Predestination / Free Will (10)

First, why do we pray for the salvation of others?

Both Calvinists and Arminians pray because:
• God commands us to pray
• We believe prayer has real effective power

Both Calvinists and Arminians pray despite believing that God has absolute foreknowledge – that the future is fixed, because God knows it with certainty. (If you don’t believe God has absolute foreknowledge, then you might be an open theist, not an Arminian.)

(1) The Arminian argues that Calvinists need not pray for the salvation of others since:
• Only the elect are made willing and able to believe.
• All of the elect are certain to come to Christ.
• Therefore, Calvinist prayer cannot be effective.
The Calvinist replies: Prayer is like a carrier pigeon, sent by God to us and back to God. He ordains the ends and the means to those ends. Prayer is a PRIMARY means ordained by God to bring Him Glory. Every prayer is ordained by God to bring about His desired outcome. Believers should want to be used by God! Prayer is a PRIMARY way that we can be used by God.

Example 1: God elected Joe before creation; Christ died for Joe; God ordains that Sally will pray for Joe’s salvation; when that occurs, at the time of God’s choosing and by Sally’s free choice, the Holy Spirit will regenerate Joe and make him willing to receive Christ. Joe then becomes a Christian, in a sense, thanks to the prayer of Sally.

Example 2: Johnny can’t decide whether or not to study for a test, because he believes that the grade he will get is already determined or certainly known by God. Johnny doesn’t realize that God not only determines the grade (ends), but also the means to achieve that grade – that Johnny will study hard and earn an A, or decline to study and earn a D.

“Prayer is powerful not because it changes God or the future, but because it changes us.”

(2) The Calvinist argues that Arminians are inconsistent with their theology when they pray for the salvation of others, because:
• God is already wooing each person to the maximum of His willingness.
• He will not violate the free will of any person
• Arminians end up asking God for something they do not believe He will do.

An excerpt from John Piper:
Until we embrace the sovereignty of God, we cannot pray consistently that God would actually save lost sinners. We can’t do what Paul does so passionately in Romans 10:1, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they might be saved.” Paul's heart’s desire is for the salvation of his fellow Jews. When our hearts ache for something, we pray for it. And so he says that his prayer to God is that they be saved. He wants something accomplished in his mission the salvation of Jews as he preaches in the synagogues. So he prays to God that this would happen. He asks God to save them. “O God, that they might be saved! Do it God! Do what you need to do!”
Now my point is this: that kind of praying is inconsistent if you do not believe in the sovereignty of God. And what I mean by the sovereignty of God here is that he has the right and the power to save unbelieving, unrepentant, hardened sinners. Now there are a lot of people who do not believe God has that right. They do not believe that God has the right to intrude upon a person’s rebellion, and overcome it, and draw that person effectually to faith and salvation. They don’t believe that God dare exert himself so powerfully in grace as to overcome all the resistance of a hardened sinner. Instead they believe that man himself has the sole right of final determination in the choices and affections of his heart toward God.
Every person, they say, has the final self-determination in whether they will overcome the hardness of their hearts and come to Christ. And so it is finally in the hands of man, not God, who will be saved and how many will inhabit the Kingdom. The effects on prayer for such people are devastating if they try to pray in a manner consistent with this rejection of the sovereignty of God. They can’t ask God to actually save anybody. They cannot pray, “God, take out their heart of stone and give them a new heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19). They can’t pray, “Lord, circumcise their heart so that they love you” (Deuteronomy 30:6). They can’t pray, “Father, put
your Spirit within them and cause them to walk in your statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27). They can’t pray, “Lord, grant them repentance and a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25-26). They can’t pray, “Open their eyes so that they believe to the Gospel” (Acts 16:14). The reason they can’t is that all these prayers give God a right that they have reserved for man—namely the ultimate, decisive determination of his destiny. If they ask God to do any of these things, He would be the one who actually saves.
How then do you pray, if you really believe that man and not God must make the ultimate decisions about salvation in the universe? I take an example from a well-known book on prayer that does reject God’s sovereignty in the salvation of sinners. This writer says that the way to pray is to “Ask God to cause a specific person to begin questioning whom they can really trust in life.” But my question then is: Why is right for God to cause a person to think a question and wrong for God to cause that person to think an answer? Why is it legitimate for God to take control of a person to the degree that He cause the person to ask a question he would not have otherwise asked, but it is not legitimate for God to exert that same influence to cause the person to give an answer that he would not otherwise have given—namely that Jesus should be trusted? Here is another example of how this writer thinks we should pray for unbelievers: “Pray that God will plant in the hearts of these people ... an inner unrest, together with a longing to know the ‘Truth.’” Now my question is, “If it is legitimate for God to ‘plant a longing’ in a person’s heart, how strong can the longing be that God chooses to plant?”
There are two kinds of longings God could plant in an unbeliever’s heart. One is so strong that it leads the person to pursue and embrace Christ. The other is not strong enough to lead a person to embrace Christ. Which do you pray for? If you pray for the strong longing, then you are praying that the Lord work effectually and get that person saved. If you pray for the weak longing, then you are praying for an ineffectual longing that leaves the person in sin (but preserves his self-determination). Do you see where this leads? People who really believe that man must have the ultimate power of self-determination can’t consistently pray that God would convert unbelieving sinners. Why? Because if they pray for divine influence in a sinner’s life, they are either praying for a successful influence (which takes away the sinner’s ultimate self-determination), or they are praying for an unsuccessful influence, (which is not praying for
conversion). So either you give up praying for conversion or you give up ultimate human self-determination.
Paul leaves no doubt where he stands on that issue in Romans 9:16, “It depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy.” So he prays that God would convert Israel! He prays for her salvation! He does not pray for ineffectual influences, but for effectual influences. And that is how we should pray too. In other words, when you believe in the sovereignty of God—in the right and power of God to bring hardened sinners to faith and salvation—then you will be able be able to pray with no inconsistency and with great Biblical promises for the conversion of the lost.

