____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ February 20, 1994 ____________________________________________________ Election, Predestination, Foreordination by Tom Edwards The following is an excerpt from a message that I sent via BBS to a particular denominational preacher whom I have given the pseudonym "Earnest" for anonymity. He has been asking me several questions, which I am happy to respond to. Earnest: It seems that in this ongoing debate in Calvinistic and Arminian circles that determining when or how God predestinated the elect is central. No one doubts, at least I don't think so, that God does predestine and that the predestined are called the elect (Romans 8:28-39). How would you explain these passages in light of God's work in predestination? Tom: The Bible does use the terms ``predestined'' and the ``elect,'' but we need to be careful that we see how the Scripture itself defines these, rather than being led astray by some of the erroneous teachings of men. For example, according to Calvinism, the following is expressed about predestination: ``By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death. These angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable (unchangeable, TTE) purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions or causes moving him thereunto'' (Presbyterian Confession of Faith, chap. 3, sec. 3,4,5). Notice especially the last part of this: ``without any foresight of faith or good works or perseverance...as conditions or causes moving him thereunto.'' Clearly, the Calvinist believes that God has arbitrarily selected certain persons to be saved--regardless of their faith (or lack of faith), regardless of their obedience (or lack of obedience), or regardless of anything else about them as being a condition that would cause God to make this choice. This Calvinistic ``predestination'' is not the one the Bible teaches (nor the one that I believe in.) Rather, the Scriptures show that it was THE PLAN--and not THE MAN--that was predestined before the world began. In this plan, the gospel, anyone can be saved according to God's purpose--His purpose being that the individual would believe and obey. Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14, the following: ``But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation THROUGH SANCTIFICATION BY THE SPIRIT AND FAITH IN THE TRUTH. And it was for this HE CALLED YOU THROUGH OUR GOSPEL, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.'' If man's calling were totally up to God and that is how he was ``predestinated,'' why would the gospel even be necessary? In this passage, however, Paul shows that one is called by the ``gospel.'' Man must, therefore, hear the word first and respond to it in order to become one of the elect. The importance of the gospel is seen twice in this one passage. Paul states that ``God has chosen you...through...faith in the truth.'' And not only that, but also through ``sanctification by the Spirit.'' Being sanctified is being made holy, and the Spirit shows us how to become this way through the written revelation. Obviously, man did not believe in the truth before the world began--nor was he sanctified then. Man becomes one of the Lord's "elect" when he believes and obeys the gospel. No one is of ``the called'' or ``the elect'' today without hearing the truth, believing it, and obeying it. Since salvation is technically available for all, then anyone can become part of God's elect; and, thus, be one of the ``called.'' As Peter declares, ``I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him'' (Acts 10:34,35). Probably one of the reasons why the Calvinist believes that becoming one of the "called" is totally up to God, without the individual having to cooperate one way or the other, is because the Calvinist also believes the following about everyone: ''...As fallen creatures, they have NO DESIRE to have fellowship with the Creator'' (emphasis mine). Not only is man viewed by the Calvinist as not having the ability to obey God, but also not having even the desire to want to do so. As we have seen, it is God's desire for ``all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth'' (1 Tim. 2:4), for He is ``not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance'' (2 Pet. 3:9). And as God's word states in Revelation 22:17, ``whosoever will may come''; and Jesus did speak of those who had the ``good and honest heart'' who responded to the word, kept it, and bore fruit abundantly (Luke 8). Undoubtedly, the reason for lost souls today is not because of what God ultimately wants, but because of man's personal rejection of God, which man is solely responsible for--and if he wanted, he could choose the way of the Lord, as many already have. **************************************** Earnest: John 17:12 seems to support the fact that Christ did keep them Himself, with the exception of Judas (``the son of perdition''). I guess it could be argued that this applies only to their physical life, not their spiritual (eternal) life. But, the context seems to be speaking of eternal life (vs.3). Tom: It works two ways: God will keep those who will keep Him. When a Christian backslides to go into sin, he no longer has God on his side. In view of this, Jude exhorts the brethren to ``keep yourselves in the love of God'' (Jude 21), and Jesus Himself illustrates the need to abide in Him by keeping His word so that the one who does so will not be cast forth as a dead, withered branch to be burned in the fire (Jn. 15). Though the faithful Christian is given the comforting assurance that no one can snatch him from God's hand (Jn. 10:29) and that not even death can