Phoenyx: Sorry if things are quoted or capitalized, but I could not figure out how to bold or italicize anything. By the way, these are my little boxes of personal input on this document.
------------------------------
Part 1: Background and Definitions
OVERVIEW OF THE MEANING OF �CALVINISM�
In any meaningful discussion of a subject like Calvinism and free will, it is critically important to carefully define one�s terms. In this paper, I will start with the term "Calvinism". Although this is actually relatively well defined in theological circles, and almost all evangelical Christians have heard of it and have some concept of what it means, many would be surprised to learn that some still use it differently than others.
For example, some Christians (possibly following the example of Norman Geisler in his book "Chosen but Free"�see Appendix 2) think of �moderate Calvinism� as the belief that God elects people ultimately on the basis of His foreknowledge of their choices. But this is actually virtually identical to what the Arminian view holds. Others go the opposite direction and think of Calvinism in terms of being a complete disciple of John Calvin. These Christians are often understandably shocked and dismayed that any Bible-believing Christian would call himself a Calvinist, for the Bible clearly teaches that our allegiance is to be to Christ, not to any man. However, what both of these groups apparently fail to realize is that their definitions of the term "Calvinism" are very different from what most people understand it to mean.
This paper uses the term "Calvinism" as I believe it is most commonly used, which is to mean belief in a certain set of five interrelated doctrinal points, famously abbreviated "TULIP". Briefly stated, these five points of Calvinism are as follows:
"T" stands for "Total depravity". This is the doctrine that unsaved man apart from God is totally depraved, or corrupted, and in complete rebellion against God. This does not mean that every act of unsaved man is totally evil, because God does exert some positive influence (called �common grace�) even over unbelievers, thereby enabling them to do some good things. But APART FROM GOD, every act of unsaved man would be totally evil. One Scripture that demonstrates this is Rom. 8:7 - �The fleshly mind is at enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed CAN IT BE.� Of particular significance to Calvinism, the doctrine of total depravity says that unsaved man is so depraved that he cannot even choose to receive Christ of His own accord, but only if God steps in and enables Him. �No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me DRAWS Him� (John 6:44).
"U" stands for "Unconditional election". This means God makes a sovereign choice to elect (choose) certain people to save them. Actually, He made that choice before the foundation of the world, as Eph. 1:4 makes clear. The choice had to be unconditional because of what we know from the doctrine of total depravity, that everyone is equally and totally opposed to God apart from His drawing. So it is NOT that God chooses people on the basis of who will choose Him; rather none of us would choose God at all unless He had first chosen us and therefore softened our hearts and made us willing to receive Christ. As Jesus put it, �You did not choose Me, but I chose You...� (John 15:16). Note that Calvinists believe unconditional election works both ways: If God sovereignly determines who will be saved, then logically He also sovereignly determines who will be lost. (This idea is sometimes called �double predestination,� in contrast to �single predestination,� which is the idea that God only determines who will be saved and not who will be lost.) God�s sovereign determination of who will be lost is called �reprobation.� Reprobation is not necessarily taken to be the exact opposite of election to salvation, as though there is a perfect symmetry between the two ideas, or that both concepts glorify and please God in exactly the same way. Rather, God seems to take pleasure in His election to salvation in a much different and higher sense than He takes pleasure in accomplishing many other parts of His sovereign will, such as His reprobation, which actually brings Him a form of displeasure. Nevertheless, several Scriptures do seem to affirm that it is perfectly accurate to view God as in some sense predestining the lost as well as the saved (e.g., John 12:40, Rom. 9:18, 2 Thess. 2:11, 1 Pet. 2:8).
"L" stands for "Limited atonement". This is the doctrine that Christ�s death on the cross did not pay for the sins of the whole world, but only for the sins of the elect. Unfortunately, this concept is a little ambiguous in my opinion. In fact, I believe 1 John 2:2 (�He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also those of the whole world�) shows that this doctrine is not completely true, or at least not when stated so broadly. I am more comfortable with another term that is sometimes used to describe this point, namely particular redemption. This emphasizes that God�s purpose in Christ�s atoning sacrifice was to redeem a particular people, namely the elect, which is to my way of thinking a more accurate way of putting it. He came to save �His people� (Matt. 1:21). He gave His life as �a ransom for many� (Matt. 20:28). Through His death He paid for the sins of the elect in a substitutionary sense, as a ransom, bearing them away and guaranteeing that the elect will not be judged for or have to pay for those sins themselves. He did not pay for the sins of the non-elect in quite this same sense, for indeed the non-elect will ultimately be judged for and have to pay for their sins.
�I� stands for �Irresistible grace�. This is the doctrine that all the elect (meaning, in this context, those predestined for salvation) WILL in fact receive Christ. None of them will ultimately �resist� the call and refuse to believe. Jesus said, �All that the Father gives Me :stop:will come:stop: to Me� (John 6:37). And Romans 8:30 speaks of all those who were predestined and called as also justified and glorified. In other words, it�s a done deal; there is no uncertainty about it. If God has chosen you, then He will see to it that you will receive Him (though not against your will; He will work in your will to make you willing, as will be discussed later in this paper).
P stands for Perseverance of the saints. This is also called �eternal security.� It means that you cannot lose your salvation. It is not that you keep yourself saved, of course, but God keeps you. If God has chosen you and saved you, then He will also see to it that you will never completely lose your faith and reject Him. Calvinists do not deny that there are apostates (people who seem to believe but then later reject the faith), for example Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8. But according to this doctrine, these people were never truly saved to begin with.
Note that this summary has been necessarily brief as it is beyond the scope of this paper to give a complete Biblical defense of each of these five points of Calvinism. In fact, I do not even hold completely to the point on limited atonement myself, except when carefully qualified as I have attempted to do above. (See also Appendix 1.) At any rate, there are plenty of good Calvinistic books and other resources available for anyone who is interested in a more complete defense. I will instead press on to the subject of free will.
OVERVIEW OF THE MEANING OF �FREE WILL�
If the ambiguity in the term �Calvinism� causes some confusion in many discussions on this topic, that is almost a drop in the bucket compared to the ambiguity in the term �free will�. Free will is a notoriously difficult concept to define. Though we all have some idea of what we think it means, these ideas are not easy to put into precise language. However, if we want to have a meaningful discussion about this subject, we absolutely must expend the effort to carefully analyze and explain what we really mean by it.
I believe our concepts of free will can roughly be broken down into two or three categories, which I will label as follows:
1) Absolute free will (sometimes called �libertarian� free will)
This refers to the idea that man�s choices are his ALONE, and not ultimately controlled or determined by God. It is sometimes popularly described as �the power to choose or choose otherwise.� It can be further broken down into two subcategories:
1a) Open absolute free will
This refers to the idea that until a particular choice is made, that choice is completely �open,� meaning there is a real possibility for it to go either way. This implies that man�s choices are inherently �unknowable.� Not even God can know beforehand with absolute certainty what man will choose to do (although His knowledge of human nature gives Him the ability to make extremely accurate guesses). The reason for this is that if God infallibly knew in advance that some person would choose A instead of B, then that person�s choice would be inevitable and therefore not really �open.�
1b) Non-open absolute free will
This refers to the idea that God can foreknow exactly what choices man will make, and thus man�s choices are admittedly inevitable rather than �open,� yet man�s choices are still absolutely free in the sense that God can only foreknow them and influence them, but not ultimately determine them.
2) Compatibilistic free will
This refers to the idea that man�s choices are ultimately within the bounds of God�s sovereign control, yet they are free in the sense that God does not coerce man to choose against his will, but rather sovereignly determines what man wills in the first place. In other words, if some person chooses A instead of B, it was ultimately God�s decision that he would make that choice, and yet the choice was still free because the person made it willingly, not being coerced against his will. God made Him willing to make that choice.
In any discussion of free will, it is important to always identify which of these broad kinds of free will is being discussed, and not to ambiguously meander from category to category, or else the discussion will be meaningless. For example, Calvinist literature sometimes seems to both affirm and deny that man has free will, and unless we understand which kind of free will is being affirmed and which kind is being denied, this will seem contradictory.
Generally speaking, then, Calvinists affirm that man has compatibilistic free will, but deny that man has absolute free will. Arminians and most other non-Calvinist believers affirm that man has absolute free will in the non-open sense, but deny that he has absolute free will in the open sense. And recently there has also been a rise in the popularity of certain decidedly unbiblical theologies such as �Open Theism� and �Process Theology� which affirm that man has absolute free will in the open sense.
IMPLICATIONS ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
The general systems of belief regarding free will as discussed above also necessarily lead to differing views of the sovereignty of God. In broad terms, the sovereignty of God refers to His control over His creation. Events unfold according to His preordained plan. But while virtually all Christians verbally affirm the sovereignty of God, what they mean by this is almost completely dependent on their view of free will. I will label these differing views of God�s sovereignty as follows:
1) Relative Sovereignty
Those who affirm absolute free will in the open sense (e.g., open theists) have an extremely limited view of the sovereignty of God. In this view, God is really only relatively sovereign, something like an angelic being could hypothetically be if he was powerful enough. God can sovereignly control circumstances to try to achieve His plan, and by doing so He can also certainly exert some powerful influence on man�s choices, but ultimately He cannot guarantee that His plan will be achieved in each and every detail. He must rather react to man�s choices and in some cases modify His plan after these choices are made. But He is somehow able to do this in such a way that �the big picture� of His plan is guaranteed.
2) Constrained Sovereignty
Those who affirm absolute free will in the non-open sense (e.g., Arminians) have a much stronger view of the sovereignty of God. They acknowledge that God�s plan WILL inevitably be accomplished in every detail, for God knows the future with absolute certainty. In addition, they generally affirm that God not only knows what choices man WILL make in the future, He also knows what choices man WOULD make in the future if the circumstances were different. This is sometimes referred to as God�s �middle knowledge.� Thus, God is viewed as sovereignly controlling the future by arranging the circumstances in such a way that man�s choices will be made in accordance with His sovereign plan, and He can achieve this because He knows what man�s choices will be for every possible set of circumstances. (Those who view God�s sovereignty as operating in this fashion are sometimes called �Molinists�, after the 16th century Jesuit, Luis de Molina.) Nevertheless, this view of God�s sovereignty is still limited in that God�s sovereign plan is ultimately constrained by man�s free choices. In other words, God cannot come up with a sovereign plan that accomplishes ALL He would like to do, but only one that maximizes His accomplishments in accordance with what is possible given man�s future choices. For example, although God desires the salvation of all men, He can only sovereignly arrange the circumstances to maximize the number who will believe, and in this sense He sovereignly carries out His plan with absolute inevitability, but His plan itself is still ultimately constrained to some degree by man�s absolute free will.
3) Absolute Sovereignty
Those who affirm free will in the compatibilistic sense only (e.g., Calvinists) have the strongest view of the sovereignty of God. In this view, God�s sovereignty is absolute. God is not only able to carry out His plan with absolute certainty in every detail, but also God�s plan itself is perfect in every way and not constrained by human choices. Everything that happens is ultimately because God willed it to happen for His own good purposes. He did not will it to happen merely because it was the best of all the alternatives He could foresee given what man would freely choose to do in each circumstance; He rather willed it absolutely and unconditionally.
Part 2: Analysis
DOES SCRIPTURE TEACH ABOUT ABSOLUTE FREE WILL?
