thoughts random and free from conforming to God's purposes? This is an impossibility, we could not have a Bible of words, actions, and thoughts free of His purpose and plans. The Bible is not a collection of events that He looked down through History and picked out the ones that happened that would make a good book to help tell his story.
The scripture tells us he, God, declares the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 46:10) The stories, no, the lives and words and deeds of everything and everyone have been declared already from the beginning, yet the will remains free in the creature. How can this be, it is because He is God.
Some that oppose this view insert phrases that imply things not intended by the doctrine of Election. It will be asked, "Why does God not want some people to be saved?" and then reference the scripture above in 2nd Peter stating, (The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.) or (1 Timothy 2:4 KJV (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
As suggested above, the full context of 2nd Peter implies he is referencing all the elect. A closer look at 2nd Timothy in context also implies he is speaking of all kinds of men, not every single individual. However, a more broad interpretation of both texts is still possible. Even if you allow for the broader interpretation, still to say that God Elects certain ones to Salvation does not suggest He does not want all to be saved. It means that God from all eternity by His sovereign decree determined to save some by grace while passing over others. To say God does not want some men to be saved would imply He is actively preventing them from coming to salvation. No historic Reformed Christian Confession suggests any such activity on God's part. God is not preventing any man who hears the Gospel from repenting and coming to faith, the invitation is open to all who will believe. God has simply in His special love of the Elect decreed from all eternity the means by which He will assuredly save them. Doing so does not mean he does not love all His creation. Provisionists like to speak as if man didn't fall into a state of corruption equally, but that some remain yet still able to desire God of their own will, and God in His election somehow prevents them from coming to salvation. That is not the doctrine of Election, it is those in opposition carefully choosing their phrases to cast an improper understanding of the doctrine. I would have to ask the provisionist if God must love all people equally, does he stop loving them when they have rejected Him and He has cast them into hell? If so, then God is no longer immutable and a change of His nature has occurred. If not, then why must they say God does not love all men if He Elects only some to salvation? Man is condemned already, he is condemned because he has sinned and is rebellious toward God, he is not condemned because God does not love him. Do we find fault with God, if he extends this love further to some to assure their salvation through grace? I say, God forbid!
In Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
These scriptures show us the condition of our will, it is free to do as it pleases, but it is corrupt and what it pleases is sin. There are none that seek after God, no not one. They tell us while we were in this condition God did something, He quickened. Be sure and notice when He quickened, we were still in this condition. Before we were quickened we were doing what we wanted to do, which was have nothing to do with Christ. After we were quickened we are still found doing what we want to do, which is come to Christ.
It is God, in his mercy quickens our hearts, gives us faith to believe, and we come to Him. That is grace alone, we add nothing. It is said that God does His part and we do our part, meaning believe or have faith or respond to his wooing. This cannot be, grace plus our part is not grace alone. We have nothing to boast of, we may think we are the deciding factor, and it seems reasonable that we decide our destiny by making our free will choice and are saved. As reasonable as that sounds, it is impossible to harmonize with scripture.
For us to be the deciding factor makes grace a reward for making the right decision, a reward for our choosing Him, and therefore it is no more grace. That is Paul's argument. If we are God haters, walking in our own lust and selfishness, and God out of his great Mercy quickens us, gives us eyes to see, ears to hear, and faith to believe, enabling our free will to desire Him, it is then grace and grace alone.
If God has desired and designed not to give this grace to every soul, is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Many are called, the Gospel goes out to many, a general call to all who will hear. But there are none that seek after God, all resist His will, and none see the light. But God in His great mercy chooses some. Many are called but few are chosen. God has mercy on whom He will have mercy, whom He will he hardens. It is understood when God hardens a human heart He creates no new evil that did not exist before but allows the heart to flourish in its own corruptions. (Romans 9:18) It is not of him that willeth or runneth, but of God that shows mercy.
Those that come, come of their own free will because he quickened and they now see. Those who refuse him do so of their own free will because he passed over them and left them to themselves. He is not leaving those who have a desire to be saved, those who would come if only they heard, no, he is passing over those who of their own free will are resisting him.
But we still find fault, if he quickens one, must he not quicken all? Does the potter not have power over the clay? (Romans 9:21) If a Governor pardons a prisoner do we then assume he must pardon all to be fair? Fairness would be to condemn them all for all deserve justice, if one is given pardon the others are still guilty and still deserve justice and the receiving of that justice does not violate fairness.
