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Romans 9:18-21 states: "Therefore hath he mercy
on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For
who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou
that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him
that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"
Paul, in these verses makes some very direct statements
concerning the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation. He
is describing God's sovereign dealings with Israel, Jacob,
Esau, and Pharaoh in chapter nine. Israel and Jacob were the
objects of His mercy and favor. Esau and Pharaoh were the
objects of His wrath and judgment. Israel and Jacob were the
recipients of sovereign grace, Esau and Pharaoh were the
recipients of divine reprobation. The thing that
distinguished Jacob from Esau was not his works or merits,
but God's purpose in electing grace as is stated in verse
11: "For the children being not yet born, neither
having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, not of works, but of him
that calleth." Knowing that the natural man would
charge God with unfairness and injustice, the Holy Spirit
inspired Paul to answer the objection in verse twenty with
the illustration of the Sovereign Potter.
The doctrine of Unconditional Election has always been
met with opposition for the simple reason that the natural
man wants to be his own sovereign. He does not want to
acknowledge that God has the right to choose men unto
salvation according to His own good pleasure. However, if
the doctrine of man's total depravity is scripturally
understood the doctrine of election becomes a necessity if
anyone is going to be saved!
Loraine Boettner said:
"If the doctrine of Total Inability or Original Sin be
admitted, the doctrine of unconditional Election follows by
the most inescapable logic. If, as the Scriptures and
experience tell us, all men are by nature in a state of
guilt and depravity from which they are wholly unable to
deliver themselves and have no claim whatever on God for
deliverance, it follows that if any are saved God must
choose out those who shall be the objects of His grace." 1
Let anyone who has ever had a work of grace done in their
heart examine their experience of salvation and they must
acknowledge with John the beloved: "We love him,
because he first loved us" (I John 4:19).
C.H. Spurgeon was once preaching to a crowd of Methodists
who were in opposition to the doctrine of Election, he said:
"This brings me to the doctrine of election." Expressions of
disapproval became evident, whereupon, Mr. Spurgeon told the
audience that they did believe the doctrine of election, and
that he would make them shout "Hallelujah" over it. He asked
his audience if there were any difference between them and
the wicked, such as drunkards, harlots, and blasphemers.
They all united in saying there was a difference. He then
put the question of who made the difference, saying that
whoever made the difference, should have the glory of it.
"Did you make the difference?" To this question they all
said "NO". He then told them that the Lord made the
difference, and asked them if they thought it was wrong for
Him to make a difference between them and other men? They
agreed it was not wrong. Spurgeon then concluded by saying:
"Very well then; if it was not wrong for God to make the
difference, it was not wrong for Him to purpose to make it,
and that is the doctrine of election." Then they cried,
"Hallelujah", just as the preacher said they would! 2
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In order to grasp the doctrine of unconditional Election,
you must first understand the Biblical principle of God's
Sovereignty over all His creation.
A.W. Pink defined God's Sovereignty in the following way:
"The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute,
irresistible, infinite. When we say that God is sovereign we
affirm His right to govern the universe, which He has made
for His own glory, just as He pleases. We affirm that His
right is the right of the Potter over the clay, i.e., that
He may mold that clay into whatsoever form He chooses,
fashioning out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and
another unto dishonor. We affirm that He is under no rule or
law outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law
unto Himself, and that He is under no obligation to give an
account of His matters to any." 3
The Scriptures are very plain in stating that God does as
He pleases, when He pleases, and how He pleases. He is the
creator and owner of all things in the Universe. Psalms 24:1
states: "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."
Revelation 4:11 declares: "Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
It is the creature who must bow before the Creator.
Yet Arminian theology presents God as the one who must bow
to the fickle will of man. Arminian theology strips God of
his attributes of sovereignty, independence, and power in
the following ways: He is stripped of His sovereignty by the
teaching that He is not free to choose men unto salvation
according to His own good pleasure. He is stripped of His
independence by the teaching that He must be dependent upon
man's free will concerning salvation. He is stripped of His
power by stating that man's will is powerful enough to
resist the power of God in the Holy Spirit's effectual call
to salvation. What kind of God have they forged? One that is
powerless to execute His will without first consulting with
sinful man. The Arminian view of God, in reality, dethrones
the true God and puts man upon the throne! Such a perversion
is a doctrine of the Devil as evidenced by what he told Eve
in the Garden of Eden: "Ye shall be as gods!"
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Perhaps the greatest misconception in the religious world
today is the idea that God is obligated in some way to make
salvation available to every man. I have often heard the
statement: "God gives every person the same amount of grace
to decide whether to be saved or not." Such a statement is
simply not Biblical. God's grace is distinguishing. He
chooses to save some men and to leave others in their sins
according to His own sovereign will. This is precisely what
Paul was stating in Romans 9:18: "Therefore hath he
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he
hardeneth."
It was man who rebelled and disobeyed God by sinning. Man
has always been obligated and accountable to God, but God
has never been obligated or accountable to sinful man. God
would have remained righteous and just in sending all of the
human race to Hell for their sins, because that is exactly
what we all deserve! To say that God is unfair to elect some
and not others is the height of blasphemy in light of what
all men justly deserve! It is an act of grace that God would
elect any out of Adam's fallen and rebellious race!
Abraham Booth wrote:
"If, then we consider the Almighty as choosing any of the
fallen race to life and happiness, we behold him exercising
the mercy of a compassionate Father, to his miserable
offspring. But if we consider him as choosing this person
rather than that, when both were equally wretched; we view
him as vested with the character of a sovereign Lord, and as
the sole proprietor of His own favours. If, therefore, the
question be asked; Why any were chosen to salvation, when
all deserved to perish? The answer is; Because our Maker is
merciful. But if it be further asked; Why Paul, for
instance, was chosen rather than Judas? The answer is;
Because he is Lord of all, and has an indisputable right to
do what he will with his own. But if this answer will not
satisfy the curious inquirer, he is directed by the Spirit
of inspiration to ask the potter, what was the reason of his
very different procedure with the same lump of clay; and why
he formed the vessels into which it was wrought, for such
different and opposite uses? The artificer will readily
answer, as directed by common sense; 'Not any thing in the
clay itself; but my own deliberate and free choice. For it
was of the same kind, and possessed the same qualities
throughout the whole mass: nor could one part dictate how it
would be formed, or for what uses, any more than another.'
Thus the most ignorant potter, without hesitation, would
assert a kind of sovereignty over his clay. And are not
mankind in the hand of God, as clay in the hand of the
potter? Or, shall Jehovah's sovereignty over his offending
creatures, be inferior to that of a puny mortal over passive
matter? Reason and revelation forbid the thought. In
election, therefore, we have a striking display of Divine
grace in its utmost freeness; and of God's dominion in its
highest sovereignty." 4
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God is the sovereign framer of all events. His purposes
are as eternal as He is. Nothing happens in time but what
has been decreed by God before time began. In the truest
sense, God is the only one in the entire Universe who acts
independently and uninfluenced by outside forces. Psalms
115:3 states: "But our God is in the heavens: he
hath done whatsoever he hath pleased."