There can be no doubt that Scripture unequivocally teaches that man has free will in at least the compatibilistic sense. God does not coerce man to choose against his will. Unsaved people cannot truthfully say that God forced them to reject Him against their will. Conversely, saved people cannot truthfully say that they were saved against their will. God only saves those who are willing to come (Rev. 22:17).
But the question of absolute free will cannot be so easily affirmed. Absolute free will does not limit itself to the idea that man is free to choose as he wills, but rather attempts to address the idea of the source or impetus behind the willing choice of man. Putting this in the context of salvation, absolute free will does not limit itself to the idea that man can freely accept Christ if he wills, but rather attempts to make a philosophical statement regarding why it is that we will the choice to either accept or reject Him.
However, the question of why we will the way we do, or what is the impetus behind the will of some to come and others to turn away, is not something so straightforward as to merit such a philosophical explanation or presupposition. Philosophically, I believe a full understanding of this impetus behind our wills is beyond our comprehension. I don�t think we can explain our wills, at the deepest level, in philosophical terms. I can�t tell you why my desires run one way and yours another, or why I want to engage in certain kinds of activities and you prefer others, or why I hunger for certain kinds of foods and you like others. Whether or not I engage in a certain activity is a matter of choice, but whether or not I will to do it is not so easily explained.
To say that our wills are simply a matter of our own free choice does not really even address the issue, but simply pushes it a step backward and begs the same question. For in the final analysis, the question of why we will the things we will cannot be reduced to a choice on our part, since that choice is itself a result of our will to make that choice. Thus, in the ultimate sense, our wills are not really driven by choice, but rather our choices are driven by our wills. On a superficial level, it may seem like we simply choose what to will. For example, when we get up on a Monday morning and want to spend the day outdoors, we can choose to go to work instead, superficially altering our will. But that choice was really driven by our deeper will to maintain a good standing with our employer. So in the final analysis, our wills are ultimately what drive our choices, not the other way around.
So what is the impetus behind our wills, if it is not our choice? I believe we must turn to Scripture, not philosophy, for the answer to this question. And as it turns out, Scripture answers it very clearly:
�For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.� � Phi. 2:13
This is a direct contradiction to the philosophical presupposition of absolute free will. For here God is clearly seen as the ultimate impetus behind our wills. He works in us TO WILL according to His good pleasure. When we will to receive Christ, it is only because He made us willing to do that. Scripture teaches that man does NOT have the ability to will to receive Christ outside of this sovereign work of God. Natural man is at enmity against God (Rom. 8:7). He can will to do certain good works (which are but filthy rags, according to Isa. 64:6), and he certainly wills to avoid hell, but outside of God's grace he cannot will to have saving faith. Only when God works in us to will for His good pleasure do we finally will to believe in Him.
------------------------------------------------
Phoenix: A good way to understand �will� is to define �nature� and �instinct�. I like to look at this in this through the Word of God (Bible) and the Book of Nature (science, Isa 45:6)
In Eze 13:2, we see a conflict between those who prophesy, that is to speak by inspiration, from their hearts and are told instead to hear �the word of the LORD;�. We can also see that, even though Judas repented (Mat 27:3), he went �to his own place� (Act 1:25). As it states in Isa 55:8, �For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, saith the Lord.�
In Eze 11:17-21, we also see the Lord speak much of the heart and the Lord�s power over it.
There is often a big debate of �Nurture and Nature� when discussing where someone went wrong. The sad fact is, we are all sinners (Rom 3:23) and it is our nature to sin (Mat 7:17). Can we use that as an excuse for our sinful works? Can we blame Adam and Eve for that? No, because had we been there, we would have sinned, too (2Ki 15:9), and God does not charge the son for the father�s crimes (Eze 18:20).
Now, environment does play a part in how we respond, but it does not change our makeup or the choices we make. In any case, instinct is an interesting topic and, as we can see, it differs between creatures. A frog does not migrate as a bird does. It is not in their nature, their genes, their heart, their mortal souls, just as it is not in us to be faithful (Lev 27:26). It is only in us to avoid what we view as punishment, anything from pain to death; it is for survival just as with the animals (Psa 49:12). And did the animals God gave unto Peter ask to be clean? (Act 10:15) (2Pe 2:22).
Is that to say that we will never commit sin again after being saved? No. Even though our will has been made clean, our bodies are not. (Rom 6:22) (Exo 35:21) (Mat 26:41)
------------------------------------------------
Thus, Scripture teaches that man does NOT in fact have absolute free will. Man�s free choice or free will is in the compatibilistic sense of the term, not in the absolute sense of having a free impetus behind the will.
DOES HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY IMPLY ABSOLUTE FREE WILL?
Those who insist on absolute free will often do so on the basis of another simple philosophical assumption, namely that without the ability of man to will as he chooses, outside of God�s sovereign determination, man would not be responsible for his actions. In other words, he would be neither good nor evil. He would simply be a brute animal. But while this certainly seems like a natural assumption on the surface, I believe it is a false assumption, and one that we make simply because in our limited human experience we really do not have a clear concept of a sovereign God.
When we as natural human beings read Scriptures that speak of God being in control of man�s will, it sounds to us like coercion. And we rightly object to the idea of man being held responsible for choices that he was coerced to make against his will. But in fact there is nothing in the Bible to imply that God coerces man to make choices against his will. Rather, as we have seen, man�s free will is compatibilistic, and God is seen in Scripture as the one who sovereignly works in us to will as He desires. Again, we don�t really have any concept of how this could happen, because among creatures it cannot. But God is not a creature; He is the creator. And so it is very dangerous to apply human philosophical assumptions to Him.
The idea that a person cannot be held responsible for a choice as long as that choice is predetermined is not an easy one to abandon, but I suggest one way to help us work through it is to ask the question, �Could Christ have sinned?� Obviously, for orthodox Christians the answer is a resounding �No!� It was a foregone conclusion that He would always do the will of His Father. It could not possibly be otherwise, for although He certainly had the physical ability to do sinful acts, by nature He did not have the moral ability. But certainly this does not imply that Christ was a brute animal who was coerced into His actions! On the contrary, He is rightly to be praised for His perfect life even though it was predetermined.
In a similar sense, man is also morally responsible for his choices even though from God�s perspective they are predetermined. Thus, human responsibility does not logically demand absolute free will, but rather only compatibilistic free will. Again, this is because man is not coerced by God against his will, but God rather operates in such a way that man makes his predetermined choices willingly. Man has no excuse for his choices; he makes them just as he wills.
IS COMPATIBILISTIC FREE WILL REAL?
A similar objection by many who reject Calvinism or the doctrine of predestination in general is that they believe this doctrine to be incompatible with real human choice. They do not agree with the idea of compatibilistic free will, for they see that as reducing the status of human beings to that of mere puppets on a string. They correctly point out that we, unlike puppets, do have real choices, including the real choice of whether or not to receive the Lord Jesus in order to become sons of God.
The compatibilistic idea of free will does indeed view God rather than man as having the ULTIMATE choice. Jesus Himself said, �you did not choose Me, but I chose you� (John 15:16). But this does not mean that the choices we make are somehow not �real.�
This is probably impossible to explain in terms of our strictly human experiences. We cannot absolutely control what another person will choose except by coercing the other person and thereby robbing him of a real choice. But God is sovereign. And I believe Scripture indicates that He can and does absolutely control our choices without robbing us of the reality of those choices.
God is not subject to creation�s laws like we are. He is Lord over and beyond creation. However, interestingly enough, He generally seems to choose to operate within and through the laws of His creation, even when He is working to achieve a miraculous result. For example, God is absolutely in control of the outcome of random events such as throwing dice and casting lots (Prov. 16:4). But these things are governed by the laws of probability. God does not need to break the laws of probability in order to be in control of what will result. Rather, as Lord over the law of probablility, He was in control of what outcome would result from this law all along.
Similarly, I believe God does not need to break the reality of human choice in order to be in absolute sovereign control of what choices we make. As Lord over His creation, He preordains what our choices will be, even while genuinely allowing us to make those choices.
One of the clearest manifestations of this idea is in the inspiration of Scripture. The Bible is very clear that all Scripture is �God-breathed� (2 Tim. 3:16). The human authors wrote exactly what God chose for them to write (2 Pet. 1:21). But the human authors did not therefore view themselves as simply puppets in the process. They made real choices regarding what to write. Or at least that seems to be the most straightforward way of reading their many explanations as to why they chose to write one thing or another. For example:
�It seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus...� � Luke 1:3
�I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice.� � 2 Cor. 2:3
�Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.� � 2 Cor. 12:6
�Although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.� � Jude 3
The point is that the human authors of Scripture had real choices regarding what they wrote even though God was ultimately in control of what they ended up choosing. Similarly, we have real choices in our lives, including the all-important choice of whether or not to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, even though God ultimately predetermines who will end up choosing what. The doctrine of predestination and the denial of absolute free will do not strip the reality out of human choice.
TOUGH QUESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ABSOLUTE FREE WILL
I think many people who believe in absolute free will have not logically thought out their position. For example, many people who believe in absolute free will nevertheless also hold to the doctrine of eternal security (though true Arminians do not). But if man�s will was absolutely free, then not even God could positively prevent him from changing his mind. Therefore, in this view, there is a real possibility that someone might get saved and then WILLINGLY REJECT CHRIST at a later time. Yet they say that this person is eternally secure, which implies that God actually keeps him saved AGAINST HIS WILL in this view. In other words, God coerces him. Strangely enough, this doctrine that posited that man starts out with free will in the absolute sense is now seen to hold that after his salvation man actually loses his free will even in the compatibilistic sense! It is difficult to understand why these people believe it is so important to have absolute free will before salvation if it is not important to have even compatibilistic free will after salvation. Certainly they cannot logically argue (though many do illogically argue) that absolute free will is an essential component of what it means to be human, for clearly we do in fact remain human even after we are saved. Of course, if we recognize the absolute sovereignty of God, and that it is He, rather than self, who is at work behind our wills, and if we understand that our wills are therefore free in the compatibilistic sense (both before and after salvation), then this logical inconsistency disappears, since God will never change the will of a truly saved person to then reject Him.
A related issue for those who see absolute free will as being essential to the human condition is the question of the status of our wills after we get to heaven. Clearly there will be no possibility of us making sinful choices up there. And I cannot imagine anyone explaining this by saying that God will coerce us to be righteous against our wills. Thus, the only kind of free will that we can possibly have in glory will be compatibilistic free will. But if absolute free will is not a necessary component of our humanity in heaven, on what basis can we insist that it is a necessary component on earth?
DOES SCRIPTURE TEACH GOD�S ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY?
Since the affirmation of absolute free will is logically tantamount to a denial of God�s absolute sovereignty in favor of a constrained form of His sovereignty, we can also approach the issue of free will from the perspective of what the Bible teaches about God�s sovereignty. In fact, Scripture clearly affirms that God�s sovereignty is NOT constrained by human will. Whatever God pleases, He WILL accomplish (Ps. 135:6, Isa. 46:10). Nothing is too difficult for Him; with Him, ALL THINGS are possible (Jer. 32:17, Matt. 19:26). This does not mean that God can do things that are contrary to His own nature (Tit. 1:2), but it certainly implies that He is not constrained by human free will. He works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11), not the will of man.