But we would say did not Christ die for all? This sounds good and reasonable, but it cannot be conformed to scripture. Where is logic? He died for all of whom he chose, but He did not die for all, for He has not chosen all. Many are called by the Gospel message, but few are chosen. But not all are called by the Gospel message, many have and many will die without hearing the Gospel. Did Christ die for them? Is God just in condemning those who would have believed in Him if only they had heard? Oh, then they can say at the Judgment, Lord, I would have believed had I heard! But no, he is condemned because God has chosen from the beginning those vessels of Mercy. But we say it is our responsibility to preach the Gospel to the world and so it is by commandment. But is the arm of the Lord short that it cannot save? Or is it the arm of man that saves and is short and leaves many for whom He died condemned? Is God so weak He cannot save those who would come if only they heard, but must condemn because the arm of man is short and cannot save? Is God's design of Creation, fall, and redemption such that many are lost that could have been saved? God forbid.
God's design is a perfect design, that magnifies His Christ in the highest measure possible and accomplishes all He purposed from the beginning, He loses none of whom He has chosen. We say we can resist his Spirit, and so we do, but how do we resist that which we love? Yes, man's will is free concerning his choices, but it is in bondage concerning his corruption. When he is quickened, man's will is free to righteousness, a servant of righteousness by design and desire.
Let me say a few things about God's Sovereignty over our lives. Acts 27:24 says, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
I would encourage you to read this account again and watch for design, design that cannot be broken through it would appear to us from our viewpoint it could be. We find here a word from God that He, God, had given Paul all that sail with him and none would be lost. Does that language sound familiar? Notice if anyone died or if anyone lived it was based on God's Sovereignty, not their thoughts and actions. Paul does not suggest God looked down through the corridor of time and saw all would be saved. We find this statement: In Act 27:31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Which is it? God has given them all to Paul, but because of man's free will to choose, He God, will not be able to do what He promised if they do not abide in the ship. Did God in His infinite Wisdom not know the actions of these men which he was going to save? Or is this all design, by design not a man will perish, every provision will be supplied. Yet, as it plays out in time, Paul still gives out a warning of the consequences of disobedience! Does that sound familiar to what we see in the scriptures? In this great event, the ship is breaking to pieces and men are falling into the sea, yet not a man can bash his head or break his limb. Man in all his free choices cannot make a mistake that will cause him injury; every man that cannot swim will providentially find a board by his hand; every man that will attempt to change the event will find an immovable force in their way. Yet all are free to think and do as they may, but God's Sovereign design rules all and accomplishes all He has designed. So in salvation, all souls that God has given to Christ, though they are in a world breaking to pieces and men are falling in their sin, every obstacle to salvation will meet an immovable force and His elect will be saved.
This world is a shipwreck by design. It looks like men are the deciding factor of their destiny, yet in all their free choices God's purpose will be accomplished. Those who would affect it will find the same immovable force in their way. In Paul's shipwreck, God gave all who sailed to Paul, in this world's shipwreck God has given to Christ all those whom he has chosen and none of those shall perish. Every soul that is called will Providentially find a board and he shall lose none of his, for God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
These are not Calvin's doctrines, these are not Augustine's doctrines, these are not even Paul's doctrines, they are the doctrines of scripture that Christ delivered to us and I cannot but believe them.
As I stated at the beginning, a definition of the terms is necessary, which I attempted to do. He suggests the same and gives a number of definitions. However, there are a number of misleading flaws in the terms he presents. He submits a list of terms and infers they are all synonymous with Calvinism. The terms are Reformed Theology, TULIP, Decretal Theology, Determinism, and the Doctrines of Grace. In his presentation, he suggests that the Doctrines of Grace is the softest of these terms and the sneakest because we snuck in the word grace. From the very start, he is creating a false dichotomy in the minds of his listeners. Already he has placed in the minds of his listeners that if I or anyone else use the term, "Doctrines of Grace" I am being sneaky, trying to persuade you of something you would reject if I outright presented it as is.
I assure you there is nothing sneaky in using the term doctrines of grace, I occasionally use it because I think it better articulates the doctrine over the acrostic TULIP. TULIP is an acrostic, the purpose is to help in memory and retaining certain points of interest, in this case, Calvinism. These were the points of doctrine that were objected to in the Remonstrance. (see Remonstrance for definition) Its intent was never the be the explanation of the doctrine, that will be defined in the Doctrines of Grace in a much fuller and robust manner. TULIP simply helps someone remember the points, and the Doctrines of Grace allow them to explain them. There is nothing sneaky about it.
