Biblical hermeneutics is the interpretation of holy Scripture or God’s Word (GW). An explanation of a Biblical hermeneutic was shared in Part IV of Lesson 2. The purpose of this lesson is to apply that method to some doctrines that are controversial within the Christian community in an effort to answer the prayer of Jesus (in John 17:20-23) for spiritual unity among his followers. Many pastors either avoid these issues or else mention only their viewpoint, as though that settles the issue. However, this lesson will share both sides of the issue, trying to resolve conflict in accordance with what Paul wrote in Phil. 3:15b-16, “…If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Paul indicated his hermeneutic regarding GW in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 by saying the holy Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (which is the primary focus in Lesson 2 on the essential Christian creed or Gospel), and that GW “is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (which is the subject of Lesson 9 about doctrines that build on the foundational Gospel).
This discussion begins with a divisive dogma about election designated by the acronym TULIP, because Scripture regarding the doctrine of election (DOE) and predestination is not sufficiently clear to preclude confusion and debate. The DOE may be described as follows:
T – total depravity, meaning souls are unable to exercise sufficient MFW to seek salvation.
U – unconditional election, meaning that souls need not satisfy a divine requirement such as faith or repentance, but God chooses to save some while damning the rest to hell.
L – limited atonement, meaning that Christ died to pay the penalty of sin only for elect souls.
I – irresistible grace, meaning that elect souls cannot resist or refuse God’s will for them to be saved.
P – perseverance of the saints, meaning that the elect cannot repudiate their salvation and commit apostasy, because God perseveres in keeping them saved.
The viewpoint opposed to TULIP may be termed Moral Free Will (MFW) and described as follows:
M – moral requirement, meaning that God’s requirement for salvation (GRFS) is righteousness, which presumes sinners are morally accountable.
F – free faith, meaning that GRFS or condition for attaining righteousness is IF they believe in GW, which implies sinners are enabled by God to repent, seek salvation and believe the Gospel of Christ’s atonement–but they may resist divine grace.
W – will, meaning that the essence of moral faith is the desire to cooperate with God, and choosing to cooperate with God opens the door of a sinner’s heart to the entrance of Christ’s loving Holy Spirit.
A systematic study of the DOE might begin well by interpreting a proof-text that seems to be the fountainhead of the TULIP dogma, namely Romans 9:10-24, in the context of the rest of relevant Scripture in Romans regarding salvation/election (s/e), which is Romans 1-11:
1. Romans 1:16 says the Gospel reveals that (s/e) is for “everyone who believes”, both Jew and Gentile.
2. Romans 1:17 describes s/e as “righteousness from God” that is by faith “from first to last” or from creation until the end.
3. Romans 2:4 teaches that God’s kindness or patience with sinners is meant to lead them toward repentance, which implies that sinners are able to repent because of God’s leading.
4. Romans 2:5 warns that those who do not repent but instead stubbornly resist God’s leading are storing up wrath against themselves for the day when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed, which implies that God enables sinners to repent–or not (cf. Deut. 30:19).
5. Romans 2:6 affirms what is called karma by saying that “God will give to each person according to what he has done”, which (in Gal. 6:7-9) is called reaping what a person sows.
6. Romans 2:7 speaks of the need for “persistence in doing good” and seeking glory, honor and immortality in order to receive s/e or eternal life, which echoes what Jesus commanded (in Matt. 7:7) and connects with the doctrine of perseverance (cf. Heb. 10:36 & Jam. 1:3-4).
7. Romans 2:11 teaches that “God does not show favoritism” (cf. Eph. 6:9, Col. 3:25, 1Pet. 1:17), which is how God judges people justly, so the fact that some sinners ignore God’s Gospel indicates that His will or leading is resistible because of MFW.
8. Romans 2:15 teaches that sinful souls have a conscience or awareness of “the requirements of the law”, which may be combined with Romans 1:20 to teach that God’s power and moral nature or will may be perceived via creation and conscience (called natural revelation), thus those unfamiliar with God’s Word in Scripture have no good reason for resisting divine leading and choosing atheism/evil.
9. Romans 3:20-21 states the law makes souls conscious of sin and that “the Law and Prophets testify” or prepare the way for the new revelation of righteousness from God apart from the Law, which takes up where Romans 1:17 left off.
10. Romans 3:22a says that “righteousness from God” or s/e comes through faith “in Jesus Christ” (cf. Eph. 2:8), a phrase Paul used eleven times in Ephesians 1:3-14 to indicate s/e.
11. Romans 3:22b says that God’s righteousness is given “to all who believe—there is no difference”” signifying that all sinners may believe or be s/e (cf. 1Tim. 2:3-4, John 3:16, Tit. 2:11), because there is no favoritism (#7).
12. Romans 3:23 teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, meaning that no one can be good enough to earn salvation because of their own merit.
13. Romans 3:24 says sinners “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (via faith per v.22, cf. 3:27-28); s/e is free because Christ paid the price/cost.
14. Romans 3:25a explains redemption as being “a sacrifice of atonement” for those who have faith in Christ’s work of dying in their place.
