UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

 

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

Since we have seen clear evidence against the doctrine of Total Depravity being an outright heresy and contrary to the teaching of Scripture, the next four doctrines of the Calvinist’s fall apart very quickly because the foundation for their propositions is false. The first of the four we will look at is the doctrine of Unconditional Election.

Many claim that we ought to embrace the doctrine of unconditional election because it is true. Those who claim it is true, say it is true because they want to believe they are part of the chosen and refer to Jesus’ statement, made to His disciples, that they did not choose Him, but He chose them (John 15:16) as proof that this means them. These same people will tell us that we must take Scripture in context and would claim that any text, which clearly states “God desires the salvation of all men” (which is the truth), must not be taken out of context. Hence, we too must put the Scripture concerning Jesus choosing His disciples in context. For Jesus was speaking to the twelve and not anybody else.

A Calvinist pastor, who is one of the modern-day mouthpieces for the TULIP doctrines, makes the following claims about the second of the TULIP doctrines when claiming that there are five reasons to embrace unconditional election:

“I use the word embrace because unconditional election is not just true, but precious. Of course, it can’t be precious if it’s not true. So that’s the biggest reason we embrace it. But let’s start with a definition:

Unconditional election is God’s free choice before creation, not based on foreseen faith, to which traitors he will grant faith and repentance, pardoning them, and adopting them into his everlasting family of joy.

We embrace unconditional election because it is true.

All my objections to unconditional election collapsed when I could no longer explain away Romans 9.”[1]

We have had a look at Romans, chapter nine (p104), and there was nothing to explain away. Romans chapter nine speaks about people being made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Either the Calvinist has missed the fact people are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, or he has decided to be a teacher of false doctrines to further his academic career and find a solid support base among Calvinists, purporting to be Christians, who have good paying jobs. This is not a condemnation of the man; rather it is a legitimate statement of what is true. Either the man has not read Romans chapter nine with the intent to understand it, or he has other motives for calling those, who are justified by faith, traitors. Whatever the case, the doctrine is deceptive because it teaches we do not need to exercise faith. the Calvinist’s definition of unconditional election appears to be deceptively confusing and purposely so. A better definition of unconditional election would have been much clearer and to the point, such as this:

Unconditional election is the decision God made before Creation to grant salvation to some people and condemn the rest to everlasting punishment; it is not based on faith but based on partiality—unmerited favor for some.

As is evident in the definition that I have provided, the issue of faith is clear and not stated in a confusing manner like that which the Calvinist pastor uses. Why do tricksters convolute matters? Tricksters design definitions to deceive those who are looking for guidance as they seek to know the truth.

As for being traitors, this suggests that people have turned their backs on God; to do so, a decision has to have been made. If people had no freewill, they could not make decisions. If people have freewill and are able to make decisions, this means that God had not chosen who would be saved before the foundation of the world without desiring all men be saved.

Much is made of the fact Jesus said that no one comes to Him unless the Father draws him, and He chose His disciples, they did not choose Him. Rather than isolating individual verses, once more we will look at the context of what Jesus was saying at the time of His quotes (doesn’t this make you feel clean, instead of devious, deceptive and dirty):

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.  I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.  You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

“I command these things to you, that you may love one another.  If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. (John 15:10-20)

Jesus, talking to the twelve, uses “if” a number of times here. The word “if” is a conditional conjunction used to indicate uncertainty.  While the disciples to whom Jesus was speaking may have been chosen by Him, there were still many “ifs” within the speech. Notice that Jesus said to them that those who will keep the word of the disciples would only do so “if” they were prepared to keep Jesus’ word. What we see here is Jesus effectively saying that “if” people desire to keep the Father’s commandments, they will desire to keep His commandments and the word of the disciples also. On the other hand, “if” they are not prepared to keep the commandments of the Father or the Son, neither will they listen to the disciples. Moreover, it is important for us to understand that not all who were disciples were prepared to follow Jesus. We learn:

But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life. But there are some of you who don’t believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who didn’t believe, and who it was who would betray him. He said, “For this cause have I said to you that no one can come to me, unless it is given to him by my Father.”At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You don’t also want to go away, do you?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered them, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:60-70)

Here we see that not everybody was prepared to follow Jesus. They made decisions to leave Him. However, notice what Simon Peter said regarding his decision to stay with Jesus. Indeed, freewill was very much a part of this relationship. Not only do we see evidence of freewill, but the reason why Jesus chose whom He did. Jesus possessed foreknowledge—because he was able to discern the thoughts and intentions of a person’s heart (Rev. 2:23; Heb. 4:12-14) and included Judas as one of the twelve because He knew the man’s heart.