He also identifies the term Reformed Theology as Calvinism, this is a complete misrepresentation. It is true, that the Five Points, or in the fuller sense The Doctrines of Grace, are embodied within Reformed Theology. However, to say Reformed Theology equals Calvinism is like saying a pair of windshield wipers equals a car. They are a part of the car, but they are not the car, you can talk about the windshield wipers and what they do, but they do not define nor explain the car. Doing so is very misleading at best and deceptive at worst. If he is orthodox in his faith I would dare say he would agree with the largest portion of Reformed Theology as it is simply an articulation of the Protestant faith of the Reformation.
He also mentions that some of these terms are almost never used, such as Determinism. That would be true because determinism has nothing to do with Calvinism. According to Wikipedia, Determinism "is the philosophical view that events are completely determined by previously existing causes. Deterministic theories throughout the history of philosophy have developed from diverse and sometimes overlapping motives and considerations. Like eternalism, determinism focuses on particular events rather than the future as a concept. The opposite of determinism is indeterminism, or the view that events are not deterministically caused but rather occur due to chance. Determinism is often contrasted with free will, although some philosophers claim that the two are compatible. . . . Determinism should not be confused with the self-determination of human actions by reasons, motives, and desires. Determinism is about interactions that affect cognitive processes in people's lives. It is about the cause and the result of what people have done. Cause and result are always bound together in cognitive processes. It assumes that if an observer has sufficient information about an object or human being, such an observer might be able to predict every consequent move of that object or human being. Determinism rarely requires that perfect prediction be practically possible." It is simply a form of philosophy that those who object to the doctrines of grace try to apply to its meaning in order to raise their objections to a higher lever. Here again, he inserted into the mind of his listeners a misleading and deceptive term.
Then there is Decretal Theology, which again is only a windshield wiper to the car. The term itself is not equal to Calvinism. When I hear the term TULIP, my mind does not go to Calvinism, it goes to the 5 points of the Remonstrance that created so much controversy. When I hear the word Reformed Theology, my mind does not go to Calvinism, it goes to the Protestant Theology that produced the Reformation and is articulated in the great church confessions of the 16th and 17th centuries. When I hear the term Doctrines of Grace, my mind does not go to Calvinism, it goes to the Doctrines as they are defined within the constructs of Reformed Theology. When I hear the term Determinism, my mind does not go to Calvinism, it doesn't go anywhere, because I do not associate Determinism with any Christian doctrine. When I hear the term Calvinism, my mind goes to a group of people that hold to certain points of Reformed Theology. There are Churches that would claim to be of a Calvinistic persuasion but are far from holding to Reformed Theology. What he has done in his oversimplification of terms is nothing but introduce confusion upon an already difficult theological subject. The deeper doctrines of God are no small task for the minds of men, we do well to avoid imposing confusion. If indeed he does view these terms as synonymously equal, his own understanding of Reformed Theology is far from par.
I truly intended in the beginning to listen the this channel's host and consider what he had to say. But I now see he is either extremely ignorant of the subject he is critiquing or he has a sectarian purpose set upon promoting his dogma for theology. I realize that might sound harsh, but I have no interest in critiquing such material. His statements concerning ESV translation are easily refuted, which tells me he either had no interest in actually doing research or was purposely promoting his propaganda. I enjoy engaging people with different views who have actual arguments, but such material as this just needs to be exposed and then move on. As to the ESV, here is a statement posted from a conservative political website that has nothing to do with Theology, it is as unbiased as I can find.
“I have studied the ESV closely for several years and ran down every rabbit hole aiming to ‘prove’ the Calvinist bias. All the leads ended up being the same type of translation used in other non-Calvinist translations (some Catholic!). And they all had good scholarly support.
My conclusion so far is that there is no Calvinist bias in the *text* of the ESV. There may be some in the notes of the ESV Study Bible, but not the text. I am as far from Calvinist as you can get and it is my preferred translation. The day I find a truly Calvinist bias (not conservative–Calvinist), is the day I stop using it.
One thing I learned is that some people confuse the terms ‘Calvinist’ and ‘conservative’. Most Calvinists are conservative, but most conservatives are not Calvinists. Someone will tell me there’s a Calvinist verse. I look it up and it’s not. It may be a *conservative* verse, but it is not an explicitly *Calvinist* verse. Calvinists may not disagree with it, but it is also used in clearly non-Calvinist translations. The whole ‘proper roles of men and women’ is a *conservative* issue. Calvinists are conservative, so it is an issue for them. But it is not a *Calvinist* issue, since it is important to many non-Calvinists.
