This essay is a compilation of twelve posts which I made to CHRISTIA over the months of March and April 1992. It details my beliefs in the doctrines often associated with John Calvin, and thus called Calvinism.
It was not my intention to write a full defense of Calvinism. Read Jonathan Edwards for that. I hope that these articles will show you a little more clearly what I understand to be the Christian gospel, and some of the more exciting implications that I see.
Total Depravity
Let us first look at the issue of Total Depravity. This doctrine has also been called the doctrine of innability.
Mankind is dead in trespass and sin. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death. As a consequence we are all worthy only of death.
But let us not trivialise this issue. The scripture tells us we are by nature children of wrath(Eph 2:3), and that we are unable to do any good work which would merit us our salvation. (Ephesians 2:8,9). We are *unable* to choose God.
The sin nature of man, inherited from Adam is in total enmity with God(Romans 8:7). It is our nature to gratify our own desires, our own wants and needs. We by our very nature seek to glorify our own selves, and not God.
Now this is an important point, because imagine if you came across a man who lived his life recklessly, was totally materialistic and did not care who he hurt on his way to the "top". Such a man, you would agree, shows no evidence of being a Christian. His goals are selfish - the gratification of his own ego and his own personal pleasure.
This man, as he becomes older may face up to the fact that one day he will face his maker. Such a man may see that "belief in God" and a "moral life" would allow him to merit heaven when he died. He may then choose to "turn to God" and to all outward intents and purposes he may seem to be a moral and upright Christian, and yet his motive may still be totally selfish. His goal would be eternal life, and this would be self centred and thus sinful.
The Westminster confession asks this question:
"What is the chief end of man?"
The answer is:
"To glorify God."
I have heard it said that sin is the putting of "I" in the place where God should be, i.e. in the seat of the will of man. Again, I have heard it said that the "I" in the middle of the word "SIN" is significant, for it is the selfish motives we have which put us in such total opposition to God.
What hope do any of us have then? How can we change our will so that we do not seek our own reward? For surely such is totally opposed to our very nature. Why *should* I put God at the centre of my life, regardless of reward whether present or future? Why should I prefer God's will over mine?
Indeed, our very nature is totally in opposition to God's will. Whether I live a "moral" life, or the most brutal and savage life in history, it will make no difference because my will is in opposition to God. I am unable to serve God from the heart. I am dead in my sin and my will is a slave to my own desires.
Who can save me? No one ... except God.
God has said "I will give you a new heart" (Ezekiel 11:9). God is able to change our will in a way that we never could. We are slaves to our selfish motives, but God can reach into our very heart and work a miracle their whereby we can indeed believe and confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord
Unconditional Election
You will have heard the term "a born again Christian." Such a term, whilst thoroughly Biblical, has perhaps become a little overloaded in recent years. Nevertheless, I would boldly declare the New Birth as being the *only* means by which we are saved.
It would be possible to debate various marginal cases (unreached South American Tribesmen for instance) and ask whether the term new birth can ever be applied to them, but that issue is best left to another time, for we all would have to admit that such concerns do not apply to us personally.
But what is the new birth? I have written a library essay which talks about this very issue, called - naturally enough - NEW BIRTH. Nevertheless, that essay is written from a human point of view. I now wish to look at this process from God's point of view.
In Romans 10:9 we read:
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
In my last article dealing with Total Depravity, I pointed out that we are unable to choose God. We cannot change our will to follow him with unselfish motives. As Jesus said in John 5:42:
"But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you."
However, in Romans 10:9 we see that it is only if we can truly believe in our hearts that God raised Christ from the dead, and thus confess him as our Lord, that we are saved.
Is this a tall order? How can I generate this heart belief that Christ died for me?
John Wesley was challenged by some Moravians who said to him: "Do you know that Christ died for you?".
"I know that Christ died for the sins of the world." Wesley replied, but the Moravians persisted:
"Do you know He died for *you*?" And Wesley had to admit that he did not know this within his heart. He was still *unable* to accept this truth. He was still dead in his sin and without the ability to choose God.
