Hopefully from the previous section it is understood how predestination gives the Christian confidence so we can stand by faith. This section is a bit more difficult to write. People often have such strong feelings and preconceived notions that they are too closed minded to see what the Bible teaches on this topic. Many stand on a glass foundation and quickly reject scripture once they realize that it threatens to shatter their beliefs. We should not be protecting our beliefs from scripture but drawing our understanding from scripture. Anytime we have to refuse to look at scripture, this is a clear sign that our doctrine is not consistent with the Bible. Just because many believe a doctrine does not make it true. Church history testifies to this fact.
I can say these things because I struggled through many preconceived notions that I was taught but turned out to be inconsistent with scripture. In the past, I gained doctrine from secondhand information such as books, study guides, commentaries and other teachers. This limited my understanding to only what was filtered through those whose like mindedness I adopted. Before setting my heart to dig in the word, I was opposed to any concept of predestination for it seems appalling to think that God would foreordain someone for judgment. There are hard-line sects of Calvinism which teach that God creates individuals for the purpose of judging them and that God judges or shows mercy because both fulfill God’s pleasure. I heard a man say to a father that God may have created that child for the purpose of condemning him to hell.
With
misinformation like this, it is no wonder that people are revolted at the very
thought of predestination. However, this topic must be examined for the Bible
speaks often on this subject and understanding predestination is vital to
understanding faith, works, salvation, and many other scriptural principles
that direct us in the truth. Do we need to be afraid of the sovereignty of God?
Does God take pleasure in destroying the wicked? Consider Ezekiel 18:
32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of one
who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"
The
Lord reiterates this again a few chapters later in Ezekiel 33:
11 "Say to them:`As I live,' says the
Lord GOD,`I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked
turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you
die…
The
Lord pleads with His people to turn from sin and live. The Lord clearly states
that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; therefore, we know that no
one is created for the purpose of giving God pleasure by condemning them to
hell. Even so, we must deal with the scriptures that tell us that God has
foreordained us in Christ before the world began. We will examine this question
but one thing we must realize is that God has not revealed everything to us.
There are some things that you will not understand and were not meant to
understand. Look at Deuteronomy 29:
29 "The secret things belong to the LORD
our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to
our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
If you commit yourself to studying the word, you will come across passages that clearly indicate both the foreordained salvation of man and the marking of condemnation. It is the goal of this portion of study to help you deal with some of these hard teachings of the scripture. The purpose of the scripture is so that you can know God, walk in faith, and know how to abide in Christ. Even the hard teachings of scripture are for our edification so it is important that we do not hide from any of God’s truth. When the truth of scripture challenges what we thought to be true, either our misconceptions give way to understanding or we must reject scripture and hold to personal philosophies. We don’t need to protect God from criticism, nor do we need to protect ourselves from discomfort. There is no other way to fully mature in Christ other than standing upon the whole council of God. There are times when we have to acknowledge that we do not have all the answers and indeed do not need to have all the answers. God has revealed all that we need to keep God’s ways and walk in understanding. Consider these passages below:
Jude 1:
4 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.
Romans 9:10-17
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even
by our father Isaac;
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;)
12 It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I
loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my
power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
If we are chosen in Christ before the world was, then why are some marked out for condemnation? God has already stated that He has no pleasure in those who die in their sins, so why did He mark some for judgment? In both of these passages we see that God marked certain men ahead of time for condemnation. What He did not reveal is why He marked these out. For many years I baulked at such a teaching, but each time I read through the scriptures I realized that I had to do something with this information. These scriptures are not alone but are clear examples of what is taught in both the Old and New Testaments.
I
bring this up beforehand because it is necessary to deal with this text before
looking at how predestination applies to our lives. When people see passages
like this they have a hard time accepting it because it appears that God is
unjust. Of course the truth is that all were already under condemnation and
Christ calls us out of that condemnation. So if God chooses to show mercy on a
few, it is still not injustice for all are deserving of condemnation for we all
as individuals have sinned. Even so, we should understand that there is more to
the picture than what we see from our side of eternity. Also consider 2 Peter 3:
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as
some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
If it is not the Lord’s will that any should perish but that ALL should come to salvation, and we know that God has no pleasure in judgment, then we should accept by faith that the Lord has the wisdom to call whom He will and reject whom He will. You can only see what is within your small point of view (and even that is severely limited), but God sees all and has ordained all things. Rather than becoming distressed over God’s foreordained plan, trust in Him and have faith that He will fulfill His promise to always do what is good – eternally good. It is equally important that we not reject what is clearly taught in scripture simply because we don’t understand why God acts as He chooses or that this discomforts us.