The eternal purposes of God are unchangeable, it is
impossible for any of His decrees to be altered. Job
23:13-14 declares: "But he is in one mind, and who
can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he
doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me:
and many such things are with him." Not only is His
purpose fixed, it cannot be thwarted by man. God is the only
one in the Universe who has the power to execute all of His
sovereign purpose. Isaiah 46:9-11 states: "Remember
the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none
else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end
from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will
do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east,
the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I
have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have
purposed it, I will also do it." The God the
Arminians preach is very different from the God who is
described in these verses. The Arminian God is frustrated
and unable to carry out His will. He is unable to infringe
upon the free-will of man, thus He is controlled and
dependent upon the decisions of man.
Augustus Toplady, commenting on Arminian doctrine, said:
" That it is a doctrine which represents Omnipotence
itself as wishing and trying and striving to no purpose.
According to this tenet, God, in endeavoring to convert
sinners, may, by sinners, be foiled, defeated, and
disappointed; He may lay close and long siege to the soul,
and that soul can, from the citadel of impregnable free
will, hang out a flag of defiance to God Himself, and by a
continued obstinacy of defense, and a few vigorous sallies
of free will compel Him to raise the siege. In a word the
Holy Spirit, after having for years perhaps, danced
attendance on the free will of man, may at length, like a
discomfited general, or an unsuccessful politician, be
either put to ignominious flight, or contemptuously
dismissed, without accomplishing the end for which He was
sent." 5
Such a view of God not only dishonors Him, it flys in the
face of reason and revelation as Daniel 4:35 states:
"And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as
nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of
heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can
stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou."
Included in the decrees of God is His purpose to save
some of Adam's fallen race through the sacrifice of His only
begotten Son, Jesus Christ. His purpose to save His elect
was framed before the world began when He chose a certain
number of individuals unto salvation, and gave them to His
Son to redeem. This is why we find Jesus Christ praying in
John 17: "As thou hast given him power over all
flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him" (v. 2). "I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world:
thine they were and thou gavest them me; and they have kept
thy word" (v. 6). "I pray for them; I pray
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me;
for they are thine " (v. 9). "Neither pray
I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on
me through their word " (v. 20). "Father, I
will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast
given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the
world" (v. 24). From these verses it is plain to
see that Jesus Christ was referring to the eternal purpose
of God concerning the salvation of those He was sent to
redeem. Eternal life will only be given to those whom the
Father gave the Son, not one more, not one less (v. 3). Also
it is plain to see that it is the will of Christ that all
the elect be brought to salvation in time through the means
of the preached Word (v. 20), and that all the elect will
one day behold the glory of the Son and be with Him, where
He is (v. 24).
The entire plan, purpose, and application of salvation is
of God from beginning to end. Man does nothing to save
himself, he merely receives the gift which God bestows upon
Him, and then only when God opens his hardened heart (Acts
16:14). II Timothy 1:9 sums it up nicely: "Who hath
saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
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Ephesians 1:4-5 states: "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: having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will."
The doctrine of Unconditional Election, as it is
presented in the Holy Scriptures, faces strong opposition
from the majority of "professing Christendom" in our day. It
is derided as being unfair, repulsive, and not worthy of
devout attention or study. This kind of attitude has
prevailed for most of the Twentieth Century, which is why
there is little reverence for God and His Word in our day.
Arminianism is readily accepted without question by those
who have heaped to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
As a result they have been turned away from the precious
truth of election to embrace the heresy and fable of
free-willism. The truth of God's Word has been sold for the
cheap price of popularity and the vain praises and
acceptance of sinful men.
The fact that a doctrine in scripture is opposed by
popular opinion does not render it false. In fact, a true
servant of God is not swayed by what pleases men, but
rather, that which honors God. Paul stated this in Galatians
1:10: "For do I now persuade men or God? or do I
seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not
be the servant of Christ." The Scriptures must
serve as our final authority for faith and practice. If a
doctrine is found in the Bible, I am convinced that it is
the responsibility of every God-called preacher to declare
it (Acts 20:27-28). Believing that "all scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine..." I consider the doctrine of election to
be a profitable and God-honoring truth, which, if properly
understood, will serve to strengthen and edify the saints of
God. The reason why anyone believes the doctrine of election
is because they find it in the Bible. The Bible not only
teaches this truth, but makes it prominent, so prominent
that you can only get rid of election by getting rid of the
Bible.
Election is God's eternal choice of some persons unto
everlasting life, not because of foreseen merit in them, but
of his mere mercy in Christ, in consequence of which choice
they are called and justified.
The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 states the
doctrine thusly:
"By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his
glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or
foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the
praise of his glorious grace, others being left to act in
their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his
glorious justice...These angels and men thus predestinated
and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably
designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it
cannot be either increased or diminished...Those of mankind
that are predestinated to life, God before the foundation of
the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable
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 other thing in the
creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto." 6
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From our text it is clear that God does the electing.
"According as he hath chosen us" , is the
plain declaration of scripture. The antecedent of the
pronoun he is found in verse three: "Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." To put
it very simply, the he in verse four who does the electing
is God, the us in verse four are the saints who are merely
the objects of God's eternal choice.
The universal testimony of scripture proves that God is
the one who chooses, elects, or predestinates specific
individuals to be saved. Deuteronomy 7:6 states:
"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God : the
LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
himself..." Psalms 65:4 declares: "Blessed
is the man whom thou choosest, and causeth to approach unto
thee..." Concerning elect Israel, Jeremiah 50:20
states: "In those days, and in that time, saith the
LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there
shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be
found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve." Mark
13:20 states: "And except that the Lord had
shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the
elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the
days." John 6:37 states: "All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me..." Paul, using
the illustration of God as a Sovereign Potter, states in
Romans 9:23: "And that he might make known the
riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had
afore prepared unto glory." I Corinthians 1:26-27
states: "But God hath chosen the foolish things of
the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
and base things of the world, and things which are despised,
hath God chosen..." I Thessalonians 1:4 states that
God is the source of election: "Knowing, brethren
beloved, your election of God." I Thessalonians 5:9
states: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." II
Thessalonians 2:13 states: "But we are bound to give
thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth."
The reader may wonder why so many scriptures have been
quoted to prove the point. The answer is simple, where else
would you go to prove Bible doctrine? Yet most of
"professing Christendom" believe that God is passive, and
that man is the one who does the choosing. The theology that
God votes for us, the devil votes against us, and that we
cast the deciding ballot is ridiculous in light of the
Scriptures. As C.D. Cole said: "Self-election is a bad form
of self-righteousness." It is clear that the reader must
make a choice to either believe the opinions of men or the
inspired word of God. Someone may object by saying: "That's
just your interpretation!" Yet, the truth of the matter is
that I have done nothing more than quote Scripture, which is
God's revelation!
