Sovereign Election--Making Us Bold For Christ
My entries for the past several weeks, as I have shared with you excerpts from my reading, have been focusing on some of the ways in which the truth of the Biblical doctrine of election practically applies to our lives. It is vital we see that all of the truths revealed to us by God in His word are meant not only to be believed, but also to have their sanctifying effects upon us. This is no less true regarding the doctrine of election. So, before leaving this subject there are a few additional implications of this truth, and how it should affect us, that we should note, and which I will point us to in this post and the next two.
The Reformed or Calvinistic position concerning God’s sovereignty in salvation is often criticized as undermining and being contrary to evangelism. Yet, the reality is just the opposite. The truths of God’s sovereignty and election unto salvation, rightly understood and genuinely embraced from the heart, actually serve as powerful motivators to evangelism. Listen to this very helpful statement:
I think it might be helpful for us who are theologically Calvinistic in our understanding of the Bible to ask ourselves how deeply we are really believing these things. Are we believing them to the point that their radical God centered effects are becoming increasingly evident in our lives? In the area of evangelism, are we demonstrating courage because of our confidence in a saving God? Are we in fact, because God is sovereign, becoming bold for Christ, overcoming our fears, our shyness, our indifference, driven to prayer, confident that God will use evangelism to draw the elect to Himself?
The Reformed or Calvinistic position concerning God’s sovereignty in salvation is often criticized as undermining and being contrary to evangelism. Yet, the reality is just the opposite. The truths of God’s sovereignty and election unto salvation, rightly understood and genuinely embraced from the heart, actually serve as powerful motivators to evangelism. Listen to this very helpful statement:
Election compels evangelism, for all the elect must be saved by the Word brought to them. When Paul feared to go to Corinth, God sent a messenger to assure him: ‘Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city’ (Acts 18: 9b-10). What an encouragement this was for Paul and for us today to spread the gospel.
We do not know how many people God has elected in our cities. We trust there are many. But many or few, they are the Lord’s, and He has given us means to find them. So we must faithfully pray, speak, and visit people, always abounding in Christ’s work and always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us to anyone who asks (1 Peter 3:15).
Election gave courage to the great Calvinist missionaries of the past to press on with the Lord’s work, even in danger and self-sacrifice, because they were confident that the Lord would bring in His chosen ones. Election gave courage to David Brainerd, William Carey, John Elias, Adoniram Judson, John Paton, and a host of missionaries who gave their lives for the gathering in of the elect. They believed, as Blanchard says, that "in the Bible, election and evangelism meet with joined hands, not clenched fists" (Acts 13:44-49).
What courage election still brings to evangelism today. It makes us bold for Christ, removing our fears, our shyness, and our indifference. It drives us to prayer, confident that the elect are in God’s hands, and He will use evangelism to draw them in. And it makes us patient, reminding us that while evangelism is an urgent work because sinners are dying and going to hell every, it is not a desperate work, for God, in His way and in His time, will gather in all of His elect. (Living for the God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism, pgs. 70-71)
I think it might be helpful for us who are theologically Calvinistic in our understanding of the Bible to ask ourselves how deeply we are really believing these things. Are we believing them to the point that their radical God centered effects are becoming increasingly evident in our lives? In the area of evangelism, are we demonstrating courage because of our confidence in a saving God? Are we in fact, because God is sovereign, becoming bold for Christ, overcoming our fears, our shyness, our indifference, driven to prayer, confident that God will use evangelism to draw the elect to Himself?
Labels: Confidence, Election, Evangelism, Guest Post
posted by Bruce at
7:00 AM
7 Comments:
Thank you Bruce. Very helpful. As to the question of evangelism, I find it helpful to remind myself that I may not always perfectly understand the mystery of how He works all things out according to the counsel of His own will (as in electing grace). His ways are too high, and I may not fully comprehend them. But if something is taught in the Word of God that seems to me somewhat contradictory, I must hold both teachings as true without pretending to understand more than my finite mind is capable of.
There are commands towards repentance and faith that seem to place some responsibility on the hearer. It is proper and good, I think, to invite someone to trust Christ. "Will you place your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sin?" Is this not an important question to put to an unbeliever? Is God at work at the same time, of course-- but isn't there also an element in conversion that might be called "a decision" on the part of the one who believes?
Can we hold election, along with "Whosoever will?" I think we must, and I think we can, so long as we do not insist on solving the mystery this side of heaven.
Bruce this is a timely and worthy word of encouragement. As we press on in the work of evangelism we need to do it with a boldness that knows that every word spoken will return having accomplished the work intended by a sovereign God.
We simply cannot fail. Every time we speak, God's exact will will be done. And in His time, and place and purpose it will involve the salvation of His chosen.
It's a wonderful thing knowing that we never waste a word in witness; that every time we speak the exact purpose intended by God is certain.
Let us speak as those who cannot a fail.
TMS
Peter, as I expressed to you today at church, you can always be counted on to offer thoughtful comments, and to ask honest questions. If I may, I would like to interact a bit with your thoughts, affirming where I would agree and suggesting further reflection and adjustment at some points.
1. I appreciate your mention of mystery regarding God and His ways. As you rightly say, God's ways are high and we might not fully comprehend Him (indeed I would say that we will not fully comprehend Him). We will in our study of the things of God frequently bump up against mystery.