Nevertheless, Wesley had an experience of which he writes when he was listening to Luther's preface to the book of Romans and praying when his heart was strangely warmed. He knew then that Christ had died for him, and that God had raised Him from the dead and from then on he confessed nothing but Christ as His Lord.
Now Wesley was no Calvinist, and yet we see that in his experience it was God that revealed Himself to Wesley. Wesley could not choose God. God chose Wesley.
Again, we read of Charles Spurgeon, who was sat one day in a church service which he describes as "dull". His mind wandered (see, it happens to the best of us!) and he began to reflect upon why he had chosen to believe in God. He says that suddenly the gates of heaven were flung open and with a remarkable clarity he saw that in all his strugglings of faith that "God was at the bottom of it all".
You see, faith is an impossibility for man, but with God all things are possible. It is God that is working behind the scenes in each and every person that turns to him, and thus all the glory goes to him.
Calvinists often talk of "Unconditional Election". All they mean by this is that there is no work that man is *able* to do that will bring him one iota closer to God. When we come to faith (are elected), it is something that is totally unconditional. It is a free gift. It is undeserved, unmerited favour. It is grace. (Titus 3:5).
Regeneration and Faith
I have talked now about our total depravity, seen in such passages as Romans 3:10-18 ("There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.").
I have also talked about our unconditional election, seen in such passages as Ephesians 2:8,9 ("For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.")
I want to look at these two issues from a slightly more technical point of view by considering two terms: "regeneration" and "faith".
The question that is often asked is "which comes first, regeneration or faith?" I believe that regeneration precedes faith.
But then you ask, what do I mean by regeneration? How can a man be regenerate before coming to faith?
Regeneration is the process by which God changes our hearts so that we can indeed believe and trust in Him. We cannot have faith until we are regenerate, and it is at the point where the process of regeneration is completed and we are regenerate that we can and *will* come to faith in Christ.
Regeneration may be a slow process or it may take place so quickly that we do not notice there is a difference between regeneration and faith. It does not matter, either way this process does exist.
Oftentimes you will see people who are struggling with faith. They are unusually interested in Christianity, and they seem to be fighting some inward battle, at the end of which they fall down in submission before Christ their Lord. Many people reading this will testify that this is precisely what happened to them.
It is this process which is called regeneration, for it is the Holy Spirit regenerating them and thus causing that struggle from their sin nature. Some people have steered clear of the term "regeneration" in this respect, and prefer to talk of the "calling" of the Holy Spirit. I do not mind what terms people use, but the truth is still seen.
Of course, others will not realise that this process even took place, for regeneration can be a secret work. Nevertheless, we can all say that there came a time when "the penny dropped" and we suddenly could see clearly that Jesus Christ died for *us* and that we must follow Him as Lord. The Holy Spirit completed that regenerating work and we at last came to faith.
Such an experience should be immediately assuring, for if I can say "I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and I know in my heart that God raised Him from the dead." Then I know also that it was God that revealed this truth to me.
Remember Simon Peter who replied to our Lord's question with the confession "You are the Christ." Jesus told him:
"Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but my Father in heaven"
Matthew 16:17
When we Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (and all that implies), we confess also that God has revealed this truth to us, and here is why that fact is so enthralling, because our very confession tells us we are saved. We are chosen by God and we are saved in all eternity to God's everlasting glory.
Free Will
It has often been said that if it is indeed true that man is unable to choose God of his own free will then God would be wrong to punish him. Such was the reasoning of such great men as Finney and others.
Nevertheless, to state this argument is to misunderstand what is implied by the terms "total depravity" and "innability".
Augustine did not hesitate to speak on the *inevitability* of bondage to sin, and said:
"Since man was corrupted by the Fall, he sins voluntarily. There is no external force or Coercion: he is motivated by his own passions. But such is the depravity of his nature, he can only move in the direction of evil."
Bernard says:
"In some strange and evil manner, the will itself, undermined by sin, imposes a necessity upon itself. But the necessity, being voluntary, cannot excuse the will, and the will, being led astray, cannot escape the necessity."