The purpose of this teaching from scripture is not so that we can figure out who is being saved and why, but so that we know that the work of salvation is the work of God and not dependent on man. There are many various speculations as to why God has stated that some are elected and others are not; however, this is vain for we are trying to determine with human intellect what God has hidden from our understanding. We can come up with various theories but they will certainly be wrong. If God has said that the secret things belong to Him alone, it is foolish for us to try to form a doctrine to explain what God has not given to man.
There is a false evangelism and a true evangelism. The Christian message is the good news of Jesus Christ who has called us from darkness to light. As Christians we have the calling to share the good news but many are afraid because they do not feel adequate or do not have good presentation skills. Understanding predestination eliminates this reason for fear because God is not dependent on your skills, but His calling. The Lord draws others to the believer so that the gospel can be heard. The word of God always accomplishes what the Lord desires regardless of the abilities of the person sharing. If God is calling and you are faithful, your witness will be successful. An immediate response is not always the evidence of success for sometimes the seed of the word must be planted and another must water, but it is God who produces the fruit[1]. True evangelism will always accomplish what God ordains.
There is a false evangelism that produces false fruit. False evangelism is based on the power of persuasion. We do indeed want to persuade others to receive the truth, but our persuasion method must be to communicate the word in a way that clarifies the gospel. Modern evangelism is far from the Bible’s teaching. Evangelistic services are designed to generate a lot of emotion. The music follows the same pattern that many cults use. Cults get their followers in a trance-like state with music or chanting that has a fast tempo. This goes on for a certain length of time and then the tempo suddenly changes to a very slow tempo. This has a powerful effect on the mind and makes the listener more receptive to suggestions. If you have taken part in an evangelistic service, they often follow the same format. The music is upbeat and very energizing, but the last song is a dramatic change to a slow song and people are encouraged to close their eyes and ‘experience God’.
The primary focus of modern evangelism is an appeal to
emotions. This began with the high impact preaching of Charles Finny and the
emotional preparations made through the services he put together. Most
evangelists are dynamic speakers that use methods that generate a lot of
excitement and then end with a soft call to come to the altar. Others use fear
tactics by preaching hell, fire and brimstone to stir fearful emotions so that
people are persuaded to come forward to be rescued. The focus is on doing
whatever it takes to get a response. It is true that you will get greater
numbers to respond with this method, but is an emotional conversion the power
of the Holy Spirit? The Apostle Paul testified that he was criticized for his
weak presence in the pulpit and lack of speaking skills [2].
Yet what is the fruit of Paul’s ministry? He planted dozens of churches,
discipled countless ministers, and left people behind that were equipped and
knowledgeable in the word. The power of the gospel wasn’t high impact services,
but focusing on the word of God. His evangelistic method is described in 1 Corinthians 1:
21 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.
Why is it that today’s gatherings produce hundreds and even
thousands of professions of faith, yet there is little if any impact on the
culture around us? There was a service in my area that had 1,500 professions of
faith in one night. Shouldn’t there be a noticeable difference in their lives,
communities, and culture around them? What would God do with a thousand new
disciples? Unfortunately our modern methods are not looking to God to call others
through the word and putting our trust in His Spirit to draw, but we are
trusting in programs and presentations. Evangelism then becomes the skill of
man rather than the call of God. The fruit speaks for itself. A true disciple
will grow in the word and begin to live in the truth so they abide in Christ.
Persuading someone to respond when God is not calling has no eternal
significance for it is not our place to call, but the Spirit’s. Look at Romans 9:
16 So then it is not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
It is not our will, but God calls whom He wills. This is
also affirmed in John 1:11-13
11 He came unto his own,
and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Notice that it is not the will of the flesh nor is it the will of man. God alone calls and God shows mercy as He chooses. Convincing someone through emotions or better presentations does not create the opportunity for salvation. We present the word of God and through this message God saves those who believe. There is no other way. Jesus made it clear that there are some who cannot understand unless the Lord draws them. Look at these scriptures:
John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my
word.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and
I will raise him up at the last day.
Clearly we can see that no man can be saved
without going through Jesus, no one can understand His word unless they are
called, and no one can come to Christ unless they are first drawn by God. No
one chooses to become a Christian; they are drawn. We cannot will someone into
the
God
alone determines our salvation and calls those who He has called. Look at Ephesians 1:4-6
4 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:
5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Again
the Bible affirms our salvation as being ordained before the world was founded.
We have been predestined to the adoption. The Bible often compares our
salvation to adoption. Through our inherited sin and our personal sin, we are
children of sin. Like it or not, before Christ, we are of the world and
children of the devil. Look at John 8:43-47
43 Why do ye not understand my
speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it.
45 And because I tell you the
truth, ye believe me not.
