The Key to being able to teach both Predestination and Free Will
by Sandy Simpson, 5/14/16
When I was in college one of the favorite all night jam
sessions was the Predestination vs. Free Will debate. We would stay up all night and never resolve
the problem. Though I was a Christian I
was somewhat immature at the time and had not learned the principle of not
imposing manmade constructs on the Scriptures (eisegesis)
but rather letting the Bible interpret itself (exegesis) since it consists of
the Word of God as breathed by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16) through the
prophets, Apostles and of course, the Word incarnate, Jesus Christ. There is a famous saying that states: "A text, out of
context, in isolation from co-text is always a pre-text." It certainly was a “pretext” for our lengthy
useless arguments on this subject.
I
heard a biblical teacher and scholar, who I respect, state while teaching
Romans 8, that he did not really understand how to explain Predestination. I remembered that I used to say that and I
have heard many less than five point Calvinists say the same thing. The reason I say that is because full five
point Calvinists have no problem saying that God predestined some people to
heaven and some to hell without explanation.
I discovered many years ago that if your doctrinal position prohibits
you from explaining Scripture or causes you to skip certain troublesome verses
altogether, then you need to readjust your doctrine,
not the other way around. When you find
that you cannot teach certain passages of Scripture that is a good indication
you have a lot left to learn. I am not
saying a person can fully explain the Trinity, for instance, but we can at
least illuminate what the Bible teaches while stating that the full mystery of
the Trinity will be revealed when we see Jesus in the Resurrection (1 Cor.
13:12). We need to stick with what the
Bible teaches instead of theologians who may have had some good ideas but may
also have has wrong interpretations that have lead many into error. I talk about the many problems of Calvinism
vs. Arminianism in an article I wrote which will
follow. I resolved many years ago to
stop being a 3.5 point Calvinist and start teaching what the Bible
teaches. On the subject of Predestination
vs. Free Will I found myself finally able to teach verses like Rom. 8:29-30
(Predestination) and 2 Pet. 3:17 (falling away). I could teach them without interjecting some
lame interpretations to make them fit in with a system of doctrine but rather
for their own merit as they were intended.
The Key
The
Key I am talking about in this article to teaching Predestination is not to
start with that as a basis but to start with what the Bible lays as a
foundation for Predestination.
Romans 8:29-30 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of
his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And
those he predestined, he also
called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also
glorified.
1 Peter 1:2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and
sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
So the issue of Predestination is based on the omniscience of God, His foreknowledge. It does not start with Predestination out of the blue but is based on God knowing who, having heard the Gospel and been convicted by the Holy Spirit who opens their blind eyes to their sinful nature and the reason why Jesus Christ had to come an die a substitutionary death in their place to pay for their sins, known from eternity past, who would truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation. I have heard so many preachers who have been led down the path to full on Calvinism start with Predestination and end up with ideas like (1) God predestined some to hell and some to heaven (2) that since God predestined He also gives “Christians” their faith, thus they don’t have to believe to be saved and (3) since they don’t have to believe to be saved, they also do not have to hold on to their faith and they cannot walk away from God. Look up the following verses concerning the above points.
(1) 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as
some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
(2) Acts 16:31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,
you and your household.”
(3) Hebrews 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast
the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
You can see how easy it is to refute complex arguments by Calvinists with a few verses if you are inclined to argue from Scripture, not some manmade construct. The same goes for the Pelegian/Arminian teaching that (1) since Adam and Eve ate from the tree of Good and Evil humans do not have a sin nature and (2) they have enough good in them to accept Jesus Christ as Savior with their own will. Again, the Bible begs to differ.
(1) Romans 7:18 For I
know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out. Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus
Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
(2) Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Romans
3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God;
The problem of sin in Rom. 3:23 is not talking merely about a choice to sin sometimes; it is talking about the sin nature that comes down from sin entering the world through the original sin of Satan (Is. 14:13-14), then Adam and Eve (Rom. 5:14). So if you teach according to the Scriptures you will know that man cannot be born again by simply exercising their fallen will. They have to hear the Gospel (Eph. 1:13), be convicted by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) who opens their blind eyes (2 Cor. 4:4), recognize they have a sin nature (Rom. 7:18) and also choose to sin (Rom. 6:1-3) which makes it impossible for them to have a relationship with God (John 9:31, Rom. 5:8), understand that they have to believe in and commit to the salvation gift of Jesus Christ (John 6:35), and then hold on to that till the end (Heb. 3:14, Phil. 2:16, 2 Thes. 2:15, Rev. 2:25, 3:11).
