PART TWO: The "U" in drooping TULIP.
Unconditional Election - This is where it gets a little wonky.
DOES YOUR PASTOR OR CHURCH PREACH THE WORKS DOCTRINE OF CALVINISM? IF SO YOU MUST READ THIS!
Calvinism creates SO MANY problems scripturally. Just think where we could be without the log in the middle of the road brought about by John Calvin?
(I will refer off and on to Unconditional Election as UE.)
Here is what Calvinism says:
God died, not for the whole world (1Jn 2:2), but the pre-chosen elect only. Based on UE
God elects a person based upon nothing in that person because there is nothing in him that would make him worthy of being chosen. God’s election is based on what is in God. God chose us because he decided to bestow his love and grace upon us, not because we are worthy, in and of ourselves, of being saved!
UE of Calvinism lays down the following scriptures:
Election is the sovereign act of God where, from before the foundation of the world, he chose those whom he would save (Eph. 1:4). This election to salvation is not conditioned upon any foreseen faith (Rom. 9:16) or good works of any individual (Rom. 9:11; 2 Tim. 1:9). The election is based completely on God’s sovereign choice according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:11). God chose the elect because he decided to bestow his love upon them (John 3:16; Eph. 2:4) based solely on his sovereign grace (Gal. 1:15) and for his glory (Isaiah 43:7).
In a more layman (easier to understand) version this is what Calvinism means:
Calvinism propagates the personal eternal decree of God (predestination) about who should be saved and who should not be saved, not even excluding babies. Since God through His predestination chose who should be saved (he who obtains Eternal Life), He also chose who shouldn’t be saved (he who obtains eternal damnation - hell) long before they are born.
To us mere mortals it seems like a throw of the dice. Arbitrary choices were made on the basis of His foreknowledge. Meaning He already knows who is going to choose Him and who will not!
Additionally, according to the doctrine of Calvinism, God predetermined sin, evil, and deliverance. They say God’s foreknowledge is based on his predetermining of all events including sin.
So... in short! According to Calvinism – Unconditional Election: some of you are NOT going to make the cut so you might as well forget it! Throw in the towel! This even goes for the staunchest preacher of Calvinism. He, or she, may possibly be clinging to something that is not even available to them. Kind of like the teaching of Islam, where one does not know if they will make it to Paradise until they actually make it. When the bible teaches YOU CAN KNOW! (1 Jn 5:13)
It’s this kind of thinking that causes so many to reject everything to do with God. It makes it all appear as if we are all chess pieces in one big cosmic chess game where God already knows every move to be made and already knows He will win the game with what particular chess pieces – the rest of the pieces are arbitrary.
The Calvinist’s idea of election is based on their view of God’s sovereignty.
By sovereignty, they mean arbitrary willy-nilly. (I hate to use such a sloppy word as “willy -Nilly” but look it up! It fits perfectly. “Willy-nilly” is a very old term from the 13th century and it comes from the old phrase of: “Will-he or Nill-he.”)
UE of Calvinism has you believing that God picks winners and losers! He can pick, choose, contradict himself, and damn any individual to hell before he’s ever created them, before the law has convicted (as in sentenced – passed down judgment) that individual of their sin, and still be justified. Simply on the basis of sovereignty.
Remember there was and is technically no sin until the law. So how can God rightly, justly, within the confines of His sovereignty, condemn one to hell for sin before the law, before they were formed before that individual has had time to reject the law. How can God be both fully sovereign and true to His own Word?
Romans 7:7-9 (AMP)
What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, if it had not been for the Law, I would not have recognized sin. For I would not have known [for example] about coveting [what belongs to another and would have had no sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, finding an opportunity through the commandment [to express itself] produced in me every kind of coveting and selfish desire. For without the Law sin is dead [the recognition of sin is inactive]. I was once alive without [knowledge of] the Law; but when the commandment came [and I understood its meaning], sin became alive and I died [since the Law sentenced me to death].
Calvinism wants you to believe that as a sovereign act of God, from before the foundation of the world, he chose those whom he would save (Eph. 1:4) that He has already picked winners and losers. (This verse does not directly imply that He chose SOME and not all. It does not imply an individual choosing over a corporate choosing.
Regarding UE why is it written:
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.
who desires ALL men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for ALL, the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:4-5.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto me. John 12:32
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:14-16.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:14.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1Jn 2:2)
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Acts 10:34-35.
We could go on and on!
A GOD THAT CHOSE A PEOPLE
Keep in mind:
· The “Elect” pertains to chosen (a representation), NOT salvation!
· Election is a biblical term whereas “Unconditional Election” is not!
· If He has already elected certain individuals – why the call, why an invitation?
It is without debate the “Elect” and “Chosen” are scripturally synonymous.
There are times in scripture where it is said that Jesus is the elect, did He need to be saved? (1 Peter 2:6). A nation (Israel) who rejected Him were chosen to be His elect. Angels were referred to as His elect, did they need to be saved. Prophets were referred to as His elect. It all means CHOSEN. (However, Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” is referring to the saved - because they believed.)
Here is what Ephesians 1:4 says:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (KJV) Is this a corporate or personal choosing?
Oh, but a Calvinist would say – “You didn’t finish reading.” Oh, but I did! And, I would say – “but you did not read enough and once again lack in offering CONTEXT and POOR HERMENEUTICS.” Calvinists really love to hang their hat on Ephesians 1:4. They all love to parrot it!
Let me bring some context:
Ephesians is clearly written to believers, both Jew and Gentile. There is evidence of a Jewish Synagogue in 1st Century Ephesus. As for the mix of Gentiles, who would truly know? One can only speculate based on the environment of the city. But what we do know is that Paul went to the area of Asia Minor, the area of Galatia, what we know to be modern-day Turkey, to predominately bring the gospel to Gentiles. It is also well known that it was a hotbed for cultic worship of Greco-Roman gods such as Artemis. Therefore, it is easily surmised that the audience in Ephesus was made up of Jewish believers that understood monotheism and understood what it meant to be chosen by their God. Then there are the Gentiles believers that previously were polytheists that believed in many gods and had the mindset to add, possibly Jesus, to their cluster of other worshipped gods. Paul knew this as he wrote this prison epistle to some believers he knew, but to MANY that he did not know, but heard about their faith. Paul knew that these gentile believers predominately had an upbringing of polytheism and that NOT ONE of their (other) gods allowed for the concept of having a ”chosen people” – except for the newly added one… Jesus! Paul knew there was a potential for gentiles to add to their gods rather than subtract them all for the sake of this one new God. For these types of believers, Paul is clearly writing.
For the Jewish believer he is reaffirming and for the Gentile, he is reassuring that the gospel you have come to believe is of a God that has chosen you and predestined you to belong to him… no matter who you are! Therefore, do not hold to any other God other than the one who chose you!
Now with just a little tidbit of background, spend some time reading Ephesians and see what it is really saying. Rather than taking the shaded view of Calvinism.
To shed more light let us look at the first recorded judgment upon mankind.
GOD’S JUDGEMENT – THE FLOOD!
Yes, it is true that this election to salvation is not conditioned upon any foreseen faith (Rom. 9:16) or good works of any individual (Rom. 9:11; 2 Tim. 1:9). True and True. The election is based completely on God’s sovereign choice according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:11)
What is this? What is "the counsel of His own will? Or the kind intention of His will?".
[I have the intention to leave my inheritance, let’s say business, house and or etc., to my son and daughter. I am planning on it (predestination). Will they actually step into it? I don’t know. It remains to be seen. But it will be solely about their choices, I just gave them the opportunity to do so. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matt.7:11.]
Side note:
The premise that UE depends upon is that the choosing was about choosing individuals specifically. Although not necessarily arbitrary as it appears or feels, but nonetheless a specific individual choosing, not corporate. I defend that it is not so… simply based on the first deliverance period of Noah and the Flood. If God is truly the God that says He is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8) we should then clearly see a foretelling of what God has set forth for all time and eternity when we read the Old Testament.
Do the kind intentions of His will pertain to people corporately, or people individually? God chose the elect because he decided to bestow his love upon them (John 3:16; Eph. 2:4) based solely on his sovereign grace (Gal. 1:15) and for his glory (Isaiah 43:7). "God choosing the elect" – does not really make the wild implication that there are specific individuals He selected and others that He didn't!
A Calvinist is predisposed to believe individual election rather than corporate due to already having believed what they believe and completely closing their mind off to considering the scriptural basis of God’s grace from the beginning being bestowed corporately.
…the first use of the word COVENANT is in the Genesis flood story.
To bring some clarity on the matter let us consider His covenant spoken of in Genesis 9.