15. Romans 3:25b further explains that God demonstrated his just patience (#3) or forbearance in leaving unpunished those sins committed before the revealing of the Gospel (foreshadowed in Gen. 22:8 & 13), implying that sinners had/have the opportunity to believe and be s/e thereby demonstrating God’s justice/not showing favoritism (#11).
16. Romans 3:26 continues to emphasize divine justice by declaring it three ways (“justice…, just…, justifies”), which justness is synonymous with righteousness (2Thes. 1:5-6, Heb. 6:10).
17. Romans 4:1-25 presents Abraham as a Gentile who became the physical father of the Jews and the spiritual father of all who choose to have faith in God/Christ.
18. Romans 5:1 echoes Eph. 2:8 by describing s/e as justification through faith, Eph. 1:5 & 7 by using the phrase “through Jesus Christ”, and Eph. 2:14 by describing s/e as having peace with God.
19. Romans 5:2 & 5 also echo Eph. 2:18 & 3:1 by describing s/e as having access to God’s grace via the Holy Spirit.
20. Romans 5:6-10 states that God’s love (cf. kindness in #3) for the ungodly, for sinners and for His enemies is demonstrated by Christ dying for their s/e or justification/reconciliation.
21. Romans 5:12-21 describes s/e in corporate terms, saying that–like the first man–all (many?) men also sinned and died, and God’s grace comes to all (many?) because of Jesus Christ.
22. Romans 6:1-14 describes s/e in terms of Christians being united with Christ’s death and resurrection, so they who are under grace should not allow sin to reign in their bodies but should instead serve God as instruments of righteousness.
23. Romans 6:15-23 describes s/e in terms of being slaves to whom one willingly obeys, whether to sin or to obedience of God’s teaching that leads to righteousness, which results in eternal life “in Christ Jesus our Lord” (cf. #10).
24. Romans 7:1-6 describes s/e in terms of a wife’s remarriage after the death of her husband, saying that Christians have been released from the dead letter of the law so that they may serve God in the new way of the Spirit.
25. In Romans 7:7-25 Paul describes s/e in terms of struggle between what a person’s conscience wants to do and what his sinful nature causes him to do until he is rescued by Christ.
26. In Romans 8:1-25 Paul describes the s/e struggle in terms of Christians–who are indwelt by the Spirit and freed from living in accordance with the sinful nature—as putting to death sinful deeds, because they are God’s children and co-heirs of Christ’s glorious resurrection.
27. In Romans 8:28-30 Paul says that those who love God were foreknown and “predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son”, which is akin to what Paul said in Ephesians 1:4-14, that before creating the world God chose or predestined those sinners “in Christ” to be blameless sons and receive the Holy Spirit.
28. Romans 8:31-39 elaborates on the previous point by saying that there is nothing that can separate “we” (who reflect God’s love per v.28) from Christ’s love (but Heb. 10:26-36 indicates one exception).
29. In Romans 9:1-5 Paul notes how sad it is that those who are part of the human ancestry of Christ reject him as Messiah, but being a member of Abraham’s spiritual children is what is crucial (#17).
30. Romans 9:6-13 states that God had chosen which one of Rebecca’s sons (through whom Messiah’s lineage would be traced) before they were born (cf. Mal. 1:2-3). The word translated as “hate” (miseo) is the same as in Luke 14:26 with reference to family, so a better translation would be “preferred”: loving Jacob/hating Esau refers to God preferring that Jacob’s descendants serve as the heritage for Messiah rather than to individual salvation.
31. Romans 9:14-16 stresses that s/e depends on God’s mercy rather than being achieved by human effort (#12), although the preceding context has shown that (the non-meritorious condition of) faith is involved, which truth can be stated as “God initiates; sinners cooperate—or not”, because of MFW.
32. Romans 9:17 refers to pharaoh in Exodus 9:13-35 as an example of someone whom God allowed to oppose His will so that His power might be manifested by the plagues. The OT passage indicates that pharaoh was conscious of his sin but “He and his officials hardened their hearts” (v.34b).
33. Romans 9:18 says that God “hardens whom He wants to harden”, which raises the question asked in v.19, “Why does God blame sinners who cannot resist His will?” Paul’s response (Rom. 9:20-21) is that God has the might and thus the right to determine what is right. Then he speculates (“What if”) that God might have patiently endured evildoers (#20) as evidence of His glory toward recipients of His mercy (Rom. 9:22-23).
34. In Romans 9:24-33 and 10:1-4 Paul notes that God elected to choose Gentiles with saving faith instead of Israelites who sought salvation by works and stumbled over the Gospel of Christ, even though “everyone who believes” receives righteousness or s/e.
35. Romans 10:9 states God’s requirement for s/e as “confess Jesus as the resurrected Lord”, v.10 clarifies that the condition of faith (#31) precedes the work of confession, and vs.11-13 reiterate that all sinners who call on the name of the Lord will be s/e.
