The Doctrine of Predestination. Bernie Koerselman

Transcription

1 by Bernie Koerselman

2 Page 2 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Man is No Longer Accountable 3 Tension in Scripture? 4 Essential to Understand 4 The Emperor Has No Clothes 5 God s Foreknowledge 6 Romans 8:29 God Foreknows Who Will Be Saved 6 6 What Did God Predestine? 6 God Predestined a Qualification of True Believers 6 The Likeness of Jesus 7 The Qualification Predestined by God 8 Jesus Teachings & Commands Are the Will of God 9 Give Up Everything You Have 10 Peter Teaches the Same Qualification 11 Paul in Ephesians 11 Esau and Jacob 13 God s Purposes 14 The Elect 15 Calvinism 15 Total Inability 16 God s Sovereignty 17 Calvinism Seems to Denigrate God s Salvation 18 Calvinism s Predestination Seems to Attack God s Sovereignty 18 Wrong Assumption About God s Sovereignty 18 Unsolvable Tension 19 God Is Not Willing That Any Be Lost 19 God Had a Different Plan 20 A Personal Note 20 The Reason for My Passion 20 A Difficult Decision 21 Non-Uniformity Among Calvinists 21 Unexpected Encouragement 22 About John Calvin 22 The Murder of Servetus 22 The Father of Calvinism 24 What Was His Spiritual Condition? 25 What Does Scripture Say? 25 Conclusion 26

3 Page 3 Introduction Some Christian churches teach that before the creation of the world God predestined those who will be saved and those who will be damned. Those who follow such teachings emphasize the sovereignty of God, believing God sovereignly determined who would be saved long before any individual had an opportunity to accept or reject God s salvation through Jesus Christ. They also emphasize grace God s unmerited favor because by their view man does nothing, and can do nothing, to gain salvation. A natural extension of that view is Calvinism s efficacious or irresistible grace which is defined as that grace that reaches down from God and saves you, irrespective of your desire or intent; it is both irresistible and permanent. 1 This arises, of course, from the belief that before the creation of the world God predestined who would be saved. If one is predestined by God to be saved he will be, no matter what his wishes are, no matter how he lives, no matter what. By their view, God exercises his sovereignty and saves those whom he chooses to save and damn those whom he chooses to damn. Man is No Longer Accountable But is this what Scripture says? Or is this a creation of men who misinterpreted Scripture? Their motives could have been pure or they could have been tainted by man s continuing desire not to be accountable. After all, if predestination is true, how can God hold anyone accountable? By their view, the reason a person is saved is not by anything he has done, but rather is dependent solely upon whether a sovereign God predestined him to be saved. Make no mistake, these people claim that those predestined to be saved are irresistibly moved upon by the Holy Spirit and are brought to repentance and faith, and thus made heirs of eternal life. 2 But they claim such actions are totally that of God, that man has done nothing and is incapable of doing anything to receive or accept salvation. 3 Many of Christ s commands become irrelevant if one is predestined to be saved or to be damned. His command to make disciples of all nations is apparently a nice idea, but it makes no sense to try to make disciples of those who are predestined to be damned. Nor is it really important to evangelize those predestined to be saved because the sovereign God will make sure they are saved through irresistible grace. Faith, purity, righteousness, holiness and obedience all become nice concepts under predestination but are irrelevant as to salvation. 4 One will not be saved by anything if the 1 Lorraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1979), page Id. at page Id. at pages But Scripture says, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). And, without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Jesus said, For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). Peter said,... you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth... (1 Peter 1:22). Paul taught, For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a