You also say, again rightly, that if something is taught in Scripture that may seem contradictory, we must nevertheless embrace as true what Scripture teaches regardless of what our finite minds are able to understand. Calvin wisely said that "Monstrous indeed is the madness of men, who desire thus to subject the immeasurable to the puny measure of their own reason". We must guard against becoming rationalistic (note, I am not saying rational----we are to use the God given reasoning faculty of our minds to the full in our handling of the Word of God) in our approach to understanding what God says to us in His word. Our approach should be, in humility---what does the Bible say? It should not be, in rationalistic arrogance------I will accept only what my finite reason can understand. By the way, both Arminianism and Hyper-
Calvinism are rationalistic errors on opposite ends of the spectrum; it is historic Calvinism that seeks to let the Bible speak, and then seeks to humbly bow before what it says----even if we cannot figure it out.
Now I should perhaps briefly point out that we need to distinguish between mystery, paradox, and contradiction. A mystery, theologically, involves a lack of understanding or an absence of knowledge concerning something Scripture teaches. A paradox refers to something that, while true, has an appearance of contradiction (but is not a real contradiction). A contradiction on the other hand is that which is inherently unintelligible and irrational. Even God cannot understand a contradiction.
Therefore, while we should affirm mystery and paradox in Scripture, we must never, never, never embrace contradiction. Now let me be quick to say that I am not suggesting that you are in any way advocating that the Bible teaches contradictions. I am making these observations simply to clarify the distinctions between these various concepts for any of our readers out there.
2. Regarding our responsibility to respond to the offer of the gospel with repentance and faith, while agreeing with your comments in that regard, there are some additional observations I think it important to add to fill out the picture.
When thinking about human responsibility in response to the gospel, we need to distinguish between responsibility and ability. We most surely are responsible before God in response to the offer of the gospel to repent and believe----that is our obligation. However, obligation/responsibility is not at all the same as ability. We frequently confuse the two. Concerning ability, it is clear from the Bible that we do not have the spiritual ability to do what we are responsible before God to do. We are responsible to obey God's law, but in our unregenerate condition we do not have the ability to do so. We are dead in sin, enslaved to sin and hate the true God. Our depravity is total, affecting every aspect of our being, including our will. Our will is not neutral, but is in bondage to our fallen, spiritually dead nature, unable and unwilling to turn to God in repentance and faith, unless God first---- sovereignly, monergistically, grants us spiritual life in the new birth. In the new birth, as I say, God is sovereign. It is God acting alone upon us; we are passive. There is no decision on our part in receiving the new birth. As spiritual corpses we are not able at that point to make a decision to truly come to Christ. But, once made alive spiritually, then we are very much active, and our first actings as those now alive is then to turn to the true God and embrace Jesus Christ as He is offered in the gospel. It is at this point, following the new birth and as a consequence of it, that the decision element you rightly describe comes into play in our conversion.
Anthony Hoekema helpfully has this to say on the whole subject:
"We must affirm both God's sovereignty and man's responsibility; both God's sovereign grace and our active participation in the process of salvation. We can only do justice to biblical teaching if we firmly hold on to both sides of the paradox. But since God is the Creator and we are his creatures, God must have the priority. Hence we must maintain that the ultimately decisive factor in the process of our salvation is the sovereign grace of God... The decisive factor in determining who is to be saved from sin is not the decisions of the human beings concerned, but the sovereign grace of God — though human decision does play a significant role in the process".
This whole wonderful sovereign work of God in bringing us to Himself is expressed so well in the Westminster Confession of Faith in the chapter on Effectual Calling:
"All those---and only those ---whom God has predestined to life, he is pleased to call effectually in his appointed and accepted time, by his Word and Spirit. He calls them from the state of sin and death---in which they are by nature---to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. In this calling, God enlightens their minds spiritually and savingly, so that they understand the things of God. He takes away their hearts of stone and gives them hearts of flesh, renews their wills, and by his almighty power turns them to what is good and effectually draws them to Jesus Christ. Yet he does this in such a way that they come most freely, being made willing by his grace".
Breathtaking, is it not?
3. As far as your question----"can we hold election, along with 'Whosoever will'?", my answer would be yes, with a clarification. As to the yes, I think you will enjoy the following by Phil Ryken:
"The famous American Bible teacher Donald Grey Barnhouse often used an illustration to help people make sense of election. He asked them to imagine a cross like the one on which Jesus died, only so large that it had a door in it. Over the door were these words from Revelation: 'Whosoever will may come.' These words represent the free and universal offer of the gospel. By God's grace, the message of salvation is for everyone. Every man, woman and child who will come to the cross is invited to believe in Jesus Christ and enter eternal life. One the other side of the door a happy surprise awaits the one who believes and enters. For from the inside, anyone glancing back can see these words from Ephesians written above the door: 'Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.' Election is best understood in hindsight, for it is only after coming to Christ that one can know whether one has been chosen in Christ. Those who make a decision for Christ find that God made a decision for them in eternity past".
The one point of clarification I would make on the "whosoever will" is for us to keep in mind that this offer or promise of salvation is not addressing who can, or who has the ability to come. It is only saying that whoever does "A" (believes the gospel) will receive "B" (eternal life). It says nothing about who can do "A". The answer to that question is addressed by Jesus when he says "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him".
So, Peter, I think that's enough of my midnight ramblings! Your thoughts and observations addressed such significant issues, and were worthy of more than superficial interaction, it seemed to me. I apologize for being so long winded. Thanks again for your comments and allowing me to reflect on the truth of God with you.
May the Lord give us (give me) the confidence in His word you speak of Tim.
Thanks for your follow-up exhortation to us. No, don't worry---that's all I have to say. I still like you though.
Thank you Bruce! And now I feel bad being the cause of your midnight oil lamp burning...
I have carefully read all that you have posted, and find it very helpful in sorting out the paradox. Thanks too for noting that I did not say there was a "contradiction" but rather that it seem somewhat so. Which is to call it a paradox.
Your carefully prepared answer, and the selected quotes are helping me to balance out this thing. Thanks again!
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