It is thus clear, that whilst we are indeed in bondage to sin and without ability to come to Christ of our own will, it is because of our own will that we are in this position. We must understand the difference between free will and coercion before we begin to make judgements on this doctrine based on what we believe to be moral and logical argument, which in and of themselves attack those portions of the bible which tell us so clearly that man is indeed unable to come to God of his own will. It is by his will that he has made himself unable.
Irresistable Grace
I have now talked about what I see to be the new birth from God's point of view, i.e. His work of regeneration which produces faith. We can see that this work regeneration is entirely of God, as the will of man is dead to sin, but a further point that we can note is that this work of regeneration produces grace *irresistably*.
When it comes down to it, few people really have a problem with accepting man's total depravity, or his unconditional election by the grace of God. Such issues are clearly scriptural, and their implications are nothing new to anyone who is truly born again of the Spirit of God. However, the issue of irresistable grace at once causes defences to go up, for many of us struggled and strained as we came to God, and in the end we are aware that we made a choice. It seems totally alien to us to imagine that this grace was irresistable, and no matter what we did we still would have come to God.
Not everyone feels this way. I know people who were saved so dramatically that they *knew* that they had no choice in the matter. There are numerous examples in revivals where God irresistably saved people who tried everything they could to avoid God. St Paul is an example of someone who was irresistably saved through the grace of God. Nevertheless, for many others of us we would naturally say "of course we had a choice". The argument is that God did indeed regenerate us, but there came a point (when God's calling reached a height) when we were presented with a *free will* choice to say to God, "Yes" or "No".
However, we read in Romans 8:30
"those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified."
So we see that those whom God has called *are* also justified. There is no possibility in this verse of there being a "no" to God.
Consider a man walking towards a precipice in a trance. Let us suppose that another man should stop him on the brink of this precipice and shake him out of the trance; tell me, if you were this man would you now walk off the precipice of your own free will? Surely if he continues over the precipice then his reasoning is still impaired.
So it is with the grace of God. When man's will is regenerated by God then he will by necessity choose to follow God. If he does not choose God then he is still spiritualy blinded, for who would choose death over eternal life with Jesus Christ, our saviour? When we are regenerate there is only one choice we can make, and that is a resounding "yes". If we cannot say "yes" then we are not truly regenerate.
The work of grace is irresistable because our regenerate nature will no longer allow us to turn against God, for that would be suicide. Faith is our only option, and so we take it.
Now then, lest I be accused of forming doctrine on the grounds of one verse only, here are some other scriptures which show us the truth of this doctrine:
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me." John 6:37
"No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him." John 6:44
"*Every* man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath *learned* of the Father, cometh unto me." John 6:45
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" Romans 8:14
see also Gal 1:15; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 pet 5:10.
Perseverance of the Saints (Or Once Saved, Always Saved)
I come now to what I would say is the most exciting conclusion of the doctrines which are commonly known as Calvinism. The term "Calvinism" is somewhat misleading, for I am certain that this is what Jesus taught, and St Paul expounded after Him. Calvin invented no new doctrines, but merely preached again the doctrines of the church Fathers.
So what is this exciting conclusion? it is simply what is called "the Perseverence of the Saints", or in modern English "Once saved, always saved."
Now this, above all, seems to be a hotly disputed point in the Christian church. There is much confusion on the issue, and I think that much of this confusion has arisen from the Calvinists who have attempted to apologise for their beliefs, and thus make them more palatable to the reasoning man.
Nevertheless the gospel is foolishness to Greeks precisely because they demand wisdom. (1 Cor 1)
Let us define what exactly is meant by the perseverence of the saints. It is summed up in verses such as 1 John 5:13:
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
Or, to put it another way:
Whosoever once truly believes on the name of Jesus Christ will be saved.
The offer is open to us all. *Whosoever* once truly believes. Furthermore we only have to truly believe *once*. It takes very little faith to gain eternal life, even faith as small as a mustard seed.
Now many Calvinists have played on the word "truly", saying that if a man backslides then he was never truly saved. This is to *misunderstand* the very gospel of Christ. We are justified by *faith* and not by works. If our salvation is dependent on works after conversion then it is still salvation by works. Are we to be motivated by a spirit of fear that we should go back into the bondage of law? By no means.