Besides such summary statements of God�s sovereignty in Scripture, it is also instructive to examine some specific reaches to which His sovereignty is explicitly said to extend. God sovereignly ordains the times and boundaries of nations (Acts 17:26). This certainly involves His sovereign control over the choices made by kings and others in positions of power, as is explicitly stated in Prov. 21:1 - �The king�s heart is like channels of water in the hands of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.� Scripture records numerous instances where God is said to have ordained what was in the king�s heart (e.g., Ezra 7:27). The intended truth is surely not that God is in sovereign control of only kings and not ordinary people, but rather that His sovereign control is so absolute that it extends EVEN to kings (who have a tendency to think too highly of their own power). This was a hard lesson for Nebuchadnezzar to learn, but once he had learned it, he summarized the truth of God�s absolute sovereignty quite eloquently:
�He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, �What have You done?�� � Dan. 4:35
God is seen as both opening the hearts of the elect to receive the gospel (Acts 16:14) and hardening the hearts of the rest to believe a lie (Rom. 9:18, 2 Thess. 2:11, Rev. 17:17). In the case of Romans 9, Paul goes on to address the objections of those who think this is not fair: �Does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?� (Rom. 9:21). If Paul was not here teaching God�s absolute sovereignty, but only a limited kind of sovereignty, constrained by human free will as the Arminians believe, then I cannot see any way to follow his argument, let alone his initial claim back in verse 18.
The truth is, God�s absolute sovereignty is assumed and taught throughout all of Scripture, and this demonstrates beyond reasonable dispute that man does not have free will in the absolute sense, but only in the compatibilistic sense.
GOD�S SOVEREIGNTY OVER EVIL
Many Christians who acknowledge God�s sovereignty in predestinating His elect people are nevertheless still opposed to the idea that God is ABSOLUTELY sovereign. In particular, they would deny that God sovereignly ordains even the bad things that happen in life, or the evil choices that men make. This is a very touchy subject, and perhaps not something that we should expect to feel completely comfortable with. But the Bible does not seem to shirk from it, and so neither should we.
Scripture is very clear that God is not evil and that he does not tempt men to do evil (James 1:13). And yet it also seems to indicate that we can legitimately see God�s sovereign hand and plan behind all that happens, even evil things (which is what makes this subject so tricky). I suppose a full understanding of it is beyond human comprehension, but I think what little we can understand should actually inspire in us a real sense of awe and wonder.
This is particularly true in the case of the crucifixion, which is surely the greatest Biblical example where God�s sovereign hand can be clearly seen behind even the evil things that happen. The events surrounding the crucifixion were not just unfortunate accidents. Rather, they were clearly the results of evil choices on the part of Judas, the Roman soldiers, Herod, Caiaphas, the Jewish Sanhedrin, and even the multitude of people who picked Barabbas over Jesus. But the Bible assures us in no uncertain terms that God�s hand was absolutely behind these evil happenings:
�For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel, TO DO WHATEVER YOUR HAND AND YOUR PURPSE PREDESTINED TO OCCUR.� � Acts 4:27-28
We must not deny the truth of this passage, no matter how hard it is to understand. Of course, we must not read too much into it either. Specifically, the passage does NOT say that Pilate and Herod and the rest were simply pawns in God�s hand, carrying out His evil plans. First of all, God�s plans are not evil, even though they may indeed incorporate the evil actions of man. Second, the evil choices these people made were totally willing choices. God did not force them to carry out His plan against their wills. They are justly accountable for their actions.
Also, the fact that God predestines such evil things to occur does not mean that He is pleased with them or that He desires them, at least not in the same sense that He desires our obedience. In this way these evil things are most definitely NOT in accordance with His will. His ultimate plan is to do away with such things. But the word �will� has various shades of meaning. God apparently does will evil things to happen in the sense that He predestines them in accordance with His will for the time being, until sin and death are finally abolished.
I believe the proper attitude towards these difficult things is beautifully illustrated in the example of Job. Job suffered greatly at the hands of evil men, Sabeans and Chaldeans who stole his livestock and killed his servants. He also lost his children in a disaster that was apparently caused by Satan. Job did not conclude from these things that God was evil. But he also clearly recognized that God�s hand was indeed behind it all. He could say, �The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord� (Job 1:21). He did not say God merely ALLOWED SATAN to take away; he said God Himself had taken away. And yet, �Through all this Job did not sin nor did He blame God� (Job 1:22).
So the example of Job proves that it is possible and right to see God�s sovereign hand behind everything that happens, including evil actions by men and Satan, and yet to not blame God or ascribe evil to Him. We must realize that God�s ways are higher than our ways. We cannot legitimately form good plans that make use of evil actions by others, but who are we to tell God that He can�t? He created us, He is sovereign, He is in control, He has the ability to work everything for good, and He is clearly not subject to the same rules that we are.
The Bible contains many other examples of God sovereignly ordaining and using evil actions by created beings to accomplish His plan. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph ultimately said, �It was not you who sent me here, but God� (Gen. 45:8). 1 Kings 22:20-23 contains the remarkable account of God sending a deceiving spirit into the mouths of the prophets, in order to entice Ahab to go to battle and be destroyed. The wicked nation of Assyria is described as the rod of God�s anger who He sends against Israel (Isa. 10:5-6), and even more graphically as an axe that is used by God Himself to chop with (verse 15).
The account of David and the census is especially revealing, as it is recorded from two different perspectives. From the more direct perspective, �Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel� (1 Chron. 21:1). But this action by Satan was all part of God�s plan, as seen in the parallel passage, which seems to be from the more abstract perspective of God�s ultimate purposes. �The anger OF THE LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, �Go, number Israel and Judah�� (2 Sam. 24:1). The only way I can see to harmonize these two perspectives is to see Satan as a tool in God�s plan, where Satan was the one who carried out the temptation, but God was the one who ultimately decided that the temptation should occur.
The temptation of Jesus was also ultimately planned by God, though carried out by Satan, as we should be careful to see. �Jesus was led up BY THE SPIRIT into the wilderness TO BE TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL� (Matt. 4:1). In this case we can understand God�s design to prove that Jesus would not succumb to the temptation by Satan. In David�s case (and often in ours, no doubt), perhaps God�s design was partly to show him that he actually WOULD SUCCUMB to the temptation by Satan, and therefore that he needed to learn to rely more on God instead of self. Peter certainly had to learn this lesson the hard way, as the Lord told specifically told him he would (Luke 22:34). But the Lord also prayed for him that his faith would not fail, and told him that afterwards he would be able to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). I believe we can take great comfort in that the tests we go through are ultimately designed by God for the purpose of strengthening us and others, not weakening us.
THE COMFORT OF GOD�S ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY
We have seen that God�s absolute sovereignty over all things, including even the evil choices of man, can be a great comfort to those who are His. This is a point that is worth dwelling on. Not only does God work all things �after the counsel of His will� (Eph. 1:11), but He also works all things �together FOR GOOD to those who love God� (Rom. 8:28). Whatever happens to us, it is a comfort to know that this was not simply something that God allowed to happen, perhaps as an unavoidable result of someone else�s free will, but rather it was actually exactly what a loving God designed FOR OUR GOOD. Nothing is more reassuring in times of trial or difficulty than the peace that comes from knowing that God is in absolute control. We can rest in this because we know God is the one whom we can trust to do everything right. We don�t have to worry that the will of man might ultimately thwart even the smallest detail of the perfect plan of God.
Those who believe in absolute free will cannot really have this assurance, because in their view, God�s plan is in fact conditioned on His foreknowledge of human choices that He is not able to control, and therefore may not really be perfect. As an example of this distinction, consider the fact that, humanly speaking, every day of our lives we face the possibility that someone might choose to do us harm, or might make some foolish choice that will unintentionally do us harm, or even kill us. If people had free will in the sense that not even God could always prevent them from willing to make such choices, then in essence we�d all ultimately be in the cruel hands of fate, rather than in the loving hands of God. Perhaps God in His mercy would sometimes supernaturally step in and prevent people�s choices from having their natural consequences, but we know that in practice such choices often do have their natural consequences.
In contrast to this view, I am convinced that no one will make such a choice unless or until God sovereignly ordains it. Therefore, I can rest in the loving hands of God, who I know is working all things together for good. So if someone chooses to come across the median and hit my car head on and send me to the hospital or worse, I don�t have to say how unlucky for me that he chose to do that, and that I chose to be driving my car at the wrong place at the wrong time. I can instead be confident in the knowledge that God ordained this for my ultimate good. I may not understand how, but I know I can still trust Him. That�s what I believe God is like.
DOES GOD LOVE EVERYONE AND WANT TO BE SAVED?
A final very difficult issue that needs to be grappled with in conjunction with any thorough consideration of Calvinism and the Calvinistic doctrine of compatibilistic free will is the question of if or how God really loves everyone and sincerely desires them to be saved. But this is actually a question that ALL orthodox Christians (as opposed to universalists) have to work through, not just Calvinists. Many Arminians fail to see this, because they think of God as one who tries His very best to save everyone, but some resist and there�s nothing He can do about it in spite of the fact that He ultimately wants to. However, when pressed on this issue they would have to admit that actually God COULD save everyone if that really was His ULTIMATE desire. That is, He could save people against their wills if He really wanted to. But they believe His desire for everyone to be saved is counteracted by His stronger desire for everyone to have absolute free will. So in reality, His ultimate desire is actually NOT for everyone to be saved.
I do not see how this position is fundamentally any stronger on this point than the Calvinist position. Although some Calvinists deny that there is any sense in which God desires all to be saved, this is not really a fundamental tenet of the position. I agree with the Arminians that God does indeed have a real love even for the non-elect, and a real desire that they would be saved. That is how I interpret such Scriptures as Ezek. 18:23. But this desire is not His ULTIMATE desire. Scripture does not explain the mystery of God�s will to us in this area in very much detail, so it is probably better not to speculate too much on just why God�s ultimate desire is that so many not be saved. For this reason, I am not entirely comfortable with the standard explanation that God�s purpose in creating the non-elect is to glorify His holiness and justice through their eternal judgment. I acknowledge that this is at least partly the case; I just don�t think we can know whether or not it is the whole story. But one thing we do know is that we can trust that His plan is perfect and that it is ultimately to His praise and glory, whether or not we understand how.
--------------------------------------
Phoenix: Whether or not the author of this knows it, he actually did state the Lord�s ULTIMATE desire, His glory. Look up �glory� and �praise� in the Bible. You will find that it comes up A LOT. (Php 2:13) This is why the only law, that I can think up right now aside from forcing us to say the unforgivable sin, that I would break without feeling guilt, confronted or not, would be a law that states that I may no longer believe, praise or give glory to the Lord. They may be able to control our actions, but they have no claim to our minds, hearts and souls.
--------------------------------------
TRUE FREEDOM
As fascinating as the subject of what freedom of the will means, the concept of freedom that is really more important from a Scriptural point of view is actually a different thing altogether. In John 8:36 Jesus said, �If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be FREE INDEED.� True freedom of this kind does not belong to man naturally, but is only the result of salvation. And this freedom does NOT mean freedom to choose good or evil, but rather freedom from the bondage of slavery to sin.
When we Christians choose to sin, it is not because we want to do so (Rom. 7:15) in our new, innermost selves, but rather because our old, sinful, enslaved nature wants to do so, and we have not yet attained to the resurrection from the dead. But when we reckon ourselves dead to sin (and we are only able to do so by God�s grace�we are powerless in and of ourselves), then we are truly free, and we have no free will to choose to sin, even as God has no free will to choose to sin.