46 Which of you convinceth me of
sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God heareth God's
words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Those who were not called into the truth were called children of the devil. They could not understand or hear the truth. They could hear the words, but not understand in their heart. No one outside of Christ can discern truth beyond what the culture can recognize as right and wrong. We are told that while we are joined to the world, we are at war with God[3]. Romans 8 tells us that our carnal mind (which is our human nature) is at war with God and we cannot be subject to spiritual truth while we are under its dominion. While we are in the flesh, we are of the flesh and children of sin; however, when we hear the call of God and surrender our lives, that enmity between us and God is done away with through the cross of Jesus and we are reconciled to God[4]. We then receive the Spirit of adoption[5] and because we have died to the flesh, we are born into the Spirit and are adopted as children and joint heirs with Christ[6].
As I said at the beginning of the predestination study, I am
not a Calvinist. Predestination is a clearly taught doctrine in scripture, but
it does not come from John Calvin. One of the tenants of Calvinism is
irresistible grace. The idea is that when God calls, man cannot resist that
calling. The Spirit transforms the heart of man without the need of man’s
agreement and independent of his will. Grace is said to be irresistible for
salvation is imminent. There are scriptures that clearly challenge this
ideology. Look at this proclamation at the trial of Stephen in Act 7:
51 Ye stiffnecked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your
fathers did, so do ye.
The
Holy Spirit is working, but they were resisting it according to scripture. There
is room for argument for the word ‘resist’ comes from the Greek word antipipto (pronounced an-tee-pip'-to) which means
to run against, strive against, or oppose. This particular form is only used in
Acts 51. It can be argued that this only applies to the Jewish leaders fighting
against what God was doing; however, there are other passages that communicate
the fact that man can resist the move of God. Look at these passages from Romans 1:
18 For the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who
hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
…
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him
not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened.
…
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is
against nature:
In
Romans 1 we are taught that God reveals Himself to man and to some extent man
understood for he knew God but rejected the truth. The Bible states that God
reveals the truth to some who reject it by ‘holding the truth in
unrighteousness’. The term ‘hold the truth’ is the Greek word ‘katecho’ (pronounced kat-ekh'-o) which means: to
hold back, suppress or restrain. These loved unrighteousness so they suppressed
the truth of God that the Lord made known to them. For this reason God has
hardened their heart and turned them over to the vile affections that arise
from the unrighteousness that they loved. This is reiterated again in 2Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall
send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned
who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Again the focus is on the fact that men have rejected the truth and loved unrighteousness. For this reason God has given them over to the delusion of sin that they may believe the lies of unrighteousness. The Bible reveals that God allows man to love sin. Hope is not lost until after He has made the truth known to that person and they rejected it for the love of sin. Not everyone who does not respond to the gospel has rejected the truth for they cannot respond until after God reveals it to them. We do not have any way to perceive when that occurs; therefore, we do not give up hope after the first attempt. Many hear the gospel more than once before responding. Paul even testifies to this when he says that he planted (the gospel) and Apollos came afterward and watered that seed. However, people only believed when God gave the increase.
Irresistible grace has been argued by some as a necessary doctrine for it removes the will of man from the picture. It is assumed that if man’s will is involved, this somehow detracts from the work of God and makes salvation man-dependent. I do not believe that this assumption is coming from the correct perspective. We know that God has dealt every man a measure of faith[7], God puts eternity in man’s heart[8], God reveals truth to man and then calls for each person to repent[9]. Man is not capable of responding to the gospel through his own intellect. There must first be an enlightening from the Holy Spirit at the time God calls man to salvation. Only then can man receive the love of the truth and the salvation of God.
As God calls, man is not reaching out for God but God is reaching out to man. We may feel the urge to seek, but this is a response to God’s Spirit drawing our hearts. Surrender is not the work of man. In fact, the only time man’s efforts are involved is when we resist and try to suppress the truth. Man’s effort is to hold on to his old life for it takes no effort to let go. As God pulls, we need to do nothing to receive salvation but we must fight against the Spirit’s call to resist. It takes no effort or work to release what we are holding and let God transform our lives and nail our old life to the cross with Christ. Why are many so hostile to the gospel? They are fighting against the Lord because they do not want to be drawn. Letting go of their flesh is a threat to their lifestyle and any reminder of that threat is often met with extreme hostility.
God reserves the right to overcome man’s will and I believe there are times when He does. The apostle Paul was met by God and changed by an encounter with Christ through a light from heaven. He was not persuaded, he was appointed as a vessel of God to carry the message of the gospel throughout the world. According to scripture, some are hardened (such as Pharaoh) so that God’s power might be made known. We don’t know why God chose to harden him for God did not reveal this to us. I do not believe that we should assume that these examples overthrow the will of man for scripture testifies that man does indeed have the right to suppress the truth.
