Post by Jesse Morrell on Dec 17, 2009 18:28:37 GMT -5
BIBLICAL PREDESTINATION
Jesse Morrell
While I was open air preaching at the University of Minnesota in Duluth, one of the students asked me "Why did God give us free will? Couldn't He have created a universe where there was no possibility of sin?" I explained that God did not want His universe to be full of puppets or robots. That is why God even gave the angels free will and allowed them to choose between loyalty and rebellion. Without free will, there can be no loving relationship. A loving relationship requires mutual consent. God created us to have a relationship with Him. The reason for our existence necessitates the existence of free will. Sure God could have created us without a free will, thereby avoiding all possibility of sin, but this would have also excluded any possibility of us doing what we were created to do! We could not have a real loving relationship with God! Love is a free choice. God cannot and will not make us love Him. God leaves that to our own free will.
The salvation experience is when a person enters into a relationship with God. Eternal life is to know God (Jn. 17:3). A relationship between two people requires the choice or willingness between the two. God cannot enter into a loving relationship with man without man’s choice. That a loving relationship requires mutual consent is shown by the extreme example of date rape. When a man forces a woman into a relationship with him, it is not real love because there is no mutual consent. There can be no loving relationship when there is a violated will. Love must be a free choice or else it is not love at all. Since God wants to have a genuine loving relationship with man, He gives us the freedom of choice to know Him or not. There have been men that God has wanted to know in a personal way but they refused, “… thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back…” (Eze. 23:35). “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.” (Jer. 2:32). God said, “… they refuse to know me…” (Jer. 9:6). A personal relationship between God and man requires the personal choice of God and man.
The Gospel appeal that Peter made, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40) certainly takes for granted the role of man’s choice in the salvation experience. Clement of Alexandria said, “We…have believed and are saved by voluntary choice.” (c.195, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David Bercot, p. 287, published by Hendrickson Publishers) Pelagius said, “Grace indeed freely discharges sins, but with the consent and choice of the believer” Pelagius (The Letters of Pelagius and his Followers by B. R. Rees, pg 92, published by The Boydell Press) Augustine said, “The beginning of our salvation flows from the merciful God; but it is in our power to consent to his saving inspiration.” Augustine (An Equal Check to Pharisaism and Antinomianism by John Fletcher, Volume Two, pg 206, Published by Carlton & Porter) The Bible says that men need to “receive” Christ (Jn. 1:2; 1:11) and some men refused to believe in Christ and rejected Him (Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42; Mk. 12:10; Lk. 20:17) but some men receive Him (Jn. 1:2). Receiving and rejecting are states of the will. Both receiving Christ and rejecting Him is volition
Some might be thinking, “if salvation requires man’s free personal choice, what about predestination?” The answer is simple. Many have turned an issue of simplicity into an issue of complexity. The reason that many fall into serious error on this topic is because they fail to consider the circumstances and culture which Paul was writing in. Historical context is a necessary consideration in proper hermeneutics. Men read the writings of Paul through the eyes of the Reformers rather than through the eyes of the Early Church.
The Jews were considered the “chosen people”. Many of the Jews were outraged at the thought that God would seek after the Gentiles (Lk. 4:25-29), not remembering that they as a nation were intended to be a light and a blessing to all nations (Gen. 22:18; 26:4; Isa. 42:6; 49:6; Acts 13:47). Predestination is God’s predetermined plan for nations. God predetermined to have a holy people from both the Jews and the Gentiles. The question during the time of the Early Church was not “has God predestined individuals?” but “has God also to the Gentiles given repentance unto life”? (Acts 11:18) It was not that God predestined individuals to be saved or damned but that God also offers salvation to the Gentiles so that they too are chosen by God. God’s heart for the entire world and all nations is seen in the atonement (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 2:2) and in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15).
Paul’s specific ministry was to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17-18; Eph. 3:8). That is why we see Paul confirming to the Church of Ephesus that “He has chosen us” (Eph. 1:4) because that Church was made up of Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:17). The Jews were not only chosen by God, but also the Gentiles were. "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;... Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister,..., that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." (Eph 3:1-9)
Since Paul’s ministry was to the Gentiles we also see Paul’s extensive defense of the election of the Gentiles in Romans 9, 10, and 11. God was not calling the Jews only. “Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” (Rom. 9:24). Salvation was now made available to the Gentiles. “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.” (Rom. 9:30).