I think the attitude that this concept results in is key to overcoming sin and being used by God. When our approach to temptation is to focus on our own choice to resist, then we are putting confidence in our own free will and ultimately in our own flesh (which is bad�see Phi. 3:3), and we find ourselves utterly unable to carry through with the resistance, just as a sinner is utterly unable to choose God outside of sovereign grace. We may be able resist outwardly in some cases, just as many unbelievers do in fact live outwardly righteous lives, but we are still often conscious of defeat in the eyes of God. But when our approach to temptation is to instead focus on God and His grace, truly delighting ourselves in the Lord, then we are no longer trying to resist by our own power and free will, but instead I think we begin to experience Christ living in and through us, controlling our hearts and desires. As Titus 2:11-12 says, it is God�s grace (not our own free will) that teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires. One hymn-writer expressed it as follows:
The grace that sought and found me
Alone can keep me clean.
This should not inspire us to give up and stop caring about temptation, but to draw closer to the Lord, in worship and adoration. Our salvation from the penalty of sin is ALL OF HIM, not of ourselves, and so is our salvation from the power of sin. We glory in this truth. That�s what TRUE freedom is all about.
�Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.� � Jude 24-25
Appendix 1: Clarification on Limited Atonement
I believe the Calvinist position is basically correct, but, at least in many statements of it, rather narrow and extreme regarding the point known as �limited atonement�. This is partly a matter of defining terms. In my view, the word �atonement� is rather broad; it encompasses the concepts of propitiation, substitution, justification, reconciliation, and a host of other things. All these are accomplished by Christ�s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Some of these aspects of atonement may indeed be �limited� to the elect, but I believe there are also some aspects of it that are not limited. In other words, some aspects of atonement have application to unbelievers as well as believers. For example, when it says �He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world� (1 John 2:2), I believe this literally includes the sins of all people.
To see why the propitiation aspect of atonement is unlimited, remember that propitiation is not about justifying man; it is about demonstrating the righteousness of God. This is explained in Romans:
�[Christ Jesus], whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed.� � Rom. 3:25
What does it mean that God, in His forbearance, �passed over� the sins previously committed? The primary application would be to the sins of people like Abraham, Moses, and David, who were all saved by faith in spite of the fact that they sinned. But I think there is a secondary application even to the sins of unrepentant unbelievers like Pharaoh and Jezebel. Such people will suffer eternal punishment in hell, but it is still true that God �passed over� their sins temporarily, if only in the sense of letting them continue on for as long as He did.
How could a holy and righteous sovereign God permit a person like Hitler to slaughter millions of people for no reason? How could He allow any of His creatures to sin at all, without striking them down instantly, on the spot, if His righteousness is really as high as He says it is? It seems to me that in this sense God �passes over� sins all the time, including the sins of unbelievers, even though in their case it will only be for a finite amount of time. It is only because of His mercy that we are not consumed (Lam. 3:22).
I believe it is Christ�s work on the cross that allows God to be longsuffering and merciful without making Him unrighteous. I think Rom. 3:25 implies at least indirectly that Christ had to die for the sins of everyone, even those who refuse salvation, in order to be displayed as a propitiation for those sins. In other words, He had to endure God�s holy judgment for those sins in order to prove, perhaps in some way that we can�t fully comprehend, that God is completely righteous in spite of the fact that He temporarily allows people to commit those sins. He has every reason to prove His righteousness by destroying us all on the spot when we sin, but instead He chooses to prove it through the cross, thus allowing Him to �endure with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction� (Rom. 9:22). And He chooses this �in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy� (Rom. 9:23).
So in this respect, at least, Christ paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world, not just the elect. He did not take away the sins of unbelievers; they still ultimately have to pay the consequences of their sins in hell. But the punishment of hell does not serve as the propitiation for those sins. Only Christ could take care of that. That is all part of the glory of the cross.
------------------------------------------------
Phoenyx: I'm sorry, if this is not correct, and will gladly hear more about and study on this subject. Originally, this comment was at the top of the comment, under �Limited Atonement.� I can�t agree with the author that Christ paid the penalty for all sins, otherwise everyone would saved, because once ALL the debt of a person is paid, it does not have to be paid again. (Joh 17:24) (Eph 1:4) (Joh 19:30) By all, I mean the sin that we have committed, would commit and will commit. (Gen 17:13)
As far as I understand, the verse 1 John 2:2 states as to why He winked at sin. (Act 17:30) "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" I think this is speaking of how God, while the men were alive, would punish some sins, but then wink at others for a season. (Ecc 3:1) He was not wrong for doing this because of His decision in 1 John 2:2, which, as the Bible always does, agrees with each other. This is not to say that those He winked at were saved, since when God looks into the hearts of the saved He sees himself (Eph 3:17) and not our sins, which are then paid for, but that the unsaved were given momentary relief--a wink is brief--in that season for those particular sins, as explained by Jesus in Mar 10:2-6.
In other words, they were given the blessing of a later trial date.
------------------------------------------------
Appendix 2: Selected Other Views on Calvinism and Free Will
Norman Geisler
�Chosen But Free,� second edition (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2001)
In this popular book, Norman Geisler propounds a view that he terms �moderate Calvinism,� in which he argues for both the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. His insistence that these two concepts are not logically incompatible is correct, except for the fact that he does not clearly identify what kind of sovereignty and what kind of free will he is talking about. His descriptions of these concepts are very often so ambiguous that it is almost impossible to know. But it appears to me that he actually falters between the alternatives, sometimes employing language that seems to indicate God�s absolute sovereignty and man�s compatibilistic free will, but more often stating things in a way that seems to imply man�s absolute free will, along with the corresponding constraints on God�s sovereignty.
Geisler�s core definition of his �moderate Calvinism� is laid out on page 53, where he asserts that God�s predetermination is IN ACCORD WITH His foreknowledge. This is presented as being in contrast to what he calls �extreme Calvinism,� in which God�s predetermination is INDEPENDENT OF His foreknowledge, and to Arminianism, in which God�s predetermination is BASED ON His foreknowledge. Geisler goes on to explain the implications of this on the same page:
According to the moderate Calvinist�s view, whatever God forechooses cannot be based on what He foreknows. Nor can what He foreknows be based on what He forechose. Both must be simultaneous, eternal, and coordinate acts of God. Thus, our moral actions are truly free, and God determined that they would be such. God is totally sovereign in the sense of actually determining what occurs, and yet man is completely free and responsible for what He chooses.
On the surface, this might actually sound like a reasonable facsimile of the compatibilistic free will view that I and most Calvinists advance. But the problem is that it is very difficult to offer a concrete evaluation of this view because it is just so ambiguous. What does Geisler mean by God�s determination being in accord with His foreknowledge, as opposed to being either independent of it or else based on it? If a thing is not at least partly dependent on something else, then by definition it is actually independent of that something else. So how is it even possible to make sense of a view that says God�s determination of an event is neither based on nor independent of His foreknowledge of that event? If Geisler does have some actually meaningful position in mind here, he certainly fails to make it clear.
Unfortunately, although his phraseology denies it, what Geisler actually seems to believe about this issue most often in practice is that God�s predetermination is at least in part logically based on His foreknowledge of what man chooses with absolutely free will. For example, on page 44 he describes how it is that a person comes to accept Christ as follows:
(1) God knows all things.
(2) Whatever God knows must come to pass (i.e., is predetermined).
(3) God foreknew the apostle John would accept Christ.
(4) Therefore, it had to come to pass (as predetermined) that John would accept Christ.
The way Geisler describes this is virtually identical to the Arminian viewpoint on it, namely that God�s predetermination is logically preceded by and based on His foreknowledge, and His sovereignty is thus constrained to some degree by man�s absolute free will. Thus, I believe Geisler�s view does not hold much water.
In this text, Millard Erickson offers a slight variation of the view that I have been advancing, a variation that might possibly even seem to allow man an absolute form of free will, though perhaps at the cost of being slightly deistic or even materialistic. On page 383, Erickson acknowledges that Scripture seems to teach that God�s sovereign determination is not based on His foreknowledge: �We must conclude that the plan of God is unconditional rather than conditioned on foreseen human actions.� He then goes on to describe free will in what seems to be a very compatibilistic sense. However, he apparently sees God�s sovereign determination not so much as actively working in man�s will in an ongoing fashion, but rather as setting up man�s will at his creation, as explained on page 384:
Whenever a child is conceived, there are an infinite number of possibilities. A countless variety of genetic combinations may emerge out of the union of sperm and ovum. We do not know why a particular combination actually results. But now, for the sake of argument, let us consider the possibility of an individual whose genetic combination differs infinitesimally from my own. He is identical to me in every respect; in every situation of life he responds as I do. But at one particular point he will choose to move his finger to the left whereas I will move mine to the right. I am not compelled to move my finger to the right, but I freely choose to do so. Now by making sure that it was I, and not my hypothetical double, who came into existence, and setting the circumstances of my life, God rendered it certain that at one particular point I would freely move my finger to the right.
This view of God�s sovereign determination strikes me as being somewhat reminiscent of Molinism, but with one important difference. In Molinism, God can sovereignly arrange circumstances to ensure that a given person will make a given choice with his absolute free will, but only if there actually is a set of circumstances for which that person will actually make that choice. So God�s sovereign plan is necessarily constrained in some cases by human free will, since it is conditional on what given people will choose in various circumstances. Erickson�s view is much more Biblical and realistic in that it grants God absolute sovereignty not only to arrange circumstances, but also to create people who will freely choose exactly what God unconditionally plans for them to choose.
Since this variation of the Calvinist position seemingly removes the element of God actively controlling our wills in time, it may seem to grant man a stronger form of free will. However, I would argue that the form of free will this view allows is still fundamentally compatibilistic rather than absolute in nature. God is still the one who ultimately predetermines what man wills, whether He accomplishes this by simply creating man in such a way that he will autonomously will in accordance with God�s plan (i.e., Erickson�s view), or whether He accomplishes it in a more ongoing fashion.
I think Erickson�s view has much to commend it and may be in large part correct. However, I shy away from what might be considered an element of deism within it. Scripture presents God as actively controlling the events of the universe in an ongoing manner, not simply by winding everything up and letting it go, so to speak. No doubt many things in this universe are governed by physical laws and initial conditions that God set in place from the beginning, but the Heisenberg uncertainty principle seems to indicate that this idea only goes so far�the future is apparently not totally determined by the present. Similarly, when it comes to man�s choices, we simply have no way of knowing philosophically whether our choices are solely a function of our physical bodies and how we are created. But one thing we do know is that Scripture presents God as being actively behind our choices, choices which we freely will in a compatibilistic sense. For example, Scripture does not describe God as merely creating believers in such a way that they will will as He pleases; He rather works in us to will as He pleases (Phi. 2:13). And on the other side, God did not merely tell Moses that He created Pharaoh in such a way that his will would be hardened; God rather said He would harden Pharaoh�s will (Ex. 4:21). So it seems to me that Erickson�s perspective is not entirely accurate, or at least certainly not the full story.
This page copyright � 2001 Edward A. Morris. Created May 6, 2001. Last updated February 18, 2005.
Can you articulate in your own words what you believe based upon sound exegesis of scripture regarding the 5 points of Calvinism without any help from a commentary?
Are you able to discern how Calvinists twists the meaning of Scripture to suit their bias theology?