36. Romans 10:18 cites Psalm 19:4, which hints that God’s s/e has been possible for everyone in the world. This implication may also be seen in Gal. 3:8, Col. 1:23 and Tit. 2:11 as well as Rom. 1:20.
37. Romans 11:5-7a refers to an elect “remnant chosen by grace”, which indicates that sinners may cooperate with God’s calling to be s/e “or not” (#35).
38. Romans 11:7b-8 needs to be understood in the context of pharaoh (#32), whose heart God allowed to be hardened. “God gave them a spirit of stupor” echoes what Paul said in Romans 1:24 & 28, that God gave fools over to perversion and a depraved mind.
39. Romans 11:11-15 speaks of the blindness of Israel as the reason s/e was offered to Gentiles,
and Paul hopes Israel will become envious (v.11 & 14) and prompted to accept Christ.
40. Romans 11:17-24 describes the situation of Israel as comparable to grafting branches onto a tree, and the condition of faith (#37) is quite explicit (v.20-23).
41. Romans 11:25-32 explains the s/e of corporate Israel as a partial and temporary hardening until all in corporate Gentiles “may” be s/e, at which time all Israel “may” be s/e.
42. Romans 11:33-36 concludes Paul’s development of the DOE by acknowledging that God’s mind is unknowable beyond what He reveals.
The survey of Romans 1-11 (R#1-42) will now be applied to the TULIP and MFW doctrines in order to see which parts of these interpretations are supported by that Scripture. This application will continue the enumeration begun by the survey.
43. Regarding Total depravity, R#1-6 teach that all normal adult humans are sinners and that God’s intent (will/desire) is to lead them to repent, so they will not condemn themselves to suffer righteous wrath—which implies that sinners are enabled by God’s leading to repent, so their depravity does not totally nullify MFW.
44. Regarding Unconditional election, R#10, 11, 14 & 15 specifically cite faith/belief as the condition for receiving s/e. R#17 illustrates this truth with the example of Abraham leading to the conclusion that faith is the condition for justification or s/e in R#18. R#34 laments that Jews as a whole failed to satisfy the condition of faith, and R#35 celebrates that everyone may satisfy that condition.
45. Regarding Limited atonement, R#20&21 indicate that Christ died to pay the penalty for all sins of all sinners, and R#29 laments that most Jews reject Christ’s atonement, although R#37 finds consolation because there remains a remnant who have not stumbled over the stumbling-stone, who is Christ (R#34).
46. Regarding Irresistible grace, R#3&4 refer to wicked souls who spurn God’s kindness and do not repent. References to “all who believe” (R#11) and to “the man who has faith” (R#15) imply there are some who resist saving faith. R#32 cites pharaoh as an example of a sinner who hardened his heart against God’s will.
47. Regarding Perseverance, R#6 implies the need for those who do not resist God’s leading to persist in doing that. R#40 mentions God’s kindness to believers provided that they continue to believe, because if not they “also will be cut off”.
In summary, instead of manifesting divine love, tulipists accuse God/the HS of hating half of humanity, which borders on blasphemy, and makes their claim to be Christians (“Lord, Lord”) problematic (Matt. 7:21).
48. Regarding Moral volition, R#9 teaches that the purpose of the law is to make souls conscious of sin, and R#10-11 teach how to attain righteousness from God. R#22 urges Christians not to continue sinning, and R#26&27 contrast the sinful nature with the new way of cooperating with the Spirit until Christians attain the likeness of Christ.
49. Regarding Freedom to choose, faith connotes a lack of proof or coercion, thereby making the chooser responsible for resisting God’s kind leading per R#3&4, which onus for evil is sensed by one’s conscience (R#8) or consciousness of sin (R#9). Even the reference to slavery in R#23 speaks of obedience being offered.
50. Regarding Will or volition, it is signified in R#32&38 by the heart, and the sinful will is described as hardened (cf. obstinate in Rom. 10:21). In R#39 Israel’s corporate will to sin is called transgression.
Now let us consider other Scriptures sometimes cited in descriptions of the TULIP and MFW interpretations in light of Romans 1-11.
51. T – Mark 7:21-23 lists some evil thoughts in sinful hearts, but it does not teach that evil people cannot repent. Rather, Jesus states this truth in order to prick sinners’ hearts and lead them to repent of ignoring the commands of God in order to preserve the traditions of men (Mark 7:6-13, R#3&4).
52. U – The only Scripture cited as specifically supporting this point is R#21, but only if universal salvation is also accepted as being taught by the reference to all/many, but Romans 5:17 limits the many to those who receive God’s grace, and Romans 4:16 & 5:1 teach that grace is received through faith, making it the condition for reception (s/e).
53. L – In Matthew 20:28 Jesus said that his life is given as a ransom for many (stated also in Hebrews 9:28), but this does not preclude anyone who has faith being included, and Scriptures such as 1Timothy 2:3-4 indicate God’s desire for all to become “many” (John 3:16, Acts 2:21, 1John 2:2), indicating that although Christ’s death atoned for the sins of all humanity only for those who accept Jesus as Messiah does it result in forgiveness (s/e, R#14&18).