The truth that God chooses men ought to fill our hearts
with wonder and praise. It is a wonderful thing to be the
object of someone else's love and affections. My wife and
children love me and it causes my heart to rejoice. How much
more should the elect of God rejoice when they realize that
the most important person in the Universe has loved them
with an everlasting love. What a glorious thought that the
Almighty God, who is holy, just, and perfect in all His
ways, would choose us as the objects of His sovereign grace.
The very thought of God choosing us ought to drive us to our
knees in humility and praise to give thanks unto Him who has
made us accepted in the Beloved.
Well did the poet write:
"Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For, Lord, that
could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee,
Hadst Thou not chosen me."
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Election is God's eternal choice as Ephesians 1:14
clearly states: "According as he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world..." The
phrase before the foundation of the world carries with it
the idea that it was before creation, before the existence
of time. The election of God must be viewed as an eternal
act which took place before the world began.
The love of God for His elect is a love that is as
eternal as He is. Jeremiah 31:3 says: "...Yea, I
have loved thee with an everlasting love..." In the
solitude of eternity, before God ever spoke the universe
into existence, before man was created from the dust of the
earth, God sovereignly chose a multitude from Adam's fallen
race to be the objects of His grace. This eternal love that
God had for His people is expressed in the prayer of Jesus
in John 17:23-24: "...and hast loved them, as thou
hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before
the foundation of the world."
Jesus instructed the disciples not to rejoice in the fact
that they had power over evil spirits, "...but
rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."
Our Arminain brothers immediately will say: "God
does write their names down in the Lamb's Book of life, when
they believe and are saved." Then they will most heartily
break into a rendition of "There's a New Name Written Down
in Glory". Yet, the idea that God writes the names down in
time is wholly unscriptural. According to Revelation 13:8
and 17:8, the names were written in the Book before the
world began: "And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him (the Antichrist), whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world."
To further determine when the elect were chosen in
Christ, the phrase "the book of life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world" is significant because it links
the time of the names being written down with the
appointment of Christ as the Sacrificial Lamb for the sins
of His people. Christ, the eternal Son of God, was appointed
by His Father to be the Sacrificial Lamb before the
foundation of the world as I Peter 1:19-20 states:
"But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you." The precious blood by which we are
redeemed is called: "...the blood of the everlasting
covenant" in Hebrews 13:20 which indicates that
Christ's agreement with the Father to redeem His chosen ones
dates back to eternity.
Furthermore, election must be viewed as included in God's
eternal decrees which were framed before the world began.
God's purpose of grace to save the elect was formed before
the world began as II Timothy 1:9 plainly states:
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began." This eternal purpose to save is directly
linked with election in Romans 9:11: "For the
children being not yet born, neither having done any good or
evil, that the purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth."
Certainly no one would deny that salvation is one of God's
gracious works in respect to men. Acts 15:18 states:
"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the
world." To deny that election is an eternal act of
God's sovereign counsel is to deny the plain truth of Isaiah
46:9-10: "Remember the former thins of old: for I am
God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none
like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."
Ephesians 1:11 states: "In whom also we
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will." The very word
predestinate means to determine one's destiny beforehand and
is linked to God's purpose to save. The very simple fact of
the cause of saving faith is traced back to God's eternal
ordination in Acts 13:48 which states: "...and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
J.I. Packer wrote: "Where the Arminian says 'I owe my
election to my faith,' the Calvinist says 'I owe my faith to
my election."
I conclude this point with a quote from Abraham Booth:
"This truth may be further evinced by considering, that
as the inheritance of glory was prepared for its future
possessors, before the foundation of the world; so grace and
all spiritual blessings that were necessary to fit them for
the enjoyment of it, were given them in Christ Jesus; were
lodged in his hands, as their federal head, as the appointed
Mediator, and for their use, before the world began. Nor can
we conceive of any new determinations arising in the Eternal
Mind, or any purposes formed by our Maker, that were not
from everlasting, without supposing him defective in
knowledge, or mutable in his perfections. Suppositions
these, which very ill become the character of Him whose name
is JEHOVAH." 7
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Why did God choose some men unto salvation before the
world began? Was it because He foresaw that they would
repent and believe in time, or was it according to the good
pleasure of His own will? These questions have been
discussed by theologians for centuries. The answer is stated
very simply in Romans 9:11: "For the children being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of
works, but of him that calleth." God's election of
certain individuals is unconditional and uninfluenced by the
works of men. He did not elect men based on their foreseen
merits, but elected them simply because it pleased Him to do
so.
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The real question that should be asked is, why did God
choose to save any out of Adam's race? All of us were
equally repulsive, sinful, and corrupt in the eyes of a Holy
God. All of us were high handed rebels who were
transgressors against God's perfect law. None of us were
holy, rather we were unholy. None of us were friends of God,
rather we were His enemies. None of us sought after God,
rather we turned to our own sinful and wicked ways. None of
us by nature loved God, rather we "loved darkness rather
than light, because our deeds were evil." The way in which
God saw every man is recorded in Romans 3:10-12: "As
it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not
one."
My heart is filled with wonder as I ask myself, why would
God choose me as an object of His love and grace, out of all
the millions of people in human history? The answer is
stated in Deuteronomy 7:7: "The LORD did not set his
love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in
number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all
people: But because the LORD loved you." This truth
is stated again in Ephesians 1:4-5: "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:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will." God's own sovereign pleasure alone has
determined who would be the objects of His immutable love.
If we are to be honest with ourselves we will readily admit
that if God had not chosen us we would have never come to
Jesus Christ. Paul asked the Corinthians: "For who
maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that
thou didst not receive?" (I Cor. 4:7). The answer
to this question is found in I Corinthians 15:10 which
states: "But by the grace of God I am what I am..."
Paul did not take credit for one ounce of his
salvation. All glory, honor, and praise was directed to the
"God of all grace" . None of us have any
merits or goodness to boast of or glory in. The only reason
that any person is going to heaven is because God loved them
and chose them according to His own good pleasure before the
world began.