4 Page 4 Sovereign God has not predestined him to be saved. Nothing any person can do or wants to do, pro or con, will affect whether he is saved; ultimately, it is all dependent on God s election, God s predestination of those who will be saved. Tension in Scripture? I ve often heard that there is tension in Scripture. Much tension exists between the doctrine of predestination and other teachings of Scripture. An example is the tension between the doctrine of predestination and the requirement for perseverance. Jesus said those who persevere to the end will be saved. Scripture exhorts the believer to persevere and not fall away from the faith. 5 How can one who is predestined by God to eternal life fall away from the faith? Obviously impossible; necessarily tension. There is likewise tension between the doctrine of predestination and holiness, righteousness and obedience. There is tension between predestination of the limited few to salvation and Jesus atoning sacrifice for all. 6 Why would Scripture emphasize that Jesus gave himself for all if only a certain predestined group of persons were to be saved? He would have died only for them, not for those God predestined to be damned without hope of redemption. There is extreme tension between the predestined few who are to be saved and the Scripture which states, The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 7 Claiming that there are tensions in Scripture implies that the Holy Spirit is not capable of writing Scripture without tension or that God s principles, requirements, commands, grace, justice, and love cannot coexist without tension. I believe such teaching slanders God. I believe Almighty God caused Scripture to be written free of tension when properly understood. When tension seems to exist, men s understanding has failed and it is again time to ask God to reveal the truth of his word. When God answers that prayer, Scripture is found to be free of tension. So you will find in our discussion. You will see how beautifully God s Scripture is bound together, how the truths intertwine beautifully to create the awesome fabric of the Gospel. Essential to Understand The concept of predestination must be dealt with if we are to fully discuss the hypothesis that obedience is a necessary and natural response of a saving faith. If man is not accountable, then he need not be obedient obedience is irrelevant. According to the doctrine of predestination, if God has predestined him to be saved, he will be saved without righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:17, quote from Hab. 2:4). Paul said his God-given mission was to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5). 5 See Matthew 11:6, Luke 7:23, 8:13, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, Colossians 1:21-23, 1 Timothy 3:6, Hebrews 2:1, 4:11, 6:6, 10:26-31,39, and 2 Peter 1:10, 3:17. 6 See Hebrews 9:26, 10:10, 1 Peter 3:18, and 1 John 2: Peter 3:9.

5 Page 5 regard to how he lives. On the other hand, no matter how obedient he may be, no matter how much he wants to be saved, he will be damned if God predestined him to be damned. The Calvinists answer that by claiming that if left to themselves men would continue in their state of rebellion and refuse all offers of salvation. 8 The Emperor Has No Clothes We re all familiar with the old story of the emperor who was told he was being fitted with beautiful clothes while in fact he was naked. It was only when a boy shouted, Look, the emperor is naked, that the emperor learned the truth. I may have had a parallel experience with respect to the doctrine of Predestination. When a youngster, I was taught the doctrine in my Presbyterian church. Even though a child of only 11 or 12 years of age, I readily exclaimed, Then it doesn t make any difference how one lives. One will either be saved or damned, according to the will of God determined before the foundations of the earth. 9 Most Calvinists would not agree. They are in the midst of the forest and cannot distinguish the forest from the trees. They have subscribed to a system of theological thought known as the Reformed Faith or Calvinism, which includes within it this lofty doctrine of Predestination. 10 This is not to say that Calvinists do not subscribe to obedience, holiness, righteousness, the cross of Christ, and the atonement and redemption through Christ Jesus and other fundamental doctrines of the faith. However, they have lost the ability to cut to the chase, of looking at the bottom line of what the doctrine of unconditional election does to the other doctrines it makes them irrelevant. To be perfectly fair, let me use the language of the writer rather than my own: The Reformed Faith has held to the existence of an eternal, divine decree which, antecedently to any difference or desert in men themselves, separates the human race into two portions and ordains one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting death. 11 Calvin said, We shall never be clearly convinced as we ought to be that our salvation flows from the fountain of God s free mercy, till we are acquainted with this eternal election, which illustrates the grace of God by this comparison, that He adopts not all promiscuously to the hope of salvation but gives to some what he refuses to others. Ignorance of this principle evidently detracts from the divine glory, and diminishes real humility Boettner, supra note 2, at page My comment was not a result of wanting to live a wild life but one of consternation, not understanding how the doctrine fit with the Scripture I read and learned. 10 The term lofty doctrine is taken from Boettner, supra at note 2, page Id., at page John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993), Book III, Chapter XXI, sec. I, page 203.

6 Page 6 God s Foreknowledge The doctrine of predestination seems to come from a misunderstanding of, or confusion with, the concept of God s foreknowledge. The omnipotent God has foreknowledge of that which will occur. Romans 8:29 A good place to begin this examination is a verse which speaks of both foreknowledge and predestination Romans 8:29: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 13 God Foreknows Who Will Be Saved What did God foreknow? Romans 8:29 says, For those God foreknew... The author is speaking of people whom God foreknew. What do we know about those people? Verses 28 and 29 list various attributes: they love God, they are called according to his purpose, they will be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, and they are Christ s brothers. What can we know about such people? We know they are saved, that they do the will of God, 14 and that they obey his commands. 15 God foreknew those who would be saved. Note, it does not say he predestined who would be saved; he foreknew who would be saved. What Did God Predestine? Did our text (vs. 28 and 29) show that God predestined some to be saved? Not at all. What did God predestine? God Predestined a Qualification of True Believers God made an enormous point in verse 29 that seems to be overlooked by many in modern evangelical Christendom. God predestined that all those who would be saved (those he foreknew) would be conformed to the likeness of his Son. This is not stated as a good idea, or as simply a goal of the believer. It is something God has predestined, something that must happen. We know it must happen because God has predestined it. 13 All texts will be taken from the NIV translation of the Bible unless specifically stated otherwise. 14 Matthew 12: John 5:3: And this is love for God: to obey his commands.