54. I – Phil. 2:13 says that God works in believers to will and act according to His good purpose, but this does not mean that believers do not willingly cooperate (R#23).
55. P – John 10:27-29 states that Jesus gives his sheep eternal life, and no one can snatch them, which is stated by Paul in Romans 8:35-39 as being separated from the love of God in Christ. However, there are numerous Scriptures indicating that a believer may not persevere (including John 8:31, Matt. 10:22& Heb. 10:36), so although God gives endurance per Romans 15:4-5, it too must be received through continued faith (2Cor. 5:7) “from first to last” (Romans 1:17).
56. M – Gen. 2:17 begins the biblical revelation of God’s moral nature and requirement and is followed up by Gen. 6:5-6 revealing that God is grieved by sin, which truth Paul noted in Eph. 4:30. A main point of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) per Jesus in Matt. 5:20 is that souls should be righteous, and main point of the Sermon on Salvation (Rom. 1-11) per Paul in Rom. 3:21-22 is that righteousness is attained through faith in Jesus as Lord (cf. Acts 16:30-31).
57. F – Deut. 30:19 is one of the clearest statements of the condition of volition in Scripture, and Jesus lamented the sinful misuse of this divine gift in Matt. 23:37. Jesus commanded the correct application of volition in Matt. 7:7 (cf. Heb. 11:6). Paul indicates that God enables sinners to seek salvation in Rom. 2:4, where he says that God’s kindness toward sinners leads them toward repentance. In 1Tim. 2:3-4 Paul taught that God wants all souls to be saved, but he lamented that many resisted God’s will in Acts 28:26-27, like Jesus did in Matt. 13:14-15.
58. W – The short version of Paul’s Sermon on Salvation in Romans is found in Eph. 2:8-10, which states that God’s grace is received through faith, not works, implying that the condition of cooperating (called partnership in Phil. 1:4-5, cf. 2:12-13) with God both by professing Christ at conversion (from first/first day) and by producing the fruit of the Spirit during sanctification (to last/the day of Christ Jesus) is NOT meritorious or a reason to think salvation is earned (Rom. 1:17). However, choosing to disbelieve God or resist His kindness does manifest spiritual separation from His blessings and warrant eventual experiencing of divine wrath per Rom. 2:4-6 (cf. Matt. 23:37).
Other Scriptures cited by tulipists include:
I. 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” In order to understand Scripture correctly, one must consider both the immediate context and NT teaching. Here is relevant immediate context for that verse:
1Cor. 1:21b, “God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” Using Mag’s favorite terminology, God’s method of saving sinners or natural men is via revealing the Gospel, and we know from 1Tim. 2:3-4 that God desires all to believe.
1Cor. 1:23-24, “We preach Christ crucified… to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Again, “We preach to all natural men”, and “to those natural men God has called”. This prompts the question: Is “desire” in 1Tim. 2:3-4 synonymous with God’s “calling” in 1Cor. 1:24–and we might add with God’s “drawing” in John 12:32 and with God’s “invitation” in Matt. 22:14? The last verse and John 13:18 indicate that although God loves and wants to save every natural man, some ignore/reject/resist His desire/calling/drawing/invitation and are therefore not chosen or saved, while some do NOT resist God’s calling but rather believe the Gospel, realizing its wisdom and power to save, at which point they become chosen/elect.
1Cor. 1:26, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called… Not many were influential.” They were natural men in the lower social class, but yet they believed or cooperated with God’s calling.
1Cor. 1:27-28, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise… the lowly… and the despised”. God’s saving of despised natural men was intended to humble all natural men, so that “no one may boast before him” (1Cor. 1:29).
1Cor. 2:1-2, “When I came to you, brothers… I proclaimed to you… Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Paul reiterated that God saved some natural men via them accepting Paul’s preaching of the Gospel.
1Cor. 2:10, “God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” God’s HS enables natural men to believe the Gospel and be saved (or not).
II. Jeremiah 17:9a,”The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” The immediate context includes:
Jer. 17:5, “Cursed is the one who trusts in man… and whose heart turns away from the Lord.”
Jer. 17:7, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”
Jer. 17:10, “I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
Jer. 12:1, 3, 14, 16, “You are always righteous, O Lord… you see me and test my thoughts about you…
This is what the Lord says… if the wicked learn well the ways of my people… then they will be established among my people.”
Jer. 14:10, “This is what the Lord says about the people of Judah, They greatly love to wander…
so the Lord does not accept them; he will now … punish them for their sins.”
Jer. 18:8-11, “If that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned…
And if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it…
So turn from your evil ways, each one of you.”
III. Deuteronomy 29:4, “To this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.”
The pertinent pericope seems to begin with Deut. 28:1 & 15, “If you fully obey the Lord your God… God will set you high above all the nations on earth… However, if you do not obey the Lord your God… all these curses will come upon you.” This verse implies that the Israelites are free to obey or disobey.
Then we have the verse cited, which sounds like God prevented the Israelites from obeying Him.
But then we come to Deut. 29:9, “Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.” This seems to indicate that the Israelites can follow or not follow the terms.