Jesus would not have needed to make a choice if everything had been already decided before the foundation of the world. Jesus would have known that Judas was the man (or robot) he was going to use before Adam was made. We cannot deny that this would have been the case if the doctrine of unconditional election for the saved and eternal punishment for the condemned were true—only it is not true; it is false; a concoction of manmade philosophy.

Much of what Jesus said in the Gospels applied to those present and to the situation at the time. Nevertheless, understanding the principles of salvation contained within the Eternal Gospel is another matter, and the Calvinist proposition of unconditional election, in some respects, does sound like unconditional salvation and universal salvation for all; but the way proponents explain the proposition, they attempt to make out that it is selective salvation. The proposition is that God only provided unconditional salvation for certain select predetermined individuals. If the doctrine of unconditional election were the truth, whether it meant universal salvation or salvation for particular persons, there is no incentive and no need to preach the gospel if those who are to be saved have already been chosen. Yet this is what the Calvinist pastor says is the strong point of unconditional election (salvation):

When you offer Christ freely to all unbelievers, suppose one says, “I have sinned too terribly. God could never choose to save me.” The most ultimate despair-destroying thing you can say is this: Do you realize that God chose before the foundation of the world whom he will save? And he did it based on absolutely nothing in you. Before you were born or had done anything good or bad, God chose whether to save you or not.[2]

Firstly, it needs to be said, that if only a certain elect have been chosen before the foundation of the world, how can the Calvinist pastor or anyone else, for that matter, offer salvation to unbelievers? Notice how he advises followers by implication, look we have a trick up our sleeves, “we say he is really saved because God chose the unbeliever before the foundation of the world”. Unless there is an ulterior motive, who would tell unbelievers untruths?  Who resorts to tricks?  Who are agents of the Devil? Who but Pharisees will do and say anything to make a convert? Unfortunately, the convert becomes twice as much a child of Hell as themselves? Look what Jesus said:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. (Matthew 23:15 NKJV)

In this scenario, the unbeliever thinks he has sinned too terribly to be saved. But instead of being told about how salvation is provided to those who have faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, he is told, God has already decided who will be saved, so there is nothing to worry about. The person then thinks, since there is nothing I can do about the matter, I will just continue in my sin and there is no need to repent after all. Either I am saved or I am not.  If I am saved, there is nothing I can do about it. If I am not saved, there is nothing I can do about it, so I may as well enjoy my sin.

Because the unbeliever does not see any reason to become a church member or participate in the hypocrisy of the self-righteous, the hypocrite then does everything he or she can to persuade the person that now they are saved (even though they are an unbeliever) it is really better for them to demonstrate to others that they belong together and become a member of a congregation along with those who have been selected. These people then begin to provide inducements, claiming that they are from the blessings of the Lord. Not only are financial gifts provided but also career and employment opportunities, depending on the convert’s abilities, employment history and social standing. Often those who are of a lower social standing are encouraged to attend Bible College to raise their academic profile. Those who have not got the finances are often supported financially, so they can then be indoctrinated in apologetics and the propositional truths of TULIP and become full time ministers of deceit.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the doctrine that we are saved by grace alone. There are no conditions attached to our salvation. In this respect, universal salvation for all is the same as unconditional salvation (election). However, the Bible teaches that we are not saved by grace alone, we are saved through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is a condition required for salvation. If salvation were unconditional:

1.  There would be no need for Jesus dying on the Cross.
2.  There would be no need to seek God.
3. There would be no need to repent.
4. There would be no need to have a changed heart.
5. There would be no need to obey the commandments of God.
6. There would be no need for Jesus to search our hearts.
7. There would be no need at all for the six conditions that have just been mention to be included in the Bible.

If we had been chosen before the foundation of the world, there is no need for God to search our hearts at all. He already knows who is going to be saved. However, if salvation were conditional upon our hearts being acceptable to God, then it is understandable that our hearts need to be searched.  In fact, the Bible tells us that God searches our hearts and that we need to search after God also, as this is the precondition for our salvation. Here are some of the verses regarding this:

Romans 8:27: He [Jesus] who searches the hearts knows what is on the [Holy] Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God [the Father].

Revelation 2:23:  I [Jesus] will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

Psalm 7:9: Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.

Jeremiah 17:10:  I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Hebrews 4:12-13: For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Deuteronomy 4:29: But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Jeremiah 29:13: You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.

Psalm 139:23: Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.