Second, why do we evangelize the lost?

Both Calvinists and Arminians evangelize the lost because:
• God commands us to spread the Gospel (The Great Commission)
• We believe evangelism has real effective power
Both Calvinists and Arminians evangelize despite believing that God has absolute foreknowledge—that God knows who will spend eternity in heaven and who will not.

(1) The Arminian argues that Calvinists need not evangelize, because:
• Only the elect are made willing and able to believe.
• All of the elect are certain to come to Christ.
• Therefore, Calvinist evangelism cannot be effective.
• Furthermore, Calvinists cannot say, “Christ died for you.” They don’t know if He did or not.
The Calvinist replies: God ordains the ends and the means to those ends. Evangelism is a PRIMARY means ordained by God to bring Him Glory. Every Gospel-sharing encounter is ordained by God to accomplish His desired ends. Believers should want to be used by God! Evangelism is a PRIMARY way that we can be used by God. Calvinists say, “Christ died for sinners.”

Example 1: God elected Joe before creation; Christ died for Joe; God ordains that Sally will share the Gospel with Joe; when that occurs, at the time of God’s choosing and Sally’s free choice, the Holy Spirit will regenerate Joe and make him willing to receive Christ. Joe then becomes a Christian, in a sense, thanks to the evangelism of Sally.

(2) The Calvinist argues that Arminians are inconsistent with their theology when they evangelize, because:
• God already knows who will accept Christ and who will reject Christ.
• No one can be persuaded to do otherwise by the evangelistic efforts of men.
When we understand that our responsibility is simply sharing the message of the Gospel, our burden for bringing people to faith is lifted. We are working with Christ, not merely for Christ. We can get caught up in our presentation of the Gospel, trying to make it as inoffensive as possible. If a loved one denies Christ, we continue to pray and evangelize. Then it’s not our fault if they don’t receive Christ. The Holy Spirit will bring all the elect to faith at the time of His choosing. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” See 1 Corinthians 1:17-31; 2:1-16.

Third, why is there good in the world?

The Arminian says: The fact that good exists in the world proves that man is not totally corrupt, as Calvinism claims. People do good things, even unbelievers. People do bad things too, and it’s those bad things that require either punishment or forgiveness, depending on the person’s choice.