I know (not just think but *know*) that the popularity of the ESV as well as the image of some people who support the ESV have turned some people against it. I had someone tell me, ‘I don’t care if you can prove beyond doubt it is the most accurate and beautiful translation in the world. I don’t like some of the people who promote it, so it is guilty by association. I will never accept it as a decent translation.’ At least they are honest.
I had another person tell me they will never use it *because* it is popular. I see this a lot online. People decide what’s wrong with it, then look for the evidence to fit their agenda. Then they don’t bother verifying the evidence. The ESV is not a perfect translation. It is almost certainly not the *best* translation. But I have not found evidence that it is ‘biased’ and ‘dishonest’ any more than any other translation. It has all of the faults any translation or translation process has. It is not exempt. However, there was not some special case of deliberate deception and doctrinal agenda in the planning and execution.”
PREDESTINATION to Life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honor. Wherefore, they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through Grace obey the calling: they be justified freely: they be made sons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ: they walk religiously in good works, and at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity.
Are we to assume the KJV is a Calvinist translation? The host of the "Christian Living" channel is the one presenting to you a biased base of information.
In conclusion, I find no Theological concept outside of Reformed Theology that offers to the mind adequate answers to the difficult questions concerning man's fall and redemption. I understand the attractiveness of the provisional view of salvation as well as the universal view. We all want everybody to be saved. The reality is that they are not, and that leaves us with these questions in our minds. Why? Does God's love not reach everyone the same? Surely it must, therefore we conclude that all must be equally saved and loved by God and the fault is with us and our free will.
But we must push beyond what we want and how we feel. Even the reasoning of our own mind is insufficient to reach the proper understanding of these deep issues. We must arrive at our understanding from the scriptures alone. Only an understanding derived from Reformed Theology prevents the derogation of power and glory from God and secures the eternal salvation of the saints in God through Christ. Reformed theology exalts God and abases man, in addition to experimental theology, by which a sinner makes his election “effectual by a life consonant with God’s choice, are conceptually and realistically linked together. We must consider these things both from a divine and eternal perspective as well as a natural present-time reality.
By His wisdom and through His foreknowledge, for example, God sees all things that will come to pass, while through His counsel He perceives the best reason for all things that will come into being as a basis for His decrees. Furthermore, with one act, God freely willed all things that were to be; by His omnipotence, God has the power to perform every work necessary to carry out His will. This nature of God, this internal activity, this life of God, this operation on behalf of man, is God’s glory. Provisionists like to take the concept in Reformed theology and turn it into a scheme that portrays God as creating people assigning some of them to salvation and others being created for destruction. However, it is not necessary for God to create individuals for destruction, all he has to do is to create a world where disobedience is possible and man will take care of the destruction himself.
All God had to do was leave Adam to himself, He did not cause or will Adam’s fall or cause his sin. Rather, Adam’s fall was due to his own wilful disobedience. Without constraint, men willingly fall from integrity. God leaves them to their own desires, freely allowing them to fall. The time of testing in the garden was not to prove that man could stand with the add of grace, but if he indeed could stand of his own integrity with a pure human nature. Surely we must not think that man’s fall was by chance, or by God’s failure to know it, or by allowing it against his will. God did not make Adam sin. He did not infuse corruption in any form or withdraw any gift that had been Adam’s from creation. Rather, it happened, not without the will of God, for God did create the world that Adam was experiencing, yet Adam fell without God's approval of it, however, that does not suggest God must be ignorant of what He had created. The proper cause of the fall was instigated by the devil attempting our overthrow, and Adams's will, which when it began to be tested, did not desire God's assistance, but looked to stand on his own wisdom and goodness which rendered himself sufficient for the fall.
Though the decree of God did and continues to order every event, He does so by wisely bending the will in all things that are good, and by forsaking it in things that are evil: yet the will of the creature left to itself, falls by its own accord and not because of the decree, for the decree, planted nothing in Adam whereby he should fall, but you cannot deny God of the knowledge that he would fall. We must understand, that though God did not approve of Adam's fall, the nature of the creation was such that he would fall. And we must be careful not to say God's creation was anything less than He intended it to be. We must conclude that all events that did and shall come to pass are working within His framework to accomplish His eternal purpose in the greatest and highest good possible. To suggest anything less is to leave God a failure in His eternal purpose.