And finally we arrive at the clearest statement of what Moses meant in Deut. 30:19b-20a, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children might live and that you may love the Lord your God.” This obviously teaches that the Israelites are deemed to have MFW.
IV. Ephesians 1:3-14, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 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. 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.”
In the EPH passage we can see that what the all-loving God predestined was NOT that some souls would be damned, but rather the plan of salvation to elect potentially all humanity, whom He loves and atoned for (1Tim. 2:3-5), if they exercise their God-given grace of volition to accept His offer of grace IN Christ (2Thes. 2:10).
Scriptures stressing sovereignty may be represented by the following:
1. Matt 11:27, “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.”
2. Luke 8:10, To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’”
God’s Word stressing love for humanity may be represented by the following two of the seven pearls previously cited:
3. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
4. 1Tim. 2:3b-4, “God our Savior wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
These two themes can be harmonized and unified as follows:
Jesus does not say in #1 that he wants to reveal the Father only to a few and condemn the majority to hell, and Paul does say in #4 that God wants all to be saved, so the Son chooses to reveal the Father to all who choose to seek Him per Matt. 7:7.
Although #2 by itself may be understood as indicating God withholds His Word regarding the kingdom of God from those He hates, both Jesus and Paul quote Isaiah 9:6 (in Matt. 13:14-15 & Acts 28:26-27) in a way that puts the responsibility for not receiving God’s Word (GW) on those whose hearts are hardened or not open to it (in agreement with #3).
Scripture stressing God’s role in election may be represented by the following:
5. John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you to bear fruit that will last.”
6. Rom. 9:11&16, “In order that God’s purpose in election might stand… It does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
And GW stressing the role of human agency in election may be represented by the following:
7. Deut. 30:19, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
8. Matt. 23:37, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
These two themes can be harmonized and unified as follows:
Jesus does not say in #5 that his disciples could not have chosen to refuse to follow him, and God does say in #7 that He provides the opportunity to choose life or death, so Jesus saying that he chose his disciples means that God urges souls to choose life.
Although #6 may be understood as indicating human volition has no role in salvation, #8 reveals Jesus lamenting the fact that although God offers salvation to souls, those unwilling to cooperate are not saved.
This interpretation/harmonization affirms BOTH God’s sovereignty AND love for humanity as well as BOTH His elective will and credit for salvation AND humanity’s God-given volition and accountability for cooperating with God’s will that souls accept salvation via faith in The Elect, who is Christ Jesus. God initiates; souls may cooperate–or not.
The doctrine of election also involves understanding the meaning of “in Christ” in Ephesians 1:3-14, which is explained in Lesson 11. Other Scriptures that relate to the topic of election include the following:
Matt 11:27, “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.” Notice that Jesus does not say that he wants to reveal the Father only to a few and condemn the majority to hell.
Luke 8:10, To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’” Both Jesus and Paul teach that the reason folks do not understand is because their hearts are hardened or callous (Matt. 13:14-15, Acts 28:26-27).
Luke 10:21, “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.” This means merely that although the Gospel/salvation is available to all, it may be hard for the educated as well as the rich to go through the eye of that needle (Matt. 19:23-24).
John 12:32 says that when Jesus is lifted up on the cross, he will draw all people to himself.
John 15:16 reports Jesus saying “You did not choose Me, but I chose you to bear fruit that will last.” Matt. 1:16 records Jesus choosing to call Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow him as disciples.
John 17:-9 reports Jesus praying, “I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” Notice that Jesus does not say that God desires to give Jesus only a few and condemn the majority to hell.
Acts 16:14 says that God opened Lydia’s heart so she could respond to Paul’s message, and surely everyone else needs God’s grace also, and John 3:16 indicates that God gives everyone the grace to believe in Jesus and have saving faith.
Rom. 3:9-18 says that all humanity are sinners or bent on sinning instead of following God’s law through which we become aware of sin, but it does NOT say, man is incapable of believing in Jesus and the Gospel, because the disobedience of Adam and Eve caused all humans to be born with an inherited sin nature and thus having a saving faith is against their very nature.
Rom. 9:11-16 says that God’s purpose in election is for salvation not to be by means of works or human effort but by God having mercy on whom He wants or chooses.
Rom. 9:22-23 indicates that God could have chosen to condemn everyone to show his power, but some are shown mercy, presumably those who did NOT refuse to love the truth.
God wants all to be saved per 1Tim. 2:3-4, but apparently some, many and even most people reject His calling (Matt. 22:14).
2Tim. 2:26 says that all unsaved humans are captive prisoners of Satan, bent on doing whatever he wants them to do, and Luke 4:18 says that Jesus came to set the captives of Satan free.
2Pet. 3:9 says that God is not willing that any should perish, but wants everyone to repent, and 2Thes. 2:10 says some perish because they refused to love the truth and be saved.