7 Page 7 Because God has predestined it, we can logically reverse the order and see this truth from a different viewpoint: one must be conformed to the likeness of Jesus if one is to be saved. 16 Many may argue with this conclusion, stating that the passage refers to being conformed to the likeness of Jesus in heaven, not here on earth. But there are many passages that confirm that it is here on earth we must be conformed to the likeness of Jesus. The Apostle John stated: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 17 John s statement has the same force we found in Romans 8:29 must! Isn t that straightforward? It should not be misunderstood by anyone. There is more. Jesus told his disciples, Nor are you to be called teacher, for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 18 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. 19 Paul said the same to the other churches. He commended the Thessalonians, You became imitators of us and of the Lord. 20 Paul told the Colossians God qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints. 21 He exhorted the Corinthians, Aim for perfection 22 and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 23 The Likeness of Jesus What is the likeness of Jesus to which we must be conformed? That becomes a crucial question as it is something which every true believer must be. The likeness of which God speaks surely cannot be perfection, though Paul says we must aim for perfection. Jesus alone was perfect. John says if we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 24 What likeness of Jesus is it which can be in common for all true believers? What must be in common between the person who has a valid deathbed conversion and the old saint who has lived for the Lord for many years? It surely is not the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit. Those on their deathbed may not have the opportunity to exercise the gifts. 16 Note that I did not say, in order to be saved. Scripture does not state this as a pre - condition to salvation. We come to God as we are which may be dirty, sinful, unholy, and unrighteous. God s condition is simply that: Those that will be saved will be conformed to the likeness of his Son because God predestined it would be so. This is God s requirement, not man s. If you must argue about it, you must argue with God John 2:6. 18 Matthew 23: Luke 6: Thessalonians 1:6 21 Colossians 1: Corinthians 13: Corinthians 10: John 1:8.

8 Page 8 The Qualification Predestined by God What could all true believers have in common with Jesus that God would say they are conformed to Jesus likeness? The characteristic of Jesus that is paramount, and one which true believers can and must emulate, is his commitment to obey the will of God. 25 Those who would be his brothers those who would be conformed into his likeness must also be committed to obey the will of God. God is saying that all those he foreknows those who will be saved will commit to obey his will, just as his Son was/is committed to obey his will. It is through our persevering commitment to obey the will of God that we become conformed to the likeness of God s son. Could this be true? Are there other scriptures to verify this interpretation? One of the many is found in Matthew 7:21 where Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. There Jesus limited the Kingdom of God to a certain group, just as God did in saying that those who would be saved will be conformed to the likeness of his son. It is the same limitation. There is a scripture that comes to mind that perfectly illustrates the connection between being a brother of the Lord Jesus and doing the will of God. Jesus was speaking to a group when he was told his mother and brothers wanted to speak to him. Consider Jesus reply: He replied to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. 26 Romans 8:29 states that God predestined that Jesus is to be the firstborn among many brothers. Jesus said his brothers are those who do the will of his Father in heaven! Is obedience stressed elsewhere in Scripture? 27 It is perhaps the most important requirement stated by God of those who would be saved. Some examples: Jesus said, If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love 28 and You are my friends if you do what I command. 29 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. 30 If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching The most extreme example is Jesus agonized prayer the night before he was crucified. Aware of what was about to happen he prayed, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will (Matthew 26:39,42,44). For a complete discussion, see the chapter Jesus Modeled Obedience. 26 Matthew 12: The Old Testament is replete with numerous examples of God s requirement that his people obey him. The references are too numerous to mention here. 28 John 15: John 15: John 14:21.

9 Page 9 The Holy Spirit was promised for those who obey. Jesus said, If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth 32 and If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 33 Peter said the same, the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. 34 Now let s tie this together with a command familiar to all of us. The first and greatest command, Jesus said, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 35 Now let s remember that Jesus is God. 36 Considering those facts, what have the prior scriptures taught us? That true believers, those who receive the Holy Spirit and are indwelt with the Father and the Son will obey Jesus commands and teaching. The author of Hebrews said, He (Jesus) became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. 37 Jesus Teachings & Commands Are the Will of God Have you noticed that there are two different standards being set forth. One is to do the will of God: we are Christ s brothers and sisters if we do the will of God; only those who do the will of God will enter the Kingdom of God. 38 On the other hand, Jesus says that if we love him [Jesus] we will obey his commands. 39 How do we reconcile these standards which are worded quite differently. They can only be totally reconciled if what Jesus teaches and commands is the will of God, of his Father in heaven. Is that true? What does Scripture say? Recorded in the Gospel of John are numerous instances where Jesus told the origin of what he did and said: My teaching is not my own it comes from him who sent me; 40 he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world; 41 I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me; 42 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father s presence; 43 the truth that I heard from God; 44 I did not speak on my 31 John 14: John 14: John 14: Acts 5: Matthew 22: Peter 1:1, Romans 9:5, John 1:1. 37 Hebrews 5:9. 38 Matthew 7:21 39 John 14:15, 21, John 7: John 8: John 8: John 8: John 8:40.