So the key to correctly teaching about Predestination is to teach it in the sequence Paul set down which is foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified. If you start somewhere other than at the beginning, you will not be able to teach the Scriptures properly. Predestination, and so forth, is all based on the foreknowledge of God. Remember that we need to define Scripture not only by immediate context but in the light of the whole counsel of God’s Word.
Just to illustrate how far out some Calvinists can go, I have heard the argument many times that there is only one place in the Bible where it uses the word freewill, implying man was not give the freedom of will. My answer is that the whole Bible is an account of how the will of man either causes him judgment if not submitted to God and glorification if he does the will of God.
On the other side the Arminian position causes them to say things like “People are basically good” or conversely “When a person sins they need to be born again each time they sin”. You would think that both of those positions would be opposite but they both come from the premise that they believe men are a mixture of good and bad. They do not realize that we cannot be good enough to have a relationship with God and the only way possible is for the Lord Jesus Christ to create in a person a new spirit and the Holy Spirit come and dwell there. Also if a person believes they cannot be justified once for all they depend on themselves for salvation through a choice of their will.
Here is a verse I always remember in this debate:
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless,
the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to
abstain from wickedness.”
The wonderful thing is that God is the One who knows who belong to Him. We can only see who is walking with Him now, but we do not know the final outcome, thus we can pray for people to be saved and witness to them, but we cannot know the final outcome of salvation for them. But we also know that if we are truly born again there will be fruit, namely “abstinence from wickedness”. We are tasked by God with checking to make sure we are truly in the Faith since we are not omniscient.
2 Corinthians
13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you
fail the test?
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We cannot save ourselves. But we must exercise faith in order to appropriate the grace of Christ to ourselves upon hearing the Gospel and having our eyes opened by the Lord. There is also only one name under heaven by which men may be saved (Acts 4:12).
I hope the key of foreknowledge will help you in presenting the Truth set down in the highest revelation, the written Word of God.
The Calvinism vs. Arminianism Debate
It has become my considered opinion that certain doctrines in Arminianism and semi-Pelagianism, but also by certain doctrines of Calvinism (Once Saved Always Saved) have fatal flaws.
I found long ago that if I teach Scripture as laid down by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles I will have a proper doctrinal position. If I try to apply manmade doctrinal systems to the Bible I often come up lacking. I think I will prove that point with my following points.
Please understand that the following is my exegesis of Scripture. I admit that I could be wrong and am willing to discuss the points I am making here. Some of the concepts of these doctrinal systems are not easy to explain, prove or disprove. My goal is always to be like Paul who was happy when people checked
what he said daily with Scripture (Acts 17:11). I hold Scripture to be the highest authority for the believer in matters of Christian faith and practice. I also hold to the core doctrines of the church, which I will remind the reader of at this point:
1. The Trinity: God must be one "what" and three "who's" with each "who" possessing all the attributes of Deity and personality.
2. The Person of Jesus Christ: Jesus is 100% God and 100% man for all eternity.
3. The Second Coming: Jesus Christ is coming bodily to earth to rule and judge.
4. Salvation: By grace through faith alone in Christ alone.
5. The Scripture: It is entirely inerrant and sufficient for all Christian life.
There are other doctrines that are VERY important, though probably not on the level of the above as there are some points of disagreement among theologians such as the proper view of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. I do not regard the adherence to either Calvinism or Arminianism as on the same level as the core doctrines even though this debate is VERY important. We cannot and must not degrade or let go of the core doctrines. We can have polemical debates on some of the other doctrines such as Ecclesiology (Church), Anthropology (Man), Pneumatology (Holy Spirit), Hamartiology (Sin) and Satanology/Demonology (Our Adversary the Devil) but the five mentioned above are non-negotiable. Therefore we can argue these issues and still remain in unity as Christians. However, I do believe that anyone who holds strictly to either camp, what is called a hyper-Calvinist or hyper-Arminian, is wrong and should vigorously examine his or her position. Many hold to one or more points in either camp, or a mixture of both. Some, like myself, hold to a few points but see an antinomy in others, as well as sometimes error in both views, as I attempt to let the Scriptures form my doctrines, not the other way around.