Abraham Booth wrote:
"Let us attend the believer in his secret retirements:
let us behold him on his bended knee, and hear him pouring
out his soul to God. In his intercourse with Heaven, at the
throne of grace his language will be to the following
import. Thou Great Supreme, who art glorious in holiness,
and the infinite Sovereign of all worlds; who humblest
thyself to behold the things that are in the highest
heavens; whose condescension is unspeakably great, in
deigning to regard the persons or services of the most holy
and exalted creatures; didst thou consider me in my low
estate, as a fallen creature and a miserable sinner? Did thy
everlasting love fix on me as its object, when I might, with
the greatest equity, have been marked out as a victim for
eternal justice? Is not my person polluted, and my state by
nature damnable? Was not my original depravity as great, and
are not my actual transgressions as numerous as any which
can be found among the apostate sons of Adam? And hast thou
determined to make me an everlasting monument of sparing
mercy, while millions are left to suffer the awful desert of
their crimes? Nothing in me couldst thou behold, but a
shocking compound of impurity and folly, of guilt and
wretchedness. Nothing in my conduct couldst thou foresee,
but what was adapted to provoke thy abhorrence, rather than
to obtain thy regard. O, thou majestic Being! Why such mercy
to a hardened rebel? Why such love to an inveterate enemy?
Obliged I am, in the court of conscience, to plead guilty to
the complicated charge which thy own righteous law exhibits
against me. Motive, or cause, of thy tender regards, I can
find none in myself. Thy own sovereign will, thy own free
pleasure; these are the only cause why mercy is manifested
to me, of sinners the vilest. For should a wretch who is now
in hell advance a claim on thy favour, grounded on his own
worthiness, I must acknowledge it is as well founded as any
to which I can pretend." 8
Men will often commend other men for what they condemn a
Holy God for. For example, if a wealthy man goes to the
orphanage and chooses to adopt a child who is fatherless we
would consider it an act of charity. If he would choose a
child with several known deformities and defects we would
consider the man to be saintly and gracious and worthy of
praise. After all, he was in no way obligated to choose any
of the children. He did not have to share his wealth, his
goodness, his name, and his home, he merely did so because
it pleased him to do so. Such a man is to be honored and
admired. Yet when you apply the same circumstances to God
men will charge Him with unfairness and injustice in saving
some and not others. All of us were deformed rebels
corrupted by the same lump of sin, with no righteousness or
merit before God. Yet as a loving Father, in an act of
sovereign grace, He chose some unto salvation. He sent His
Son to blot out the eternal debt of sin which we owed to
divine justice. He called us and drew us by His power. He
took us out from under the condemnation of the law and now
deals with us in grace as His sons and daughters. He has
promised an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. All of
this simply because it pleased Him to love us with an
everlasting love. How our hearts should burst forth in
praise with the Apostle Paul: "O the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding
out!...For of him, and through him, and to him, are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. " (Rom
11:33,36)
Lorraine Boettner wrote:
"The marvel of marvels is not that God, in His infinite
love and justice, has not elected all of this guilty race to
be saved, but that He has elected any. When we consider, on
the one hand, what a heinous thing sin is, together with its
desert of punishment, and on the other, what holiness is,
together with God's perfect hatred for sin, the marvel is
that God could get the consent of His holy nature to save a
single sinner."
9
"May not the Sovereign Lord on high Dispense His favors
as He will;
Choose some to life, while others die, And
yet be just and gracious still?
Shall man reply against
the Lord, And call his Maker's ways unjust?
The thunder
whose dread word Can crush a thousand worlds to dust.
But, O my soul, if truths so bright Should dazzle and
confound thy sight,
Yet still His written will obey, And
wait the great decisive day!"
BACK TO THE TOP
Every one ascribes to some kind of election whether it be
true or false. The person who contends for sovereign grace
believes that God's election is eternal and unconditional.
The Arminian will say that he believes in the election of
the nation of Israel as well as an election to service.
However, the Arminian notion of election is conditioned upon
something God saw in man before He elected him. Arminianism
teaches that God looked down in the future (prescience) and
saw who would repent and believe in Jesus Christ, and on
that basis of foreseen faith, He elected or chose them.
John Wesley, the Prince of Arminianism, put it the
following way:
"The Scriptures tell us plainly what predestination is:
it is God's foreappointing obedient believers to salvation,
not without, but according to His foreknowledge of all their
works from the foundation of the world. God, from the
foundation of the world foreknew all men's believing or not
believing. And according to this, His foreknowledge, He
chose or elected all obedient believers, as such to
salvation."
10
Such a view is unscriptural and error filled on several
counts as follows:
1. Arminianism has a false view of God's foreknowledge.
They regard foreknowledge as merely God's ability to know
beforehand, which is properly called foresight or prescience
which is an aspect of God's attribute of Omniscience. Yet,
foreknowledge, strictly speaking, is not an attribute of
God, but rather a divine act based upon His own sovereign
decree and purpose. When foreknowledge is mentioned in the
scriptures it is not limited to mere acquaintance, rather it
has reference to either special affection or appointment.
A.W. Pink said: "It is individuals God is said to foreknow,
not the actions of those persons." In the Scriptures to know
or foreknow means to regard with favor, with special
affection, to love intimately. It is not mere prescience or
cognition, but an act of love on the part of God concerning
His elect. The following scripture references will prove the
point in question:
Genesis 4:1 states: "And Adam knew Eve his
wife..." The reference is to Adam having a special
love and affection only for his wife.
Jeremiah 1:5 states: "Before I formed thee in the
belly I knew thee; and before thou camest out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the
nations." Notice how closely the words knew,
sanctified, and ordained are related to one another. God did
not know Jeremiah just by mere cognition. He regarded
Jeremiah as an object of His sovereign electing love and
because of that he set Him apart to serve. Is this not what
God does with His elect in light of Ephesians 2:8-10?
Amos 3:2 states: "You only have I known of all
the families of the earth..." God is here speaking
to His chosen people of the Old Testament, the nation of
Israel of whom it is said in Deuteronomy 7:7-8: "The
LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because
you were more in number than any people: for ye were the
fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you..."
God knew all the other families of the earth by His
omniscience, but He regarded the children of Israel with a
special affection and love which went beyond mere cognition
to electing, distinguishing grace.
In each of the following scriptures the words know and
foreknow are inseparably linked with elect individuals, the
objects of God's sovereign love, partakers of Christ's
redeeming blood, and the sanctifying power of the Holy
Spirit. Nahum 1:7 states: "The LORD is good, a
strong hold in the day of trouble; and he KNOWETH them that
trust in him." John 10:14; 27 says: "I am
the good shepherd, and KNOW my sheep, and am known of
mine...My sheep hear my voice, and I KNOW them, and they
follow me." II Timothy 2:19 states:
"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal, The Lord KNOWETH them that are his. And let every
one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
Romans 8:28; 33 says: "For whom he did
FOREKNOW, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren...Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
ELECT?" Romans 11:2 says: "God hath not
cast away his people which he FOREKNEW..." I Peter
1:2 states: "ELECT according to the FOREKNOWLEDGE of
God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace
unto you, and peace be multiplied."
