Well, it's nice to be back with you again, before I bring the PowerPoint up on the screen, I’ll just read a verse that will feature in the message this time. It's a verse from John 5:34 And it's a verse that we usually miss, But the Lord is speaking to the unbelieving Jews. And this is what he says to them. But I received not testimony from man. But these things I say, that ye might be saved. Now, that's wonderful. These things I say, that ye might be saved. And these are the unbelieving Jews of John's gospel. Now, at this point, I'm going to try and get the PowerPoint going again.

Okay, this this was the slide that we finished on last week. And we were drawing some very simple conclusions, a that in the Bible. You will remember election is God's choice of those who you are in Christ. And if you recall, we began with the elect, being Christ himself. This is my beloved Son, this has Behold my servant, mine elect. And we are elect because we are in Him. And our status of being elected. And being predestinated is entirely because we are in Christ. And all the promises and blessings that God lavishes on Christ, He lavishes on us, because we are in Christ. So election, if you recall, is God's choice of those who are in Christ chosen in him. Then, the predestination, as we saw, concerns, the future purposes, for those who are in Christ.

Now, this time, we're going to we’re going to look at some scriptures. We're going to look at some scriptures in John's gospel, we’re going to look at Romans chapter nine. And then we're going to look at how the election and predestination of theology. And I'm thinking mainly of Reformed theology, how it became so different to what the Bible says, and to the simple truth, and the sublime truth of Ephesians and our blessings in Christ.


Quotation on Election
So, I'm just going to share with you some quotations, mainly of assembly writers on the subject. CF Hogg said in 1947. Election, in the scriptures is to holiness to Christ likeness. A nice definition. Samuel Fisk is an American Baptist. And he has anything Samuel Fisk has written on this subject has been most helpful. Now, look what he says predestination and election, do not refer to certain people of the world, becoming saved or lost. But they relate to those your already children of God, in respect to certain privileges, or positions out ahead. They look forward to what God will work and those who have become his own. So, it's not a choice of who's going to be saved and who’s going to be lost. It's not a choice of sinners, to be saved our sinners to be lost. But it refers to those who are already children of God in respect to the privileges and positions out ahead because they are in Christ. That is Samuel Fisk, he's written two or three books on election, and they are excellent.

Herber Lockyer, all the doctrines of the Bible he wrote, what must be borne in mind is the fact that predestination is not God's predetermining from past ages, who should and who should not be saved. Scripture does not teach this view. What it does teach is that the doctrine of predestination concerns the future of believers. So, predestination is to do what lays out ahead. For the believer who is in Christ, then I'm just going to move this a little bit. Down the way here.

Robert McClurkin, he said, keep in mind that election is in Christ. We are not among the elect until we come into Christ by repentance and faith. Remember too that election is collective, the church. It is only when individuals come into the church by simple faith in Christ, that they become part of God's elect. So those, I think, or are helpful quotations from other writers that emphasize the fact that election and predestination are entirely to do with the saints not the choice of sinners, to be to be saved and put into Christ. But the choice of those who are in Christ that is the basis of the choice that they are in Christ chosen in him.

Now, George Bryson wrote a book The Dark Side of Calvinism. And he wrote, if you actually examine those passages that use the word predestination or similar terms, they do not teach explicitly or implicitly, the Calvinistic the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. When the Bible uses the word predestination, it is always with regard to the future of a believer. That is super important, never is the future of an unbeliever referred to as predestined, in the Calvinist sense, one way or the other. So that is another a helpful quotation.


Calvinist Proof Texts
John 5
Now what I want to do is, look at, look at some Scriptures with the scriptures that the Calvinist always turn to us their proof texts for what they believe. And they believe that God has chosen by an eternal decree, which sinners should be saved, and also which should be lost. So, He saves some to salvation, and he elects others, to reprobation and to hell. That is the Calvinist view and that is God's sovereign, elective choice According to them. Now, is that a scriptural teaching or is it not? Now, they there are passages in John's gospel, which appear to be saying, you cannot come. And the Calvinist pushes this line, that the Lord is telling them they cannot come because they are not choosing to come, they haven't been elected by God and are doomed. Now, I don't want to misrepresent the Calvinist position in anything I say, and these talks, and but what I'm saying is, I believe, a fair representation of what they're saying, you can only come if you're chosen, and that is they call out God's sovereign choice. And if you're not chosen to come, you cannot come and we'll have, we'll be thinking about the implications that that has for the gospel message being proclaimed to all they have to make everything fit into their system and agree to their system of theology.