Let me illustrate why neither doctrinal system is perfect by comparing the two doctrines point for point (all references are NIV unless otherwise indicated):
(1) ARMINIANISM - FREE WILL
Arminius believed that the fall of man was not total, maintaining that there was enough good left in man for him to will to accept Jesus Christ unto salvation.
WRONG!
This is very unbiblical since the Bible says:
Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (KJV)
Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and
beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Rom. 5:14 Nevertheless, death
reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not
sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to
come.
Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the
world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom. 3:10 As it is written: "There is no-one righteous, not even
one;
The fall of man was total. Nonetheless, man is capable of believing in Jesus Christ for his salvation, but only in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit as a result of hearing the Gospel.
John 16:8 When he comes, he (the
Holy Spirit) will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness
and judgment:
In order for the Holy Spirit to convict a person they will have to have heard the Gospel message.
Rom. 10:14
How, then, can they call
on the one they have
not believed in? And how can they believe
in the one of whom they have
not heard?
And how can they hear
without someone preaching to them?
(1) CALVINISM - "T" = TOTAL DEPRAVITY
The Calvinists believed that man is in absolute bondage to sin and Satan, unable to exercise his own will to trust in Jesus Christ without the help of God.
PARTLY WRONG!
It is true that man is in absolute bondage to sin and Satan, until the Holy Spirit convicts a man of his sin and he repents and believes. We absolutely do need the "help of God". But a man does need to exercise his will by believing. Man is not a robot. The Spirit convicts. Man has to believe, an act of the will.
John 16:8 When he comes, he (the
Holy Spirit) will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness
and judgment:
Heb. 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
him.
Acts 16:30-31 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must
I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe
in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe
stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one
and only Son.
1 John 5:10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this
testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to
be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his
Son.
(2) ARMINIANISM - CONDITIONAL ELECTION
Arminius believed that election was based on the foreknowledge of God as to who would believe. Man's "act of faith" was seen as the "condition" of his being elected to eternal life, since God foresaw him exercising his free will in response to Jesus Christ.
RIGHT, AS FAR IS IT GOES.
God did not predestine man for either hell or heaven, but rather predestined those He foreknew who would believe. If this were not so then the Bible would be untruthful in stating:
2 Pet. 3:9 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. (KJV)
John 12:32 and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (KJV)
John 12:32 and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
(NRSV)
2 Cor. 5:15 and that he died for
all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but
unto him which died for them, and rose again.
(KJV)
John 6:40 for my Father's will
is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
God did choose men according to His foreknowledge of their free will response to salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
1 Pet. 1:2 who have been chosen
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying
work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Rom. 11:2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Rom. 10:9 That if you confess
with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom. 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and
are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
In some places only "foreknowledge" is mentioned as in Rom. 11, and in others only "predestination" is mentioned as in Eph. 1. But it is noteworthy to notice that the word "foreknew" precedes the word "predestined" in the following passage that OSAS people use as one of their major proofs for predestination:
Rom. 8:29-30 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And
those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those
he justified, he also glorified.
I believe that predestination as a result of foreknowledge, as stated earlier, is the key to beginning to understand the antinomy of predestination versus freewill. This is apparent paradox is one of the most difficult concepts to explain or understand that is taught in the Bible.
(2) CALVINISM - "U" = UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
The Calvinists believed that foreknowledge is based upon the plan and purpose of God and that election is not based upon the decision of man, but the "free will" of the Creator alone.
PARTLY WRONG!
Predestination is a result of foreknowledge, as we have already covered in Rom. 8:29-30. Foreknowledge IS based upon God's plan, but His plan for the salvation of all men.