The Calvinist says: God sustains all of creation all the time. There is good in the world only because God prevents evil from taking its desired course, which would destroy all of creation. Much of the good we perceive is not good, according to God. When a pagan does a kind act, it is certainly done with an evil motive (from God’s perspective). God’s standards are so immeasurably beyond our perceptions of good that we will never comprehend true goodness this side of eternity. “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Fourth, what about the problem of evil?

Arminians accuse Calvinists of saying that God is the author of sin. Arminians suggest that God made man with the ability to sin or to not sin so that man could choose to truly love God. Here we come back to the libertarian free will / compatibilistic free will issue. It was a shame that Adam chose to sin against God, but before creation, by foresight, God knew that would happen and provided a way out in Jesus Christ. But God also foresaw that not everyone would believe in Christ, leaving open the answer to this question: Why did God create those He foresaw spending eternity in hell, though He desired for them to have faith in Christ?

Calvinism again says that God ordains the means and the ends for His glory. Believers should want God to be glorified to the maximum! And evil is a primary way to God glorifies Himself—by overcoming it! God is more glorified by overcoming evil with Christ’s sacrifice and saving grace than He would be if there was no evil. See Luke 15:3-7. Since evil exists, we get to see the mercy and justice of God. Without evil, we would not witness these aspects of God’s glorious, perfect character. God did indeed create Adam with the ability to sin or to not sin, but God was not hoping that man would choose to not sin. God determined that man should sin so that Christ would be revealed to the world for the glory of God. This does not make God the author of sin. God’s will is based on His greatest desire, which is to glorify Himself. Furthermore, countering the Arminian position that true love requires the ability to not love, Calvinists say that God could have certainly created Adam in a way that would still allow him to willing love and obey God without the capability to sin. In fact, that’s how it will be in eternity for the believer! Believers will willingly love God without the possibility of sinning! Wow! How awesome!

Conclusion: An Analogy of Calvinism & Arminianism

Is Christ a life preserver tossed to us who are drowning in the ocean of sin with hopes that we will grab on for life? Or is Christ a lifeguard who jumps in the ocean of sin to pull our dead bodies to shore and resuscitate us to new life? Is my SALVATION by my will? Or is my SALVATION by God’s will?

The Calvinist Answer: Jonah 2:9 – “Salvation comes from the LORD.” It is God’s will from eternity past to save the elect! Be thankful that He chose to save anybody, as He was not obligated to do so! It is also my will, but only after my nature has been made new and willing, regenerated by the Holy Spirit to receive the salvation of God the Father, provided by the work of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

The Arminian Answer: Titus 2:11 – “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” It is my will, cooperating with God’s wooing, persuasive grace, which appeared to all men and to which I responded in faith to be reborn and gain salvation. It is God’s will to offer all men saving grace. Be thankful for God’s offer, because He was not obligated to offer salvation!

Predestination / Free Will (9)

First: Summarize the Five Points of Calvinism

GOD ALONE SAVES SINNERS

T – Total Depravity - Man will not and cannot choose Christ unless God regenerates man. God regenerates only the elect. Salvation is offered to all; only the regenerate respond.

U – Unconditional Election - God’s choice to regenerate some and leave others in their sin was based on nothing good in man, and especially not foreseen faith, because none would have been
foreseen to believe. God elected some to maximize His pleasure and glory.

L – Limited Atonement - Christ died only for God’s elect, including all those who truly believe that Jesus Christ died as their Savior from sin. Christ did not die for unbelievers.

I – Irresistible Grace - God’s saving grace is guaranteed to be effective in its purpose to bring to
faith all of the elect.

P – Perseverance of the Saints - All of the elect are guaranteed to be saved, because God’s purpose cannot be thwarted. All who have saving faith will be preserved in that faith.

Second: Summarize the Five Articles of Arminian Remonstrance

SINNERS COOPERATE WITH GOD’S GRACE

According to Arminians: W – Will of Man is Free
According to Calvinists: D – Dead in Sin; Alive to Choose?
Man will not and cannot choose Christ unless God persuades or woos men with His grace. All men are persuaded or wooed equally, so all men have the opportunity to respond in faith.