I would ask my Arminian brethren to contrast the above
scriptures with Matthew 7:23 which states: "And then
will I profess unto them I never KNEW you; depart from me ye
that work iniquity." In the context of this verse
Jesus Christ is addressing non-elect reprobates who were
false professors of religion. He knew them by omniscience as
he knows the works and hearts of all men. However, He didn't
know them in the sense of the special affection and love
which He has for the objects of electing grace. He didn't
know them or love them. He didn't call them His sheep, He
called them workers of iniquity. He didn't call them unto
Himself, rather He tells them to depart from Him and
consigns them to eternal torment in the Lake of Fire. You
will search the Scriptures in vain trying to find where
Jesus Christ ever speaks in such a way to the objects of His
special love and electing grace!
2. The second aspect of Arminian error is the teaching
that God saw something good in man, i.e., repentance and
faith, and on that basis elected Him. This is a denial of
total depravity. Before man was ever created God saw each
man in a totally corrupt and dead state not possessing
repentance and faith toward God, but rather rebellion and
hatred, and an unwillingness to seek after God and His ways.
Psalms 14:1-4 declares: "The fool hath said in his
heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done
abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD
looked down from heaven upon the children of man, to see if
there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are
all gone aside, they are all together become filthy, there
is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers
of iniquity no knowledge who eat up my people as they eat
bread, and call not upon the LORD."
God saw nothing in man that would merit salvation. If the
Arminian notion were true, then election and salvation would
depend on man's willingness to repent and believe, which in
essence is saying that each man is saved based upon
something that he does, which is works salvation. The
Scriptures are very emphatic concerning the teaching of free
grace. Romans 11:5-6 states: "Even so then at this
present time also there is a remnant according to the
election of grace (not foreseen faith!), And if by grace,
then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more
grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace:
otherwise work is no more work." II Timothy 1:9
teaches that man's salvation and calling find their source
in the sovereign grace and purpose of God, not what God sees
in man: "Who hath saved us, and called us with an
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus Before the world began."
3. The third aspect of Arminian error is that they
reverse the order of salvation. Repentance and faith are not
the causes of election, they are the effects of it. Election
is the cause of man's regeneration, repentance, faith, and
subsequent holiness. Acts 13:48 states: "...and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
Here is the scriptural order. As a result of electing love
men are given the grace to believe.
The natural man has no inclination or understanding of
spiritual things in his dead state. He possesses no desire
to repent, and no saving faith. These graces must be given
and wrought in him by the Holy Spirit of God. Spiritually
dead men cannot repent. God must quicken them in the new
birth, thus enabling them to repent and believe. There must
be spiritual life before there can be spiritual actions.
Repentance is clearly a gift of God, not something that man
possesses naturally. Acts 5:31 states: "Him hath God
exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour,
for to GIVE repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."
Acts 11:18 says: "...Then hath God also to
the Gentiles GRANTED repentance unto life." II
Timothy 2:25 states: "In meekness instructing those
that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will GIVE them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."
Saving faith, likewise, is a gift from God, not something
that man naturally possesses. Ephesians 2:8 declares:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is (faith) the gift
of God." Philippians 1:29 states: "For unto
you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe
on him, but to suffer for his sake." II Peter 1:1
says: "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of
Jesus Christ, to them that have OBTAINED like precious faith
with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ." It is God who begins, sustains, and
completes salvation for His elect. Philippians 1:6 declares:
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which
hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day
of Jesus Christ."
4. The fourth error associated with the Arminian notion
of election based on foreseen faith and obedience is that it
robs God of His attribute of Independency. It would make the
decrees of God rest upon what He sees in the creature.
Logically, it would cause God to be obligated to save men
based on the merits which He foresaw in them, which is
unscriptural.
5. The final problem associated with the Arminian notion
of election based on foreseen faith is that it displays a
glaring contradiction of their own theology. If God elects
men unto salvation based on their foreseen repentance and
faith, then logically He would send Christ to die only for
those who He saw would repent and believe. Why would Christ
die for the sins of every man, and shed His precious life's
blood for every man if God foresaw who would repent and
believe? Thus, the Arminian is forced to abandon his prized
doctrine of universal redemption and embrace the much hated
scriptural doctrine of particular redemption.
I have offered these refutations of Arminian theology
with no malice intended. I would encourage those who would
take issue with the above points to search the scriptures.
Unconditional election exalts God giving Him all the glory
for man's salvation while at the same time abasing and
humbling man in the dust. Though my Arminian brethren may
not be convinced at this time, there is coming a day when in
the glorified state every saint will ascribe to the
doctrines of grace. Isaiah 28:24 declares: "They
also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and
they that murmured shall learn doctrine."
BACK TO THE TOP
Proverbs 16:4 states: "The LORD hath made all
things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of
evil."
Ecclesiastes 3:1 states: "To every thing there is
a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."
Romans 11:22 states: "Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God..."
From the above scriptures it is plain to see that all of
God's creation is ordered in such a way as to ultimately
bring glory unto Himself. This is the chief design of all of
God's decrees and purposes. If there is a time for the
execution of every purpose of God (which we heartily affirm,
as Ephesians 1:11 states: "...according to the
purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of
his own will" then the damnation of the non-elect
must of necessity be included in that eternal purpose. In
the doctrine of unconditional election we behold the grace
and goodness of a sovereign God toward unworthy sinners. In
the doctrine of unconditional reprobation we behold the
severity and justice of God toward the worthy recipients of
His wrath.
Lorraine Boettner wisely stated:
"No one with proper ideas of God supposes that He
suddenly does something which He had not thought of before.
Since His is an eternal purpose, what He does in time is
what He purposed from eternity to do. Those whom He saves
are those whom He purposed from eternity to save, and those
whom He leaves to perish are those whom He purposed from
eternity to leave. If it is just for God to do a certain
thing in time, it is, by parity of argument, just for Him to
resolve upon and decree it from eternity, for the principle
of the action is the same in either case. And if we are
justified in saying that from all eternity God has intended
to display His mercy in pardoning a vast multitude of
sinners, why do some people object so strenuously when we
say that from all eternity God has intended to display His
justice in punishing other sinners?" 11
The doctrine of reprobation is rarely preached upon in
our day because it is so offensive to the carnal mind. Men
have gone to great lengths to disprove the doctrines of
election and reprobation. Even those who believe in
unconditional election generally never touch upon the
subject of reprobation. Yet, these truths are so intricately
linked, you can't have one without the other. If God elected
to save some in Christ before the world began, it naturally
follows that he rejected others and left them to perish in
their sin and unbelief by decree of damnation.
A.W. Pink said:
"Every choice, evidently and necessarily implies a
refusal, for where there is no leaving out there can be no
choice. If there be some whom God has elected unto salvation
(II Thess. 2:13), there must be others who are not elected
unto salvation. If there are some that the Father gave to
Christ (John 6:37), there must be others whom He did not
give unto Christ. If there are some whose names are written
in the Lamb's book of Life (Rev. 21:27), there must be
others whose names are not written there." 12
Edwin Palmer defines reprobation in the following way:
"Reprobation is God's eternal, sovereign, unconditional,
immutable, wise, holy, and mysterious decree whereby, in
electing some to eternal life, He passes others by, and then
justly condemns them for their own sin--all to His own
glory." 13
To deny that God has eternally ordained the non-elect to
damnation is to deny the plain testimony of scripture as
Jude 4 declares: "For there are certain men crept in
unawares, who were before of old ordained to this
condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord
Jesus Christ."