10 Page 10 own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say; 45 these words are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me; 46 I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. 47 It is completely natural to be expected based on the foregoing that Jesus command to his followers regarding new disciples would be: teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. 48 It is through the new disciples commitment to obey Christ s commandments that they are conformed to the likeness of Jesus 49 and do the will of God. 50 All of Jesus teachings and commands are the will of God. 51 Paul summed it up for the Corinthians: Keeping God s commands is what counts. 52 Give Up Everything You Have We know from Scripture that Jesus gave up everything, even his life, in obedience to the will of God. The night before he was crucified he prayed to the Father that this cup would be taken from him, But not my will, but yours be done. 53 It was God s will that Jesus die for us, to provide atonement for our sins. Jesus was obedient to God s will. Did Jesus have to die? Yes, if our sins are to be forgiven. Could he have refused? Yes. As he was being arrested, Jesus told his disciples not to offer further opposition. He explained, Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way? 54 The same requirement giving up everything we have is demanded of us. Jesus taught, Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. 55 Each of us has the same opportunity to obey or disobey. We can choose not to give up everything we have. But then we cannot be Jesus disciple. We have forfeited salvation. 45 John 12: John 14: John 14: Matthew 28: Romans 8: Matthew 7:21 51 Because Jesus said and did only that which God the Father told him to say and do, everything Jesus said and did was the will of God. John 7:16, 8:26, 28, 29, 38, 40, 12:49-50, 14:10, 24, 31, 17:7, 14. Jesus stated his purpose in coming to earth: For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me (John 6:38). Jesus was obedient and kept God s word (John 8:55) Corinthians 7: Luke 22: Matthew 26: Luke 14:33.

11 Page 11 Peter Teaches the Same Qualification When Peter began his epistle, he directed it to those who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood. 56 What was the purpose Peter recites? It was for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood. Remember, obedience to the teachings and commands of Jesus equals obedience to the will of God. 57 Again we come full circle: Only those who are committed to do the will of God 58 those who are conformed to the likeness of Jesus 59 and only those who have been chosen according to God s foreknowledge for obedience to Jesus 60 will be saved. No tension, just beauty! Did Peter say we were chosen (to be saved) by the predestination of God? Not at all. It was according to the foreknowledge of God, that foreknowledge by which God would know in advance those who would choose to follow Jesus as their Lord, who would be conformed to the likeness of Jesus through their commitment to be obedient to the will of God the teachings and commands of Jesus. Paul in Ephesians Based on that fundamental understanding, let us examine passages dear to the hearts of those who claim God predestined those who would be saved: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ... (Ephesians 1:4-5). In interpreting this passage we must remember another rule of interpretation. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. By doing so, we are letting the Holy Spirit tell us what he means. The Ephesians passage speaks of believers as chosen by God. What has Peter taught us about being chosen? Believers are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. In Ephesians 1:5, we see why we were chosen to be holy and blameless in his sight. When we are conformed to the likeness of Jesus we are surely holy and blameless in God s sight. Peter told us we were chosen for obedience to Jesus Christ. Those who are obedient to Jesus Christ are holy in God s sight. But we are not blameless until our sins are forgiven. Peter explained how we become blameless; he said true believers are sprinkled by 56 1 Peter 1:2. 57 John 7:16, 8:26, 28, 29, 38, 40, 12:49-50, 14:10, 24, 31, 17:7, Matthew 7: Romans 8: Peter 1:2.

