Post by lindar on Oct 2, 2013 11:05:03 GMT 3
Who Are the Elect and Why?
Hunt, Dave
Oct 1 2013
Excerpts from What Love Is This?
The Bible uses the term “elect” in a variety of ways: for Israel, Christ, a lady, a church, and angels. Never, however, is this word used to indicate that there is a select group who alone have been predestined to be saved. Never ….
Calvinists often cite 2 Thessalonians 2:13 as proof of their position: “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” Being “chosen to salvation,” however, does not mean that one has been predestined for heaven. Numerous scriptures force us to conclude that all of mankind has been “chosen to salvation” by the God who would “have all men to be saved...” (1 Timothy 2:4), who is “the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe” (4:10), and whose Son “gave himself a ransom for all” (2:6).
If all have been chosen to salvation, why are all not saved? Christ said to His disciples, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas...that should betray him...” (John 6:70-71). Judas was one of those chosen to be a disciple, but through his own choice he did not fulfill that calling and is now in hell.
God said to Israel, “The LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself...” (Dt 7:6). That “choosing” did not automatically assure that all Israel would live the part. Unfortunately, Israel as a whole did not fulfill that calling but went into sin, and God had to cast her out of the land.
From these and other scriptures, it is clear that being “chosen” to salvation does not bring salvation: one must still believe the gospel in order to be saved. That fact is further made clear by the rest of the verse: “through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” Although “chosen to salvation,” the means of salvation is not the choosing by God but the individual’s “belief of the truth.”
Calvinism defines the elect as that select group whom, alone, God has from eternity past appointed to salvation. All others are predestined by God to eternal damnation. The gospel can be preached day and night to the latter, yet to no avail, because they are totally incapable of believing it. God…gives the faith to believe to the elect alone, though He could do so for all. Yet never is this repugnant doctrine taught in Scripture!
“Moderate” Calvinists would [call this] hyper-Calvinism…. They would say that God merely left the non-elect to the just consequences of their sin. Whether He left to their doom those whom He could have rescued , or predestined them to that fate—what is the difference? The so-called “hyper-Calvinist” simply admits the truth about Calvinism.
What “moderates” try to distance themselves from as “hyper” was taught by Calvin and has been part of mainstream Calvinism from the beginning. The Westminster Confession of Faith states, “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His own glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.” Yet having taught this belief, Calvin admitted:
…many…deem it most incongruous that of the great body of mankind some should be predestinated to salvation and others to destruction. The decree, I admit, is dreadful; and yet it is impossible to deny that God foreknew what the end of man was to be before he made him, and foreknew, because he had so ordained by his decree.
Calvin is forced to maintain what he admits is a “dreadful” decree. Why? Not by Scripture but by his unbiblical insistence that God can only foreknow what He decrees. [Then it follows that] He must have decreed everything that would ever happen—from Adam’s fall to the final doom of billions. Thank God that the Bible says the opposite: that “God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Both “world” and “whosoever” must be changed to “elect” for Calvinism to be sustained.
Calvinism’s “elect,” without any faith, understanding, or choice on their part, are elected to salvation simply because, in the mystery of His sovereign will, God decided, for no reason at all, to save them and only them. The Calvinist objects when we say, “for no reason at all.” It is claimed that God needs no reason, that it simply pleased Him so to do, or that the reason is hidden in the mystery of His will. Even God, however, must have a reason for saving some and damning others. Otherwise He would be acting unreasonably and thus contrary to His Being. In fact, election/predestination is always said in the Bible to result from God’s foreknowledge. Those whom He foreknew would believe were predestined to special blessings, which He decided would accompany salvation from sin’s penalty (1 Corinthians 2:9).
God continually offers to reason with man about this matter: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). He reasons with Israel, sends His prophets to warn His chosen people, and explains repeatedly why, though reluctantly, He punishes them: their wickedness (Deuteronomy 28:20); for forsaking His covenant (Deuteronomy 29:25); for forsaking His law (Jeremiah 9:13), etc. God explains that He gave His Son to die for the sins of the world because of His great love for all mankind: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17); “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).
Yet God never declares in Scripture a reason for saving a select group and damning all others. Surely such an important doctrine would be clearly explained, in defense of God’s character, yet it isn’t even mentioned.