So, they have to give the gospel two kinds of calls. A general call for everybody and a, an effectual call, particular call for the elect only. And the elect will hear this particular call of the Gospel and the rest who are not elect will only hear the general call, but it will not doing anything for them. So, it is not a genuine invitation to come, because they cannot come. Now that is a tremendous problem. For the gospel and for a person's view of the character of God, that he's allowing the gospel of forgiveness and pardon to be preached to those who cannot have it, and it's an impossibility for them to have it. So, I'm going to read some of the verses, which I hope will help.

John 5:37 Ye have neither heard his voice at any time. This is the unbelieving Jews, nor seen his shape and ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom He has sent, him ye believe not. verse 34, is so important. That's the verse I read at the beginning. But I receive not testimony from man. But these things I say that ye might be saved. But grasp that with both hands. And don't let it go. That all the discourses in John's gospel, which appear on the surface to be difficult, and appear at a at an isolated reading, it appears that the Lord's telling them that they can't come because they haven't been elected to come. But that is not the true meaning of these passages in John's gospel, but that the Lord, when he says those things, he is provoking these people, so that they too, might come to repentance, and faith.

So why is he saying these things to him? he says, that ye might be saved, that is wonderful. And that is that is the genuineness of the gospel to all. And you if you do gospel preaching, or gospel witnessing, and I expect we all do, from time to time, you can look any person in this world, in the eye and share to them that it is God’s will and desire for them that they might be saved. Like Calvinist cannot do that. Because the Calvinist divides the world into elect and non-elect. The gospel preacher who believes the Bible doesn't do any such thing. But he believes in the grace of God going out to all. So, I say this. In all the discourses in John's gospel, the Lord Jesus is challenging the Jews, that they might be saved. So remember John 5:34, and that whoever the Lord is speaking to, In all of those discourses and conversations, he is saying that condemn day might be saved.

Now, we move now to John chapter six, which is a favourite dumping ground for the Calvinist. And in John, chapter six, you will remember, there is the great miracle of the feeding of the 5000, and of the loaves and fish and so on. And so, the Lord is saying to these men, who are following Him and asking Him questions, Labour not the food, which perishes, but for the food, which endures on to everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you. For him, hath God the Father sealed, which the Son of man shall give unto you. Now, they asked this question because these people are more interested in the bread than they are in everlasting life than they are unto Christ. Then said they all to him, what shall we do, that we might work, the works of God? Now, when they think of the works of God, they were thinking of law keeping and the Law of Moses and desert not So as soon as Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him. Whom he has sent.

Now, that brings salvation within the reach of all. It is a simple matter of faith in Christ. This is the work of God. He's not asking for you to keep the Law of Moses, you can't. He's not asking you to keep the law perfectly. You can't. Here is the work of God, that you believe on Him, whom He has sent. Now that is what he's saying, to the unbelieving man. So in verse 36, he says, But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me and believe not Now, and He adds, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. So, the Calvinist says, there you are, it's only those who the father gives, can come as if sinners have been chosen on an individual person to person basis before the foundation of the world and they're the ones who come. Is the Lord saying, the reason you can't come, is that you haven't been elected to come?

But I said on to you in verse 36, That ye also have seen me and believe not, so the problem is unbelief. And the father will give to the son, those who come to him in belief in faith, and repentance. It is not, that it's not a choice in the Calvinist sense. Now, reading on in the same chapter, no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. Now, why is he saying that? The father will not draw those who are in unbelief. He will only draw those who are repenting and believing. And he says, I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God, every man therefore that have heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. So how can we be one of these people that hears the Father and learns of the Father and comes to Christ.

The Lord Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, hath everlasting life. So, this is the difference between belief and unbelief. And the Lord is willing to save all He that believeth on me, hath everlasting life. And the fact that it is the this is the work of God, that you believe on Him, whom he has sent, that brings it within the reach of all. Now, supposing, supposing you allow, a Calvinist his assumption on these verses, and that they Calvinists will argue, no, no, it's only those who God draws will be saved. And if God doesn't draw, and then they can't be saved, it's God's sovereign choice and so on. If that was what the Lord meant, by saying to this man, you can't come. Because you're not among the elect. God hasn't chosen you. You are not part of that eternal decree. And you're doomed. What would the Lord speaking reverently say hypothetical question, what would the Lord have expected those men to do with that information?

If the Lord was telling those men, you cannot come? Because God is not drawing You cannot come because you're not chosen. Well, that would be a death sentence. That would not be described as the gospel, Or as good news, the gospel is proclaimed to every man, woman, boy girl in the world. And to me, not only does the text when you look at it closely, allow for that interpretation. But it defies the character of God. To think that the Lord would almost be mocking these men and say, you can't come, you can't come because God hasn't chosen you to come slow you are you can't come. What a terrible interpretation. You know, sometimes it is better, to have no explanation of something, than to have a bad one. And the Calvinist explanation of these verses, is a bad one that you see.