2 Pet. 3:9 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. (KJV)
John 12:32 and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (KJV)
2 Cor. 5:15 and that he died for
all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but
unto him which died for them, and rose again. (KJV)
Election is a biblical fact.
Matt. 24:22 If those days had
not been cut short, no-one would survive, but
for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
But election (with regard to the New Covenant) is not based on some choice by God to reject some men and redeem others, which would not be consistent with the Word and the Testimony of His character of justice and grace, but based on whether or not a man chooses to believe in Jesus Christ.
2 Pet. 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For
if you do these things, you will never fall,
John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus was an example for us and proved Himself by signs and miracles so that men might see them and make a conscious decision to believe.
Rom. 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Salvation comes through faith alone, not by chance or robotic behavior.
(3) ARMINIANISM - UNIVERSAL ATONEMENT
Arminius held that redemption was based on the fact that God loves everybody, that Christ died for everyone, and that the Father is not willing that any should perish. The death of Christ provided the grounds for God to save all men, but each must exercise his own "free will" in order to be saved.
RIGHT!
God loves everyone.
1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love
among us: He sent his one and only Son
into the world that we might live through him.
1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that
he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
John 3:16 For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He loved us even though we, at one time, did not love
Him. He died for everyone. (2 Pet. 3:9, John 12:32, 2 Cor. 5:15, John 6:40) We must exercise our will to claim
salvation bought for us on Calvary.
Eph. 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal,
the promised Holy Spirit,
If we have no faith the gospel is of no value to us.
Heb. 4:2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but
the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not
combine it with faith.
(3) CALVINISM - "L" = LIMITED ATONEMENT
The Calvinists believed that Jesus Christ died to save those who were given to Him by the Father in eternity past. In their view, all for whom Jesus died (the elect) will be saved, and all for whom He did not die (the non elect) will be lost.
PARTLY WRONG!
God did give Jesus Christ the inheritance of the saved from eternity past.
Eph. 1:5 he predestined us to be
adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and
will--
However, this truth becomes an antinomy with this truth:
2 Pet. 3:9 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. (KJV)
Jesus did not just die for a select few, but for all men (2 Cor. 5:15, John 3:16). All for whom Christ died will be saved if they believe, and not saved if they do not believe:
John 3:18 Whoever believes in
him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptised
will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
(4) ARMINIANISM - “OBSTRUCTIBLE” GRACE
Arminius believed that since God wanted all men to be saved, He sent the Holy Spirit to "woo" all men to Christ, but since man has absolute "free will," he is able to resist God's will for his life. He believed that God's will to save all men can be frustrated by the finite will of man. He also taught that man exercises his
own will first, and then is born again.
PARTLY WRONG!
God does want all men to be saved (2 Pet. 3:9, John 6:40). There is no Scripture that talks about the Holy Spirit "wooing" men to Christ. However, the Holy Spirit does convict men of sin (John 16:8). Man is able to resist the Spirit and His call to repentance and salvation. Some Jews resisted the Holy Spirit and were lost unless they repented.
Acts 7:51 "You stiff-necked people,
with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You
always resist the Holy Spirit!
1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that
does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer
to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death.
I am not saying that he should pray about that.
The "sin that leads to death" is held by many to be the resistance to grace; the conviction of the Holy Spirit and salvation offered by Christ to all men. God's will, however, cannot be thwarted by men.
Heb. 6:17 Because God wanted to make the
unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
Num. 23:19 God is not a man,
that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should
change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?
God may “change His mind” when He chooses to, sometimes at the request or repentance of men, and for His own glory and purposes, but His will cannot be thwarted. The way God changes his mind is different from men because God knows He will change His mind and for His own purposes.
Ex. 32:11-14 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why
doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of
the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should
the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he
bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the
face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against
thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will
multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken
of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for
ever. And the LORD repented of
the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
But it is true that a man must believe and be born again.
John 3:2-3 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you
are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous
signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can
see the kingdom of God unless he
is born
again."