According to Arminians: E – Election is Conditional
According to Calvinists: A – Abolition of True Grace
God’s choice is conditioned on man’s choice, as He foresees who will respond in faith to His persuasive, wooing offer of grace.

According to Arminians: E – Every Man is Redeemed
According to Calvinists: I – Impotent Savior
Christ died for all men, but only those who place their faith in His sacrifice will eternally benefit.

According to Arminians: D – Denial Confounds Grace
According to Calvinists: S – Sovereignty of the Sinner
God’s offer of saving grace can be rejected by man. God will not violate man’s free will.

According to Calvinists: S – Some Will Lose Salvation
According to Calvinists: Y – Yielding Eternal Uncertainty
Since man chooses to place his faith in Christ, he can also permanently withdraw his faith.

CONCLUSION: Where do you stand? Why? Any Questions?

Predestination / Free Will (8b)

Second: Fall from Grace

• God cannot (or will not) preserve in salvation those who of their own free will refuse to be preserved; once-believers who do not remain faithful to the end will lose their salvation, fall from grace, and spend eternity in hell.
• Consider Saul, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Judas, etc.
• Consider Charles Templeton (1950’s contemporary of Billy Graham / Oral Roberts)

• Scripture:
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (Matthew 5:13)
“But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)
“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (John 6:66)
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.’” (John 8:31)
“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.” (John 15:1-7)
“Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” (Romans 11:22)
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-7)
“You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:4)
“...which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.” (1 Timothy 6:21)
“If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us. … Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.” (2 Tim 2:12,17-18)
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” (Hebrews 6:4-6)
“How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29)
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 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 Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.” (2 Peter 1:5-12)
“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.’” (2 Peter 2:20-22)
“Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.” (2 Peter 3:17)
“See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.” (1 John 2:24)
“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Revelation 2:5)
“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

• Additional Scripture (Matthew 26:31; Romans 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:27;15:1-2)

• Is there TRUE SAVING FAITH or MERE INTELLECTUAL ASSENT (satan)? We cannot know about others with certainty—even people like Charles Templeton. Consider the parable of the sower (4 soils).

Predestination / Free Will (8a)

First: Perseverance of the Saints

• God preserves all true believers in Christ; none of the elect will fall away permanently. He enables final perseverance; none will be lost.
• “Once Saved, Always Saved” may be the wrong terminology, because it is misleading. Perseverance is synergistic, where man cooperates with God’s preserving grace.
• The assurance of salvation and actual salvation are different. It is possible to lack assurance of salvation and still be saved. It is also possible to have false assurance of salvation and lack salvation!
• Sproul, in Grace Unknown, pg. 198, says, “Our salvation began in eternity, is realized in time, and looks forward to heaven.”

• Scripture:
“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
“For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” (Matthew 24:24)
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. … No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. … I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.’” (John 6:37-39,44,47)
“The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. … I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. … but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:3-6,14-16,26-29)
“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. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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 8:28-39)
“He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)
“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
“Therefore he is able to save completely [or forever] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 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 Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.” (2 Peter 1:5-12)
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:19)
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: … To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 1:1,24-25)

• Additional Scripture: Jeremiah 32:39-42; Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:22; John 5:24;8:31;17:12; Romans 11:2-7,29; Ephesians 2:6-7; Colossians 3:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 3:4; 2 Timothy 1:12;2:11-13;4:18

Predestination / Free Will (7b)

Second: Unlimited Atonement

• Jesus Christ died for all people, paying the price of redemption for them all. But this does not guarantee their forgiveness; many of His redeemed will eventually be damned because of unbelief.
• Christ’s atonement was sufficient and efficient for all, but it only takes effect when faith is present.
• Christ’s sacrifice was merely a potential substitutionary atonement; it becomes an actual atonement when a person contributes faith to the equation, and even then, only if they persevere in faith to death.

• Scripture:
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. … For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” (Romans 5:6-8,17-18)
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
“[Praying for all men] is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” (1 Timothy 2:3-6)
“(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10)
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. … For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:9,17)
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.” (2 Peter 2:1)
“He is the atoning sacrifice [literally, the propitiation] for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)
• Additional Scripture (Luke 19:10; John 4:42;10:11;12:32; Hebrews 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18)

BOTH VIEWS LIMIT THE ATONEMENT!