Did you know that prior to John Calvin's invention of "Perseverance of the Saints" that no one in church history of the prior 1500 years held to that view, even St. Augustine?
Did you know that John Calvin was heavily influenced by the teachings of St. Augustine?
Did you know that St. Augustine was a former pseudo Gnostic and that his Gnostic beliefs influenced his Christian beliefs?
Did you know that absolutely none of the Ante-Nicene Fathers which are of the first 300 years of Church history never believed or taught any of the concepts of ideas of what is called Calvinism today and some of them were the direct disciples of the Apostles John and Paul?
Do you know that Calvinism is an afront to the nature and character of God and to the Gospel of Christ?
--Can you articulate in your own words what you believe based upon sound exegesis of scripture regarding the 5 points of Calvinism without any help from a commentary?--
I would be wondering if you read what was put up. Not only did the author bring up scripture supporting the five poitns, but so did I.
TOTAL DEPRAVITY
Joh 6:44
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
No man could willingly come to Jesus without first the Father drawing him.
In Eze 13:2, we see a conflict between those who prophesy, that is to speak by inspiration, from their hearts and are told instead to hear �the word of the LORD;�. We can also see that, even though Judas repented (Mat 27:3), he went �to his own place� (Act 1:25). As it states in Isa 55:8, �For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, saith the Lord.�
The sad fact is, we are all sinners (Rom 3:23) and it is our nature to sin (Mat 7:17).
It is not in their nature, their genes, their heart, their mortal souls, (to do otherwise,) just as it is not in us to be faithful (Lev 27:26). It is only in us to avoid what we view as punishment, anything from pain to death; it is for survival just as with the animals (Psa 49:12). And did the animals God gave unto Peter ask to be clean? (Act 10:15) (2Pe 2:22).
UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
You will find varients of the words "chosen" and "elect" used throughout the Bible. Also, as the Bible is the Word of God, it states often of how God speaks in parables, along with Jesus Christ (Mat 13:34). Many of the physical representations, such as the chosen nation of Israel, were examples, parables, of the Lord's sovereign choice.
God even asserts that He created and planned it all multiple times. (Psa 104:5) (Isa 40:21) (Rev 13:8) (Rev 17:8)
LIMITED ATONEMENT
I can�t agree with the author that Christ paid the penalty for all sins, otherwise everyone would saved, because once ALL the debt of a person is paid, it does not have to be paid again--(Joh 17:24) (Eph 1:4) (Joh 19:30)--and therefore no one would go to Hell, but that is in direct contrast to scripture (Isa 5:14).
IRRESISTABLE GRACE
In Eze 11:17-21, we also see the Lord speak much of the heart and the Lord�s power over it.
Act 10:15, we see here again that it was the LORD who cleansed the creature, while it's nature was unclean. (2Pe 2:22)
(Isa 48:13) (Pro 21:1) (Rev 17:17) In fact, there are so many instances where God encourages or discourages hearts. All one has to do is look and, in fact, little children even know how the Lord hardened the Pharoah's heart.
PRESERVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
By all (sins), I mean the sin that we have committed, would commit and will commit. (Gen 17:13)
As well, to state that a debt must be paid again after it is forgiven is against biblical doctrine (Mat 6:12).
--Are you able to discern how Calvinists twists the meaning of Scripture to suit their bias theology?--
Are you able to discern how your standpoint steers the reader's viewpoint rather than allowing the reader to take in the information and check for themselves? I think you can. By immediately using the word "twsts", you have stated your opinion and made it the standpoint of fact, rather than going to the Bible to support your argument. You have therefore placed yourself in authority rather than God. You not only did that, but you attempted to rob the discussion of critical thought. Much like evolutionists who ask which form of evolution, gradual or dramatic, is a better theory, you have confined the answer within a box of your own making. If someone were to ask, "Which is your favorite color: brown or gray?" the response is limited into the author's desired output. Just as when someone asks a man, "So when did you stop beating your wife?" Is he to answer, "Never," and be assumed that he is still a wife-beater?
--Did you know that prior to John Calvin's invention of "Perseverance of the Saints" that no one in church history of the prior 1500 years held to that view, even St. Augustine?--
No, and does that matter? I do not hold to the viewpoints of men, and you should also know that 1Co 4:5 and 1Co 4:5. Also, not once did the Bible ever mention that the debt would have to be paid again.
--Did you know that John Calvin was heavily influenced by the teachings of St. Augustine?--
Nope, I am not a follower of Calvin. I am a follower of the Bible. The reason why I use the term "Calvinist" is because that is how people understand it. I am a Christian and a God-Sovereigntist above all else. I did not even know who Calvin was or what it was called until after the Lord opened my eyes to His election.
--Did you know that St. Augustine was a former pseudo Gnostic and that his Gnostic beliefs influenced his Christian beliefs?--
Did you know that Peter cut off a man's ear? Did you know that Jonah disobeyed the Lord? Did you know that Dinah's brothers kill the brethren of the man who was trying to gain grace in their eyes? Did you know that Paul used to be Saul and that he used to kill so many of Christ's followers? Did you know how Catholics killed so many Protestants? The point of all these questions is, God's message is not to be downsized by the men He chooses to spread it. In fact, He used unlearned men to be his disciples.
--Did you know that absolutely none of the Ante-Nicene Fathers which are of the first 300 years of Church history never believed or taught any of the concepts of ideas of what is called Calvinism today and some of them were the direct disciples of the Apostles John and Paul?--
Have you familiar with the phrase, "God has no grandchildren"? Do you suppose that because they were disciples of the Apostles, that they somehow attained salvation and spiritual understanding through them? Do you suppose that they, unlike other men, are incapable of misunderstanding or corruption? Do you question why the disciples did not understand Jesus when he said that he was going to die and that Judas would betray him? And yet we are able to understand now? Have you questioned why all this new technology is being discovered so quickly nowadays, unlike in the days of old?
--Do you know that Calvinism is an afront to the nature and character of God and to the Gospel of Christ?--
Are you claiming that you aren't? Or that everyone else isn't as well? We are all sinners.
Difficult to do. Sometimes paraphrasing the Bible or anything else steals some of the meaning away.
If I tried, it might/would sound like this:
Even though He would will not force us against our will to be saved, but would rather purify us so that we CAN choose to be saved instead of being a slave to sin, He is the sovereign decider of who's heart He will purify in order to display His goodness and glory, as the Bible states we were made for.
WALTER--Did you know that St. Augustine was a former pseudo Gnostic and that his Gnostic beliefs influenced his Christian beliefs?--
PHOENIX: Did you know that Peter cut off a man's ear? Did you know that Jonah disobeyed the Lord? Did you know that Dinah's brothers kill the brethren of the man who was trying to gain grace in their eyes? Did you know that Paul used to be Saul and that he used to kill so many of Christ's followers? Did you know how Catholics killed so many Protestants? The point of all these questions is, God's message is not to be downsized by the men He chooses to spread it. In fact, He used unlearned men to be his disciples.
WALTER: You are making a wrong assumption that it was God who chose these men like St. Augustine to spread His word. Is God the author of Heresy or is Satan? If you don't know the answer to my question about St. Augustine don't you think it would have been more genuine to admit it and not avoid a direct answer?
WALTER--Did you know that absolutely none of the Ante-Nicene Fathers which are of the first 300 years of Church history never believed or taught any of the concepts of ideas of what is called Calvinism today and some of them were the direct disciples of the Apostles John and Paul?--
PHOENIX: Have you familiar with the phrase, "God has no grandchildren"? Do you suppose that because they were disciples of the Apostles, that they somehow attained salvation and spiritual understanding through them? Do you suppose that they, unlike other men, are incapable of misunderstanding or corruption? Do you question why the disciples did not understand Jesus when he said that he was going to die and that Judas would betray him? And yet we are able to understand now? Have you questioned why all this new technology is being discovered so quickly nowadays, unlike in the days of old?
WALTER: Nice tap dance. If you are unfamiliar with the Ante-Nicene Fathers then be honest enough to admit it and not dance around the question.
Do you think that the Apostles were so incompetent that they were unable to convey the true Gospel to their personal disciples whom they appointed as leaders in the Churches? Polycarp was John's disciple, which most likely had John's hands laid upon him and was anointed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and was the Pastor of the Church of Smyrna when John wrote the seven letters to the Churches in Revelation. Do you think John would have allowed him to remain as a Pastor of a Church if he was teaching incorrectly?
Ireneaus was the disciple of Polycarp and was a prolific writer and defender of the faith and wrote a great deal against the heresies creeping into the Church.
Ignatius was also John's disciple and wrote quite a bit in defense of the Faith once delivered to the Saints. The list goes on. Does it mean they were perfect? Of course not. But they certainly had a far superior advantage of being directly taught by an Apostle of Christ Jesus.
As we get into the 3rd Century we can begin to see various wrong teachings creep into the Christian Churches.
So why are the Ante-Nicene Fathers important?
They give us a great historical background as to what was taught in the earliest of Church history prior to the Roman Catholic Church and prior to St. Augustine.
Why is that significant?
Because when we examine their teachings you will NOT find any of the concepts or ideas of what is called Calvinism today...none whatsoever.
BUT...what you will find consistently in their teachings are all the ideas and concepts of what is called Arminian Theology today.
This is weighty evidence when we examine the origins of any theological belief.
Like Wesley said about theology...."Whatever is true is not new and whatever is new is not true."
--WALTER: You are making a wrong assumption that it was God who chose these men like St. Augustine to spread His word. Is God the author of Heresy or is Satan? If you don't know the answer to my question about St. Augustine don't you think it would have been more genuine to admit it and not avoid a direct answer?--
You are the one making the wrong assumption here. I never said that God chose these men to spread the Word, since I do not know who is His and who is not. It is not my place to judge. Also, God is not the source of sin, but the Bible does say He is the creator of evil (Isa 45:7). This does not mean that He is evil, but that He uses it for good (Gen 50:20).
As I stated before, which was cut out of your response, I am not a follower of men, but of the Bible. I answered "no" at least twice, before finally stopping the parade, because you are attempting to steer the conversation to how you would like so that people would not refer to Scripture.
On the other hand, you did not answer a single one of my questions. Don't you think it would have been more genuine, if you had?
--WALTER: Nice tap dance. If you are unfamiliar with the Ante-Nicene Fathers then be honest enough to admit it and not dance around the question.--
Funny how you have yet to answer a single one of my questions or refer to the Bible. You continue to focus on men instead of Christ. After saying no, twice, I think readers are smart enough to know that I did not study on Calvin, because I did not know of him when came to biblical understanding nor do I care to know of most post-Biblical Christians. The ones I do know about is very little because I only read to hear what they have to say and then read Scipture to see if it is supported by the Bible.
--Do you think that the Apostles were so incompetent that they were unable to convey the true Gospel to their personal disciples whom they appointed as leaders in the Churches? Polycarp was John's disciple, which most likely had John's hands laid upon him and was anointed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and was the Pastor of the Church of Smyrna when John wrote the seven letters to the Churches in Revelation. Do you think John would have allowed him to remain as a Pastor of a Church if he was teaching incorrectly?----
Yes, I think the Apostles were incompetent and that they do not know everything, because all biblical knowledge comes from God (Exo 31:3, Exo 31:6, Joh 6:44, not from men. Men are fallible (Mat 26:41) and that things would be revealedd when the time is at hand (Rev 22:10) (Act 17:30).