Now it is of course true that there will be some who are not effectually called, and thus will not truly believe. We see this in the parable of the sower:
"Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."
Luke 8:12
But I believe that we can all say with a certainty whether we truly believe, and if you can say "yes, I believe that Jesus Christ was God, died for my sins and is my Lord", then I say that you have indeed once truly believed and there need be no fear that you will ever lose your salvation. None.
This is high doctrine. This is a truth which brings such great assurance. I *know* that I am saved in eternity regardless of what I do. My salvation is secure, and made so by the grace and love of God.
This assurance gives me liberty too, for now I can do good works with no secret agenda, no ulterior motive. I can offer good works to God in response to his love, and thus these works are a spiritual worship.
If I am compelled to do good works in order to maintain my salvation then the motive of these works is fear and the goal is eternal life for myself (a selfish aim), but if I know (as I do) that I am saved *regardless* of what I do then my good works are motivated by love with the goal of glorifying God, and that is when they become pleasing to Him.
This is what it means to be saved - to know that God has saved me from death and hell and given me new life with Him. No-one can pluck me from his hand, for I am eternally secure in his great love for me.
Now this is the exciting conclusion of the gospel as Paul preached it. We can know that we are safe in our Father's hands. Eternally safe.
This is why I have laboured to write these articles, because this truth gives me such a great assurance, and I only hope and pray that if you are unconvinced that you too will see the truth of this matter and you too will know God's assurance.
But this will leave you with many questions which I will now try to deal with:
Justification by Faith
I want now to deal with this subject of perseverence in more detail. Firstly I will explain how this doctrine naturally follows from what has gone before.
I have explained that salvation is a work of God, and not of man. Even faith is not a work carried out by man but an inevitable consequence of God's calling.
Now remember the verse I quoted from Romans? "Those whom he foreknew he also predestined..." Even before God called us He knew that our names were eternally written in the Lamb's book of life. He knew that we would be with Him in eternity, and then he called us to that position.
Are we so foolish to think that God would let us go once he had called us? Do we think that Christ's sacrifice would not be sufficient for us if we did not top up on good works? If Christ's work is totally sufficient (and it is), then there is *no place* for good works as regards our election. We are saved by *grace*, not by works, lest any man should boast. God will complete the good work he has started in you.
Thus we see that this doctrine naturally follows on from the knowledge of God's effectual calling. It also naturally follows on from our justification by faith. This doctrine fits!
And yet you say it doesn't. You think of those passages of scripture which seem to imply we can lose our salvation. I have to say that I am satisfied that there are *no* scriptures which say we can lose our salvation. I am also satisfied that there are *no* scriptures which tell us we can be justified by works. Justification is by faith *only*.
Now then, you immediately think of scriptures such as Hebrews 6, Hebrews 10 or maybe James 2 as proof of the opposite view (often called the Arminian view). I fully intend to deal with these passages one by one, but first I must lay some groundwork.
Chastisement
Someone will say, in response to the doctrine of the perseverence of the saints, that this makes the gospel what is called "antinomialist", that is to say it gives people so much liberty that they can ignore the moral law and do as they please. Such charges have always been levelled at the gospel (c.f. Paul in Romans saying "Shall I sin that grace may abound? by no means").
Nevertheless, the argument becomes a straw man when we read scripture, for we see:
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
Hebrews 12:6
The Lord has his own way of bringing us back to repentance when we do go astray, for we know he is our heavenly father. Just as our earthly fathers punished us when we did wrong, so too will our heavenly Father. He never does this vindictively, but always with the aim of correction.
Consider the man in Corinth who was involved in an incestuous relationship; Paul told the Corinthians to hand him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that he might be *saved*. Paul knew that this man had incurred God's anger against his sin, and that God would chasten this man. Nevertheless, there is never a hint that Paul felt he might lose his salvation.
Consider the Corinthians who were weak and sick, and some had even died. These people were sinning at the Lord's table and God rightly and justly chastened them. Nevertheless, they still were saved.