Continued from the link (in the title) or click here
Hunt, Dave
Oct 1 2013
Excerpts from What Love Is This?
The Bible uses the term “elect” in a variety of ways: for Israel, Christ, a lady, a church, and angels. Never, however, is this word used to indicate that there is a select group who alone have been predestined to be saved. Never ….
Calvinists often cite 2 Thessalonians 2:13 as proof of their position: “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” Being “chosen to salvation,” however, does not mean that one has been predestined for heaven. Numerous scriptures force us to conclude that all of mankind has been “chosen to salvation” by the God who would “have all men to be saved...” (1 Timothy 2:4), who is “the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe” (4:10), and whose Son “gave himself a ransom for all” (2:6).
If all have been chosen to salvation, why are all not saved? Christ said to His disciples, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas...that should betray him...” (John 6:70-71). Judas was one of those chosen to be a disciple, but through his own choice he did not fulfill that calling and is now in hell.
God said to Israel, “The LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself...” (Dt 7:6). That “choosing” did not automatically assure that all Israel would live the part. Unfortunately, Israel as a whole did not fulfill that calling but went into sin, and God had to cast her out of the land.
From these and other scriptures, it is clear that being “chosen” to salvation does not bring salvation: one must still believe the gospel in order to be saved. That fact is further made clear by the rest of the verse: “through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” Although “chosen to salvation,” the means of salvation is not the choosing by God but the individual’s “belief of the truth.”
Calvinism defines the elect as that select group whom, alone, God has from eternity past appointed to salvation. All others are predestined by God to eternal damnation. The gospel can be preached day and night to the latter, yet to no avail, because they are totally incapable of believing it. God…gives the faith to believe to the elect alone, though He could do so for all. Yet never is this repugnant doctrine taught in Scripture!
“Moderate” Calvinists would [call this] hyper-Calvinism…. They would say that God merely left the non-elect to the just consequences of their sin. Whether He left to their doom those whom He could have rescued , or predestined them to that fate—what is the difference? The so-called “hyper-Calvinist” simply admits the truth about Calvinism.
What “moderates” try to distance themselves from as “hyper” was taught by Calvin and has been part of mainstream Calvinism from the beginning. The Westminster Confession of Faith states, “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His own glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.” Yet having taught this belief, Calvin admitted:
…many…deem it most incongruous that of the great body of mankind some should be predestinated to salvation and others to destruction. The decree, I admit, is dreadful; and yet it is impossible to deny that God foreknew what the end of man was to be before he made him, and foreknew, because he had so ordained by his decree.
Calvin is forced to maintain what he admits is a “dreadful” decree. Why? Not by Scripture but by his unbiblical insistence that God can only foreknow what He decrees. [Then it follows that] He must have decreed everything that would ever happen—from Adam’s fall to the final doom of billions. Thank God that the Bible says the opposite: that “God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Both “world” and “whosoever” must be changed to “elect” for Calvinism to be sustained.
Calvinism’s “elect,” without any faith, understanding, or choice on their part, are elected to salvation simply because, in the mystery of His sovereign will, God decided, for no reason at all, to save them and only them. The Calvinist objects when we say, “for no reason at all.” It is claimed that God needs no reason, that it simply pleased Him so to do, or that the reason is hidden in the mystery of His will. Even God, however, must have a reason for saving some and damning others. Otherwise He would be acting unreasonably and thus contrary to His Being. In fact, election/predestination is always said in the Bible to result from God’s foreknowledge. Those whom He foreknew would believe were predestined to special blessings, which He decided would accompany salvation from sin’s penalty (1 Corinthians 2:9).
God continually offers to reason with man about this matter: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). He reasons with Israel, sends His prophets to warn His chosen people, and explains repeatedly why, though reluctantly, He punishes them: their wickedness (Deuteronomy 28:20); for forsaking His covenant (Deuteronomy 29:25); for forsaking His law (Jeremiah 9:13), etc. God explains that He gave His Son to die for the sins of the world because of His great love for all mankind: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17); “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).
Yet God never declares in Scripture a reason for saving a select group and damning all others. Surely such an important doctrine would be clearly explained, in defense of God’s character, yet it isn’t even mentioned.
Continued from the link (in the title) or click here