--Ireneaus was the disciple of Polycarp and was a prolific writer and defender of the faith and wrote a great deal against the heresies creeping into the Church.
Ignatius was also John's disciple and wrote quite a bit in defense of the Faith once delivered to the Saints. The list goes on. Does it mean they were perfect? Of course not. But they certainly had a far superior advantage of being directly taught by an Apostle of Christ Jesus.--
How so? The Apostles didn't even understand Jesus when he said that one among him would betray him.
--As we get into the 3rd Century we can begin to see various wrong teachings creep into the Christian Churches.
So why are the Ante-Nicene Fathers important?
They give us a great historical background as to what was taught in the earliest of Church history prior to the Roman Catholic Church and prior to St. Augustine.
Why is that significant?
Because when we examine their teachings you will NOT find any of the concepts or ideas of what is called Calvinism today...none whatsoever.--
Again, you focus on post-Biblical Christians, rather than on the Bible.
--BUT...what you will find consistently in their teachings are all the ideas and concepts of what is called Arminian Theology today.
This is weighty evidence when we examine the origins of any theological belief.--
Only if one puts their faith in men rather than God.
--Like Wesley said about theology...."Whatever is true is not new and whatever is new is not true."--
Should I believe him because he is Wesley or because he agrees with you? I do not believe so.
I have been addressing The Calvinst issue for some time and have written many articles over many years on various forums. I have not been avoiding any of your questions nor am I incapable of refuting your position very easily. I am not trying to get people to not look at the scriptures and it is improper for you to even suggest this. I am merely pointing out the HISTORICAL perspective of this theological issue of which you are apparently very unfamiliar with.
You said: Yes, I think the Apostles were incompetent and that they do not know everything, because all biblical knowledge comes from God (Exo 31:3, Exo 31:6, Joh 6:44, not from men. Men are fallible (Mat 26:41) and that things would be revealedd when the time is at hand (Rev 22:10) (Act 17:30).
WALTER: Well if that is the case then why bother studying the scriptures since you believe they were incompetent? Your answer here is not even logical. The Apostles were given direct inspiration from God, via the Holy Spirit to write the scriptures so they were not incompetent. These men had a divine gift beyond what we have today. They also passed down their teachings to their disciples and established these men as leaders in the Early Church.
The scriptures pertaining to knowledge increasing in the last days is specific to prophesy not the fundamentals of Salvation and man having Free will to choose to accept Christ or not. Theologians today are not any more enlightened then the very disciples of Jesus Christ or the disciples of the Apostles. That is simply not even logical.
God is sovereign without question. However does not God have the right to choose to limit His own sovereignty and allow man to have Free Will?
Is God's will always accomplished? Yes or no?
You quoted: "2) Compatibilistic free will
This refers to the idea that man�s choices are ultimately within the bounds of God�s sovereign control, yet they are free in the sense that God does not coerce man to choose against his will, but rather sovereignly determines what man wills in the first place. In other words, if some person chooses A instead of B, it was ultimately God�s decision that he would make that choice, and yet the choice was still free because the person made it willingly, not being coerced against his will. God made Him willing to make that choice."
WALTER: Do you believe is this nonsense? I have seen some fancy double talk but this is bad philosophy. He is basically stating that God is ultimately the one who "wills" the man to make his Free will choice. In other words man's will is simply an illusion. The logical conclusion is that man has no true Free Will and that it is God who determines man's choice. If that is the case then when man commits a sin then it is not his free will choice to sin but God's will than man makes the choice to sin making GOD the biggest sinner of all. That is repugnant and an offense to the character of God. That is simply unbiblical and the if you take Calvinism philosophy to it's logical conclusion then that is where you arrive.
1John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Got to get ready for my trip. More to follow next week.
--I have been addressing The Calvinst issue for some time and have written many articles over many years on various forums. I have not been avoiding any of your questions nor am I incapable of refuting your position very easily. I am not trying to get people to not look at the scriptures and it is improper for you to even suggest this. I am merely pointing out the HISTORICAL perspective of this theological issue of which you are apparently very unfamiliar with.--
We've already gone over the fact that I don't much care to learn about post-Biblical Christians. I listen to what is said and then refer to the Scriptures.
--WALTER: Well if that is the case then why bother studying the scriptures since you believe they were incompetent? Your answer here is not even logical. The Apostles were given direct inspiration from God, via the Holy Spirit to write the scriptures so they were not incompetent. These men had a divine gift beyond what we have today. They also passed down their teachings to their disciples and established these men as leaders in the Early Church.--
The Lord inspired them to write the Bible, guiding their hands. They were merely the pens, where God could have chosen others. They knew, because God told them, what was to be written in the Bible. However, that does not mean they knew the full extent of the Bible.
I ask that same question of you, using the idea of freewill. If they had the ability to lose their salvation, who is to say that those things that are written are not from the Lord? Why trust the Bible after centuries have passed and any number of men could have altered it? Is that why you focus so much on post-Biblical history? Please, explain to me
--The scriptures pertaining to knowledge increasing in the last days is specific to prophesy not the fundamentals of Salvation and man having Free will to choose to accept Christ or not. Theologians today are not any more enlightened then the very disciples of Jesus Christ or the disciples of the Apostles. That is simply not even logical.--
According to you, which so far you have not been completely honest in your line of questioning. You have not even answered why such super men could fail to understand that Jesus was coming back, but somehow as children, without even understanding that Jesus died and came back, can read that and understand. Also, if you look to Revelations, where it says "words of this prophesy of this book" and then switches with "words of this book of this prophecy". When speaking like that, it is referring to the Bible in its whole, since the Bible is full of parables and prophecy. It shows history repeating itself multiple times, messages sent by twos, and it did say that John the Baptist would come back to prophecy again. It is speaking of the Bible, as a whole.
--God is sovereign without question. However does not God have the right to choose to limit His own sovereignty and allow man to have Free Will?--
He has the right to do whatever He wills, but that does not mean that He wills what you say He does.
--Is God's will always accomplished? Yes or no?--
Yes. On this I think we can agree, can't we?
--You quoted: "2) Compatibilistic free will
This refers to the idea that man�s choices are ultimately within the bounds of God�s sovereign control, yet they are free in the sense that God does not coerce man to choose against his will, but rather sovereignly determines what man wills in the first place. In other words, if some person chooses A instead of B, it was ultimately God�s decision that he would make that choice, and yet the choice was still free because the person made it willingly, not being coerced against his will. God made Him willing to make that choice."
WALTER: Do you believe is this nonsense?--
If you mean 'in' this nonsense and by "nonsense" you mean this open-sense/close-sense freewill lie, then, no, I don't believe that nonsense.
--I have seen some fancy double talk but this is bad philosophy. He is basically stating that God is ultimately the one who "wills" the man to make his Free will choice. In other words man's will is simply an illusion. The logical conclusion is that man has no true Free Will and that it is God who determines man's choice. If that is the case then when man commits a sin then it is not his free will choice to sin but God's will than man makes the choice to sin making GOD the biggest sinner of all. That is repugnant and an offense to the character of God.--
God doesn't make men sin; He is however the creator of sin. The fact that we are incapable of changing our nature is not to say that we cannot make choices, but that because we choose to be of sin we are a slave to forever choose sin because of our first choice. Mankind is enslaved to sin. When God frees a heart from sin, only then is the man free to choose God. Which the man will, because he is free of sin. If you have read on, did you see the part on "illusion" where it refers to our choices? You fail to see the two parts of the equation: Will (or I like to call nature) and Choice. The fact that we are slaves to sin was in God's planned and what He wills will happen, is not a black mark on God. We made the choice to sin and that is our fault.
--That is simply unbiblical and the if you take Calvinism philosophy to it's logical conclusion then that is where you arrive.--
You have yet to undermine any of the verses brought up, including those where the Lord hardened and opened hearts. Would you say He was wrong for that? I'd hope not.
--1John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.--
Exactly; no fault on God's part.
--Got to get ready for my trip. More to follow next week.--
The power of choice is a wonderful gift from God. Yet there is one choice God never allowed man to exercise. No one can choose whether or not to be born with a sinful nature. The decision which affects our lives the most was made long, long ago by our forefathers. We have absolutely no choice about the kind of nature we possess at birth. It is a sinful nature. If unchanged it will lead to eternal death.
But even though we are born with a fallen nature, God gives us a choice about changing that nature. It is a personal, sovereign choice that no one can take away from us. Without doubt it constitutes the most important decision that any person faces during his lifetime. The choice is whether we yield to that sinful nature and die eternally, or receive a new nature through faith in Christ and live eternally.
Much disagreement exists over the kind of choice offered to each one of us. Millions believe that God opens the door for only a once-in-a-lifetime decision and then closes that door forever. It is as though God says, "I'm going to give you only one decision about changing over from your doomed condition. Once you decide to be saved you can never choose to be lost again. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, it will be the final choice you will ever make about your eternal destiny. If you change your mind later and repudiate your decision, it will be too late. No matter how deeply and sincerely you desire to be lost and repent of your repentance, you cannot escape from eternal life. No amount of bitter rebellion, deliberate blasphemy, or iniquitous living can change that once-for-all decision to be saved. I will not allow you any further choice after you accept Jesus as your Saviour."
Basically, this is the belief of a large segment of Christians who advocate the doctrine of eternal security. Another equally sincere group of Christians believes that God leaves the door open for us to change our minds at any time. They believe that salvation is not predicated upon only one irrevocable act or choice of the past, but upon a continuous, personal relationship of the believer with Christ. When the decision to break the love-relationship is made by willful disobedience, the believer ceases to be a true believer and forfeits any assurance of salvation.
Millions of Souls at Stake
The fantastic implications of this issue are overwhelming. If there is an unconditional future security for all believers, it has to be the most wonderful doctrine in existence: but if it is not true, it surely is one of the most dangerous heresies in the world. Millions could be saved or lost over the decision they make on this one point.
Let me give you an example of how it influences the destiny of people day by day. At one of my crusades there were more than one hundred people attending who had been steeped in the belief of eternal security. They were thrilled by the revelation of Bible truth as they listened. The seventh-day Sabbath particularly excited them because they had never before understood it. All were completely convinced that Saturday is the true Sabbath of the Scriptures, and they eagerly accepted the great prophetic doctrines also. But of those hundred people only a very few made any decision to obey the truth. Practically all of them had Sabbath problems connected with their jobs. It would have meant inconvenience, economic hardship, and possible loss of employment for them to follow the truth all the way. Each one who rejected the message gave me the same explanation - "We are already saved," they said, "and we cannot be lost. Why should we run the risk of losing our jobs by keeping the Sabbath? We would not be any more saved by keeping the Sabbath than we are right now, and we certainly cannot be lost by breaking the Sabbath."
Do you see how their argument was consistent with their doctrine? To them salvation was not connected with obedience, or advancing in spiritual growth. It all focused on a past moment when they made a decision for Christ. Whether they obeyed or disobeyed any subse- quent revelation of truth could have no influence whatsoever on their final destiny. They could break the fourth commandment, the seventh commandment, or all of them, and still feel eternally secure in the promise they had claimed "when they were saved." To be sure, these people believed that their disobedience might affect the joy and peace of their relationship, but never the assurance of ultimate salvation.