12 Page 12 his blood. The meanings are the same; the verses are giving the same message albeit using different words. This is a verse that speaks of being chosen before the creation of the world. When misinterpreted, the emphasis of the passage is misdirected. Adherents of the doctrine of predestination focus on he chose us in him before the creation of the world. But that is not what the passage states. It states a qualification of those God chose (foreknew) to be holy and blameless in his sight. Even before the creation of the world, God determined that those he foreknew would be saved (chosen) would be holy and blameless in his sight. 61 In Ephesians 1:5, we see believers are predestined to be adopted as God s sons through Jesus Christ. In Romans 8:29 Paul taught we were predestined to be conformed to the likeness of God s Son, that he might be the firstborn of many brothers. Again, these meanings are the same. An adopted son of God is a brother of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. The believers adopted as God s sons are the many brothers of whom Jesus is the firstborn. Nowhere is there predestination of who will be saved. Rather, God predestined the qualification of those who will be adopted as God s sons they will be holy and blameless in his sight, conformed to the likeness of God s Son. Is this also true of Ephesians 1:11-12? Indeed it is. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:11-12). We remember that Peter taught us we were chosen by God s foreknowledge. The remainder of the sentence is one of Paul s elaborate sentences containing many parenthetical phrases. To paraphrase in a simple fashion: The chosen those God foreknew would be saved were predestined according to God s plan to be for the praise of his glory. How could we be for the praise of God s glory? Certainly the best way would be if we were conformed to the likeness of his Son as Paul said at Romans 8:29. Again we have the marvelous consistency of Scripture. Those who God foreknew would be saved he 61 Paul taught the same at Colossians 1: There he presented the gospel which he taught the Colossians and of which he had become a servant: God has reconciled you by Christ s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Paul added a qualification not possible if Calvin s predestination is true: we are presented holy in God s sight if we continue in the faith... not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Those who do not continue are not saved but those that do are saved.

13 Page 13 predestined to be conformed to the likeness of God s son, 62 for the praise of his glory 63 and to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. 64 No tension, just harmony. Esau and Jacob Paul wrote an account of Esau and Jacob that bears upon our subject: Before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad in order that God s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls she was told, The older will serve the younger. Just as it is written: Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated (Romans 9:11-13). Here we introduce a new word election. How does election relate to predestination and foreknowledge? First, let s notice the emphasis that the election is not by works. It has to do with God s choice (a word used in some translations), not based on human merit men s deeds, achievements, or on anything they did (all words and phrases used in various translations). Thus, as we begin, it is clear this is at God s level, not man s. Because God declared this before the children were born, it is something he determined before they were born. Thus the translations are unanimous in their interpretations that the children did nothing intentionally and could have done nothing intentionally (after their birth) to influence God s choice or election. This sounds suspiciously like predestination. Now let s examine God s purpose in election. Can this be explained by what we ve already learned, i.e., that through God s foreknowledge he foreknew those who would be saved before the foundations of the earth and that God predestined a qualification for all those who would be saved? The story of Esau and Jacob in the Old Testament is not extensive. We know that Esau offended God by giving up his birthright an honor specifically bestowed by God on the firstborn for a bowl of porridge simply because he was hungry after he d been hunting. Before the twins were born, did God see the man who gave away his birthright for porridge and say, I hated Esau? We can gain more insight by looking at the text in Malachi where God said, I have hated Esau and turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals. 65 God continued, They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called The Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. 66 The punishment described by God is for his enemies. It now becomes more apparent that God foreknew Esau would do more than give away his birthright; he would 62 Romans 8: Ephesians 1: Ephesians 1:5. 65 Malachi 1:3. 66 Malachi 1:4.

14 Page 14 become wicked and father a wicked people. The writer to the Hebrews called Esau godless. 67 Thus, through his foreknowledge, God could say, I have hated Esau.. Did God look ahead through foreknowledge and see his relationship with Jacob and say, I loved Jacob? We are told of Jacob s deception in gaining the birthright, of his deceptive nature with his uncle Leben, but also of his encounter with God, wrestling with God, the vision of the ladder into heaven, God changing his name to Israel, being the father of the nation of Israel and part of the bloodline of the coming Christ. God could see through his foreknowledge a man who was deceptive in his early manhood but who came to serve him and was faithful to him in his later years. Through his foreknowledge God could say, I loved Jacob. God s Purposes Isn t the language purpose in election 68 very similar to what we ve seen as God s purpose of his will in order that we might be for the praise of his glory? 69 The word choose is similar to the word elect. In fact, the two words are used together, To God s elect,... who have been chosen..., 70 proving that the words are virtually synonymous as used by the epistle writer. We saw the language For he chose us in him and In him we were also chosen What did Scripture say was the purpose of being chosen? To be holy and blameless in his sight and to be for the praise of his glory. 74 Scripture taught us, through Peter, that believers have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. 75 In Romans 8:28, it states that those who love God were called according to his purpose. God s purpose is that Jesus might be the firstborn among many brothers 76 and that these brothers would be conformed to the likeness of Jesus and be holy and blameless in his sight, for the praise of his glory. When we use Scripture to explain Scripture, confusion and tension disappear. When we use the arguments and reasoning of men to explain Scripture, confusion and tension abound. 67 Hebrews 12: Romans 9: Ephesians 1: Peter 1: Ephesians 1:4. 72 Ephesians 1: Ephesians 1:4. 74 Ephesians 1: Peter 1:2. 76 Romans 8:29.