• Limited in extent or scope by the Calvinists (narrow bridge all the way across the chasm of sin)
• Limited in value or effectiveness by the Arminians (wide bridge goes only half way across the chasm of sin)
• The Issue: Did Christ die in the same way for all men?
o What was Christ’s death designed to accomplish from all eternity?
o What was accomplished by Christ’s death?
o Did it accomplish the desired outcome?
o Did Christ sufficiently satisfy the demands of God’s justice on the cross? If not, then faith atones too…

Sproul, in Grace Unknown, pg 164 quotes J.I. Packer, “[Arminians believe] Christ’s death did not ensure the salvation of anyone, for it did not secure the gift of faith to anyone (there is no such gift); what it did was rather to create a possibility of salvation for everyone if they believe.”

• Did Christ pay for:
o All the sins of all men? Yes, then why is anyone sent to hell?
o Some of the sins of all men? Yes, then works must be involved to atone for the rest of our sins.
o Some of the sins of some men? Yes, then works must be involved…
o All of the sins of some men? Yes, then nothing else is necessary. Christ did it all!
• Does God punish sin once in perfect justice or twice?
• Did Christ fail in His attempt to save all men? Did He succeed in saving all those He intended to save?
• Many Passages say Jesus dies for “all” or the “world” (often explained in light of Jews / Gentiles). Consider the following Scripture passages: John 1:9,29; 3:16-17; 4:42; Romans 5:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15,19; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:1-2; 4:14

Ligon Duncan, in "The First Epistle of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS," Volume 37, Number 36, September 16, 2004, said: “Everywhere in the New Testament that we find the emphasis on God as savior of ‘all men’ or Christ as savior ‘of the world’ the inspired biblical writers are pressing home and reveling in three grand realities simultaneously: (1) that there is only one Savior God and one way of salvation for all mankind—our savior God is the only saving hope for the whole of humanity; (2) that our Savior God is not only the savior of the Jews but also of the Gentiles; and (3) that our savior God is not merely the savior of some tiny remnant of Israel or the savior of some exclusive Judaizing or Gnostic few, but rather that He is the savior of a multitude that none can number.”

Predestination / Free Will (7a)

First: Limited Atonement (Particular Redemption or Definite Atonement)

• Jesus Christ died as the substitute of God’s elect, forever redeeming them. He did not atone for the sins of any who will die as unbelievers.
• Christ’s atonement was sufficient for all, but efficient only for the elect.
• Christ’s sacrifice was actually propitiatory; it permanently appeased God’s wrath and satisfied His justice.

• Scripture:
“But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. … I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD , ‘that I am God.’” (Isaiah 43:1-3,12)
“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (Luke 1:68)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.’” (John 6:35-39)
“The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. … I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. … but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.” (John 10:3-5,11,14-16,26-29)
“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. … ‘I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen.’” (John 13:1,18)
“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. 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. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message … Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.’” (John 17:1-20,24-26)
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)
“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. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit … 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 8:1-4,28-30)
“[Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:14)
“Therefore he is able to save completely [or forever] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
“He … obtained eternal redemption. … For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. … So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:12,15,28)
“And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” (Revelation 5:9)
• Additional Scripture (Psalm 34:22; Isaiah 53:11; Matthew 1:21;15:13;20:28;26:28; Mark 10:45;14:24; Luke 19:10; John 11:50-52; Ephesians 5:25-27; Colossians 1:21-22,26-27; Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 2:24)

Predestination / Free Will (6b)

Third: Conditional Election

• God chose to save those sinners whom He foresaw having faith (anyone who placed themselves in the group of believers)
• Election to salvation involves both the sinner choosing God and God choosing the sinner. God’s choice was conditioned upon man’s choice, as God chose before creation those whom He foresaw in time believing in Jesus Christ for salvation.
• Conditional Election refers to:
o Individuals, not a particular nation.
o Salvation, not service. (Election to service is unconditional.)
o Based on faith, not unto faith.
• Both sides agree with election and predestination!