1 Chronicles 28:9: You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Clearly, God searches the hearts of all people to see who are searching after Him. For without faith we cannot please God. But if we believe that He exists, and He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), we will be inclined to do so.

Atheists do not seek God because they do not believe there is any need. They see no reason to find a purpose in life other than living for themselves and, usually, they are seeking approval from other people. Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society, is such an atheist. He claims he was once a born again Christian and studied theology for a while, but is now an atheist. Instead of knocking on doors and telling people about religion, he found there was more personal success in pursuing an anti-God crusade. Shermer is an opportunist like those who did not really believe in Jesus but were only after free food, when Jesus was providing feeding frenzies for the multitude. When Jesus began to talk about true realities of life, they were not interested; instead, the unbelievers went their own way. This is what atheists do. Except the likes of atheist Antony Flew,[3] when death approaches, often they start thinking that the only hope for humans is if God is real.

In some respects, it seems pointless continuing to discuss The Calvinist pastor’s claims because the doctrine of unlimited election is not actually biblical, as it has already been soundly refuted. But just in case there are some who happen to feel the need for the following to be answered, a short rebuttal will be made. Besides this, we can see how deceived these people really are.

CALVINIST PASTOR CLAIMS:

Jesus confirms this teaching: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Coming to Jesus is not a condition we meet to qualify for election. It is the result of election. The Father has chosen his sheep. They are his. And he gives them to the Son. That is why they come. “No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:65). “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16; see John 17:2, 6, 9; Galatians 1:15).[4]

Here the Calvinist teacher who was devising plans to convert unbelievers (as revealed earlier), says all that the Father gives will come, and that coming to Jesus is not a condition, because the Father had chosen who would be saved beforehand (which leaves honest people wondering why the Calvinist promotes the need to convert unbelievers). Even if we put this in the context of Church Age, rather than the context of when Jesus was speaking to His disciples (John 17:25-26), we see that the Apostle Paul says that it is Jesus who is searching hearts to do the choosing; not the Father (Romans 8:27).

CALVINIST PASTOR CLAIMS:

In the book of Acts, why did some believe and not others? Luke’s answer is election: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). This “appointment” — this election—was not based on foreseen faith; it was the cause of faith.[5]

In saying “as many who were appointed to eternal life believed” is the same as saying “as many, who were chosen, believed”. What this means is that at that particular place, those who believed were the only ones among the redeemed at the time. There were no people of weaker faith who could lose their salvation (Hebrews 6:6), as we find in other places such as Corinth (1 Corinthians 8:8-13), where all manner of wickedness was going on in the church; so much so, that the Apostle Paul wrote to them saying that they were worse than the heathen (1 Corinthians 5:1).

CALVINIST PASTOR CLAIMS:

“God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise . . . so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. . . . Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:27, 29, 31).[6]

To suggest that God preordained the wise in the world to be shamed by the foolish contradicts the book of Proverbs, which states that whoever (including a fool) associates with wise people, becomes wise; but whoever (the wise included) mixes with fools, becomes a fool and suffers harm (Proverbs 13:20). However, the context of the text mentioned by the Calvinist is a different matter all together.

The foolishness of the cross is compared to the wisdom of man’s philosophy in that those who have accepted Jesus were often those who were despised by the world. Consequently, as in those days, even as today, the more educated and wealthier people become, the less likely they are to look to the Cross of Jesus. Hence, when we read the Sermon on the Mount, we find the ones who are more likely to look to Jesus, are those who are the poor in spirit or who are mourning or who are inclined to be merciful rather than filled with worldly knowledge. Those appropriating the knowledge of the world are so preoccupied with self-interest, they are predisposed to enjoying the riches of this life, rather than contemplating the futile fate of this existence; one that is ruled by suffering and death.

If the Calvinist and his ilk are to be believed, the other point, of course, is God determined before the foundation of the world only to choose the foolish—which we know is not true, for only the wise choose God, whereas a fool says there is no God (Psalm 14:1).

CALVINIST PASTOR CLAIMS:

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, compassionate hearts, kindness … forgiving each other” (Colossians 3:12–13). No one has seen or savored his election truly who is not moved by it to become kind and patient and forgiving.[7]

This has nothing to do with the doctrine of unconditional election, but is a ploy that is used by tricksters to divert a person’s thinking away from the real issues. However, if the person has been already elected to salvation, there is no need to put on anything, for everything has been done. It is a different matter if we have freewill and need to forgive others before our Heavenly Father will forgive us (Mark 11:25-26 Matt. 6:14-15).