Rom. 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is
with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
(4) CALVINISM - "I" = IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
The Calvinists believed that the Lord possesses irresistible grace that cannot be obstructed. They taught that the free will of man is so far removed from salvation, that the elect are regenerated (made spiritually alive) by God even before expressing faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. If a totally depraved person wasn’t made alive by the Holy Spirit, such a calling on God would be impossible.
WRONG!
Salvation is conditional, applied by grace through our faith as a result of the foreknowledge and predestining of God. Remember: Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It is by the grace of Christ alone that salvation was afforded to men, not by works lest any man should boast. It is by faith alone that salvation by grace alone is applied to our lives. We lay hold of the miracle of grace by faith.
Rom. 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth,
"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For it is
with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth
that you confess and are saved.
A man can resist the grace of God. Not to believe when convicted by the Spirit is to resist the Spirit (Mark 16:16, Acts 7:51). A person cannot resist the Spirit unless the Spirit is at work to try to convict him. The Spirit was at work among the Jews in the above instance, but there were those who resisted grace. A person who is a believer can even grieve the Holy Spirit.
Eph 4:30 and do not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
To say that "the elect are regenerated (made spiritually alive) by God even before expressing faith in Jesus Christ for salvation." is a very unbiblical doctrine and should be opposed by any true believer. The Bible is clear about the terms of our salvation, purchased for us by Jesus Christ. We must believe! (Rom. 3:22, 10:9-10).
Gal. 3:22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so
that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be
given to those who believe.
1 Tim. 1:16 But for that very
reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus
might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
Many unsaved people have called on God. Of course God knows if they will or will not respond, but all men are sinful from the beginning, thus are equally either capable or incapable of believing in Jesus Christ. Since many men have come to a belief in Christ, this proves that a "totally depraved person"—which includes every person who ever lived with the exception of Jesus Christ—can recognize his sin and believe because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, having heard and responded to the gospel message.
Rom. 10:17 Consequently, faith
comes from hearing the message, and the message is
heard through the word of Christ.
Eph. 1:13 and you also were
included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised
Holy Spirit,
Notice we are not marked with the Holy Spirit’s seal before we believed!
(5) ARMINIANISM - FALLING FROM GRACE
If man cannot be saved by God unless it is man's will to be saved, then man cannot continue in salvation unless he continues to will to be saved.
PARTLY WRONG!
Man cannot continue in salvation unless he continues to believe (continuous tense). That is true in one sense.
Rom. 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth,
"Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For it is
with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth
that you confess and are saved.
Rom. 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
However, to state that "man cannot be saved by God unless it is man's will to be saved" is an over-simplification of the facts. God knows who will be saved having foreknown those who would believe. He desires that everyone be saved, but because of His foreknowledge He predestined those He foreknew to salvation. It is His will that everyone be saved, and a certain percentage will be. God's will is therefore ultimately important in the process, since it was He who provided salvation through His Son—reaching out to us. There is also a necessity of belief on the part of His creatures to claim that free gift of salvation.
(5) CALVINISM - "P" = PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
The Calvinists believed that salvation is entirely the work of the Lord, and that man has absolutely nothing to do with the process. The saints will persevere because God will see to it that He will finish the work He has begun.
OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF THE FACTS!
Jesus Christ paid the price. We must believe and trust Him. We do not affect our salvation which is by the grace of Christ alone, but we must believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it to be applied to us. (Rom. 3:22, 10:9-10) God will see to it that those who continue to believe will persevere. But they must continue in "His kindness" or be cut off.
Rom. 11:22 Consider therefore
the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to
you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be
cut off.
Paul was confident in the Philippians and prayed they would be brought to final salvation because of their perseverance and faith.
Php. 1:6 being confident of this,
that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.
Paul's confidence for the Philippians is one thing. Absolute assurance is another. This verse often used by OSAS adherents must be balanced with the other biblical truths that we can fall away, shrink back, wander from the truth, shipwreck our faith, have our faith destroyed, and be cut off if we cease to continue in His kindness.
Luke 8:13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy
when they hear it, but they have no root. They
believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
Heb. 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who
have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have
tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if
they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss
they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public
disgrace.
2 Pet. 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.
For if you do these things, you will never fall,
Heb. 10:38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be
pleased with him."