Many of the Jews thought that they were unconditionally elected to salvation because they were children of Abraham (Matt. 3:9). Neither salvation nor damnation is hereditary but requires personal choice. The cutting off of Israel and the grafting in of the Gentiles was not unconditional but conditional. The Gentiles were grafted in because they believed but Israel was cut off because they believed not (Rom. 11:20-23). God has chosen to have mercy on those who choose to repent and believe while God has chosen to condemn those who sin and refuse to repent. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14). That is because God only chooses to save those who choose to obey the call. Men make themselves vessels of honor by choosing to purge themselves of their sins (2 Tim. 2:21) or if they persist in their sin, God, though He does it through longsuffering, makes them into vessels of wrath because they are fit for destruction (Jer. 18:4; Rom. 9:21-22).
Regarding predestination and election, Jed Smock said, “Biblically these terms are primarily associated with the call of the Jews and Gentiles to join together, ‘to make in himself of twain one new man (the Church), so making peace,’ between these two estranged people. (Eph 2:15) These terms should not be associated with some fictitious Calvinistic notion, that God unconditionally elected before Creation certain individuals to eternal salvation and reprobated the rest of humanity to eternal destruction.” Jed Smock (The Mystery of Christ Revealed, Published by The Campus Ministry USA) Biblical predestination, when it is properly understood, is not at all contrary to the free will or natural ability of man, nor is it contrary to the biblical truth that salvation requires man’s free choice.
Some will say, “But didn’t Jesus say you have not chosen me but I have chosen you”? Yes Jesus said that in Jn. 15:16 but he was talking about apostleship, not salvation. Jesus chose, out of those who were already his disciples, who would be his apostles. They choose to be his disciples but Jesus chose them to be his apostles.
Why is one person saved while another person is not? The answer is not predestination but free will. It is not that God unconditionally elected the one to be saved and unconditionally reprobated the other to be damned. It is not that God regenerated one so that they will have the ability to repent while he did not regenerate the other to have the ability to do so. It is that God has created men free and some choose to repent and believe while others do not. Augustine admitted that, “They that would not come [to Christ], ought not to impute it to another, but only to themselves, because, when they are called, it was in the power of their free will to come.” (Doctrine of the Will by Asa Mahan, p. 63, published by Truth in Heart)
Jesse Morrell
While I was open air preaching at the University of Minnesota in Duluth, one of the students asked me "Why did God give us free will? Couldn't He have created a universe where there was no possibility of sin?" I explained that God did not want His universe to be full of puppets or robots. That is why God even gave the angels free will and allowed them to choose between loyalty and rebellion. Without free will, there can be no loving relationship. A loving relationship requires mutual consent. God created us to have a relationship with Him. The reason for our existence necessitates the existence of free will. Sure God could have created us without a free will, thereby avoiding all possibility of sin, but this would have also excluded any possibility of us doing what we were created to do! We could not have a real loving relationship with God! Love is a free choice. God cannot and will not make us love Him. God leaves that to our own free will.
The salvation experience is when a person enters into a relationship with God. Eternal life is to know God (Jn. 17:3). A relationship between two people requires the choice or willingness between the two. God cannot enter into a loving relationship with man without man’s choice. That a loving relationship requires mutual consent is shown by the extreme example of date rape. When a man forces a woman into a relationship with him, it is not real love because there is no mutual consent. There can be no loving relationship when there is a violated will. Love must be a free choice or else it is not love at all. Since God wants to have a genuine loving relationship with man, He gives us the freedom of choice to know Him or not. There have been men that God has wanted to know in a personal way but they refused, “… thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back…” (Eze. 23:35). “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.” (Jer. 2:32). God said, “… they refuse to know me…” (Jer. 9:6). A personal relationship between God and man requires the personal choice of God and man.