It says in John three, that God sent not a son into the world, to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Well, no, that would be a complete contradiction to what Calvin has, is saying these words mean that the Lord is telling these men, they can't be said, that is not the gospel. And I suggest to you, he is telling them that the work of God is that you believe on him whom he sent. And he that believeth, on me, has everlasting life, is telling them that they too, can be saved. But they're not going to ever get to Christ, and know their sins forgiven, if they remain in their own belief and that is their problem.

Now, on the same kind of theme, moving to chapter 10, another chapter 10, and it is about sheep. And it says in chapter 10 the Jews round about Him, and said unto him, how long does thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ? Tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not. Notice that the works that I do in my father's name, they had bear witness of Me. Now, we come to verse 26. And the Calvinist loves to quote this put his own meaning on, but ye believe not, because you're not of my sheep. As I said, on to you, my sheep, hear my voice, and I know them. And they follow me. Now, the Calvin says, there you are. The reason is you can't believe, you're not one of the sheep. You're not one of the elects. And they put on to the meaning of the word sheep here, as to be those who have been chosen, in eternity past. They're the ones who hear his voice. He knows them, and they follow me. Now, when it says, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, in the first instance, I would suggest that that is referring to Hebrew believers who were waiting for Christ. They were waiting on the kingdom of God; they knew the Messiah was coming. And you get in verse.

In John, chapter. One, for example. It says that Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, he first finds his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted to Christ. In other words, they were Hebrew believers, waiting for Christ. And when they saw him, they knew him, says we found him. We found Him. In other words, they were sheep who heard his voice, and they knew him, and they followed him, my sheep hear my voice, and I knew them. And they follow Me. And then you have a similar one Let me just find it here. Yeah. And again, it's still in chapter one, after John the Baptist had, presented Christ to the nation, Philip finds Nathaniel, and saith unto Him, we have found Him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, we have found Him. So, they didn't need to look any further. They didn't need to wait any longer and found Him.

But there were others who didn't believe, and they were not believers, but ye believe not, because you're not of my sheep, they never had believed, And I said on to you, my sheep, hear my voice. And I knew them, and they follow Me. So, the ones who had followed him, the disciples, they were the sheep, His sheep who heard his voice were those who were believers in God waiting for Christ, waiting for the Kingdom. When they heard His voice, they knew him. It's nothing to do with an eternal decree, Now, if the Calvinist insists on this, but ye believed not, because you're not of my sheep. In other words, they're saying, you can't believe you're not elected. God did not choose you, in that sovereign decree. Before the word was, therefore, you can't believe.

When you read on, and they are very sewed to point this out, when you read all in John chapter 10. He says in verse 37, to them, If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not, if you have an if, if what I'm doing is not consistent with the character of God, and the scriptures, then don't believe me. But if I do, he says, do you believe not me, if you have a genuine credibility problem with me? Believe if you can’t if you don't believe me believe the works. I know what it says that he may know and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in him. Now, this is tremendous. He saying to these people, that he told they were not his sheep. And that you, you believe not, because you're not of my sheep. In other words, they were believers, and they didn't believe in him. But now you're saying, you too, can come to faith in Christ, you too can come to believe.

He says, if you don’t believe my words, believe the works. And that's, that's wonderful, that he may know, and believe, so it’s not impossible for these men to believe. They haven't been doomed. from eternity past, by a decree of reprobation. They, they can come to believe, just as those who are a sheep have come to believe and they too can become His sheep. Don't mess, they too, can become his sheep. So, he's not telling them that they're doomed because they're not elect. What an awful message that would be. And what an awful use for the years of those men, if the Lord was telling them, they were doomed, because they hadn't been chosen. That is not the gospel. And that was not what the Lord was saying, He is telling them here, you too thought he may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in him.

You can come to an appreciation of Christ, faith in Christ, you too, can come to that. Just consider the works and listen and believe. So, we have, I would put it you that the passages which appear, which are in John's gospel, which appear to be saying you cannot come. Now, if you take a verse out of context, and use it as a proof text, you can sort of build an argument on it, but you believe not, because you're not of my sheep. And they take that as the proof text and build on that. But they ignore verse 30 of the same chapter. But he's telling those same people, that believe the works, that he may know, and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in him.

So, the conclusion of this is, the people who he appears to be saying, to you cannot come is actually saying it in grace to provoke them. And to challenge them about their unbelief and to say they too can come, and they too can believe, and they too can become his sheep. I hope that will help you in those passages of John's gospel. And I do remember that important verse, from chapter five, and verse 34, these things I say, that you might be saved. That's the gospel. And that is good.