CALVINIST PASTOR CLAIMS:

Therefore, you dare not get in God’s face and tell him what qualifications you lack in order to be chosen. There were no qualifications for being chosen. “What then should I do?” he asks. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). That’s how you begin to “confirm your calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10). If you will embrace the Savior, you will confirm that you are elect, and you will be saved.[8]

As we have noted that there are a number of qualifications for being chosen, but these are not works based, they are based on how genuine our desire is to know God. Even telling a person what he needs to do suggests that something is required to qualify for salvation. In this scenario, where the person is asking the question of what needs to be done, he is not told by the Calvinist, “Nothing, because you were already saved before the foundation of the world.”  Instead, he is told, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Which also means, “if you do not believe, you will not be saved.” To this, the Calvinist will say (if the person does not join the congregation), the person was not elected, because he is not an believer. However, the Calvinist goes on to say, “If you will embrace the Savior...”  “If” is used to express a condition. And as for the need to confirm one’s election, the questions becomes: Why? And to Whom?  Indeed, why the need to confirm to God, what has already been decided. But if we need to confirm our election to others, this is the same as becoming a member of a club and conforming to the club’s requirements as men pleasers. (And let us not forget the Calvinist’s early remarks about the ploy of being saved before the foundation of the world to convert unbelievers to Calvinism.)

The most puzzling statements by the Calvinist are the ones about needing to proclaim the grace of God to a hostile world and seek converts. If people are already unconditionally saved before the foundation of the world, there are no lost sheep or lost souls to save. Yet the Calvinist writes:

We embrace unconditional election because God designed it to make us fearless in our proclamation of his grace in a hostile world. We embrace unconditional election because God designed it to make us humble. We embrace unconditional election because God made it a powerful moral impetus for compassion, kindness, and forgiveness. We embrace unconditional election because it is a powerful incentive in our evangelism to help unbelievers, who are great sinners, not despair.

You could use the phrase “theory of evolution” instead of unconditional election, when claiming it is a powerful incentive to make converts. Atheists are doing this all the time. The theory of evolution is taught to children in schools and creates believers out of people who initially claimed they did not believe. There is no difference really in the methodology that the Calvinist advocates. There is no doubt that what Jesus said about hypocrites making converts twice as much a child of Hell as themselves (Matthew 23:15) has to apply to those who become Calvinists, because they believe they have already been chosen, but to get numbers, they need to make converts out those unbelievers who have not been chosen.

It is more understandable to seek out sinners, if we believe that unless they hear the gospel, they face eternal punishment without a chance of salvation. Evangelicals and Pentecostals that believe this are extremely missionary minded. Pentecostals, more than Evangelicals, tend to preach about faith in the resurrection and baptism of the Holy Spirit rather than holding to ideas of total depravity and limited atonement for the special ones, who are always wicked and not able to possess the thoughts that God has. On the other hand, if we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then it makes sense that the thoughts of God can be our thoughts. To suggest that we can possess the Holy Spirit and still be powerless to change is a denial of the power of God. In respect to such people and their beliefs, this is what the Bible states:

…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:5)

For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:20)

In actual fact, to say that we possess the Holy Spirit and deny that we can be transformed by the renewal of our minds to think and act like God would have us do, in accordance to His ways, is an act of unbelief and a damnable heresy.

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[1] John Piper Topics:  The Doctrines of Grace / Calvinism— July 9, 2013 Five Reasons to Embrace Unconditional Election  http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/five-reasons-to-embrace-unconditional-election —retrieved Dec. 2, 2014.

[2] ibid

 

[3][3] Antony Flew was an atheist who mentored the likes of Richard Dawkins and was very influential among academics.

Antony Garrard Newton Flew (11 February 1923 – 8 April 2010) was an English philosopher. Belonging to the analytic and evidentialist schools of thought, Flew was most notable for his work related to the philosophy of religion. During the course of his career he taught at the universities of Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele and Reading, and at York University in Toronto.

For much of his career Flew was known as a strong advocate of atheism, arguing that one should presuppose atheism until empirical evidence of a God surfaces. He also criticised the idea of life after death, the free will defence to the problem of evil, and the meaningfulness of the concept of God.  In 2003 he was one of the signatories of the Humanist Manifesto III. However, in 2004 he stated an allegiance to deism, more specifically a belief in the Aristotelian God. He stated that in keeping his lifelong commitment to go where the evidence leads, he now believed in the existence of a God. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Flew —retrieved June 1. 2017

[4][4] John Piper, ibid.

[5]ibid.

[6] ibid.

[7] ibid.

[8] ibid.