John 9:1-41. Upon seeing a man blind from birth the disciples asked Jesus whether it was because he sinned or his parents. Jesus said it was due to neither, but in order that the work of God might be displayed. He added that today we must do God’s work, because the night is coming, when no one can work. He concluded by saying, “I am the light of the world”, which echoes John 8:12 (cf. John 1:4-9), signifying eternal life (John 3:16).
Then Jesus spit on the ground and made mud, which he put on the blind man’s eyes, and he told the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam (which means “sent”). The man obeyed and was able to see as he went home. Some of his neighbors claimed that he was a different man, but he insisted that he was the one who had been blind. When they asked how he had been made able to see, he told them what Jesus had done. When they asked where Jesus was, the man said he did not know.
The neighbors took the man to the Pharisees, to whom the man retold what had happened, prompting some to accuse Jesus of not being from God, because he had healed the man on the Sabbath, while others asked how a sinner could perform miracles. When they asked the blind man his opinion, he said that Jesus was a prophet. The Jews sent for the man’s parents to testify, and they affirmed that the man was their son who was born blind, but they refused to opine about who Jesus was because of fear they would be expelled from the synagogue, so the Jews asked the man a second time, accusing Jesus of being a sinner.
The man replied that he did not know whether Jesus was a sinner or not, but he did know that he once was blind but now he can see. The Jews asked again about how the miracle was performed, and the man said he had already explained what happened, asking whether they wanted to become his disciples. The Pharisees became angry and accused the healed man of being Jesus’ disciple, whereas they were disciples of Moses (cf. John 5:45-46 & 8:39-40), and they added that they did not even know where Jesus was from
(cf. John 7:28-29).
The man said it was remarkable that they would say they did not know Jesus was from God, because we know God does not listen to sinners but only to those who do his will, so if Jesus were not from God, he would not be able to perform miracles, whereupon the Jews accused the man of being a sinner from birth and excommunicated him from the synagogue. When Jesus heard this, he found the man and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (cf. John 6:27, 40, 53 & 62).
When the man asked who the Son of Man is, Jesus replied “the one speaking with you”. The man said, “Lord, I believe” and worshipped him. Jesus proclaimed that it was for judgment that he came into the world (cf. John 3:17), so that “the blind will see and those who see will become blind”. Some Pharisees asked whether he meant them, and Jesus added, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (cf. John 3:18).
The Doctrine of Election (DOE)
The controversial aspect of the DOE is the Calvinist TULIP dogma (tulipism), which 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 – 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 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”.
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).
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The Doctrine of Parables
In order to develop a doctrine regarding the parables of Jesus, one must conduct a systematic study of every parable recorded in the gospel of Mathew in order to learn their meaning and purpose. The first parable is The Parable of the Seeds in MT 13:1-23, which sets the stage for all of the others.
In this parable a farmer sowed seed on four types of soil: a path, rocky ground, thorny ground, and fertile soil–with appropriate results. Discerning the meaning involved understanding the metaphors that were used, most of which were explained by Jesus in v.18-23: seed = GW re the KOH, understands = believes, healed = saved, ears = normal adult souls, hear = be good seed. The apparent meaning of the parable per v. 9 is thus, “Let all accountable souls be allowed to hear and be saved.”
However, this meaning is made problematic by what Jesus told his disciples between relating the parable and then explaining its meaning (v.10-11) regarding his purpose of speaking in parables: “The knowledge of the secrets of the KOH has been given to you (disciples), but not to them (the rest of the people).” Jesus said (in v.14-15) the people fulfilled IS 6:9-10, which says in part, “you will be ever seeing but never perceiving, for this people’s heart has become calloused… Otherwise they might… turn, and I would heal them.” In v.12 Jesus said, “Whoever has will be given more… and whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
A person might interpret what Jesus said regarding the secrets to mean that he wanted them to remain unknown except by his disciples, but a few verses later in MT 13:34 it says that Jesus spoke in parables in order to fulfill “what was spoken through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world”, which implies that he wants to share the secrets with the people.
Thus, unless these statements (MT 13:10-17 & 13:34-35) can be harmonized, one must choose between two contradictory interpretations: 1. Jesus purposefully hid knowledge from some while revealing it to others according to His will, or 2. Jesus allowed souls to reject saving knowledge or to accept it and be his disciples. Deciding which understanding to adopt necessitates considering the second parable of Jesus, The Parable of the Weeds in MT 13:24-30.
In this parable a man sowed wheat seeds in his field, but his enemy came while folks were sleeping and sowed weeds among the wheat. When it became apparent that the field was contaminated, the owner’s servants asked whether they should pull up the weeds, and he told them to wait until the harvest, at which time the weeds should be burned and the wheat gathered into his barn.
Later in the privacy of a house Jesus explained the meaning of this parable, saying that the good seed was sown by the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed stands for those who belong to the kingdom, the weeds are those who belong to the evil one, the enemy who sowed the bad seed is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. At the end of the age the Son of Man will send angels to weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and everyone who does evil and throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, while the righteous will shine in the kingdom of their Father. Jesus concluded by saying, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
The mention of Judgment and the opposite destinies of happiness or hell indicates that Jesus employed parables as a means of pre-sifting souls by showing who would understand/believe or not. Some people opine that God/Jesus causes people to believe or not, but notice that in MT 13:10-15 Jesus did NOT say that he prevents people from becoming his disciples or that he causes people’s hearts to be calloused, so let us be careful not to pre-sift ourselves by projecting our own hatred onto the all-loving Christ. Understanding God/Christ to be all-loving is gained by searching the Scriptures for insight rather than implicitly accusing Jesus of hating his enemies, which borders on blasphemy against the loving Holy Spirit. The omnilove of Jesus is indicated by such Scriptures as MT 23:37, in which Jesus lamented over Jerusalem’s lack of repentance or rejection of his preaching (cf. MT 22:39, JN 3:16, RM 5:6-8, 1TM 2:3-4).
We can see that deciding which understanding of the purpose of parables to adopt involves rejecting or accepting Scriptures teaching that God loves everyone, not only the elect or disciples of Jesus. Thus, the doctrine of parables is related to the doctrine of election as a subcategory. I choose to accept the teachings that God is omnilove or loves everyone and wants all to be saved but allows volition and thereby moral accountability to exist, so that souls may reject the Gospel and put faith in I-dolatry. I note that Jesus explained the Parable of the Seeds in plain language, and that the Parable of the Tenants passage indicated his enemies understood he was being critical of them.
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Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians
Now let us conduct a systematic study of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, which is selected because much of it is on the very topic of learning God’s Word (LGW). The term “systematic” means methodically mining a text for its teaching and harmonizing it with other passages on the same topic.
EPH 1:1a, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”
Questions prompting commentary might include: Who was Paul? What is an apostle? Why of Christ Jesus? How by God’s will? In order to answer the question, “Who was Paul?”, we need to consult the biography of Paul by Luke in Acts, which introduces Paul in 8:1 by saying that he (who was then called Saul) was present at the stoning of Stephen and giving his approval. In Acts 8:3 we learn that Saul began going to house churches and dragging Christians off to prison. Then in Acts 9:1-19a Luke relates how Jesus appeared as a light flashing from heaven to Saul as he was on the way to arresting members of the Way in Damascus, striking him blind and telling him to go into Damascus and await further instructions.
Jesus then appeared in a vision to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, telling him to go place hands on Saul to restore his sight, saying “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” Ananias obeyed, and he told Saul to be filled with the Holy Spirit, whereupon Saul regained his sight and then was baptized.
The introduction of Saul/Paul continues in Acts 9:19b-30 by saying that Paul began preaching in the Damascus synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God and proving (probably by citing OT prophecy) that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ. Some Jews conspired to kill Saul, but he escaped and joined the disciples in Jerusalem after Barnabas vouched for him. Saul debated the Grecian Jews but they also plotted to kill Saul, so the brethren put him on a ship to Tarsus.
Regarding why Paul could claim to be an apostle, in the Gospel of Matthew the followers of Jesus are called disciples (learner) in 5:1 and 8:21&23, but in 10:2 they are called apostles (missionaries) before Jesus sent them out to preach in Galilee. In 1CR 9:1 Paul referred to an apostle as one who has seen Jesus, and in 1CR 15:7-9 he admits to being the least of the apostles (his name means “little”) because he was the last one called or commissioned, although in 2CR 12:11-12 he said he was not inferior. In 1TM 2:7 and 2TM 1:11 Paul said that he was appointed a herald and an apostle (and a teacher). Returning to Ephesians 1:1, we see him saying his apostleship was the will of God.
EPH 1:1b Paul addressed his epistle “to the saints (in Ephesus), (and) the faithful in Christ Jesus.”
The term “saint” means set apart or sacred, referring to those who are saved because of faith in Christ, which is why they are called faithful and in Christ Jesus. Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province called Asia, which was located on the western side of modern Asia Minor across the Aegean Sea from Athens. The renowned commentator William Barclay says that none of the best early manuscripts have the words “in Ephesus”, which supports the view that this was a circular missive. Some ancient texts say to the saints in Ephesus AND the faithful in Christ, also possibly indicating that the epistle is meant to circulate among all of the churches in Asia Minor that Paul founded (cf. ACTS 19:1 & 20:31), although sometimes in Scripture “and” is used as an equals sign rather than as a plus sign.
EPH 1:2, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” [p.2, #27]
Grace means gift or unmerited favor, and in a Christian salutation means God’s blessing. Peace means the cessation of war, which in this context refers to fellowship with God, as in RM 5:1, “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” This is why Paul wrote in 1TM 2:5, “There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” Describing God as Father implies the Sonship of Jesus through whom saints may call God “our Father” (cf. MT 6:9). Thus, in RM 8:29 Paul called Jesus “the firstborn among many brothers”.
Calling Jesus “Lord” implies his deity as the Son. HB 1:2-3a says, “In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son… the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by his powerful word”, which reflects JN 1:1-3&14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… through him all things were made… The Word became flesh and lived for awhile among us; We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son…”.
Calling Jesus “Christ” in Greek is the word for “Messiah” in Hebrew, meaning the Anointed One, referring to the One God anointed or chose to provide the possibility of salvation for humanity by the sacrifice of Himself on the cross (RM 3:25, HB 9:26&10:14, 1JN 2:2). This is the Gospel or good news that Jesus referred to in LK 4:18, quoting IS 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.”
EPH 1:3, “Blessed/Praised be the Father/God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all/every spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms in Christ.”
The OT says that God is worthy of being praised (2SM 22:4, 1CH 16:25, PS 48:1), and Psalms says it is fitting for people to praise God (33:1), because He is good (34:8) and forgives those who confess their sin (32:5). Praising is akin to thanksgiving (PS 100:4) for God’s blessings of love and justice (PS 101:1).
“us” here and in the rest of the passage refers to those who are “in Christ”
“blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms” indicates that the primary purpose of God is for earthly existence/experience to lead souls to realize their mortality and sinfulness and thus seek His ultimate salvation. Heaven’s blessings presumably include the spiritual fruit listed in GL 5:22-23 and other goodness.
“In Christ” means oneness with Christ via faith as in v.1:1b (cf. JN 17:11&20-23, cf. EPH 4:13 & 5:31-32). It is akin to being one with Abraham or being spiritually circumcised and credited with Christ’s righteous-ness (RM 2:28-29, 3:21-26, 4:3 & 9-17).
EPH 1:4, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
The verb “chose” is synonymous with elected for salvation. “Before the creation of the world” indicates that the reason God created the entire vast universe was to serve as the stage upon which to enact His plan of salvation of human sinful souls. “To be holy” means to be set apart or saved. “And blameless in his sight” refers to sharing/being credited with the righteousness of Christ, as in RM 3:20, “Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law.” (Cf. PHP 3:7-9)
EPH 1:5, “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
“In love” alludes to the truth that God is love (1JN 4:8) as well as creator (RM 1:20).
“Predestined” means the same as “before creation” in verse 4.
“Adopted as sons” is mentioned in RM 8:23 & 9:4, where it coincides with receiving the Holy Spirit and becoming co-heirs with Christ, which is what “through Jesus Christ” and “in Christ” also mean.
“In accordance with his pleasure” combines God’s love and power “and will” includes what was stated in v.4: for saints to be holy/blameless
EPH 1:6, “to the praise of his glorious grace, wherin he has made us accepted in the Beloved.”
“to the praise” harps back to v.3.
“of his glorious grace” means for God’s praiseworthy (v.3) gift or favor, which will be discussed in detail when we get to 2:8-10.
“which he has freely given us” stresses that grace is not earned or merited and implies that it is imputed or credited, as in v.4.
“in the One he loves” refers to the Anointed One or Messiah/Christ, and again we see divine love mentioned, as in v.5. This is the fifth usage of the phrase in/through Christ in as many verses.
Peter described Jesus as the Lord of all, whom God anointed with the holy Spirit and power”
(ACTS 10:36-38).
“One” connoted God in Jewish scriptures ever since Moses wrote what is called the Shema (DT 6:4).
EPH 1:7 (conflated), “In him (the Beloved) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the abundance/riches of God’s grace…”.
This sixth usage of the “in Christ” or equivalent phrase provides clues about its meaning.
“redemption through his blood” refers to salvation promised in the Law and Prophets because of Christ’s death on the cross.
“the forgiveness of sins” defines redemption for all from that which made us unholy/blameworthy
“in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” echoes v. 5, connecting it with the spiritual blessings mentioned in v.3 and with the grace of God in v.6, even though some may reject it. (Paul speaks of glorious riches again in 3:8&16.)
EPH 1:8, “from which he lavished on us with all wisdom and prudence,
EPH 1:9, “after he revealed to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he himself purposed,”
“that he lavished on us” denotes with generosity or fully.
“wisdom and prudence” will be mentioned again in 3:10.
“and he made known to us the mystery of his will” which will be explained later in this epistle.
“according to his good pleasure” echoes v.5
“which he purposed” likewise seems to parallel v.5
EPH 1:10, “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.”
“to be put into effect” refers to God’s mystery
“when the times will have reached their fulfillment” indicates God’s timing
“to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head” seems to indicate world unification
“even Christ” names Jesus as the head of God’s government
“under one head, even Christ” is essentially equivalent to “in Christ” and is the seventh usage of phrases with this meaning
The mystery Paul has in mind will be explained later in Ephesians in terms of including Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation. The time of fulfillment would have to be by what is termed the “last days” (in ACTS 2:17, 2TM 3:1 and 2PT 3:3) or “end of the age” (MT 24:3, 10, 19, 21, etc.). Other passages indicate that “all things” does not include God’s enemies (1CR 15:25), who will be separated from those who belong to Christ (1CR 15:23) per the eschatological parables of Jesus (MT 22:13-14, 24:33, 25:12, 25:30, etc.) and destroyed (1CR 15:26). Christ’s first advent was for the purpose of creating his spiritual body, but his second coming will be on Judgment Day (HB 9:26-28)
EPH 1:11, 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 him” means saved by faith in Christ and is the seventh instance of this phrase or equivalents
“we were also chosen” includes Paul with the Christians reading the epistle
“having been predestined” repeats the term used in v.5 to refer to “from creation” per v.4
“according to the plan of him” refers to God’s will and purpose in v.9-10
“who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” means that God is in control
of history so that His plan will be achieved as He determines
EPH 1:12. “in order that we , who were the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory.”
“in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ” refers to Paul and other apostles or disciples of Jesus who received the Gospel before the Ephesians
“in Christ” is the eighth instance of this or equivalent phrases, which is the briefest way of indicating God’s plan of salvation or being sanctified
“might be for the praise of his glory” means “would be a reason for praising deity”, probably because of the Christlike behavior or loving deeds by those who are sanctified or being made holy, as we will see later in the epistle.
EPH 1:13-14, “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.”
“you also were included in Christ” – the believers being addressed
“when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” – when Paul speaks of truth, most of the time he means the Gospel
“Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” – I agree with your sequence, and receiving the HS must refer to Jesus entering the believer’s heart when he/she opens the door (RV 3:20). Some folks think a seal can never be broken, but Paul teaches that apostasy does so (HB 6:4-6 and all urging of perseverance).
“who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession” – Again, assuming perseverance.
“to the praise of his glory” – All souls who have good sense will eventually recognize the infinite genius of God’s POS.
In EPH 1:1-14, v.3-14 is one sentence in the Greek.
EPH 1:15-16, “Because of this and after hearing your faith is growing in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all saints, I am continually giving thanks for you, mentioning you in my prayers.
“I keep asking” – Paul exemplifies what he teaches in 1THS 5:17: Pray continually.
“that the God of our Lord JC” – Paul prays to the Father as Jesus taught in MT 6:9.
“the glorious Father” – glory was been mentioned in v.12&14–sort of a mini-theme.
“may give you the Spirit” – the HS was given at the moment of saving faith, so this is something additional.
“of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” – “And” functions as = here, and the additional revelation must refer to didachaic doctrines or teachings that build upon the foundational Gospel kerygma (EPH 2:20).
EPH 1:17, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord JC, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
“I keep asking” – Paul exemplifies what he teaches in 1THS 5:17: Pray continually.
“that the God of our Lord JC” – Paul prays to the Father as Jesus taught in MT 6:9.
“the glorious Father” – glory was been mentioned in v.12&14–sort of a mini-theme.
“may give you the Spirit” – the Holy Spirit was given at the moment of saving faith, so this is something additional.
“of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” – “And” functions as = here, and the additional revelation
must refer to didachaic doctrines or teachings that build upon the foundational Gospel kerygma (EPH 2:20).
EPH 1:18-19a, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” – “heart” must mean “mind”
“enlightened in order that you may know” – as opposed to remaining darkened or ignorant
“the hope” – the hope of salvation or resurrection to heaven
“to which he has called you” – Jesus said he came to call sinners (MT 9:13), that many are invited but few are chosen (MT 22:14), and that few find the narrow gate (MT 7:14). In EPH 4:1 Paul will exhort those who are called to be worthy of it.
“the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” – the riches saints will inherit are not described
“and his incomparably great power for us who believe” – the power for believers is not specified
EPH 1:19b-21 – “That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
“That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ” – God’s power for believers is the same as His power in Christ
“ when he reaised him from the dead” – when God resurrected Jesus from the grave
“and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” – and placed Christ in charge of heaven
“far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given” – over everything
“not only in this age but also in the one to come” – forever on earth and in eternity in heaven
EPH 1:22-23 – “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be the head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
“God placed all things under his feet” – This quote of PS 8:6 is found also in 1CR 15:27a
“and appointed him to be the head over everything” – This echoes 1CR 15:27b & COL 1:15-17
“for the church, which is his body – this teaching is found in COL 1:18
“the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” – divine fullness is found also in COL 1:19
[p.2, #39 + p.3 #50 = #54]