15 Page 15 The Elect If chosen and elected are parallel words in the texts, then Peter s explanation would include the statement, believers are the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Peter later uses the word election in a way that will make certain we understand Calvinism s meaning of predestination is not a possible meaning. Starting at 2 Peter 1:5, Peter states, For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness,... He recites knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love and other virtues to add to our faith. But it is at verse 10 that we gain understanding of the word election: Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 77 Do you notice that Peter is putting the responsibility for making their election sure on the readers of his epistle? If the Calvinist meaning of predestination were intended for election, then the reader of Peter s epistle would have no responsibility. Through God s irresistible grace the reader, if he were predestined to be saved, would be saved. If he were not so predestined, he would be damned, irrespective of any effort or desire on his part. But Peter commanded, make every effort Peter continues and makes the point that God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 79 First, Peter s statement is misleading if God determined in advance who would be saved and who would not. Second, he is assuring the reader that God wants him to make every effort and to make his calling and election sure; God wants everyone to come to repentance! Peter says, You know what God requires and you can do it. John assures us, God s commands are not burdensome. 80 We can be certain that election does not mean Calvin s predestination, but rather is related to the foreknowledge of God as it bears on those who are saved and to the requirements that God has set up for his elect when it speaks of the special qualifications of those who are saved. Calvinism The Calvinistic system emphasizes five distinct doctrines technically known as The Five Points of Calvinism. They are the main pillars upon which the superstructure of Calvinism rests Peter 1: Peter 1: Peter 3: John 5:3.

16 Page 16 As one of their spokesman has stated, Prove any one of them false and the whole system must be abandoned. 81 Let s do that. Let us prove false the first point Total Inability. We ve already proven that the doctrine of predestination is false. Total Inability The Westminster Confession states the doctrine of Total Inability as follows: Man by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. The statement quoted above can be accepted by most who do not look at it carefully. Because much is not defined, it is impossible to know what the doctrine really is intended to say by looking at it by itself. We must look to the writings about it by those who are Calvinists. A careful reading, however, does disclose certain points which are without proof from Scripture. Consider being altogether averse from good, and wholly lost all ability of will. These are extreme statements. Where in Scripture is the proof? In explanation, Lorraine Boettner writes, This doctrine of Total Inability... means that since the fall man rests under the curse of sin, that he is actuated by wrong principles, and that he is wholly unable to love God or to do anything meriting salvation. 82 Just as the statement of the doctrine itself, the explanation is overstated without proof, though much of the statement most Christians would agree with. But consider wholly unable to love God. God describes in Scripture various people who seem to be included in order to confound false assertions. Cornelius (of Acts 10) comes instantly to my mind when confronted with the statements and doctrines concerning Total Inability. An entire chapter of Scripture was devoted to this man and his story. Do you wonder why? First, let s look again at the over-stated assertions of Total Inability: wholly unable to love God or to do anything meriting salvation, being altogether averse from good, and wholly lost all ability of will. Hopefully all will agree that as the story opens in chapter 10, verse 1, Cornelius is not a saved man. From the context following, it is clear he does not have a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he has not been justified. Based on the doctrine of Total Inability he is unable to love God or do anything meriting salvation, being altogether averse from good. Would God agree with that? Apparently not. God-inspired scripture describes Cornelius as God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 81 Supra note 2, p Id, p. 61.

17 Page 17 God sent an angel to Cornelius who said, Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 83 Cornelius must not have known about the doctrine of Total Inability or he surely would not have done as he did. He showed love for God contrary to the doctrine of Total Inability. He gave generously and prayed to God regularly. Is this altogether averse from good? Did Cornelius do anything to merit salvation? Yes and no. He could not earn salvation by what he did; he could not be justified before God by what he did. But he did please God. God responded by saying that his efforts to please God have come up as a memorial offering before him. What did God do for this man who sought to please him? God told Cornelius to send for Peter so that Peter could tell him, his family, and his friends about God s provision for salvation, atonement, redemption, and the gift of eternal life. God responded to Cornelius love and attention with God s provision for salvation. Lorraine Boettner expanded on the Calvinist position: It is in this sense that man since the fall is utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly included to all evil. He possesses a fixed bias of the will against God, and instinctively and willingly turns to evil.... The inability under which he labors is not an inability to exercise volitions, but an inability to be willing to exercise holy volitions... How can he come to God when he hates him? 84 Did Cornelius hate God? Was he utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly included to all evil? Did he possess a fixed bias of the will against God, and instinctively and willingly turn to evil? Of course not. None of what happened with Cornelius is possible under Calvinism s doctrine of Total Inability. Cornelius could not have done as he did. Nevertheless, according to Calvinism, he was totally unable to be willing to exercise holy volitions. Totally contrary to the doctrine above-stated, it was Cornelius willingness to exercise holy volitions that appears to have so pleased God that he arranged for Peter to tell him about God s provision for salvation. In my study of Calvinism, I have come to realize that the doctrines of Calvinism state what first at first blush appear to be truths of Scripture. But these truths are over-stated beyond what Scripture has said, 85 and from the over-statements false conclusions are drawn. God s Sovereignty By proving that Calvinism s doctrine of predestination is not biblical, have we attacked God s sovereignty? Are we claiming God cannot do what Calvinism claims that God determined (predestined) before the foundations of the earth who would be saved and who would be damned? 83 Acts 10:4. 84 Supra note 2, p Unfortunately overstatements often are not recognized by the person who is not a student of the Word nor of people who read quickly and/or casually.