In my own life I have known times when I have gone astray, and I have found all manner of problems mounting up in those times. God is able to chasten any of us, and will do so in order to bring us back to repentance.
Chastening reveals God's continued love for us, for it shows that he has not given us up to our sins but is working to restore us continually to a lifestyle of repentance. Whom the father *loveth* he chasteneth. If a father did not chastise his children would you not wonder about his love for them?
Now it is my observation that God does not chasten us for every sin we commit. He has no desire to "get even", but he deals with us righteously. Furthermore he will more likely chasten those sins which dishonour him. Mankind's chief end is to glorify God, and if we fail to do this as Christians then we can rightly expect the chastisement of God.
So in summary, God chastens us for our own good and to prevent us from using the gospel as licence. This is scriptural. Nevertheless, an earthly father will not punish his children only, but rather he will reward them when they are faithful. In my next article I would like to talk of God's rewards and our inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
Inheritance
Paul wrote: "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor.5:10)
The judgement seat (or bema seat) was found in every Roman city, normally in a public place. In Corinth the bema was in the market place. This was the place where law suits were taken and judgement was meeted out, but it was also the place of reward, where athletes received their crowns and people were honoured for distinguished service.
Now, we see that one day we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and we know that there will be a judgement, even for Christians. (1 Pet 4:17-18)
Many people have laboured under the mis-apprehension that this judgement is the judgement of whether or not we are saved. I would say that such an interpretation is not scriptural. We are saved by grace through faith, and no work we can do will ever bring us one inch closer to the kingdom of God.
No, if we read the scriptures carefully we see that the judgement of Christians is wholly different. We are all saved, but some of us have proven ourselves worthy to receive a reward in heaven, whereas others have not.
Paul is constantly talking of our inheritance, our prize, our crown. These do not apply to salvation. When he talks of salvation he is quite clear, and uses the term "saved." No, this prize is a reward that God will give to those who are faithful to him.
Paul talked of scourging himself lest he be himself a castaway. Did he think he would lose his salvation? of course not. He *knew* he was saved in eternity, called by God and chosen for his purpose. Paul knew that he would persevere as far as his salvation was concerned, but what he wanted above all else was his crown, his inheritance.
Paul wanted to hear those words "well done, thou good and faithful servant."
It is this teaching of reward that has been so neglected in the church for so many years which has led to the confusion over the issues of perseverance.
People have complained because they see Christians not living out their Christian lives, and have said "Well these backsliden people just are not saved."
You *never* hear Paul telling the Corinthians "The trouble with you is you just are not saved." He *knew* they were saved, but he had to teach them about God's chastening and he had to teach them about their inheritance in heaven.
Too many Christians are content to be "just saved". Let *us* strive for our victor's crown.
Look at what Paul said to those men who built the church on a foundation of hay and straw, he said that their work would be consumed, although they would be *saved*, but as through *fire*.
I don't want to be just saved. I don't want to stand before my Lord and hear of all the countless ways I have failed him. I want to stand before him and receive my victors crown, and that seems a worthy ambition to me. I want to be a faithful servant of God.
In eternity I want to be a faithful servant, and not one who was saved but as though through the flames.
What about James?
I now think I have explained what I understand to be the gospel of Jesus Christ. One aspect I have not mentioned is the seal of the Holy Spirit. I intend to say something about this, but have decided it is a whole new subject in itself, so I will do so at another time.
I now want to turn to some scriptures which are often used to refute Calvinism by Arminians. I remember having a discussion with a Calvinist when I myself held an Arminian point of view as an undergraduate. In the course of that discussion we started quoting scripture in a tit for tat fashion. I would quote a scripture in support of the Arminian argument, and he would retort with a scripture supporting the Calvinist position.
I came to realise that such scripture quoting proves nothing if the scriptures rallied against you will not fit into your theology. If James really does say that we are justified by our good deeds then everything I have said so far is *wrong* for scripture would be fundamentally opposed to my viewpoint. If we are justified by deeds then by deeds we might lose our salvation, but if we are justified by faith only, through grace, then our salvation is secure for deeds, whether good or bad, have nothing to do with righteousness. We are the righteousness of God, that being imputed to us throgh the atoning work of Christ. Deeds done by us will *never* make us any more righteous in God's eyes.