• Scripture:
“From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth–he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” (Psalm 33:13-15)
“After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.’” (Acts 15:7-9)
“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)
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout … Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” (1 Peter 1:1-2)

• Faith is a condition for election.
The Prescient View: God elects based on foreseeing those who will believe.

• Conclusion: God elects those whom He foresees having faith. The Calvinist suggests that the Arminian view of Election depicts election to salvation as both merited by faith and meaningless, just an acknowledgement of the obvious. What is God’s purpose in election to salvation? Study Romans 9:10-24:

“Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ 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. One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?’ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?”

Fifth: God’s foreknowledge
Foreknowledge in Greek is “PROEGNO” (pro-gnosis / prognosis). The word appears only 7 times in the New Testament.
“PROEGNO” applies to man in: Acts 26:5: “they have known me for a long time,” and 2 Peter 3:17: “since you already know this.”
“PROEGNO” applies as a verb to God in: Romans 8:29: “those God foreknew He also predestined,” Romans 11:2: “God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew,” and 1 Peter 1:20: “He was chosen before creation, but was revealed in these last times.”
“PROEGNO” applies as a noun to God in: Acts 2:23: “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.” and 1 Peter 1:2: “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.”

All of these verses suggest an intimate “knowing” and not a foreseen “know about.” See Romans 8:29-30 – The Golden Chain of Salvation. Does God foreknow the person or about the person? How many of those He foreknew were predestined? How many of those He predestined are called? How many of those He called are justified? How many of those He justified are glorified? ALL OF THEM!

Predestination / Free Will (6a)

First: Predestination

Refers to God’s determining before there was time where people would spend eternity! This either applies absolutely (certainly) to individuals as Calvinists claim or conditionally to groups of people known as believers and unbelievers as Arminians claim. In other words, one group claims that God predestines individuals unto salvation or damnation, while the other group claims that God predestines groups of people (believers and unbelievers) unto salvation or damnation, and then it's up to the individuals to determine what group they'll fall into. Predestination falls under the category of God’s Sovereignty. Election and Reprobation fall under the category of Predestination.

Second: Unconditional Election

• God chose to save some people based on nothing to do with them.
• God the Father graciously chose and predestined some sinners to salvation. His choice was in no way conditioned upon foreseen good or merit or belief or faith of the chosen ones.
• Unconditional Election refers to:
o Individuals, not a particular nation.
o Salvation and service. (We are saved to serve God.)
o Unto faith, not based on faith.

• Scripture:
“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)
“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
“At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’” (Matthew 11:25-27)
“He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.’” (Matthew 13:11)
“Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15)
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” (John 5:21)
“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48)
“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)
“Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’” (Romans 9:10-13)
“God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me’? And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened.” (Romans 11:2-7)
“But when God, who set me apart from birth [or my mother’s womb] and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man…” (Galatians 1:15-16)
“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)
“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.” (2 Timothy 1:8-11)
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7)
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout … Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” (1 Peter 1:1-2)
“Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,’ and, ‘A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:7-9)
“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world [or written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain].” (Revelation 13:8)

• Additional Scripture: Psalm 33:11-12;65:4; Isaiah 65:1; Amos 3:2; Haggai 2:23; Matthew 22:14;24:22-24; Mark 13:20-22; Luke 10:21-22;18:7; 1 Corinthians 1:26-30; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 2:10,19-21; 2 Peter 1:3; Revelation 17:8
• The Calvinist considers election in light of two critical theological elements:
o Total Depravity – None will choose God, so God couldn’t have foreseen any choosing Him.
o The Covenant of Redemption made before time between the Father, Son, and Spirit.
• The Calvinist notes that ELECTION SAVES NOBODY. Rather, election by God the Father marks a people to be saved by the work of the Son and Holy Spirit. Election is a merciful act of God; God is not obligated to save anyone.
• Election is a condition for faith.

The Reformed View: God elects based on nothing in man

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:4-12)

• Conclusion: God chose some people to save as vessels of mercy and left others in their sinful state as vessels of wrath. He was not obligated to save anyone.