The Gospel appeal that Peter made, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40) certainly takes for granted the role of man’s choice in the salvation experience. Clement of Alexandria said, “We…have believed and are saved by voluntary choice.” (c.195, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David Bercot, p. 287, published by Hendrickson Publishers) Pelagius said, “Grace indeed freely discharges sins, but with the consent and choice of the believer” Pelagius (The Letters of Pelagius and his Followers by B. R. Rees, pg 92, published by The Boydell Press) Augustine said, “The beginning of our salvation flows from the merciful God; but it is in our power to consent to his saving inspiration.” Augustine (An Equal Check to Pharisaism and Antinomianism by John Fletcher, Volume Two, pg 206, Published by Carlton & Porter) The Bible says that men need to “receive” Christ (Jn. 1:2; 1:11) and some men refused to believe in Christ and rejected Him (Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42; Mk. 12:10; Lk. 20:17) but some men receive Him (Jn. 1:2). Receiving and rejecting are states of the will. Both receiving Christ and rejecting Him is volition
Some might be thinking, “if salvation requires man’s free personal choice, what about predestination?” The answer is simple. Many have turned an issue of simplicity into an issue of complexity. The reason that many fall into serious error on this topic is because they fail to consider the circumstances and culture which Paul was writing in. Historical context is a necessary consideration in proper hermeneutics. Men read the writings of Paul through the eyes of the Reformers rather than through the eyes of the Early Church.
The Jews were considered the “chosen people”. Many of the Jews were outraged at the thought that God would seek after the Gentiles (Lk. 4:25-29), not remembering that they as a nation were intended to be a light and a blessing to all nations (Gen. 22:18; 26:4; Isa. 42:6; 49:6; Acts 13:47). Predestination is God’s predetermined plan for nations. God predetermined to have a holy people from both the Jews and the Gentiles. The question during the time of the Early Church was not “has God predestined individuals?” but “has God also to the Gentiles given repentance unto life”? (Acts 11:18) It was not that God predestined individuals to be saved or damned but that God also offers salvation to the Gentiles so that they too are chosen by God. God’s heart for the entire world and all nations is seen in the atonement (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 2:2) and in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15).
Paul’s specific ministry was to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17-18; Eph. 3:8). That is why we see Paul confirming to the Church of Ephesus that “He has chosen us” (Eph. 1:4) because that Church was made up of Jews and Greeks (Acts 19:17). The Jews were not only chosen by God, but also the Gentiles were. "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;... Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister,..., that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." (Eph 3:1-9)
Since Paul’s ministry was to the Gentiles we also see Paul’s extensive defense of the election of the Gentiles in Romans 9, 10, and 11. God was not calling the Jews only. “Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” (Rom. 9:24). Salvation was now made available to the Gentiles. “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.” (Rom. 9:30).
Many of the Jews thought that they were unconditionally elected to salvation because they were children of Abraham (Matt. 3:9). Neither salvation nor damnation is hereditary but requires personal choice. The cutting off of Israel and the grafting in of the Gentiles was not unconditional but conditional. The Gentiles were grafted in because they believed but Israel was cut off because they believed not (Rom. 11:20-23). God has chosen to have mercy on those who choose to repent and believe while God has chosen to condemn those who sin and refuse to repent. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14). That is because God only chooses to save those who choose to obey the call. Men make themselves vessels of honor by choosing to purge themselves of their sins (2 Tim. 2:21) or if they persist in their sin, God, though He does it through longsuffering, makes them into vessels of wrath because they are fit for destruction (Jer. 18:4; Rom. 9:21-22).
Regarding predestination and election, Jed Smock said, “Biblically these terms are primarily associated with the call of the Jews and Gentiles to join together, ‘to make in himself of twain one new man (the Church), so making peace,’ between these two estranged people. (Eph 2:15) These terms should not be associated with some fictitious Calvinistic notion, that God unconditionally elected before Creation certain individuals to eternal salvation and reprobated the rest of humanity to eternal destruction.” Jed Smock (The Mystery of Christ Revealed, Published by The Campus Ministry USA) Biblical predestination, when it is properly understood, is not at all contrary to the free will or natural ability of man, nor is it contrary to the biblical truth that salvation requires man’s free choice.
Some will say, “But didn’t Jesus say you have not chosen me but I have chosen you”? Yes Jesus said that in Jn. 15:16 but he was talking about apostleship, not salvation. Jesus chose, out of those who were already his disciples, who would be his apostles. They choose to be his disciples but Jesus chose them to be his apostles.
Why is one person saved while another person is not? The answer is not predestination but free will. It is not that God unconditionally elected the one to be saved and unconditionally reprobated the other to be damned. It is not that God regenerated one so that they will have the ability to repent while he did not regenerate the other to have the ability to do so. It is that God has created men free and some choose to repent and believe while others do not. Augustine admitted that, “They that would not come [to Christ], ought not to impute it to another, but only to themselves, because, when they are called, it was in the power of their free will to come.” (Doctrine of the Will by Asa Mahan, p. 63, published by Truth in Heart)