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Dismantling Unconditional Election


    Unconditional election is the doctrine held by many individuals in the religious world. “Unconditional election means that God does not foresee an action or condition on our part that induces Him to save us. Rather, election rests on God's sovereign decision to save whomever He is pleased to save.” Simply put, the doctrine of Unconditional Election states that you simply do not have to do anything to be saved. There is no command you have to follow, no submission to God’s will. Rather, God takes your free will from you and forces you to be His child. 

    Edwin Palmer, who served as executive secretary on the NIV Committee on Bible Translation, and was coordinator of all translation on the NIV said. “Foreordination means God’s sovereign plan, whereby He decides all that is to happen in the universe. Nothing in this world happens by chance. God is in back of everything. He decides and causes all things to happen that do happen. He is not sitting on the sidelines wondering and perhaps gearing what is going to happen next. No, He has foreordained everything “after the counsel of his will (Eph. 1:11) the moving of a finger, the beating of a heart, the laughter of a girl, the mistake of the typist-even sin.“ 

    To suggest that God is the source of sin, makes God a sinner. This cannot be further from the truth. We serve a God who is holy, and just, who also hates sin. To say that God is the cause of sin is outlandish, it is insulting, it is blasphemy. We should give Mr. Palmer some credit; at least he says what he means. 

When you consider the whole of this larger belief system, you understand how intertwined they are. If there is a total depravity, if sin is passed on through the will of God, then there must be unconditional election and unconditional rejection. Thus, God is a puppet master over a mass of men absent of free will. Why shouldn’t the sadistic false God of Calvin predestine individuals for life or death? 

    Consider Ephesians 1:11, which Mr. Palmer cited in defense of his doctrine. “In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will;” It is evident clearly in the Scripture that when Paul writes of foreordination he has one thing in mind. The word for foreordained from the Koine Greek word proorizo means to set out boundaries in advance. God has set out boundaries for those who will be saved. Not individuals that were willed unconditionally before the dawn of time. Rather, the church is comprised of many members, from many nations, that have chosen to meet the conditions that God has set forth. When God set forth to adopt us as His children, He sent His Son to come forth and buy each of us through His blood. God set the boundaries for how one becomes saved.  God worked all things after the counsel of His will to redeem the church. This is exactly who Paul states he is writing to in Eph 1:1. All of these things apply to the church which is comprised of those who have obeyed the Gospel. 

    God providentially worked to bring salvation to all men (cf. John 3:16). For instance, He preserved the seed of Abraham that was promised to bless all nations (Gen 22:18). God restored a remnant to the land of Israel so that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judah as prophesied (cf. Micah 5:2). There are so many examples within the law and the prophets that point to God’s working all things after the counsel of His will. 

    If God chose every single lost person and every single saved person, that would make God a liar. For it is written, “For there is no respect of persons with God” (Rom 2:11; see also Acts 10:34), Moreover,  if election were unconditional, Peter could have stated so in response to Acts 2:36-37. The hearers on the day of that day asked, “Brethren, what shall we do?” This would be a perfect time to say you can not do anything, Either God has willed for you to be saved or not. You can not do anything, God will unconditionally elect you because you are incapable of doing anything because you were born totally depraved. Yet, the Inspired Peter said, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins. That sure sounds like they had to do something. I noticed also that only about 3000 obeyed, not all who were there. Some freely walked away disobedient to the command given by the Spirit. My hope is that if you are reading this, you will search the Scriptures and consider if someone will mischaracterize God in this way. What else would they say that is unfounded in the Word of God?


Grace and Peace. 


R.D. Beavers 

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/tulip-and-reformed-theology-unconditional-election


Edwin Palmer,The Five Points of Calvinism, 24-25

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