18 Page 18 Of course not! God is Almighty. He has all power and all authority in heaven and on earth, which at this time he has given to his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. 86 God can do as he wishes. God was under no compulsion to provide a means of salvation. He did it for his own purposes, some of which at this time may be inscrutable to mankind. Some of his purposes we do know he did it so Jesus could be the firstborn of many brothers, that we could be for the praise of his glory, and that we would be holy and blameless in his sight. Calvinism Seems to Denigrate God s Salvation Those who adhere to Calvinism s theory of predestination seem to limit both God and man. They seem to imply that sinful man will not willingly choose God over Satan and a sinful life style. They seem to believe that man must be compelled to believe (by Calvinism s theory of irresistible grace) or he will not. Is God and purity and righteousness and holiness so unattractive? Are joy and peace and love not those qualities most sought by almost all people, both sinners and redeemed? When seen in God s children, aren t those the qualities what makes life-style evangelism so effective? Calvinists also seem to believe that God must take away man s free will in order that man will follow him instead of the evil one. God must predestine require, even force man to follow him in order to get man to do so. Doesn t this desperately tarnish the cross of Jesus Christ? Can t man recognize his sinfulness, God s gracious provision for redemption, and in gratitude accept Jesus Christ as his Lord, thus receiving God s salvation as the Father draws him to Jesus? Jesus said no one can come to him unless God (the Father) draws him, 87 but nowhere does it suggest God compels anyone to come. Calvinism s Predestination Seems to Attack God s Sovereignty Calvinism s theory of predestination itself seems to deny God s sovereignty. Is God incapable of doing what he wants? Does he box himself into a corner by doing something he later regrets but cannot undo? You ask, What are you speaking about? I am referring to the following scripture: The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 88 Based on that statement by Peter, either Peter was in error or God lacks sufficient sovereignty to do as he wishes OR Calvinism s theory is a theory of man and does not represent God s intent at all. Wrong Assumption About God s Sovereignty It appears to this writer that Calvinism makes a wrong basic assumption. It seems to assume that if God is sovereign he will exercise his sovereignty by sovereignly determining 86 Matthew 28: John 6:44: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day Peter 3:9.

19 Page 19 who will be saved and who will be damned, even before any person has done anything good or bad. They lose sight of the fact that God may exercise his sovereignty in any manner he chooses. He may do it and indeed has done it exactly as he said in Scripture; he desires all to come to repentance. Jesus died once for all. 89 God exhorts men to be continue to be faithful to persevere because they can fall away from the faith and be damned, not because God has damned them but because of their own lack of perseverance in the faith. 90 But here Calvinism departs radically, claiming that God doesn t really mean what he says in Scripture about punishment for apostasy (as no saved person can be an apostate), that it is only to inspire fears and that these fears may be the very means which God has designed to keep him from falling. 91 Isn t it a wonder the Calvinists do not hear with their ears and see with their eyes the conflict they have created. The elect cannot fall (according to Calvinism) so how could these fears keep them from falling? 92 Unsolvable Tension Note the unsolvable tension between not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance and God has determined before the foundations of the earth who will be saved and who will not. Something is wrong. Someone is wrong and it is not God. This tension, if Calvinism s view is correct, implies that though God doesn t want anyone to perish he is incapable of doing anything about it, perhaps because of his prior decision to damn some and save others. Or he is not sufficiently sovereign to command that all come to repentance through his irresistible will. Hopefully you will agree that neither of those statements can be true. The Almighty God is capable of doing anything he wishes. God Is Not Willing That Any Be Lost Could Peter s statement be wrong? Is there other corroboration? Paul told Timothy how Christians were to live and then said, This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 93 If God has predestined some to be damned, why does he want all men to be saved? Couldn t he simply predestine all men to be saved? Is he not sufficiently sovereign to carry out his own desires? Speaking of his own people, Jesus said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 94 Was 89 Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 26, 10:10, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 John 2: Corinthians 15:1-2, Colossians 1: Supra note 2, pages Likewise, supra note 2, page 25, the author states that Scripture often describes an act or a thing as it appears to be, rather than as it really is, trying to explain away Scriptures which speak of a purpose of God as dependent on the actions of men Timothy 2:3. 94 Luke 13:34.