Though this doctrine is repulsive to the carnal mind, it
is profitable to the saint of God because it is contained in
the Word of God. II Timothy 3:16 states: "All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine... That the man of God may be perfect
(mature), throughly furnished unto all good works."
Because of the controversial nature of reprobation
I will simply offer scriptures which clearly evidence the
fact that the non-elect are eternally marked out by God for
damnation by leaving them in their sins according to His own
just and perfect will.
Joshua 11:18-20 states: "Joshua made war a long
time with all those kings. There was not a city that made
peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the
inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. For it
was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should
come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them
utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he
might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses."
The destruction of those kings who were shown no favor is
attributed to the sovereign will of God. He had purposed
that they would come against Israel, be destroyed, and cast
into Hell. Who will deny that this appointment of
destruction was formed by God before the world began in
light of Isaiah 46:10: "Declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not
yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all
my pleasure...I have spoken it, I will also bring it to
pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it."
John 12:39-41 states: "Therefore they could not
believe, because that Esaias said again, he hath blinded
their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not
see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be
converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias,
when he saw his glory, and spake of him." In very clear
terms it is recorded that some, according to the purpose of
God be left in their sins to perish blinded, hardened,
ignorant and unconverted. Before the reader tries to cast
injustice upon God, I ask; is this not what every fallen son
of Adam deserves? and "Shall not the judge of all the earth
do right?" (Gen. 18:25) John 13:18 states:
"I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that
the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me
hath lifted up his heel against me." Jesus is
speaking to His disciples, one of whom was not chosen to
salvation. The one who is non-elect is Judas, who elsewhere
is called a devil from the very beginning. Who would deny
that the devil is a reprobate by divine appointment?
Romans 9:11-23 is a lengthy passage of scripture which
sets forth God's purpose of election and reprobation in no
uncertain terms. Verse 11 states: "For the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand,
not of works, but of him that calleth." Verse 13
states: "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but
Esau have I hated." The question remains, when did
God love Jacob and hate Esau? The answer is simple, before
they were even born, before they did any works whether good
or bad, God had determined to love one and hate the other.
Paul then answers the objection of the natural mind which
says: "Is there unrighteousness with God? God
forbid."
Paul then gives another example of God showing mercy to
one and hardening another according to His own will by
citing the example of Pharaoh. In light of verse 17 the
hardening and damnation of Pharaoh was according to the
purpose of God. By raising Pharaoh up and appointing him to
damnation God showed the world the power of His inflexible
justice upon the wicked who say as Pharaoh did: "Who
is the LORD that I should obey him?" Lest any dear
saint charge God with unrighteousness, remember that the
song of Moses will be the song of glorified saints who
viewed the judgment of the wicked as just and true as
Revelation 15:3-4 states: "And they sing the song of
Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just
and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not
fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art
holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee;
for thy judgments are made manifest."
Paul then answers the final objection to God's will in
election and reprobation with the illustration of the
sovereign potter in verses 20-23. It is interesting to note
that the same potter is said to "make one vessel unto honour
and another unto dishonour." A vessel of mercy is fitted to
enjoy the riches of the glory of God, whereas the vessel of
wrath is said to be fitted to destruction. All the verbs
used in these verses are used to describe God's sovereign
acts; God makes vessels of honor and dishonor, He shews His
wrath in time on the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.
Robert Haldane comments:
"The sum of the apostle's answer here is, that the grand
object of God, both in the election and the reprobation of
men, is that which is paramount to all things else in the
creation of men, namely, His own glory." 14
There are several other scripture texts where election
and reprobation are set forth in the very same passage.
Romans 11:5-8 states: "Even so then at this present
time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works,
then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh
for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were
blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them
the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and
ears that they should not hear;) unto this day."
I Thessalonians 5:9 states: "For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ." From the text it is evident that
some are appointed to wrath, whereas others are appointed to
obtain salvation.
II Thessalonians 2:11-13: "And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound
to give thanks alway to God for you brethren beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of
the truth." The word but in verse 13 connects it to
the previous verses. Those who will be deceived by the
Antichrist are distinguished from those who are the elect of
God.
I Peter 2:7-9 states: "Unto you therefore which
believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock
of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being
disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of
him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light." In this passage the elect are contrasted
with the reprobate who are said to be disobedient and
appointed to destruction. God appointed the elect to
salvation before the world began, and in so doing He
appointed the non-elect to damnation and eternal destruction
at the same time.
II Peter 2:12 states: "But these, as natural
brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of
the things that they understand not; and shall utterly
perish in their own corruption." Peter is exposing
false teachers, of whom he wrote, under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, that they were made to be destroyed and to
perish in their own corruption. Certainly none can deny that
this verse emphatically teaches Divine reprobation. To do so
would be to go against the plain sense of Scripture itself.
Though many objections might be raised against the Bible
doctrine of reprobation, it is clearly set forth in the
scriptures. I will leave others more learned than myself to
answer all the objections against reprobation. I choose to
humbly accept the plain testimony of the Word of God in
spite of what men may say. The writer must confess that the
doctrine of reprobation goes against the fleshly reasonings
of our minds. Yet, it is not for the believer to pick and
choose what to believe or not to believe, rather we must
accept the whole council of God as authoritative and final
for faith and practice.
Though the writings of men are not to be regarded as
authoritative, they are sometimes helpful, so I offer the
following quotes by others concerning the doctrine of
reprobation.
John Bunyan, the English Baptist of the 1600's, wrote an
extensive treatise entitled; "Reprobation Asserted", from
which the following excerpt was taken:
"Reprobation is before the person cometh into the world,
or hath done good or evil. This is evidenced by Romans 9:11.