To imply God created certain individuals and decreed their damnation is to misunderstand the decree. The provisionists try to avoid this in their scheme of free will and man's ability to move himself towards righteousness. They present God as trying to save the whole world by making provision for all if they would only believe. But how does that work if God is the creator of the world? He is trying to save a world of which He knew from the beginning he could not save all and then made provision for those He knew would not accept that provision. Yet, He being the creator, created them anyway knowing he was going to condemn them from the beginning. Their scheme of salvation does not end any different than the Calvinist scheme, yet by theirs they deprive God of all His perfections in being able to accomplish all that He pleases. William Perkins would explain that to do so would make God the author of sin. He would suggest the decree of reprobation did not cause damnation; rather, Adam’s voluntary sin did. The decree of reprobation is the foundation, not the cause, of all manifestations of God’s justice and wrath.
Perkins would deny that God creates anyone for damnation. God decreed damnation not as damnation but as an execution of His justice. Sin, therefore, is not an effect created by God in any individual, but a consequence of the decree of reprobation. Sin, however, is the meriting cause of actual damnation. Adam’s fall allows no one to make any claim on God, all have merited damnation through the decree of reprobation because of their sin. However, God wills to take His elect out of this mass of mankind for His own everlasting love and glory. The elect become vessels of God’s mercy solely out of God’s will and without regard to their good or evil. They are ordained to salvation and heavenly glory through grace and mercy which they do not deserve and no one is ordained to hell or perdition except on account of his sin.
May God bless,
David
A few comments, not necessarily in the same order as your paper addresses various topics:
ReplyDelete- While I don't see any "Calvinistic" influence in the ESV (or the NASB), I would say that some translations ARE influenced by the theology of the translators. The KJV clearly has some Anglican and Catholic bias in it. And the NIV clearly has translation errors in it (the Greek it was translated from DOES NOT support the English translation in a few places).
- The following idea was stated in your text, but I believe the whole idea of "fairness" can be simply stated thus: God would be FAIR if He sent us ALL to hell. It is only by His good grace and mercy that ANY are saved. I do not understand those that claim to be saved, yet do not see this. I agree with Paul Washer when he says "We should bow down and worship God, even if He sends us to Hell because He is WORTHY."
- I also agree with Spurgeon when asked about the Bible stating that we are to preach the Gospel to all, yet God is the one who saves unconditionally. (I don't see a contradiction here.) Spurgeon's response is that BOTH are true. Both ideas are like two parallel lines that meet at the Cross.
- I also agree with Paul Washer when he states, that in heaven we will understand everything about eschatology and the second coming, but it will take an eternity to understand everything there is to know about the Gospel.
- I don't remember which confession I read this in, but I remember there was a statement (maybe a comment?), regarding the doctrine of election - as follows: it should be handled VERY CAREFULLY. I believe the idea behind this was not to present or create a stumbling block.
- Regarding stumbling blocks, there is a text (you may have it), written by Spurgeon, that addresses many of the issues for those seeking Christ. It is called Words of Advice for Seekers. (There is a modern reprint by Attic Books published in 2013). It addresses the APPARENT contrast between seeking God and Him drawing us.
- As far as Reform Theology, I cannot think of a better term to use, but there are a lot of variations on secondary issues, with few variations on the primary issues (the attributes of God, the Trinity, Election, etc.). I only mention this because it may be confusing for the average person to grasp what is Reform Theology. From a "keeping it simple" perspective, I wish we did not have to use the term Calvinism either. Using the term kind of implies that there is more than one VALID view. I like the idea that Spurgeon set forth, "Calvinism is merely the gospel". The two crucial things that must be grasped before the 5 points can be grasped are:
1) The nature of God and 2) the nature of man. Until these are understood, we are merely beating the air with are fists and no amount of words will convince today's typical church attendee that even though man preaches the Gospel, God is the one who does the drawing, and that we would never seek God on our own. This is why I have such a hard time with those that claim to know Christ, yet view themselves so highly that they saved themselves. Yes, we are commanded to seek God, and obey Him, but at the same time, he is the one that effects the conversion and everything that led up to it, for which we need to bow low in gratitude.
- I guess I can offer no real criticism of what you wrote. I could wish it to be shorter or simpler, but don't know how to make it simpler or shorter. I do think (as I mentioned earlier), that the fundamental problem is most view themselves to highly, God to low. And again, a lot of damage was done to the congregants, by preachers that have taught a low view of God for years. And to beat a dead horse, maybe instead of Calvinism vs. Arminianism/Semi-pelagianism we should only use the terms Gospel vs. False Gospel.
You did a good job at this and put a lot of effort into it. Thank you for putting the effort into it. And thank you for teaching others. Somebody has to tell the truth.
God Bless,
Rene'