Synonyms for “saved” include: elect (Matt. 24:22,24&31) = disciples (Matt. 28:7-8,13,16&19) = reborn (John 3:3&7) = believers (John 3:16, 5:24, 6:35-40 & 20:29) = saints (Acts 9:32, Rom. 1:7, 8:27) = Christians (Acts 11:26, 26:28) = saved (Acts 16:30-31) = those in Christ (Rom. 8:1, Eph. 1:1-13) = Spirit-led (Rom. 8:2-16) = children/sons/heirs of God (Rom. 8:14-21) = the grafted in (Rom. 11:17-24) = sanctified/church member (1Cor. 1:2) = God’s people (1Cor. 16:1) = church/saints (2Cor. 1:1 = the faithful/holy (Eph. 1:1, Phil. 1:2) = chosen in Christ (Eph. 1:4-11) = members of God’s household (Eph. 2:19) = soldier/worker (Phi. v.2&24) = WHOSEOVER WILL MAY (REV 22:17)
HB 1:1-2, 2TM 3:16-17)
Election
The problematic part of the doctrine of election (DOE) is not the term “elect”, which simply means “choose souls to be saved”, but rather it is whether God determines that only some sinners will be saved and that the majority of humanity are condemned to hell in accordance with what is known as the Calvinist TULIP dogma, which may be described as follows (with Scriptures indicating the opposite in parentheses):
T – total depravity, meaning souls are unable to exercise sufficient MFW to seek salvation. (Matt. 7:7, Rom. 1:20, 2:5, 3:22-28)
U – unconditional election, meaning that souls need not satisfy a divine requirement such as faith or repentance, but God chooses to save some while damning the rest to hell. (Matt. 4:17, 7:21, John 3:16, Eph. 2:8-10, Gal. 5:6, 1John 3:23)
L – limited atonement, meaning that Christ died to pay the penalty of sin only for elect souls. (Rom. 3:22-26, 5:18, 2Cor. 5:14-19, Heb. 2:14-17, 1John 2:2)
I – irresistible grace, meaning that elect souls cannot resist or refuse God’s will for them to be saved. (Matt. 13:14-15, 23:37, 1Tim. 2:3-4, Tit. 2:11, 2Pet. 3:9)
P – perseverance of the saints, meaning that the elect cannot repudiate their salvation and commit apostasy, because God perseveres in keeping them saved. (Rom. 11:22, 1Cor. 15:2, Gal. 5:4, Col. 1:22-23, 2Thes. 1:4-5, 2Tim. 2:12, Heb. 3:6&14, 10:35-36, Jam. 1:12, 2Pet. 1:10-11, 2:20, 1John 2:24-25 and Rev. 2:10)
The viewpoint opposed to TULIP may be termed Moral Free Will (MFW) and described as follows:
M – God’s requirement for salvation (GRFS) is a Moral condition called faith, which is manifested as seeking God’s righteousness or salvation, which in turn presumes sufficient human volition even for sinners to make them morally accountable.
F – God enables all morally accountable souls sufficient Freedom to satisfy GRFS—or not, because His grace is not irresistible, which means sinners are accountable and justly condemned when they do not repent and accept Christ’s atonement for their sins
W – Faith is almost synonymous with Will, but volition focuses on faith as cooperation with God (or not), and cooperating with God by accepting His grace is NOT meritorious or working to earn heaven or salvation by obeying moral laws.
A systematic study of the DOE necessitates interpreting Scripture that seems to be the fountainhead of the Calvinist TULIP dogma, mainly Romans 9:10-24, may be found in Lesson 11.
The concerns of those who accept TULIP—to affirm the sovereignty of God and the inability of souls to earn salvation—are valid, but the solutions are problematic, because they deny or ignore Scripture teaching the love of God for all sinners and the moral accountability of sinners for rejecting the love of God, thereby effectively perverting the Gospel (Gal. 5:6) and impugning God’s justness/righteousness (Psa. 33:5, Isa. 9:7). The apparent reasons for these errors are threefold: 1. Ignorance of Scripture that contradicts their dogma, such as those teaching the possibility of apostasy, 2. Viewing faith as a meritorious work rather than as the non-meritorious condition of cooperating with God’s grace, and 3. Unconcern about portraying God as unjust by showing favoritism toward the elect. Once these errors are cured by including Scripture supporting MFW, doctrinal harmony is enhanced.
This study will conclude with a few examples of how synthetic or “both-and” thinking may serve as a cure for divisive thinking and disharmony. An example of an apparent discrepancy was cited in R#28, in which Rom. 8:38-39 and Heb. 10:26-36 seem contradictory. However, harmonization can be achieved easily by understanding “anything else” in the first passage as referring to powers other than the saint’s own will “deliberately” sinning in the second passage.
Similarly, the necessity of God’s mercy cited in R#31 does not obviate or nullify the need for a soul’s willing cooperation that is indicated in Col. 2:6-7, because there is no qualitative difference between (non-meritorious) faith that accepts God’s saving grace at conversion and faith that accepts God’s working grace while walking/living (Eph. 2:8-10, 2Cor. 5:7, Rom. 1:17), but only a quantitative difference as each additional moment passes.