Here you find twain in their mother's womb, and both
receiving their destiny, not only before they had done good
or evil, but before they were in a capacity to do it, they
being yet unborn--their destiny, I say, the one unto, the
other not unto the blessing of eternal life; the one elect,
the other reprobate; the one chosen, the other refused." 15
John Gill, the English Baptist of the 1700's, wrote the
following in his Body of Divinity:
"If men were chosen from the beginning, that is, from
eternity to salvation; then those that were not chosen, or
not ordained to eternal life, were foreordained as early to
condemnation... And, indeed, there can be no new decree,
appointment, or purpose, made by God in time; if the decree
of election was from eternity, that of rejection must be so
too; since there cannot be one without the other; if some
where chosen before the foundation of the world, others must
be left, or passed by, as early..." 16
Augustus Toplady, the author of the hymn, 'Rock of Ages',
wrote:
"God, from all eternity decreed to leave some of Adam's
fallen posterity in their sins, and to exclude them from the
participation of Christ and His benefits." 17
George Whitefield, the English evangelist of the 1700's
wrote:
"Without doubt, the doctrine of election and reprobation
must stand or fall together...I frankly acknowledge I
believe the doctrine of Reprobation, that God intends to
give saving grace, through Jesus Christ, only to a certain
number; and that the rest of mankind, after the fall of
Adam, being justly left of God to continue in sin, will at
last suffer that eternal death which is its proper wages." 18
J.P. Boyce, the Southern Baptist theologian of the
1800's, wrote:
"...The choice of some so necessarily involves the
rejection of others as to require that rejection to
accompany the act of choice. Rejection must, therefore, have
accompanied Election. In the very fact that some where
chosen, was involved the rejection of others." 19
BACK TO THE TOP
"And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man
can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my
Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life."
(John 6:65-68)
The day before Jesus uttered these words he had
miraculously fed five thousand men beside women and
children. The multitude continued to follow him because of
the miracle he had performed, and probably hoping that he
would once again supply their physical needs. Instead, Jesus
delivered one of the strongest discourses in all of the
Bible concerning the sovereignty of God in salvation. After
hearing Jesus present the truths of man's total inability to
save himself, unconditional election, and the necessity of
God drawing sinners to salvation, the multitude thinned out
until there was only the twelve original disciples left.
Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was met with opposition
when he preached the doctrines of grace. The multitudes
would not receive the word of the Lord, choosing rather to
reject the plain testimony of Scripture.
It should not surprise us today, if objections are raised
against the doctrine of unconditional election. The servants
of the Lord are not greater than their Master. If he faced
opposition to this blessed truth, we can be assured that we
must endure the same. The key to enduring opposition and
answering the objections of men is found in the reply of
Peter: "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the
words of eternal life." The word of the Lord is to
take preeminence over the opinions and reactions of the
multitudes. If a truth is presented in Scripture we must
humbly accept it even if it goes against the tide of popular
opinion. Romans 3:4 states: "...yea, let God be
true, but every man a liar..."
I will attempt to answer some of the most common
objections that are raised against the doctrine of
unconditional election. In so doing my goal is to
"speak the truth in love" , and to follow the
admonition Paul gave to Titus: "Holding fast the
faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the
gainsayers." (Titus 1:9)
1. The most common objection raised against the doctrine
of election is that it is unfair and unjust for God to
choose some unto salvation and leave others in their sins.
This objection implies that God is obligated to the natural
man which is a serious error. Salvation is a gracious gift
which God bestows upon unworthy, guilty sinners. Salvation
can in no way be viewed as a debt or an obligation which God
owes to man. Such faulty reasoning would strip God of His
supremacy and place man upon the throne.
Those who object to election on the basis of the justice
of God simply do not understand that election to salvation
is an act of grace, not justice. Every one of the fallen
sons of Adam are corrupt sinners who deserve nothing more
than to be eternally tormented in the Lake of Fire for their
high handed rebellion against the Most High. There is not
one person who can lay claim to God's salvation on the basis
of their worthiness or merits. Ecclesiastes 7:20 states:
"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth
good, and sinneth not." It is the height of folly
and madness for an unjust sinner to charge God with
injustice for giving him what he deserves. All men deserve
to be condemned, none are worthy to be partakers of God's
grace and glory. In fact, God would have been perfectly just
in passing by all men, choosing to save none, and leaving
them in their sins to perish forever. This would be pure
fairness and justice on the part of God.
Election, however, is an act of pure grace. Instead of
getting what I justly deserved, God sovereignly chose me in
Christ and sent His Son into the world to bear my sins and
the penalty which I had merited. Instead of perishing in my
sins I can praise God with the Apostle Paul who wrote:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: 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..." (Eph.
1:3-4)
It has always puzzled me why those who charge God with
injustice for choosing some to salvation never charge God
with injustice for not choosing Satan and the reprobate
angels.
Abraham Booth said:
"But why should the objector be so much concerned about
the honour of Divine justice, in the conduct of God toward
mankind, on supposition that he has chosen some and rejected
others? Why should he not be as much concerned lest the
glory of his Maker should suffer a stain, by the final
rejection of all the angels that sinned and fell from their
first estate? Certainly, there is equal, if not superior
reason. Why, then, does he not plead the cause of those old
apostates, those damned spirits, and quarrel with God
because he hath shown more regard to fallen men than to
fallen angels? Yet he is under no pain on their account; nor
does he suspect that the Divine character will lose any part
of its glory, because they are all, without one exception,
the objects of Jehovah's eternal vengeance--but, very
likely, he concludes that they deserve to be damned. True:
and is it not so with men?...Without admitting this
fundamental truth, that men, considered as guilty creatures,
deserve to perish forever; we can behold neither equity in
the law, nor grace in the gospel...Consequently, the
objector has no alternative, but either to give up his
point, or blaspheme his Maker." 20
2. The second objection commonly raised against the
doctrine of election is that it negates human responsibility
and the use of means. This objection is usually voiced by
the objector in the form of the following questions:
"If God has elected some men to be saved before the world
began what is the profit of preaching the gospel?" The
preaching of the gospel is the means by which God has
ordained to call the elect unto salvation. II Thessalonians
2:13-14 states: "But we are bound to give thanks alway to
God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 1:21
declares: "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe." Romans 10:17 states:
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God."
We are to preach the gospel because it is a command that
was issued by the Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 16:15 which
states: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Profitable results are not the only desired end in the
preaching of the gospel. Glorifying God through obedience
should be our chief motive in declaring the gospel to a lost
world.
A.W. Pink wrote:
"But do we not create our own difficulty by supposing
that the salvation of men is God's sole object, or even His
principal design, in the sending forth of the gospel? But
what other ends, it may be asked, are accomplished thereby?
Many. God's first end in the gospel, as in everything else,
is the honor of His own great name and the glory of His Son.
In the gospel the character of God and the excellency of
Christ are more fully revealed than anywhere else. That a
worldwide testimony should be borne thereto is infinitely
fitting. That men should have made known to them the
ineffable perfections of Him with whom they have to do is
certainly most desirable. God, then, is magnified and the
matchless worth of His Son proclaimed, even though not one
sinner ever believed and was saved thereby." 21
Another question raised is: "Doesn't the doctrine of
election tend to deter missionary activity and zeal?" If
election is scripturally understood, it enhances missionary
zeal and activity. In fact, it encourages me to know that
God has His elect scattered in "...every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation" , who are going
to respond to the gospel! If I had to depend on the fickle
and corrupt free-will of man to respond to the gospel, I
would be of all men most miserable and discouraged. When
Paul began his ministry in the corrupt city of Corinth the
Lord encouraged him in a vision. Acts 19:9-10 states:
"Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a
vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt
thee: for I have much people in this city." God
used the doctrine of election to encourage Paul that his
ministry in Corinth would result in many being saved.