One of the saddest statements coming from the lips of Martin Luther was his opinion that the epistle of James was an epistle of straw. His opinion was that James was teaching salvation by works. What a pity, when we see that James' theology of justification by faith alone was *every* *bit* as solid as Paul's:
"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness" (James 2:23)
It would take a much longer article to explain fully what James' argument was in this verse, but it is seen that James did indeed believe that salvation was by faith only.
R.T. Kendall goes into James' theology very well and in a readable manner in his book "Tithing" (Now reprinted as "The Gift of Giving").
So what was James talking about when he said faith without works was dead? Surely he was saying that it was of no use to anyone.
This is the context of James' letter: The Christians he was writing to were being partial to the rich man. They were being friendly and welcoming to the rich, giving them the place of honour whilst oestrocizing the poor man.
Jesus told us we would always have the poor with us, and it is our duty to look after the poor man. These people were not doing that. They had a confession of faith, and James certainly seems to speak of them as Christians, saved in eternity. Nevertheless, their faith was dead because it was of no use to the poor man.
So now we come to the classic "Arminian" verse which Martin Luther found so obnoxious:
"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" James 2:14
Does this mean that if we do not have works we do not have faith, and are not saved?
I believe the problem is that we read this verse out of context. The "him" James refers to is not the man without works, but the poor man. He has just been talking about the Christian's duty to the poor man and now he says "if you have faith but not works then can your faith save the poor man?" If there is any doubt about this reading, you merely need read the next verse:
"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" (James 2:15,16)
This is James speaking, not Paul. He is not using the verb "to save" in a technical sense regarding eternal security, but in a natural sense talking of saving the poor man. When we read this passage in context this interpretation seems to me to be the only one that fits.
What about Hebrews?
When talking about our eternal security, and how we can know that God has saved us to the uttermost, there are many who object that this is not something we can know. I respect the sincerity of such believers, for their honest reading of scripture has often led them to this conclusion. The argument is that whilst no-one can take away our salvation, we can indeed give it up.
I have explained by now why I do not believe this myself, and indeed if it were true that there were *anything* I could do to lose my salvation, I would live in fear that I would one day do this. God has *not* given us a spirit of fear that we might go back into bondage, we are adopted sons of of God.
No matter what an adopted child does, he will remain in his new family. An adopted son has been welcomed in as one of the family, with all the rights and priveleges of a natural son. Christ is God's only natural son, and the rest of us are sons of God by adoption. The son cannot turn around and say "I don't want to be a son anymore." That is not an option. He can turn his back on his Father's love, but the Father will remain his Father. Once saved, always saved. Once adopted, always adopted.
But as I say, there are those who honestly believe scripture teaches that we can give up our salvation. One oft quoted passage is Hebrews 6:4-7:
"For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been entangled, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostacy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt."
Now let us be clear on what this passage says, for Arminians will use it to say we can lose our salvation. If they are correct then we are forced to admit that once we lose our salvation, it may never be regained. Now I have never met an Arminian who believed that a backslidden man, who they felt had lost their salvation, would never be restored to repentance. They would exhort such a one to return to God, lest they not be saved on the last day.
This verse does *not* support an Arminian view.
Now, does this verse pour a bucket of cold water on the perseverence of saints? I do not think so. John Owen and many other puritans argued that this verse applied to people who were not saved, but it seems to me the writer goes out of his way to stress that these people *are* saved. Charles Spurgeon argued that salvation would be lost in such a circumstance, but such has never happened, nor ever will. Unfortunately Spurgeon did not realise that the Greek aorist tense shows us that this *had* already happened.
So what is the writer saying? R.T.Kendall points out that the writer merely says they will never be restored to repentance. They have fallen into such apostasy and consistent, repeated sin that they will never be restored to repentance. Does this mean they won't be saved? I do not think so, although they will most certainly lose their reward and be saved "as through fire". (Note now verse 8 where the imagery of fire is specifically used).