separate him from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39), still there is one thing that can separate the Christian from the Lord--and that is sin! (Isa. 59:1,2). For when the child of God ceases to walk in the light (keep the commandments of God), he will then no longer have the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse him from his sin (1 Jn. 1:6,7). See also 2 Peter 2:20-22; Heb. 10:35-39; James 5:19,20; Gal. 5:4. These passages show that a Christian can fall from grace, lose access to eternal life, and be sentenced to an eternity in hell in the Judgment Day by falling back into sin. **************************************** Earnest: One question at this point, what was the basis of Judas' perdition? God foreseeing his treachery or God's choosing/ordaining his treachery? Tom: Judas incurred his own perdition (loss, destruction, ruin) by his sin. In His omniscience, the Lord foreknew that Judas would betray Him, but this does not mean that the Lord MADE him do so. What Judas did, he did of his own accord. Can we ever accuse God of ``ordaining'' treachery or any sin? How could we? The Bible tells us that God doesn't even tempt one person to sin (James 1:13-15); and that He ``is righteous in all His ways...'' (Psalm 145:17), which simply means He does right in everything He does. Would God who teaches that ``the wages of sin is death'' and that it would be better for one to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and cast into the sea than that he would cause a little one to stumble (Mark 9:42), turn around and CAUSE people to commit these same sins that He would condemn? Would not this make a sinner out of God? As we just saw, the Lord doesn't even tempt people to do wrong--let alone CAUSE them to. Getting back to the Calvinists' view of this, though, let us consider another thought of theirs: ``God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass'' (Presbyterian Confession of Faith, Chapt. 3, Sec. 1). You can't get more comprehensive than with ``whatsoever.'' This includes EVERYTHING--the good and the bad. According to this, God is the one responsible for all that happens: lying, stealing, committing murder, committing adultery, etc. But is God responsible for all these things? As we've already seen, the Lord doesn't work iniquity, nor does He cause others to; for to do so, would make Him an evildoer as well. Consider Jeremiah 7:31, ``And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and IT DID NOT COME INTO MY MIND.'' This atrocity of offering up their own children in the fire in sacrifice to a heathen false god was not only something that God certainly did not command them to do--HE DID NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT HAVING THEM TO DO SUCH A THING. If, however, everything that happens is because God has ``foreordained'' it (or planned it) how could anything happen that He didn't even think to have happen? Yet, clearly, here was something that God did not plan nor think to have others do--yet it was done by the people. God can often use bad situations to further His cause--though He didn't cause those bad situations. In the Old Testament, God would sometimes use heathen nations, such as Assyria and Babylon, to bring punishment upon his people in the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, who were oblivious to the fact that the Lord was actually using them as they injured, took captive, and decimated many of God's disobedient people. Interestingly, the Lord writes of Assyria as being ``the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hands is My indignation, I send it against a godless nation and commission it against the people of My fury to capture booty and to seize plunder and to trample them down like mud in the streets. Yet it (Assyria, TTE) does not so intend nor does it plan so in its heart, but rather it is its purpose to destroy, and to cut off many nations'' (Isa. 10:5-7). Think also of the betrayal of Joseph by his own brothers. Because of their jealously and hatred toward him, Joseph ended up in Egypt--the exact place where God wanted him to be. And through it all, Joseph could see God's providence in the matter. He told his brothers, ''...you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive'' (Gen. 50:20). What Joseph's brothers did, they did of their own volition--but God was still able to use the situation to help fulfill His will. God didn't make the people kill His Son Jesus, yet it was still part of His fore-ordained plan that that was to happen. These are examples of the providence of God, in which He can use bad situations--which He did not CAUSE--to the furtherance of His will. Judas had no one to blame but himself for his betrayal of the Lord. God did not make him do this against his own will. Judas made his own choice.... Earnest: '' ...and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.'' When were these appointed? On the day of believe, or some other time? Tom: These who had been appointed unto eternal life were those who heard, believed, and obeyed the gospel. This is what was part of God's ``eternal purpose'' that all who would be appointed to eternal life would have to first hear the gospel, have faith in it, and respond to it. Therefore, I don't believe they were appointed unto salvation before the world was, but rather THE PLAN that would make them part of God's elect was fore-ordained. When they responded to that plan, they became a part of it. Therefore, those who were ``appointed to eternal life,'' were the ones who complied with God's terms--thus meeting the preordained criteria. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________