20 Page 20 Jesus mourning because they were not willing or because the Father had predestined them to be damned? Jesus said they were not willing. Who should we believe? Consider what Jesus said (after giving the parable about the hundred sheep of which one was lost), In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. 95 The tension mounts. Now the Calvinist must explain away Jesus statement. Why didn t God, who is sovereign, predestine that each of these little ones should be saved? Was he incapable, and thus not as sovereign as he would have us believe? Incorrect assumptions lead to horrible conclusions. Knowing that God is sovereign, that he is Almighty, that he can do all things without limitation except violate his own character, we know that any such interpretation must be wrong. Calvinism s doctrine of predestination is at odds causes tension with other plain statements in Scripture. God Had a Different Plan God s sovereignty permits him to choose any plan of salvation he wishes. God s sovereignty is totally preserved and harmony is maintained in Scripture when we realize it is not, and never was, God s plan to force people into his Kingdom. God s plan, according to Scripture, is that all can come, that Jesus died once for all. Jesus said, For my Father s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. 96 And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. 97 John said, He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 98 God simply predestined a requirement set a standard for those who would come, that they be conformed to the likeness of his Son. No one is left out. All have the opportunity of salvation, i.e., they are not foreclosed the possibility of salvation by a prior decree of God (as Calvinism s doctrine of Predestination would have us believe). All tension is gone. The beautiful fabric of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preserved intact. The Reason for My Passion A Personal Note I have a passion that people correctly understand what God predestined, that he did not foreclose the opportunity of salvation to anyone. Having grown up in the Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Church, I was surrounded by Reformed doctrine that included the doctrine of Predestination. As I struggled with this doctrine, I saw that three things seemed true according to Calvinism: (1) The only thing that mattered concerning salvation was that one be predestined by God to 95 Matthew 18: John 6: John 11: John 2:2.

21 Page 21 salvation. (2) That the God that Scripture claimed was just seemed manifestly unjust. (3) Personal conduct did not matter. The predestined Christian could do anything he wished; it could not affect his salvation. This planted seeds of doubt in me early in my teens that ultimately bore fruit in apostasy. I came to believe that nothing about the Bible was true. Though I d been raised to be a pastor or missionary I could not continue in a belief system I had come to believe was untrue. As a result of the doctrine of Predestination, I lost over 25 years of my life in service to my Lord and my God. Not realizing that Calvinism was only a system of interpretation of Scripture and not the truth of Scripture, I abandoned the faith and became an agnostic/atheist. My children did not have a godly father, my wives did not have a godly husband, and I spread unrest instead of peace. My life was filled with tension and anger. Had I died during that period I would have spent eternity in hell. Who knows how many children and adults have left the faith, as I did, after being confronted with the doctrine of Predestination and making like conclusions? How many tens of thousands or millions will be lost because they came to believe that living in and for the Lord Jesus Christ was unnecessary because they either would be saved or would be damned by a decision made by God before the foundations of the world? A Difficult Decision The decision to write and to continue to write this chapter was very difficult. Some of my best friends in the faith belong to churches that endorse or follow Reformed/Calvinistic doctrines. These very men are often stalwarts of the faith, men I seek to emulate in the faith. It hurts me to expose a doctrine that purports to be part of their system of interpretation of Scripture. I hate the thought of losing such relationships over something I feel compelled to write. It has consoled me that I am neither attacking these men personally, nor for the fact that their lives model Calvinism. Just the opposite. They live as though they don t believe this doctrine. Their lives are upright, holy and righteous. They have a deep concern for the lost and are highly evangelical in their thinking and in their ministries. It appears they are in the Calvinist camp because that s how they were taught; it was the teaching of their seminary, and then of their denomination. Non-Uniformity Among Calvinists I have found few who subscribe in the same way to the various doctrines of Calvinism. As an example, consider the Calvinist doctrine of evanescent grace. This is a doctrine that apparently was created to account for people who left the faith, but who by all appearances had been devout believers. Such people abandoned their beliefs, perhaps because of disappointment and bitterness over the loss of a loved one, some other personal tragedy, or a change of circumstance that caused them to drift away.