Now this is a very brief summary of a very difficult passage. I have not done the passage justice, but I have presented my view which is in line with all I have said before. To me this seems to be the only interpretation that fits. Arminians cannot claim this passage as their own, for it does not fit their theology.
What about these Passages?
I have now taken a list of Arminian scriptures, posted to the CHRISTIA list by Mark Drake some time ago. It is my intention to show how these scriptures do fit into all that I have written so far. I know that when I have finished there will very likely be scriptures I have not covered. This is not because there are scriptures which do not fit, but simply because I do not have the time to cover every problem verse in the Bible. I believe that I have provided a sufficient framework for interested parties to work through such passages for themselves.
One point I would like to mention, before I begin, is the gnostic heresy which was creeping into the church and was attacked by such people as Peter and John. The gnostics could not acknowledge the deity or lordship of Jesus Christ, and thus were not saved. Nevertheless they joined the Churches and for a while put on a good act, so that when they finally fell away, John said in his first epistle "They left so that we might know that they were not of us, for if they were of us they would have remained with us." Thus when the unforgivable sin is applied to them, and Peter says it would have been better had they never been a part of the church, he is not saying they were saved and lost their salvation, but rather that they were never saved, nor ever will be, for they have blasphemed the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The unforgiveable sin may only be committed by the non-Christian. We need never fear that we will commit it.
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John 15:2-6 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
This verse, and so many others like it, is not talking about salvation but about our "bearing fruit" as Christians. I can be saved but still be ineffectual in my witness. If I do not abide in Christ then I will see no fruit in my life. There will be no rich inheritance on Earth, nor in Heaven. Once again notice the imagery of fire - if I do not remain in Christ then I will still be saved, but as through fire. This imagery of being saved through fire is seen again and again. It is clear that our salvation is indeed complete, but on the judgement day there will be great weeping and anguish from those who see how wasted their lives were and how they have failed their Master.
John 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that the scripture would be fulfilled. [A reference to Judas breaking fellowship with Jesus, and therefore being lost.]
I would simply say that Judas was never saved.
Now I think John 17 is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, and especially so if you want to see how God has saved us in eternity. I thoroughly recommend the book on this chapter by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones called "Saved in Eternity".
1 Corinthians 9:27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
As I have said before, the prize Paul speaks of is not his salvation, but rather his inheritance in Heaven - his reward.
1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
I am not denying we can lose our foothold in Christ. We can fall, and we can backslide. We can sin so disgracefully that God will actually take our lives (see in the next chapter of Corinthians about those who abused the Lord's Supper and had thus "fallen asleep", or see the story of Annanias and Sapphira). Nevertheless, even when we fall we do not lose our salvation, although we may lose our reward.
1 Timothy 1:18, 19 Timothy, My son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following then you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.
Again, Paul has not said that they have lost their salvation, but only that they have shipwrecked their faith. They have messed up their faith, and their work will be burnt away, yet they themselves will be saved, although as through fire. If Paul had meant that these people had lost their salvation, would he not have said so?
10:26-31 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have recieved the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has tramples the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Again, this is a judgement of the saved. Note yet again how these people will be saved, although as through fire. They are saved in eternity, even though their apostasy has consumed their work and left them without inheritance or reward.
Look at the author's quote: "The Lord will judge His people" *His* people. We are talking about saved people here.
1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
He does indeed, for he will do anything to make a Christian less glorifying to God. Again this verse does not challenge our eternal salvation, but only the perseverence of our deeds in the here and now.
Revelation 3:1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
This is written to a church, not to individuals. The same might be said of many churches today, for they have faith but no works. They are dead, dry and useless and the individuals likewise are. Nevertheless this does not suggest they are not saved (see what I wrote on James for further details).
And finally some texts to show again that perseverence is of God and is Biblical:
John 10:27-29 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my fathers hand.
Romans 11:29 For the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable.
Philipians 1:4-6 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.
II Thessalonians 3:2,3 And pray that we may may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithfull, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
II Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to gaurd that which I have entrusted to him for that day.
II Timothy 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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