There are numerous scriptures about predestination (Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:29, John 6:44, 2 Timothy 1:9), and a few that indicate that we have a choice when it comes to salvation (Titus 2:11-12, John 3:16, Luke 13:34, Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 16:9, Isaiah 55:6-7, 2Peter 3:9).
In our time this is becoming more of an issue in the Australasian Churches than it has been in the past. Back in the day the Reformed Churches down under were mostly Lutheran with a few other Reformed congregations and a minority among the Christian folk smattered across the other denominations. I know personally I didn't know a thing about Predestination or Calvinism but I did know some folk who did. They warned it could be quite a controversial belief and generally to avoid it while giving thanks it wasn't a big thing in the Kiwi Churches.
Today the Calvinist Movement is having a renaissance and while the rest of the Kiwi Churches are either plateauing or in steep decline the Reformed Movement is coming into its own. This is because the Christians in the movement are more fundamentalist than liberal and so stick to the Bible as the as the authoritative source of all things Christian.
Predestination and the Sovereignty of God is never far from their thoughts though. There are those who debate from a highly intellectual Systematic Theology approach stating the mankind is depraved and cannot choose salvation in Jesus Christ even if they wanted too. So, God must select them and give them Grace to enable them to choose Him.
Then there are those who perhaps are the antagonists to the doctrine who argue purely from the Christian heart of the Spirit filled believer. They say that God is a loving father who desires to save all of His children. He so loved us that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes on Him, shall not perish but will inherit eternal life. These folk believe that God loves us and gives us the choice to decide for salvation in Christ Jesus or to reject salvation all together.
There are several three common perspectives on Predestination. The first perspective is the Calvinist Unconditional Election and basically states "God, and for no other purpose than his good pleasure, predetermined (chose, elected, etc.) that some would be regenerated (born again) and place their faith in Christ." They believe man to be Totally Depraved; Unconditionally Elected; Limited Atonement in that Christ atoned only for the Elect; Finds Grace Irresistible so cannot resist salvation when God applies it; Perseveres and therefore cannot lose his salvation.
The second perspective is Conditional Election and was the view held by John Wesley and is often called Wesleyan Arminianism. It basically states. "Simply put, Conditional Election means that a person’s election to salvation is conditioned on their faith in Christ." This is the to have been the view of the Early Church in the first four centuries after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This theology speaks of Prevenient Grace which indicates that in the sharing of the gospel that Grace gives the depraved sinner the ability to choose Christ. It is also considered that man can turn from God and lose his salvation.
The third perspective is Corporate Election and is argued to be the view of election that the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul believed. It is said to be taken from the Second Temple period and basically puts forward the idea that election to salvation was not personal but national. Belonging to the nation of Israel made you corporately elect. The proponents of Corporate Election believe that Christ is the elect one and as we become members of the Church, His Bride, we become a part of the elect. The corporate view of election has two main emphases. Firstly, election is more often in reference to a service or task. Secondly, The Messiah, Jesus the Christ is the Elect One, and when we are “in him” we take on his elect-ness similar to how we take on Christ’s righteousness.
Personally, I hate idea of unconditional election. I just don't believe that having no choice in salvation or for that matter anything else I do in this life is really what Jehovah is capable of or would do. The Wesleyan Arminian perspective is probably the one that most completely fits my view of how election works. I'm not sure of prevenient grace but I do believe that all are predestined to salvation but not all will avail themselves of it.
I believe that when the gospel is preached that Christ Jesus bore our sins on the Cross, died and was then Resurrected on the third day. That the Father draws us near to Jesus through the gospel and enables us to make the decision for or against Salvation. If we are so depraved we can't make the decision about Salvation one way or the other then I guess that Prevenient Grace is what happens when everyone hears the gospel preached.
The major problem with Calvinist view is that is the unintended consequences that arise from it. There's no point in sharing the gospel because those who are saved were always going to be. I can't lead a better life, or be sanctified, because God has predestined my whole life. I can only be what he has decided I will be. Basically a sophisticated automation. Honestly it just doesn't make sense.
Outside of these various ways of describing election the biggest contradiction is between the scriptures which relate to predestination and indicate that the elect are a finite number like Ephesians 1:4 and the scriptures that seem to be saying that in Christ Jesus salvation is for all such as John 3:16. There has to be a link between these competing scriptures that solves this issue.
To me it seems that the Great Commission has to have a part in this. Jesus says this in Matthew 28: 19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Our Lord was instructing the disciples to take the gospel to the nations. It seems the gospel is for everyone and John 3:16 reinforces this idea “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Could it be that all are predestined through the eternal gospel as it is described in Revelation 14: 6-7 "Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
In this scripture the angel takes to eternal gospel to all on the Earth. On would assume that the gospel is therefore for everyone and everyone has a choice to accept or deny Salvation through Christ Jesus at that time. So all can be called, drawn by the Father to Christ Jesus, through the gospel but not all will accept the gospel. God gives them through Grace, in Christ Jesus, the ability to accept salvation or to reject salvation. He gives them the choice. You can call it prevenient grace.
Could it be that God is a loving Father and he takes the responsibility for the decision of the lost to reject salvation upon himself. Just as Jesus took our sin upon Himself while we were yet sinners and paid the price for our transgressions. The father accepts the decision of the lost to reject salvation.
He is the creator. Therefore as he created Adam and Eve and they chose to disobey him in the Garden of Eden and that led to the fall of mankind and sin. So rather than blame us God takes the blame for mankind whom he created in His image. Christ Jesus bore the sin of the elect and God as Creator accepted the blame for the lost who chose to reject the salvation that Jesus secured for them. God has taken the blame for the wicked but they still have to accept the consequences. Eternal separation from God, Eternal Fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment