John 1:12-13. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the
right to become children of God, even to thos who believe in His
name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God.”
Verse 12 makes it clear that belief comes before adoption, those who
believe in His name become His children. Verse 13 simply states that
new birth is only accomplished God, regeneration is by the Holy Spirit
(Titus 3:5). Not of blood (Lit. bloods,) speaks of bloodlines, new birth
has nothing to do with being Jew or Gentile, nor of the will of the flesh
shows it’s not about physical desire, nor the will of man (Lit. male,
husband), it is not a decision of a human father or husband. These
three aspects, genealogy, physical desire and natural family relations
cannot bring about new birth – regeneration. Jesus addresses this
issue with Nicodemus in Chapter 3. Only those who believe in His
name become His children (verse 12) through the will and work of
God – He wills those who believe to become His children. As we see
in 1:11, people are free to reject Him just as people are free to
receive Him (verse 12). There is nothing in verse 13 to suggest God
irresistibly saves man who is unable to believe the gospel.
John 3:8. “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound
of it, but do not know where it comes from and do not know where
it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
The origin and destination of the Holy Spirit’s work in a person’s life
cannot be detected. Man does not control the Holy Spirit, He operates
as He wills. This is not the same as saying God’s will is to save some
but not others. As we have seen, the Scriptures clearly say new birth
is given to those who believe – John 1:12, and just as Jesus goes on
to affirm in John 3:15-16, whoever believes receives new birth and
eternal life, new birth is not available for a select few and withheld
from the majority, the offer is true for everyone – “whoever believes”!
Acts 13:48. “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began
rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had
been appointed to eternal life believed.”
The Greek word for ‘appointed’ is ‘tasso’ and often means to arrange
in an orderly manner, to arrange soldiers in order etc. There is no
suggestion linguistically of irresistible grace. The wider context within
the chapter reveals the message which the Gentiles heard was the
prophecy found in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6, that the light would come to
the Gentiles. They heard this prophecy a short time after they heard
the gospel (Acts 13:16-39). The message from Paul culminates in
Acts 13:39 with a clear declaration that it is only through belief that we
are justified, freed from all things. Additionally, the Gentile hearers in
question were ‘God fearers’ (Acts 13:16, 26, & 43). They truly were in
a good position, and had set themselves in order to receive eternal
salvation by believing in Christ because they already followed God –
they were God fearers. God fearing men and women at this time
where disposed to believe in the Messiah when they heard about Him
because they were already following and fearing God. Cornelius is an
example of a devout and God-fearing Gentile who was not yet saved
but was in a great place to believe when he heard Peter’s preaching
because he already followed God (Acts 10:2). The God-fearing
Gentiles were disposed to believe the gospel of salvation due to their
current position of following God. In contrast, many of the Jews who
were present ‘repudiated’ (‘cast away’) God’s word to them, just as
Stephen declared before the High Priest and his fellow countrymen
that the fathers likewise ‘repudiated’ Moses, who spoke God’s word to
them in the wilderness (Acts 7:39). Christ told the Jews in John 5:46
that they didn’t believe Him because they didn’t believe Moses,
therefore they were not following or fearing God, and consequently
were not in order, or positioned, to believe in the Messiah Jesus. This
seems to be the most Biblically consistent interpretation of Acts
13:48, as numerous other verses testify that belief results in eternal
life (John 3:16, 18, 5:24, 6:40, 47, 11:26 20:31, Acts 16:31 etc.), not
the other way round. In all these verses eternal life is received after,
and as a result of belief. Therefore, it is inconsistent to equate Acts
13:48 with belief coming after, and as a result of an individual being
chosen for eternal life. Belief is not forced upon anyone who is
foreordained to eternal life, as the doctrine of irresistible grace would
presume.
1 Corinthians 2:14. “But a natural man does not accept the things
of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to Him, and he cannot
understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
To equate this verse with the reception of eternal life is a mistake.
The only way to connect this verse with new birth is to presume that
the ‘things of the Spirit of God’, which the natural (unsaved person)
cannot receive, includes believing the gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. a
person cannot believe the simple saving truth that Jesus is the
Messiah unless he first receives the Holy Spirit. The meaning of the
‘things of the Spirit of God’ are explained in the context of the
previous verses. Paul is dealing with wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6, 7),
and the deep things of God (2:10). The message to believe and be
saved is not ‘hidden’ (2:7), or unsearchable in the depths of God
(2:10), it is for all to hear, understand and believe – receiving life
forever. The Lord Jesus Christ told Pilate “I have spoken openly
[‘parresia’ plainly, with frankness] to the world.” (John 18:20).
Furthermore, it is proven that the gospel is not in view in 1
Corinthians 2:14, by the fact that the regenerate Corinthians (1
Corinthians 1:2) could not receive these things of the Spirit, they were
still immature babes and fleshly, as seen in the following verses (1
Corinthians 3:1-3). They were not ‘spiritual men’ and could not be
spoken to as such, however, they were clearly regenerate having
received and understood the gospel. If the things of the Spirit
included the gospel, the Corinthians, who as Paul said were not able
to receive the spiritual things, could not be saved. As we know they
were saved, the spiritual things spoken of therefore, could not be
referring to the saving message of the gospel. ‘The things of the Spirit
of God’ clearly refer back to Paul’s words about wisdom and the deep
things of God. John wrote his gospel “that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in
His name.” (John 20:31). Written in John’s gospel Jesus declared He
had spoken openly and plainly, the saving words He proclaimed were
not hidden. 1 Timothy 2:4 reveals God “desires all men to be saved
and come to a knowledge of the truth”. The teaching that God
withholds the ability to understand the simple gospel message from
millions, thus condemning them to an eternal hell, is both unbiblical
and profanes His just and Holy Name.
Romans 9:11. “for though the twins were not yet born, and had not
done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose according
to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of
Him who calls.”
The opening verses of chapter 9 in Romans set the context for
chapters 9, 10 and 11 in Paul’s letter. These chapters primarily
address God’s dealings with Israel and the grafting in of the gentiles.
Naturally, the Apostle begins with the conception of the nation,
through his chosen vessel Jacob, who’s name became Israel. In
Romans 9:11 it is important to notice that eternal salvation is not the
subject in question, the subject in question is the selection of a
particular nation, Israel, to bless the nations (as we know from Gen
12:3, Deuteronomy 4:6-8, 15:6, Acts 13:47, etc). To presume that
Paul has eternal salvation in mind when writing Romans 9:11 is not
sticking to what the text actually says. It is sometimes pointed out that
God would only use a regenerate vessel for His good purpose,
therefore, that vessel must receive irresistible grace, is also
unfounded. Ruler of the Persian empire Cyrus was anointed and
chosen by God to perform a mighty work, restoring the Jews to their
land and commissioning the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 1:2-4). In
Isaiah 44:28-45:1 God Himself call Cyrus His shepherd and His
anointed, literally in Hebrew, ‘Messiah’, who performs all God’s
desire. However, there is no suggestion in Scripture that Cyrus ever
received eternal life by grace through faith, it appears he did not
(Isaiah 45:4). Furthermore, Israel were God’s elect, His chosen ones
(Isaiah 44:1, Amos 3:2), chosen for service and to be a light to the
nations. We know most Israelites did not fulfil God’s purpose for
them, they resisted the Holy Spirit and killed the prophets (Acts 7:51-
52). We cannot make God’s choice of a person or group of persons
for service, or a certain job, confused with being given the gift of
eternal life based on faith. It can be said, however, that the Lord does
know who will believe in Him from eternity past, but this does not at
all necessitate God irresistibly determining that individual to salvation.
God’s omniscience (all knowing) does not require His determining or
ordaining an event. Simply put, just because God know a future event
will take place, does not necessarily mean He determines it,
otherwise God is the catalyst, and responsible for, all evil. This
principle shall be developed in the next point, as salvation to eternal
life is not in view in Romans 9:11.
Galatians 1:15. “But when he who had set me apart, even from my
mother’s womb, and called me through His grace,”.
A similar statement is made regarding Jeremiah who was
consecrated before he was born and appointed to be a prophet to the
nations (Jeremiah 1:5). Neither Paul or Jeremiah were set apart
before birth for eternal life, they were set apart for a specific work, to
preach to the Gentiles. There is sometimes a faulty presumption that
God would have to also chose them before hand to be eternally
saved, the implication being if they were set apart for service before
birth they must also have been set apart for eternal life before birth as
they would have to be saved first to do the job. This presumption
loses sight of the fact that God is able to know who will come to faith
in Him before they are born without irresistibly choosing them. God’s
foreknowledge is not the same as God’s predetermining something.
God can know something will happen without making it happen. In
Jeremiah 19:5, the Lord says the inhabitants of Judah “burn their
sons in the in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never
commanded or spoke of, nor did it enter my mind [Lit. heart].”
Scripture is clear, God knows all things from eternity past, He
declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), but as the
passage in Jeremiah reveals, He does not ordain or predetermine all
things that come to pass. This principle shows how God could know
before Paul was born, the Apostle would come to faith in Christ,
without forcing him to, and could therefore assign him a specific job to
do before he was born.
Ephesians 1:4-5. “just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless
before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through
Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”
Election in the Bible is never a selection or choosing unto eternal life.
It is an appointment to a position and service. Those who believe are
in Christ and they are the ones who are elected, or appointed to “be
holy and blameless”, not to eternal life. Predestination (deciding
beforehand) in verse 5 is to the adoption as sons, those who believe
in Christ have been predestined to receive the honour of sonship,
available only through the Son. This is very different from saying
some are predestined to believe and others are not. God has
determined that all who believe in the Messiah will become His sons.
A sinner could be saved from damnation without receiving the honour
of sonship, but “according to the kind intention of His will” and “to the
praise of His glory and grace” He goes much further than simply
saving us from an eternal hell, He calls us sons. The same is true in
Romans 8:29, where predestination is not to eternal life, but “to
become conformed to the image of His Son.” A careful reading of
Scripture shows election and predestination are never to eternal life.