One of the great dangers of misunderstanding predestination
is that some use this as an excuse for laziness and apathy. You may have heard
people say things like, “If God has predestined those who are to be saved then
there is no need to witness.” Do not think that because God has foreordained
our adoption that there is no need to preach the word or witness to those
around you. Look at Romans 10:14-17
14 How then shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach,
except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the
gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
God sends you to those He is calling and you must obey His
command to present the word so that others can respond by faith. Without the
word, there is no faith. You can have the word without faith, but according to
the scriptures, you cannot have faith without the word. When people think that
the gospel depends on them, there is either a temptation to try to add to the
gospel message, take away the offense of the gospel and make the message appeal
to the flesh, or it creates fear to those who feel inadequate. When we realize
that God calls and leads us to those He is calling or leads those He is calling
to us, the burden of our abilities is removed and we stand upon the word by
faith as we present that word to others. We are dependent on God to transform
each life, we are dependent on God to speak through His word, and we are
dependent on God to call others into salvation. Look at John 6:
37 All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out.
Add to it this passage from John 15:
16 Ye have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask
of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
The Father calls the lost to the Son so they can
see the message of the cross and believe. Clearly we have not chosen the Lord;
He has chosen us. If we stand upon the word of His truth, we will bear fruit.
If we see large numbers of professions of faith and no fruit that testifies
that spiritual growth and maturity are taking place, then it is more likely
that we have done the calling and persuading instead of God. The gospel message
is not that Jesus makes us happy and shows us how to live a better life; the
gospel message is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, calls us to repent
and lay down our lives to receive the new life created in the Spirit. We cannot
have a bloodless gospel. Look at John 12:32-34
32 And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what
death he should die.
34 The people answered him, We have
heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son
of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
This is a passage that is often misunderstood.
Many teach that we lift up the name of Jesus and He draws all men. People then
try to fulfill this by singing songs about Jesus or just proclaiming that He is
Lord. While all of these have a place in our worship, this is not the message
of salvation. Jesus is not talking about being proclaimed King, but being
lifted up on a cross. He was testifying of His death and the people understood
exactly what He was saying. To be lifted up was a common term used to refer to
crucifixion. So the message of
evangelism must be proclaiming the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
I was in a service once where a teacher gave a pep
talk and then said, “Anyone who wants to begin their journey, stand up.” About
thirteen people stood up and it was proclaimed that we had thirteen new
salvations. Buddha calls for his followers to begin their journey, so do New
Age philosophers and many other cults. We are not called to begin a journey to
salvation, but to lay down our lives so that we are crucified with Christ as we
die to the flesh. Our journey is a pilgrimage to heaven but that begins after
we are born into the Spirit. The true message of the gospel is to look to Jesus
Christ, see His death, burial and resurrection, and to put our trust in Him for
life and forgiveness. We have all heard John 3:16 many times, but look at it in
context and see how it fits into what we have been discussing in this study.
Read John 3:14-18
14 And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into
the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not
condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
We cannot understand, “God so loved the world”
without understanding the cross. Verse 18 discusses what we looked at earlier.
All are under condemnation even before the gospel is heard. We are being drawn
out of condemnation through the message of the cross. Jesus illustrates the
importance of looking to the cross by pointing back to the time of Moses. If
you are not familiar with this account, Jesus is pointing back to Numbers 21
where
This event was a foreshadowing of the gospel of
Christ. The serpent is sin and everyone is bitten and destined to die. Just as
the serpent was overcome on the pole by God’s provision, our sin is overcome on
the cross of Jesus. We are all bitten by sin and infected with its venom.
Everyone will die from this venom unless they are delivered by God. We look to
the cross for our redemption. This redemption was not possible until Jesus was
lifted up on the cross. We are all deserving of death because through sin we
have rebelled against God willingly. However, God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son. We look to the cross, believe on Him and are delivered
from our sin as we receive everlasting life. Look also at Ephesians 1:7-9
7 In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his
grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward
us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself:
We cannot take away the shedding of blood. Many
are offended, but so be it. Without the shedding of blood there can be no remission
of sin[10]. If
someone cannot see the gospel and are offended by the cross, they cannot hear
His voice and we are not to customize the gospel into a language the world
approves of. We also must realize that our abilities are not the power or
limitation of God. The purpose of God’s preordained calling and message of the
cross is so that no flesh can glory in His presence. You will never stand
before God with all those you have persuaded into a profession of faith as a
trophy in heaven. You will find that it was God who called, God who led, and
God who ordained all things. The only thing we need to concern ourselves with
is faithfulness and obedience.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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