this is just the beginningto begin, calvin himself was not a calvinist (just as darwin himself was not a darwinist and marx himself was not a marxist). there is scope for debate over the extent to which calvin himself held to the calvinist formulation of "tulip" (total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints).
moreover, calvin's theology is more than just the doctrine of election (the doctrine for which he is most famous for and the subject of this post). in fact, the doctrine of election is not even mentioned until near the end of the third volume of his institutes of the christian religion.
"Of the eternal election, by which God has predestinated some to salvation, and others to destruction." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Volume 3, Chapter 21)
having said that, to the best of my understanding i believe calvin himself would hold to the calvinist formulation of "unconditional election", and i would too - although the label is not the point (what Scripture says is). those of you who know me (even just by reading this blog) would know that i've never been a big fan of the doctrine of election. however, i've been convicted of its truth and what follows is an unapologetic attempt to defend it apologetically.
all roads lead to romans
Scripture is crystal clear on two things:
1. God is sovereign.
"What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."
- Romans 9:14-18 (NIV)
2. Man has choice.
"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. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.""
- Romans 10:9-13 (NIV)
this is intuitively contradictory. how can both (1) and (2) be true? if God is sovereign, then man has no choice. if man has choice, then God is not sovereign. but is this really the case?
chosen and free
the dynamic of divine sovereignty and human responsibility is not one in which divine sovereignty and human responsibility battle it out on the same plane and one somehow triumphs over the other.
a) to hold that divine sovereignty triumphs over human responsibility would be to hold that man has no choice because God is sovereign.
b) conversely, to hold that human responsibility triumphs over divine sovereignty would be to hold that God is not sovereign because man has choice.
c) finally, to hold that divine sovereignty and human responsibility triumph over each other in equal measure would be to hold that God is not sovereign and man has no choice.
rather, divine sovereignty is irresistibly being proven right by human responsibility as history unfolds and the will of God from all eternity reveals itself in the present, through the choices we make.
divine sovereignty and human responsibility do accord with each other, but not on the same plane. God is sovereign (from a divine perspective) and man has choice (from a human perspective).
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." - Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
this is Joseph referring to his brothers, but it could just as well be Jesus referring to Judas.
proving the will of God
the past is what the will of God for our lives was.
the present is what the will of God for our lives is.
the future is what the will of God for our lives will be.
the will of God as a way of life is about living in the present - not the past or the future, but the present. we come to know what the will of God for our lives is when - living in the present - we prove it (to ourselves, not to God) through the choices we make.
we are chosen because God knows what the future holds, and we are free to choose because we do not know what the future holds.
if you freely choose (from a human perspective) to serve like Judas, then you prove that you were sovereignly chosen (from a divine perspective) to serve like Judas.
"While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled." - John 17:12 (NIV)
if you freely choose (from a human perspective) to serve like John, then you prove that you were sovereignly chosen (from a divine perspective) to serve like John.
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." - John 15:16 (NIV)
"You will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John." - C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
the question is not why God only sovereignly chooses some. the question is why only some freely choose God.
"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, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV)
prayer and evangelism
far from undermining the basis for prayer and evangelism, the doctrine of election exhorts us to pray and evangelise according to the will of God. as we pray according to the will of God, our prayers will be answered according to the will of God. as we evangelise according to the will of God, our efforts will bear fruit according to the will of God.
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." - Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
faith and grace
faith is the means by which we receive the gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. to this end, the exercise of faith by the elect is part of proving (not changing) the will of God.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." - Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
furthermore, God gives us the grace to reign in Christ.
"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
faith and works
as mike reeves (the uccf theological advisor) contends, God does not elect us in and of ourselves. God elects us in Christ. we know that we are the elect in Christ if we remain in Christ.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." - John 15:1-8 (NIV)
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)
we know God by our faith, and we know that we know God by our works (which is really another way of saying that we know our faith by our works). this means that if there is faith, then there are works. this does not mean that if there are works, then there is faith. in other words, it is possible to have works without faith (dead works) but not faith without works (dead faith).
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" - Matthew 7:15-23 (NIV)
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:14-26 (NIV)
in a nutshell
the problem
1. God is sovereign.
2. Man has choice.
3. It follows from (1) that man has no choice.
4. It follows from (2) that God is not sovereign.
5. Therefore, it follows from (1) and (2) that either God is not sovereign or man has no choice.
the solution
1. God is sovereign.
2. Man has choice.
3. It does not follow from (1) that man has no choice.
4. It does not follow from (2) that God is not sovereign.
5. Therefore, it does not follow from (1) and (2) that either God is not sovereign or man has no choice.
indeed, God is sovereign and man has choice. in the problem lies the solution!
all roads end in romans
far from assaulting our faith, the doctrine of election assures us of deliverance from the past, strength for the present and hope for the future.
deliverance from the past
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
strength for the present
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 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." - Romans 8:28-30 (NIV)
hope for the future
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
how marvellous
how wonderful
and my song shall ever be
how marvellous
how wonderful
is my Saviour's love for me
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