OceanSide church of Christ

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CALVINISM (8)

Unconditional Election (3)

Victor M. Eskew

 

            This series of articles is concerned with the five foundational teachings of Calvinism.  We have been examining the second pillar, Unconditional Election.  We will continue that study in this article.  Our purpose in this installment will be to look at some of the verses used by Calvinists in an attempt to prove the doctrine of Unconditional Election.

            When a Calvinist refers to the sovereignty of God, he means that God controls every aspect of His creation.  He tells us that God has decreed all that is to come to pass.  Part of God’s decrees involves the eternal destiny of man.  Having made this affirmation, he will quote Psalm 33:11, which says:  “The counsel of God standeth forever…”  The argument is that if God has decreed all things, then His counsels will come to pass.  They are unchangeable.  Since God decreed man’s final destination, then He counsel will come to pass.

            An example that is often used involves a disciple of Christ named Judas.  From before the foundation of the world, it is said that Judas was decreed to be the betrayer of the Christ.  Calvinists will point to several prophecies as proof-texts.  Psalm 41:9 reveals that a familiar friend of the Christ would betray him.  Zechariah 11:12-13 foretells that Jesus would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver.  Even Jesus declared that Judas was a devil (John 6:70).  Thus, we are told, Judas’ fate was known from the beginning.  His destiny was sealed.  He had to betray the Son of God.

            There are other passages, however, that need to be considered when it comes to Judas.  When he saw that Jesus was going to be condemned due to his actions, he returned the silver to the Jewish leaders.  These were his opening words to them:  “I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood” (Matt. 27:4).  Judas reveals that it was he who made the choice to sin.  He did not “have to” betray the Christ.  It was a decision that he freely made.  Also, when Judas was being replaced as an apostle, Peter referred to Judas with this statement:  “…from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place” (Acts 1:25).  Again, Judas was put into the apostolic office by Jesus Christ.  However, he chose to sin.  Therefore, Peter declares that he went to “his own place.”  This was a place of his choosing.  It was a place for which he was responsible.  God does not predestine men to sin against His will.  How could a holy God decree for a man to violate His will? 

            This leads to a question about Bible prophecy.  The question is:  “If something is prophesied, doesn’t it have to come to pass?”  The answer to the question is:  “Yes.”  If it does not come to pass, the one who has spoken it is a false prophet (See Deut. 18:22).  Some will conclude because of this that the events of prophecy are eternally decreed by God and must come to pass.  Bible prophecy, however, is not based upon eternal decrees regarding men and events from before the foundation of the world.  They are based upon the divine foreknowledge of God.  Romans 8:29 begins with these words:  “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate…”  Foreknowledge is not the same as Calvin’s doctrine of predestination.  Foreknowledge involves knowing something is going to happen before it happens.  It is not the same as forcing it to happen.  If this author were to go to a store, he might run into a man who tells him:  “If your brother comes to this store, I will hurt him.”  I now have foreknowledge.  I might tell my brother:  “If you go to the store you will be hurt.”  This is a “prophecy.”  Instead of heeding the warning, my brother goes to the store and is hurt.  I am not the one who caused him to be hurt.  I did not eternally decree it to happen.  I knew it.  I predicted it.  But, it was my brother’s choice to go.  In like manner, God’s foreknowledge enabled Him to give prophecies long before the people and events came to be.   (See Isa. 46:9-10).

            Another interesting passage used by the Calvinists is Acts 13:48.  Luke tells us:  “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord:  and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”  When a person first reads this verse, he is convinced that Calvinistic predestination must be true.  The verse plainly declares that these Gentiles “were ordained to eternal life.”  Dear readers, if this is what is meant, there would have been no more reason for Paul and Barnabas to evangelize in this region of the world.  All that were ordained, believed.  Yet, these two men of God continued to publish the word of God throughout the region (Acts 13:39).

            The key to understanding this verse it to comprehend the meaning of the word “ordained.”  The definition is “to set in order.”  “And as many as were set in order to eternal life, believed.”  How were these individuals set in order?  They were set in order by giving heed to the teachings of the evangelists who preached the gospel unto them.  “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord…”  These individuals received the Word of God concerning their need for eternal life and reasoned upon it properly.  They were ready, willing, and eager to receive eternal life.  Thus, they believed.  In the context, the Jews had an opposite reaction.  Acts 13:45 tells us that they “spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.”  The purpose of preaching is to set a man in order to receive eternal life.  Those whose have good and honest hearts receive the word and believe.  Those whose hearts are blinded and hardened do not.  Paul tells us that these individuals judge themselves unworthy of eternal life (Acts 13:46).  It is interesting that Paul did not tell them that God had ordained them to eternal damnation.