Another example involves two passages penned by John. In John 10:27-29 Jesus said that no one can snatch his sheep out of the Father’s hand, and 1John 2:24-25 indicates that his sheep will remain in the Father’s hand if what they believed at the beginning remains in them.
The apparent discrepancy between the passages in these examples illustrates the truth that Scripture is not written in a systematic way that teaches everything about a doctrine in one place, so there is a need to connect dots or interpret one Scripture with the rest of Scripture, which is what is meant by the term “harmonization”. In this way (cf. Eph. 4:12-15) it can be hoped that spiritual unity among Christians in answer to the prayer of Jesus (in John 17:20-21) will also be encouraged.
The final example analyzes a random pro-TULIP comment in light of what has been learned in R#1-58 and other Scriptures:
A. “Man is doubly incapable of believing in Jesus and the Gospel.” This statement is patently false, because the entire Bible is the story of those who had saving faith, which Hebrews 11 summarizes, and most of Romans (R#1-20) is a sermon explaining the necessity of faith in Christ. A true statement might be “Many souls have not believed GW” (R#34-40).
B. “Because of the disobedience (sin) of Adam and Eve, all humans are born with an inherited sin nature, and are bent on sinning instead of following God. Having a saving faith is against their very nature!” This statement has elements of truth but requires tweaking. Human nature was created good but not perfect, and Jesus had a human nature that was perfected during his earthly life (Hebrews 5:8-9), which moral perfection should be every Christian’s goal (Phil. 3:12-15). All humans sin, but every sinner has the opportunity to repent/have saving faith (Romans 1:20, 2:7, 3:21-22, 4:16-17, 5:8-19 = R#2-21).
C. “All unsaved humans are captive prisoners of Satan, and are bent on doing whatever he wants them to do. Jesus came to set the captives of Satan free.” This statement is almost true, but it fails to notice that Paul indicated slavery is willing (R#23) and that children raised by Christian parents learn to love God from infancy (2Tim. 2:15-17).
This study ends by quoting two Scripture pearls that disprove TULIP without reading Romans 1-11:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“God our Savior wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1Tim. 2:3b-4)
Thus, the T in TULIP is Totally wrong, the U in TULIP is Unscriptural, the L in TULIP is a Lie, the I in TULIP Ignores much Scripture, and the P in TULIP denies the Permissive will of God that allows MFW and thus the Possibility of apostasy and makes humans accountable for all sins.
Sabbath Law
Because the NT does not affirm the Sabbath Law as it did the moral commands in the Ten Commandments, one needs to discern the correct doctrine for Christians by considering the following Scriptures.
1. God rested from His work and rested on the seventh day and made it holy per GN 2:2-3.
2. Moses promulgated the Sabbath law as the 4th of the Ten Commandments in EX 20:8-11, cf. LV 19:3&30, DT 5:12-15.
3. Solomon builds a temple for burnt offerings on the Sabbath in 2CHR 2:4.
4. Isaiah said those are blessed who keep the Sabbath in IS 56:2-6.
5. Jeremiah commands keeping the Sabbath holy in JR 17:21-27.
6. Ezekiel referred to the Sabbaths in 20:12
7. Jesus declared he is Lord of the Sabbath and it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath in MT 12:1-12.
8. Jesus healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath in LK 13:10-16.
If Jesus thought keeping the Sabbath was an important law, he would have affirmed it on these two occasions, but he did not specifically nullify it either, which jibes/harmonizes perfectly with Paul.
9. Paul taught that a person may rest on the Sabbath or not in CL 2:16, GL 4:9-11 & RM 14:5.
10. HB encourages Christians to enter God’s Sabbath rest by persevering faith in 3:7-4:11.
The primary sin per the NT is transgression of GRFS (GL 3:1-14), and secondary sins are transgression of Christ’s law (JN 13:34), which summarizes the OT moral laws (MT 22:37-40) affirmed by the NT (MT 5:17-48) and calls them the fruit of the Spirit (GL 5:22-23), which does NOT include all 613 laws of Moses, such as those pertaining to mildew and infectious disease in LV 14.
Jesus fulfilled/accomplished the 613 Mosaic laws (MT 5:17-19) and taught that righteousness must surpass/supersede that of the Pharisees (MT 5:20) including Paul (ACTS 22:3-5), to whom Jesus appeared, saying “Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you… I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
Paul did just that when he preached to the folks (both Jews and Gentiles per ACTS 14:1-5) in Galatia (ACTS 13:49), encouraging them to remain true to the faith (ACTS 14:22), which he reiterated in his epistle, beginning “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… But if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (GL 1:3-9)
Paul stated the true gospel thusly, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ [the HS] lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved he and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness [holiness] could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Paul may also have written Hebrews, which warns against not entering God’s Sabbath rest by not holding firmly until the end the confidence/faith in Christ (HB 3:14, 4:2). HB 7:11-10:1 begins as follows:
“If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood, why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also… The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless, for the law made nothing perfect, and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. Such a high priest truly meets our need… the Son, who has been made perfect forever, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven… The ministry of Jesus has received is superior to the old one [of Moses], since the NC is established on better promises… God said, ‘The days are coming when I will make a new covenant’ [JR 31:31-34]. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts… By calling this covenant ‘new’, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”
In this passage the Lord says that the OC including the Sabbath commandment is obsolete/abrogated by the Gospel of Christ. Need GW say more?