Obviously, this doctrine needs to be deeply examined. Too many eternal consequences hinge upon its acceptance or rejection. We need to answer questions like these: Can we change our minds about being saved? Do we give up our power of choice when we are converted? Does salvation consist of one grand, holy moment of decision, or must we continue in the saving grace of Christ after that decision? Can God take defiling sins into His holy kingdom? Fortunately, the Bible has hundreds of beautiful, clear texts to answer these questions. We will look at them together, and also examine a few texts which have been interpreted to uphold the doctrine of "once saved, always saved."
No Sin in Heaven
Speaking of the New Jerusalem, John said, "There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth." Revelation 21:27. Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8. Paul repeatedly wrote about the exclusion of sinners from heaven. Sin is the only thing that defiles in the sight of God, and no one who willfully practices sin will ever enter into His kingdom. Paul wrote, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, . . . nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards . . . shall inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
Nowhere in the Bible is entrance into God's kingdom tied to a momentary - or even temporary - faith experience of the past. Salvation is a dynamic, growing relationship with the only One who has eternal life to bestow. It requires continuing contact in order to receive it. The very life of God can be shared with men but NEVER APART FROM A LIVING UNION WITH CHRIST! "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John 5:12.
Just as the constant creative energy of God is necessary to sustain the universe and to hold atoms together, so His divine power is constantly needed to maintain spiritual life in the soul. When a person willfully chooses to separate from God, the contact is broken, and the spiritual life ceases to flow. God will not violate the will of anyone in making that choice either. For proof that Christians can lose their connection with Jesus and be lost, read John 15:1-6. There Christ explains one of the great mysteries of eternal life. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Verses 5, 6.
The Secret of Continued Life is Continued Abiding
Notice that the secret of continued life is continued abiding. If a person does not abide in Christ, he withers, dies, and is finally burned up. This proves that the relation of a believer to Christ is never a static thing based only on a past experience. It is a current, mutual sharing of a common life which is drawn from Him "who is our life" (Colossians 3:4). When the branch is separated from the vine, the source of life is gone, and only death can result. These words of Jesus are too clear to be misconstrued. Even believing, trusting Christians who are connected to the living vine may choose to separate from the vine. When they do, they die and will be cast into the fire and burned. Nothing can wither and die that has not previously been alive.
Security is eternal only for those whose faith is eternally fixed on Jesus, and whose life is connected to the one who is our life. Obviously, we can choose to be lost no matter how saved we once were. Everything depends on maintaining the divine connection with the true vine.
Jesus taught the same solemn truth about losing eternal life in the parable of the sower. In explaining the seed which fell among the thorns and the rocks, Jesus said, "Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." Luke 8:12, 13.
There are several things to note about this parable. First, only one class will finally be saved - the ones who brought forth much fruit. The groups represented by the wayside and rocks will not be saved. In verse 12, the wayside hearers did not have a chance to "believe and be saved," but in the next verse the stony ground hearers do "for a while believe." What kind of "believing" is this? According to verse 12, it is the kind that saves. So the ones who believed for a while were saved for a while, but in time of temptation they fell away. Eventually, of course, they were lost along with all the others, except the fruit-bearers. Here is an unequivocal teaching of our Lord that people can have a saving faith for a while, and yet lose it and be lost.
Security is Eternal Only for
Those Whose Faith is Eternally Fixed on Jesus
Those who read the record of the Gospels carefully will find repeated authority from Jesus to renounce the doctrine of eternal security. In Luke 12:42-46 Christ described in another parable how a faithful servant could turn into an unfaithful one. After asking, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household . . . ?" Jesus answers His own question: "That servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing . . . he will make him ruler over all that he hath." Then Christ explains how that servant could lose his reward. "But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers." Verses 45,46.
Here is a perfect example by the Master Teacher as to how a faithful and wise servant can be punished with the unbelievers. Jesus was talking about a man whom He had seen faithful enough to trust with heavy responsibilities. Undoubtedly, this servant represents those who carefully served the Lord as true believers. But what happened? That very faithful servant departed from the path of faithfulness and reaped eternal ruin and death. Does this not also remind us of the words of Hebrews 10:38, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." The servant in the parable, who was a believer, is now punished with the unbelievers. The faithful can draw back to perdition.
Salvation Can Be Forfeited
One more parable of Christ spotlights the fact that continued forgiveness is conditional for the believer. The story is found in Matthew 18:21-35, and revolves around the forgiveness of God. A certain king responded to the pleas of his servant and forgave him a large debt. That servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a small amount and showed no mercy, throwing him in prison because he could not pay. When the king heard what had happened, he rescinded his cancellation of the large debt and had his servant thrown to the tormentors till he paid in full.
No one can deny the obvious teaching of this parable. Even though God graciously forgives those who apply for it, that forgiveness is not without conditions for the future. We can lose that forgiveness by being unmerciful to others. This is in harmony with the words of the Lord in Ezekiel 33:13, "When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it." The principle is repeated in verse 18, "When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby."
The secret lies in maintaining the righteous relationship with the Source of salvation. Jesus said, "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Matthew 24:13. No one will be saved finally who does not hold out against a course of deliberate sin in the power of God. Those who do not endure to the end will have their names blotted out of the book of life. Advocates of eternal security deny it could ever happen, but read the frightening possibility for yourself in Revelation 3:5, "He that overcometh . . . I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." The implication is clear that those who are not overcomers - who do not endure to the end - will have their names blotted out.
All these verses are really saying the same thing. Willful sin shatters the relationship by which eternal life is obtained. There is an eternal "if" in every consideration of eternal security. "If we walk in the light . . . the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. "If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." 1 John 2:24. "If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38. "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch." John 15:6. "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John 8:51. "If thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." Romans 11:22. "If ye do these things, ye shall never fall." 2 Peter 1:10. "For we are made partakers of Christ, If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end." Hebrews 3:14. "If we endure, we shall also reign with him: If we deny him, he also will deny us." 2 Timothy 2:12 (RSV). "If we sin willfully . . . there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Hebrews 10:26. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15. "Ye are my friends, If ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:14. "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." Romans 8:13.
Danger of Being a Castaway
Paul recognized the fearful possibility of being cast out of God's presence in the end unless he curbed the fleshly propensities to sin. Said he, ". . . lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." 1 Corinthians 9:27. The word Paul used - castaway - is very interesting. It is the Greek word "adokimos," which is translated "reprobate" in other places. In fact, 2 Corinthians 13:5 declares that Jesus Christ cannot dwell in the heart that is reprobate (adokimos). Titus 1:16 speaks of the abominable and disobedient who are "unto every good work reprobate (adokimos)." Surely Paul had nothing else in mind but that he could be lost if he allowed sin to recapture his life.
Paul also speaks of the possibility of born-again believers suffering damnation because they receive the Lord's Supper unworthily. "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself." 1 Corinthians 11:29. No one can deny that these people were committed Christians partaking of the symbols of their redemption. Could they fall into damnation and be lost? Paul said they could. What is damnation? The same Greek word (krima) is found in 1 Timothy 5:12. "Having damnation (krima) because they have cast off their first faith." How plain it is that believers can "cast off their first faith" and go into final damnation.
I have listened many, many times to an explanation of eternal security based upon the analogy of sonship. "My child is born into my family and he will always be my child. He cannot be unborn. Whether obedient or disobedient, he will always be my child." This reasoning avoids the central issue. The question is not whether a child can be "unborn," but whether it can sicken and die. No doctor admonishes new parents about the dangers of the baby getting unborn, but he has much to say about proper care to keep it from dying. In fact, if the baby is not fed, it will soon die. In the same way, Jesus said, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." John 6:53. What was He talking about? In verse 63 He explained, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Unless the Christian lives by the Word of God, he cannot continue to partake of the spiritual life derived from Him.
Have we clearly established that continued obedience is necessary to ultimate salvation? Paul wrote, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?" Romans 6:16. When a man chooses to obey Christ no longer and obeys the devil instead, he no longer belongs to Christ, but to Satan. "He that doeth righteousness is righteous . . . He that committeth sin is of the devil." 1 John 3:7, 8.
The writer of the book of Hebrews gives scores of specific admonitions against falling away from the faith. Hebrews 10:23 opens up a line of argument against the once-saved, always-saved position that no one can refute. The passage begins this way: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." And after that, admonition is given those who might be tempted to absent themselves from the assembly of the believers. Apparently, this is one of the first signs of slipping backward. The author of this epistle, and I think it was Paul, includes himself in the warning. He writes, "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" That is from verses 26 through 29. The people described herehad been sanctified by the truth, but fell away into willful apostasy.
Now the last few verses of the chapter warn against the casting away of their confidence. Notice this carefully! "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. . . . Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." Verses 35 to 39. Now how could anybody state any more clearly the fact that one's eternal salvation is conditional on his remaining steadfast to the very end? Unless there were a possibility that one might cast away his confidence, that he might draw back unto perdition, why would this man of God sound such a warning as he did?
In Hebrews 6:4-6 we find another striking statement. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Now I think it would be very difficult to describe more fully a person who had been born again but who later rebelled against God and rejected Christ and spurned the Holy Spirit. He has placed himself out of God's reach by his own actions. Therefore, there is no possibility that such a man can be saved as long as he continues to crucify Christ by his disobedience.
Branches Can Be Cut Off
In the eleventh chapter of Romans, Paul is discussing the fact that many of the physical seed of Israel rejected God's Son and were thus cut off. The illustration is used of an olive tree. The branches were the children of Israel, but because of their unbelief, they were broken off, as you will read in verses 17 to 20. Then, some wild olive branches were grafted in, which represents the Gentile Christians. Now note this admonition: "For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, IF THOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS: OTHERWISE, THOU ALSO SHALT BE CUT OFF." Verses 21 and 22, emphasis added. Please note that any security for those branches depended entirely upon their connection with the tree. The security was conditional.
Let's see whether Peter agrees with these sentiments of Paul. In his second epistle, the first chapter, are listed a number of virtues which should be manifested in the life of every Christian. These are mentioned in verses 5 to 7, and notice that he is writing to "them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Verse 1. Then they had been given "all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." Verse 3. It is very apparent that Peter is addressing these remarks to those who have been converted. But notice the warning he gives: "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." Verses 9 and 10. Surely this indicates that Christians can fall from grace. They can turn back from following Jesus. They can even become apostates in the truest sense of the word.
In the third chapter, Peter goes on to say, "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." Verse 14. "Seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." Verse 17. So we see that Peter does agree with Paul that Christians need to be on guard constantly lest they be led astray, and he indicates the sad fate of those who turn back into sin after they are converted.
One of the strongest texts in the Bible that proves a person can turn away from Christ and be lost even after he has made a profession of being saved is 2 Peter 2:20-22: "If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." The lesson here is obvious.
Now, those who take a position for unconditional security say that God's sons cannot be represented by dogs and sows. Well, maybe they can't, but Peter did - and it is the most apt of illustrations. The proverb is painfully plain. They had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. They had been converted. They had joined Christ on His side. They had turned their lives over to Him, but they remembered the world and the "wallow" of sin. Like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, they remembered the "flesh pots," the "leeks and onions." They remembered the pleasures of sin; so, leaving Christ they went back into the world like the hog returns to its wallow in the mire. Certainly no Christian should imitate the habits of a hog, but Peter's proverb shows that it is possible.
The Spirit of God is not silent on this point. Listen: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1 Timothy 4:1, emphasis added. When will this happen? When will some depart from the faith? In the latter times. That would be right now, wouldn't it? That would be the times in which we are living and the times immediately before us. If you haven't thought of it before, these are dangerous times. And if you are still unconvinced, thoughtfully read the headlines of tomorrow's newspaper.