Think of the great flood. When He brought the floodwaters it was going to affect ALL (corporate). It would even affect Noah and any member of his family had they chosen to not enter the Ark. Then AFTER His attempt to deal with mankind’s sin by drowning them out to extinction He declared He would not ever do it again. Basically, meaning He would not arbitrarily deal with man in such a way again. That He would allow for a way that man could be delivered. He made a covenant with man. Matter of fact the first use of the word COVENANT is in the Genesis flood story. (Genesis 9:11) This covenant was being made with man corporately making way for each person individually to have the opportunity for deliverance. (Gen 8:21, Gen 9:9, 11, 12, 15, Isaiah 54:9)
We all know this story is a typology of salvation to come!
We all know this story is a typology of salvation to come!
Why do I say corporately? Because the time of Noah is pre-God’s people, pre-Abrahamic. There was yet to be God's chosen people - Israel.
Throughout history God has dealt with mankind via covenants and agreements. It was common among the Jews to regard the covenant between God and Noah as the basis of the relationship between God and all of mankind whereas the covenants between Abraham and Moses were regarding God’s relationship with Israel. (Which can get into a whole other subject of Dispensation or Replacement Theology.)
So according to Calvinism’s Unconditional Election: some of you are NOT going to make the cut so you might as well forget it! Throw in the towel! This even goes for the staunchest preacher of Calvinism. You false prophets of Calvinism may be clinging to something that is not even there for you. You simply may not even make it. Kind of like the teaching of Islam, where one does not know if they will make it to Paradise until they actually make it. When the bible teaches YOU CAN KNOW!
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1John 5:13.
MY REBUTTAL:
My rebuttal would be the fact that God’s good will and intentions are put on display in the spirit of God’s own spoken word to Noah put forth in Genesis and then the following verses written as inspired word thousands of years later, based on what God spoke thousands of years previous. Ephesians 1:5 "according to the good pleasure of His will." What is the good pleasure of His will?
Well... let's look at what is clearly displayed in scripture.
It is clear; Genesis displayed one particular intention. He said He would not do THAT again. He even made a covenant to Noah, his seed, and for perpetual generations. ”THAT” - is exactly what? THAT would be arbitrarily wiping out mankind. This alone distinctly addresses the issue of individual election versus corporate; God’s Noahic Covenant with mankind.
But then… thousands of years later after God’s plan of deliverance is fully implemented Jesus – the Ark for mankind. We have the inspired word of God through Peter, Paul, John, and even Jesus own words NOT saying everything that the doctrine of Calvinism has misled the masses to believe. It is simply a WORKS DOCTRINE of MAN!
I could go on but I wish to end here and leave it to those reading to search the scriptures and re-enforce what I have written or disprove it.
I have not even delved into the subject of “Foreknowledge.” David had foreknowledge and saved himself, and his men, from Saul at Keilah. Speaking of foreknowledge consider Abraham in Genesis 22. Abraham has a choice to make and God responds “Now I know.” Genesis 22:12.
For a Calvinist to insinuate that they have a complete grasp of God’s foreknowledge is an absurdity. To perpetuate that they have it in the bag and that it supports UE is disturbing.
I do not just believe UE and Tulip are just flawed but believe it is “Another Gospel; so much so that I believe it is demonic in nature on multiple points for it distorts scripture to the point of misguiding seekers regarding the Gospel of Grace, The Doctrine of Rewards, and the importance of Evangelism.
If one really thinks about it, on the basis of Calvinism's TULIP, as for evangelism - One could say "why do door to door evangelism, why minister to my neighbor, why street preaching if everyone is already chosen, or not chosen? Why a calling or invitation? God will draw them. Why should I put myself in a tenuous situation and witness to my boss or co-worker?
I simply believe it to be “Another Gospel” and in the end pointing to Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
Here we are see put on display a people that thought they were saved but were not – for they were trusting in THEIR WORKS - in His name, yet HE did not know them!
So many say “Oh, it’s about relationship, not religion.” It’s not! It is about Believing Upon Him, and Him alone. His work, not your work! Grace alone, by Faith alone, in Christ alone.
Doing the will of the Father which is:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matt 7:21
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40.
Your works will not save you. Your believing will. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9. THIS IS A GIFT GRANTED TO ALL OF MANKIND, TO ALL THAT ARE AFAR OFF - TO AS MANY AS THE LORD SHALL CALL!
SOLA GRATIA, SOLA FIDE, SOLUS CHRISTUS.
BLESSINGS – YOURS IN CHRIST!