Okay, here is more Scripture where Sabbath law is viewed as Levitical rather than moral.
Matt. 5:17-20 – Jesus said that he came to fulfill the Law and that righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees, who observed the Levitical laws (cf. Acts 22:2-3 & 26:4-5).
Matt. 12:1-8 – The disciples did what was unlawful on the Sabbath, but Jesus said the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
Matt. 12:12-14/Mark 3:4-6 – Jesus said that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath and healed a man, which prompted the Pharisees to plot to kill him for breaking the Sabbath.
Luke 13:10-17 – On a Sabbath Jesus broke Sabbath law by healing a crippled woman, which made the synagogue ruler indignant, so Jesus rebuked him for hypocrisy.
Luke 14:1-6 – While dining with a prominent Pharisee Jesus saw a sick man and healed him from dropsy, noting that an animal which had fallen in a well would have been pulled out with no objection.
John 5:1-18 – Jesus healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath, so the Jews persecuted him for breaking the Sabbath law.
John 9:1-34 – Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath, who believed Jesus was a prophet, and the Jews had decided to excommunicate anyone who said Jesus was Messiah.
These Scriptures indicate that the main reason Jesus was crucified was for the crime of breaking Sabbath law and claiming to be from God. We see that Jesus never taught anyone to keep the fourth commandment and never hinted that it was an eternal moral law, but instead indicated that it is merely Levitical tradition, and so Paul wrote “Do not let anyone judge you… with regard to a Sabbath day” (Col. 2:16).
me!
Christian Communication and Scriptural Interpretation
1. “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1Pet.3:15). How? By sharing our biography and biblical understanding.
2. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). In addition to accuracy our concern should be for spiritual unity (John 17:20-23).
3. When disagreeing or offended (Matt. 18:15), explain why (Matt. 5:25), and as far as it depends on you (Rom. 12:18), be reconciled before proceeding (Matt. 5:23).
4. Avoid getting stuck going in circles (2Tim. 2:16), because arguing will become ungodly quarrelling (1Tim. 6:4) and foment a foolish and divisive spirit (Tit. 3:9-10). If your point cannot be made in 2 or 3 tries, move on.
5. Avoid the temptation to react before we think and make an ad hominem attack instead of addressing the issue. Strive for agreement instead of being quick to quarrel.
6. Employ proper discussion techniques, such as providing quotes of what we think is objectionable, so that we do not make false accusations.
7. Adopt “both-and” reasoning when it does not contradict moral teachings as your default way of thinking instead of being quick to disagree on the basis of “either-or”, because the goal should be to learn truth rather than to win an argument.
8. Prefer synonyms over antonyms when logically and morally possible (no false equivalence).
9. Be wary of projecting one’s own sinful/hateful tendencies onto others instead of reflecting God’s love and justness.
10. Persevere in being humble and a teachable truthseeker, admitting fallibility rather than viewing oneself as a pope.
11. Triangulate from undebatable key doctrines in order to interpret problematic passages. For example, Matthew 4:4 &10 (“Man does not live by means of physical bread alone, but also by means of learning every word that comes from the mouth of God… It is also written”) indicate that we must learn God’s word and harmonize Biblical teachings.
12. Develop a Bible-based hermeneutic, perhaps beginning with Christ’s commission in Matthew 4:17 & 28:19-20 (“Repent… Make disciples… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”, cf. John 16:12-13) and Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (“Test everything; hold onto the good.”) Learning God’s Word provides a reservoir of Truth on which to draw in times of spiritual drought,
13. Develop a Scriptural refutation of the dogma known as TULIP by beginning with Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 2:3-5 (“God our Savior wants everyone to be saved and to learn the truth. There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”), noting that God permits people to reject the Gospel truth and believe Satan’s lies (cf. 2Thessalonians 2:10-11, “Evil deceives those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.”) Note the logical harmonization of these passages is that “sends” means “permits”. Another antidote for tulipism is “God is just” (1Thes. 1:6a) and God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:11).
14. Have awareness that God’s Word spoke creation into existence, so true science will not contradict correct interpretations of God’s written Word or Logos (Gen. 1:3, John 1:1-3, Rom. 1:20). Most of humanity for most of history has had access only to creation and conscience or what is called “general revelation” for salvation (cf. Rom. 2:6-16).
We learn about OT foreshadowing, prefiguring, the proto-gospel, analogy and allegory from reading the Bible, which are an aspect of hermeneutics that harmonizes some of the OT & NT (Cf. Col. 2:17, Heb. 8:5 & 10:1, Gal. 4:24-31, John 16:25, Rom. 10:13-18, Col. 1:23, Gal. 3:8 and the parables of Jesus.)
Such Scriptures teach us to view at least some OT groups and events or stories analogically or allegorically.