On this point "the Spirit speaketh expressly." Just what does that mean? It means the Spirit speaks plainly, clearly - so clearly it is impossible to misunderstand. All right then, what would some do? Some would depart from the faith. So, it is possible to leave the faith, isn't it? Some do it. They have been in the faith, they have worshiped with the brethren, they have attended church and prayer meeting. They have been actively promoting the gospel, they have given of their means, they have been pastors, officers of the church, and leading laymen; nevertheless, they leave the faith. They are not steadfast and faithful. In the last days come perilous times, with persecutions and serious difficulties, and some do not stand. They are tempted by the things of the world and are seduced by spirits of devils. Sad to say, they give up their allegiance to the Man of the cross. They were on Christ's side, but now they side with His enemy.
Please don't missunderstand. If you want unconditional security, you can have it. It is in Christ, on a day-by-day, moment-by-moment basis. When you take Christ and stay by, you will persevere. There is, and can be, no failure on Christ's part. He will not fail; He is faithful. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Psalm 55:22. He will stand by you as long as you stand by Him. Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." John 14:6. And John wrote of the Lord, "This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John 5:11, 12.
Many non-Christians think they have security. They will tell you they believe God will admit them to heaven. They will say, "I am as good as people in the church," or "I feel I will be saved without going to church." But the truth is, no man is saved on the basis of his feelings. He may be sincere, but his sincerity will not save him. He may be honest, truthful, moral, and a first class citizen, but that won't save him. He may be liberal, a supporter of the church and a giver to the needy, but neither will that save him. No man is saved by his works, good as they may be.
Remember this, and please never forget it: Christ is the Saviour, not your gifts, not your works. He offers you salvation as a free gift. It is in Christ, and when you receive Christ, you have salvation. "He that hath the Son, hath life." 1 John 5:12. But if you don't have the Son, you don't have life, and you cannot have eternal security until you have and keep Christ the Son.
What Does It Mean for the
Christian to Leave His "First Love"?
"Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy FIRST LOVE. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation 2:4, 5, emphasis added.
For the Christian to leave his first love, is to backslide, to fall away, to leave the Lord and His service, and to go over to the service of sin, Satan and the world. The Lord calls upon all such to repent and do their first works (the fruits of love), or else - else what? "I will take thy candlestick out of his place." This is an ultimatum from the Lord. If the sinner responds, repents, returns to his first love, and does his first works, all is well and good - he will be saved. But it is his to choose. If he does not do this, his light is removed, goes out, and the backslider is lost.
Does the Backslider Always Return
to the Lord Before Death?
No, far from it. That was the case of the first king of Israel, Saul. It is written of Saul that he was "turned into another man." "And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be TURNED INTO ANOTHER MAN." 1 Samuel 10:6 emphasis added. Yet Saul backslid from his high and exalted position, disobeyed the Lord, and at last took his own life (1 Samuel 31:1-6). It cannot be said in this case that Saul was not converted, because God says that he was. Yet, he took his own life with no opportunity of repentance.
No Man Can Pluck Out
Finally, let us look at the text which has probably been quoted more than any other to support the doctrine of eternal security. Jesus said, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." John 10:28, 29.
What a tremendous promise this should be for every trusting child of God! At first glance, it does seem to guarantee some sort of immunity against spiritual loss, but we have not read the entire text. Verse 27 is an integral part of the thought, and it lays down a specific condition for the fulfillment of the promise in verses 28 and 29. "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life." Please notice that it is only God's true followers who nestle safely in His protecting hand. He gives eternal life only to the faithful sheep who hear and follow Him. It is this hearing and following which provides immunity against being plucked away by the devil or his agents. The protection is from enemies without who seek to carry off the sheep, but not from unfaithfulness of the sheep who might choose not to follow any longer. No one can pluck them out of the Father's hand, but they may choose to jump out at any time. God never even hints that He will interfere with the freedom of choice of His followers. Christians can choose to be lost just as surely as sinners can choose to be saved.
Just think how useless would be all the hundreds of biblical warnings against apostasy if it were impossible to experience it. Why would the Spirit have led Paul, Peter, and all the others to pen such solemn threats and admonitions against eternal loss if they were in no danger of suffering it? And if it is true that the "once saved" are eternally secure, surely the devil would know it. Therefore, he would never waste any time on believers, knowing how impossible it would be to cause them to be lost. Yet, we all know by experience that Satan works even harder to pull away the saints from following Christ.
We have to conclude that salvation does not consist of a single, irrevocable commitment, whether past or present. Being saved is the experience of living Christ's own life by divine imputation and impartation. It is never a reality except in continual, dynamic relationship with Jesus, the source of eternal life. Being saved must be spoken of in all three tenses of time in order to be completely biblical. It has happened, it is happening, and it will happen. Perhaps, this illustration by Glenn Fillman will help explain it.
Saved - Past, Present and Future
Bill Jones is fishing several miles out in the ocean. His boat capsizes and sinks to the bottom. He is unable to swim to safety. Just then, another fishing boat comes along, but it is so heavily loaded that it is impossible to take on another passenger. Because they want to rescue the doomed man, however, the crew throws him a rope. "Here, take this rope," they say. "We will tow you to shore." As he takes the rope, Bill Jones says, "Thank God, I am saved!" And he is saved, as long as he holds on to the rope. Salvation is his, but he has a part to play in it. If he should at any time release his grasp on the rope and refuse to take it again, he would be lost. So it is with a person who has been rescued from sin. He remains saved as long as he holds on to the hand of Christ. If he should decide to release that hand and clasp the hand of the devil, he would be lost. His salvation depends on his decision and his action.
Actually, one can properly speak of salvation in three tenses - past, present, and future. He can say, "I have been saved" when he takes the rope, "I am being saved" as he is being towed to shore; and "I shall be saved" when he plants his feet firmly on shore. A converted person -has been saved- from the penalty of sin. We call that justification. He -is being saved- from the power of sin, and we call that sanctification. He -shall be saved- from the presence of sin when Christ comes, and that will be glorification. All three of these tenses are used in the Bible in connection with being saved.
In Romans 8:24 is the expression, "We are saved by hope." Weymouth is a more accurate translation. He says, "We have been saved," past tense. The Revised Standard Version correctly renders the phrase in 1 Corinthians 1:18 as "To us who are being saved." Then Acts 15:11 states, "that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved." So you see past, present, and future.
Now let's make sure that no one gets the wrong impression from our illustration of the man being rescued from drowning. Does the fact that he must cling to the rope to be saved, mean that we can earn our salvation by our own works? Absolutely not, a thousand times no! Remember that he was being towed by a power other than his own. He was merely cooperating with that power. He was holding on to the rope. He had to do that in order to be pulled to safety. As Christians we must confess our faith in Christ, we must remain steadfast to Him, we must bring forth the fruits of obedience; that is our part in holding on to Christ. He will never let us go. The only way we can separate ourselves from Him is to cut ourselves off deliberately and disconnect ourselves from Him, but we have the power to do that. We are still free moral agents. Our will has not been removed merely because we have become Christians.
At any point in our Christian life we can decide to turn back, to choose the things of the world rather than the things of God and heaven. We are saved only through faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour. "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. However, we show our faith by our works. It is a manifestation of our love for Him. Keeping God's commandments and doing right are merely the result of His Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart. These are the fruits of the Spirit. We do these things, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved, and as long as we love the Lord with all our heart, we are going to be obedient to Him. We will not let go of the rope. We will continue to cling to Christ as our only hope.
Mark(me:dunce:): I believe that there is far more/clearer scripture defending this point of view. Also...I would have a hard time believing in a God that basically chooses who will be saved and who will not. In predestination...God hardens the hearts that He doesn't "wish" to save and since we were born sinful, (because of our first parents, Adam and Eve) we(the unsaved) are destined to be sinful, and therefore..."tormented in hell forever". So....God first causes sinful beings...and then tortures them for eternity based on the fact that He...well...they "chose" it...because he hardened their hearts, right? Obviously their choice*insert sarcasm...sorry* Or...I guess it just "seemed" like their choice to them. Doesn't that seem incredibly cruel? To first, harden a persons heart, and send them off to live a life of sin(whether directly or indirectly), only to burn them for it at the end? Anyway...where did sin originate? With Adam and Eve? Who tempted Adam and Eve? Satan. Another question...who was created first? Satan, or Adam and Eve? So God created the two first humans without sinful natures...um...predestined to sin? What about Satan? Created in heaven? Perfect...and in a perfect environment? In the presence of God? To sin? To cause 1/3 of the angels to fall, and to cause untold billions to die? And not just die...but be "tormented forever"? And this is supposed to be my God of love??? I don't see it...I'm sorry. There are too many scriptures indicating free choice....too many. Most(not all, I admit) of the ones supporting predestination, can also be used to support this(...and it takes the number of verses supporting predestination waay down): "When we're saved...and we give our will to God, He can use us like He would under predestination, except it would start with our free choice of giving Him our will in the first place...although we could still take it back, fall into sin, and lose our salvation". In my opinion, the balance was already tipped in favor of free choice, and applying the other, how you say...non-specific verses...to the above "attempted explanation by me:dunce:" makes it almost unanimous. Almost...but either way...if I had to choose to serve the "predestination" God...or I should say...if I COULD choose:goofball:...I wouldn't want to. I don't want to be a robot...and I don't think God wants the love of robots...how much more is love worth when it's given to God freely?? How much? I think a lot. People being saved by predestination is like God loving Himself...He creates beings with their choices under His will, let's them all experience the pain of sin, and then saves them so they can love Him...OR He can create beings capable of giving Him their love by choice. The only reason they choose to give God their love? They freely choose to love the God that saved/created them. I like the latter...I want to give God...me. I want to say:
"God, I accept the free gift of your son, I want You to mold me into His likeness...and I choose to give you my free will to put into subjection to Yours. Keep me in Your will forever."
Anyway...sorry about the rambling...I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself...Ah! Also! Watch this if you have time...it's about an hour long:
Here's some verses(there might be repeats from the article...sorry)
John 3:16, Rev. 3:30, Luke 13:5, Acts 17:30, Romans 10:13, John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15, 1 John 2:1-2, John 8:24, Romans 3:19-24, Revelation 22:17, 1 Tim. 2:5-6, 2 Peter 3:9, Luke 8:12, Luke 12:42-46, Hebrew 10:26-29, Eze. 33:11, John 12:44-50 , 1 Timothy 5:12, Luke 12:41-48, Hebrews 10:38, Matthew 18:21-35, John 6:53, Romans 6:16, 1 John 3:7-8, Hebrews 10:23-39, Hebrews 6:4-6, Romans 11:17-24, 2 peter 3:14-17, 2 Peter 2:20-22, 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 John 5:11, 12, Ezekiel 33:13, Matthew 24:13, Revelation 3:5, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:24, John 15:6, John 8:51, 2 Peter 1:10, Hebrews 3:14, 2 Timothy 2:12, Hebrews 10:26, 1 John 2:15, John 15:14, Romans 8:13, 1 Corinthians 11:29, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
There are a few "if's" in some of these...meaning the other side of the argument can also be applied. Example: "If you walk in the light you will be saved"...also meaning,"if you don't walk in the light you won't be saved". Indicating a choice. Hopefully you see what I mean.
(if you want more verses, just let me know. I'll try to find'em...I'm just too tired:zzzz:)