Historically, men who have believed the doctrines of
grace have had the greatest missionary zeal. William Carey,
called by many the father of modern missions, believed
strongly in sovereign grace. Adoniram Judson, Baptist
missionary to Burma, believed in sovereign grace. David
Brainerd, missionary to the American Indians, and George
Whitefield, the evangelist, both stood firmly on the
doctrine of election. C.H. Spurgeon, J.R. Graves, B.H.
Carroll, H.B. Taylor, and C.D. Cole were all missionary
Baptist preachers who believed strongly in sovereign grace.
In our present day, the Bryan Station Baptist Church of
Lexington, Kentucky, and her Pastor Al Gormley have an
ardent missionary zeal and a strong belief in election.
One of the motivating factors for Paul's missionary zeal
is recorded in II Timothy 2:10 which states:
"Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that
they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus
with eternal glory."
C.D. Cole wrote:
"He who allows his belief of election to dampen his
missionary ardour has a perverted view of the doctrine.
Election does not determine the extent of missions, but the
results of it. The gospel commission does not read, 'to the
elect' but 'to every creature'. If it should read 'to the
elect', then we could not preach to anybody for the simple
reason that the elect cannot be identified until they
exercise faith which works by love. And such would already
be saved, and hence the gospel would not be the power of God
unto salvation. The gospel is for men as lost sinners, and
not as elect sinners. God has His elect, but they are not
our elect, and His elect cannot be known until they are
saved. Witnessing is our business, taking care of the elect
is His business. Let us be faithful to our task and leave
the results with Him, remembering that Paul may plant and
Apollos may water, but that God must give the increase." 22
3. The third objection raised against election is that it
gives sinners an excuse for their unconcern and even
encourages an apathetic attitude about the urgency of
salvation. "If what you preach is true, then all the elect
are going to be saved, and if I am one of God's elect, I
will be saved in time regardless what I do."
I have never met a person who was truly concerned about
their soul and convicted of their sins, have a fatalistic or
apathetic attitude. The doctrine of election serves to
humble the sinner and make him realize he is at the
sovereign mercy of God who would be just in damning him. It
causes him to realize that his only hope is in Christ and
not in himself.
4. The fourth objection raised against election comes in
the form of two questions: "What about God so loved the
world?" and "What about whosoever will let him come?"
As to the first question, the word world must be
interpreted by its context. It is often used in a limited
sense. Rarely, does it mean every individual without
exception. Much of the New Testament was written by Jews to
Jews who were of the opinion that they alone were God's
elect. When the writers of the New Testament use the word
world, they are often trying to emphasize the fact that
salvation in Christ is not limited to Jews, but that
Gentiles are also included in the plan of salvation.
John Gill wrote:
"Nothing is more common in Jewish writings than to call
the Gentiles the world; and the whole world...and it is easy
to observe, that when this phrase is not used of the
Gentiles, it is to be understood in a limited and restrained
sense." 23
Even John 3:16, one of the most commonly quoted verses,
limits God's love to the world of those who believe on
Christ. In John 17:9 we find Christ interceding only for the
elect; "I pray for them: I pray not for the world,
but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."
I John 5:19 states: "And we know that we
are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness."
The world in this verse is limited to the unsaved.
Concerning the second question, election has never
hindered me from preaching "whosoever will let him
come." It has never hindered me from calling upon
men to repent and believe the gospel. I know what is behind
the offer of whosoever will, namely the power of God to
change hearts as Psalms 110:3 states: "Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power..."
Philippians 2:13 says: "For it is God which worketh
in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Though many other objections against election might be
raised, I direct the reader to the Bible itself for the
answers. Many are misled and confused by the writings and
opinions of men who twist the scriptures to fit their
perverted theology. The Bible alone is to be our infallible
guide. Isaiah 8:20 states: "To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is
because there is no light in them." Romans 16:17-18
warns: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which
cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which
ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such
serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by
good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the
simple."
END NOTES
Click On the Book Title To Return To Your Reading
- Boettner, Lorraine,
The Reformed
Doctrine of Predestination
(Phillipsburg, NJ: The Presbyterian and Reformed
Publishing Co., 1932) p. 95.
- Cole, C.D.,
Definitions of Doctrine,
Volume II, (Bryan Station Baptist Chruch,
Lexington, KY: 1968) p. 69.
- Pink, A.W.,
The Sovereignty of God
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1977) p. 25.
- Booth, Abraham,
The Reign of Grace
(Swegel, PA: Reiner Publications, 1976) pp.
70-71.
- Boettner, Lorraine,
The Reformed
Doctrine of Predestination
(Phillipsburg, NJ: The Presbyterian and Reformed
Publishing Co., 1932) p. 170.
- Lumpkin, W.L.,
Baptist Confessions
of Faith
(Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1974) pp. 254-255.
- Booth, Abraham,
The Reign of Grace
(Swegel, PA: Reiner Publications, 1976) pp. 60.
-
Ibid.,
p. 77.
- Boettner, Lorraine,
The Reformed
Doctrine of Predestination
(Phillipsburg, NJ: The Presbyterian and Reformed
Publishing Co., 1932) p. 96.
- Cole, C.D.,
Definitions of
Doctrine, Volume II,
(Bryan Station Baptist Chruch, Lexington, KY:
1968) p. 68.
- Boettner, Lorraine,
The Reformed
Doctrine of Predestination
(Phillipsburg, NJ: The Presbyterian and Reformed
Publishing Co., 1932) p. 116-117.
- Pink, A.W.,
The Sovereignty of God
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1977) p. 100.
- Palmer, Edwin,
The Five Points of
Calvinism
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) p. 95.
- Pink, A.W.,
The Sovereignty of God
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1977) p. 118-119
- Bunyan, John,
The Works of John
Bunyan, Volume II
(Grand Rapids MI: Baker Books, 1977) p. 131.
- Gill, John,
A Body of Doctrinal and
Practical Divinity
(Streamwood, IL: Primitive Baptist Library, 1977)
p. 140.
- Pink, A.W.,
The Sovereignty of God
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1977) p. 131
-
Ibid., p.
132.
- Boyce, J.P.
Abstract of Systematic
Theology
(Christian Gospel Foundation) p. 361.
- Booth, Abraham,
The Reign of Grace
(Swegel, PA: Reiner Publications, 1976) pp. 93.
- Pink, A.W.,
The Doctrines of
Election and Justification
(Baker Books, MI: 1974) p. 156.
- Cole, C.D.,
Definitions of
Doctrine, Volume II,
(Bryan Station Baptist Chruch, Lexington, KY:
1968) p. 76.
- Gill, John,
Cause of God and Truth
(Streamwood, IL: Primitive Baptist Library, 1978)
p. 66.
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