1 Tim. 1:19 holding on to faith and a good
conscience. Some have rejected these and so have
shipwrecked their faith.
2 Tim. 2:17-18 Their teaching will spread like
gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have
wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already
taken place, and they destroy the faith
of some.
Rom. 11:22 Consider therefore
the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to
you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be
cut off.
In Summary
Hopefully I have helped you see the deficiencies in both doctrinal systems. The issue of eternal security versus conditional security is, in some respects, an antinomy. The definition of an antinomy is that it is two truths that are both true yet apparently opposite. We must all return to the Scriptures and take the whole teaching of the Word, instead of relying on these doctrinal systems that are, at best, faulty and at worst, very damaging and unbiblical in certain ways. We must be careful of the doctrines of men:
Mark 7:7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by
men.
Recommendations
For five point Calvinists, I recommend the book by Dave Hunt entitled “What Love Is This?”. This book brings some balance back from all the heavy emphasis on OSAS in many ministries today. It is my hope that this book will remind Christians that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
It‘s good to study the issues of predestination just as it’s good to study the issues of shipwrecking one's faith. Hopefully after careful study a Christian will come to the conclusion that, somehow, both the concepts of predestination and freewill coexist equally in the Word of God and thus we must accept them by faith, even if we cannot fully understand them as one concept together.
In short, God knows who has been saved from beginning to end. We, as created beings, cannot know the final salvation outcome for anyone except for ourselves as we continue in faith believing, though we can rightly discern a person’s current spiritual condition by their doctrine and fruit (Jn. 15:20, 2 Tim. 3:12, 2 Pet. 2:7-8, Rom. 6:21, Lk. 8:21, Jam. 2:14, Gal. 1:8-9, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, 1 Pet. 4:4, 2 Cor. 6:17-18, Jn. 8:32-36, Rom. 6:16-18). The word “believe” is more accurately translated "continue believing" (continuous tense in the Greek in many passages) till the end. Many strict OSAS teachers promote a "grace without the need for continued faith" and a "salvation based on a past moment of belief" thereby teaching Christians not to really fear God's judgment on their continued habitual sins and lack of faith. This has brought a number of false interpretations of Scripture, and an ignorance of the true grace teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
One of these false Calvinistic teachings is that believers "can never fall away" (Heb. 6:4-6, Mark 14:27, 2 Pet. 1:10, 1 Cor. 10:12) or "be cut off" (Rom. 11:22) in opposition to clear teaching in Scripture. This causes Christians not to take unrepentant immorality, idolatry, false teachings, false prophecy and the false
anointing of the Third Wave as seriously as they should. This is because many OSAS teachers claim that "God will never allow believers to be deceived" even though the Bible includes dire warnings to believers against being deceived by false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1, Luke 21:8, 2 Cor. 11:13, Mt. 24:5,11,24, Eph.
5:6).
Another of the false teachings based on OSAS is that believers cannot be demonized (not speaking of "possession", but "demonization") which is contrary to both Biblical examples of demonization of believers (Job 1:8-9; 2:3; 2:7, 1Sa 16:14-16, 18:10, 19:9, Matt. 15:22-28, Matt. 16:22-23, Mark 1:23, Luke
9:52-56, Luke 13:11-16, John 6:70-71, 13:27 Acts 5:1-11, Acts 8:9-24, 2 Cor. 12:7, Gal. 3:1, 1 Tim. 1:19-20) and Biblical teaching to not give the devil a foothold or to allow the sin nature to control us (Eph. 4:25-27, 1 Cor 5:1-5, 2 Cor 2:10-11, 2 Cor. 11:3-4, 1 Tim. 4:1-2, 2 Tim. 2:24-26).
Arminians believe the Big Lie of Satan that we ate of the Tree of Good and Evil, therefore we are able to live lives good enough to believe in Jesus Christ., etc. This also carries over into the erroneous teachings of Holiness churches, that Christians can be entirely holy in the life. But that denies what the Bible tells us about denying ourselves and putting off the old man.
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them
all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Ephesians
4:22 You were taught, with regard to your
former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted
by its deceitful desires;