Romans 9
Now, we move from John. And we're going to go into what is the Calvinist battleground as they claim this chapter as their own, and they say this proves that God chooses by a sovereign decree, and no one can question him. Now, in Romans nine, let’s put it in context, in the first eight chapters of Romans, Paul has been proving that God saves, By grace alone, through faith alone, now he has been drawing some conclusions that the Jews do not like. And he has, he has been saying, that works, the works of law, and the works of Moses, have no nothing to do with your salvation. And if a Jew is going to be saved, he will be saved on exactly the same ground as the Gentiles. That is Jew or Gentile, then they must be saved by faith. So is, Paul is teaching that this great doctrine of the justification based here, applies equally to Jews and the Romans, there's no difference. Now they do not like that.

But I'm going to read the conclusion of Romans nine before we look at some of the details, because it will give us a sense of direction. Romans nine, concluding verses, what shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness, which is faith. Notice that gentiles getting saved through faith. But Israel, which followed the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone as it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Now when Paul was writing to the Romans because for blessing was moving to the gentiles more and more gentiles are getting saved and fewer and fewer Jews were getting saved. So, Israel seemed to be missing the gospel blessing and the gentiles seem to be growing in the gospel blessing. The gospel was flourishing among the gentiles. Now, what is the explanation for that? Is it because God suddenly elected to save more gentiles than Jews by a decree which was fixed and couldn't be changed? That's not the explanation, you're looking a long time in Romans 9 to find that explanation. The explanation is much simpler but largely ignored by a lot of people who read Romans 9 because they don't read it carefully to the end. The reason why gentiles were coming into gospel blessing. While the Jews were missing the gospel blessing was because the Jews they sought of it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.

They were putting their faith in the law-keeping, but the gentiles were hearing the gospel and believing. So, the gentiles attained to righteousness. The righteousness, which is of faith but Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, have not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. So, we're going to see now as we look at Romans 9 briefly that the blessing of salvation was coming to the gentiles and not to the jews not because of some kind of decree before the foundation of the world.

But they were discovering that the Jews thought that they had a divine right to salvation, that it was preposterous to think that they had to be saved on the same basis as gentiles and we're going to see now, how Paul uses some of the history of the patriarchs and to illustrate these principles of faith. So again, in the first eight chapters, we can see God says by grace alone through faith alone, that’s what he was teaching in the first eight chapters. And then he says they're not all Israel which are of Israel in other words, not everyone who belongs to Israel is truly saved.

There is a distinction between the person who is just a natural and physical descent of Abraham and one who is an heir of the faith of Abraham. And so, he says, it is not the natural heirs of Abraham who inherit the promise. But the spiritual heir. Now, he is going to illustrate this in some people, and he takes Abraham, and he points out that Abraham two sons. Now, the circumstances of their Birth where very different Ishmael is described as a child by nature. And you remember how Sarah and Abraham, they got impatient with God. They knew that they were to have an heir. They still had no child. And so Sarah thought, well we're going to have to fast track this.

They were going to have to help God to fulfil his own promise and so they had a maid they called Hagar and it was Sarah's idea that Abraham went to Hagar, and she would bear a child, and he would be the heir, and the name of the child was Ishmael. And Ishmael is described as a child by nature. But then when it comes to Isaac, Isaac was born to Sarah when she was way past the age of childbearing and Abraham was away past the age of fathering, a child. And so he became the child of promise. And he, Paul is pointing out, that these two sons, not everybody of Israel is a child, an heir, a spiritual heir of Abraham because Ismail was a child by nature and Isaac was a child by promise. And the promises to those who were spiritually born resembling Isaac's birth.

Now that is the case. Then the results are the example of Isaac. He had two sons and one of them, they were twins. And the first one to be born was Esau. He was the first one. The second one to be born was Jacob, who was called the younger. And it was prophesied. The elder would serve the younger. Now, in the Jewish law, it was the firstborn who had the right, to the inheritance and Esau represents people who think they have right and natural right to the inheritance, like the law, keeping Jew. Jacob he was the younger and if he were going to be made the heir of Abraham, he had no right to, and legally because Esau was the first born and if Jacob was going to have it, that would have to be by grace and not as a right. And Jacob represents the younger man, the law being set aside for grace.

And so the true heirs just as Abraham was a father of Isaac, child by promise and Isaac was the father of Jacob, Isaac represented represents the person who is spiritually born, and Jacob represents the person who receives salvation by grace. Now, Let us just come to some observations on Romans 9, the thought-flow, the first eight chapters, God saves by grace alone through faith alone and the Jews and the Gentiles can only be saved on the same ground. And no law-keeping Jew will dictate differently to God. That is like the clay saying, telling the potter how to make him So Ishmael represents the child of the flesh. Isaac represents the child of promise, those who have the spiritual birth. Esau is the older brother. He expected the blessing as all the right.

For Jacob was the younger brother and his blessing was by grace, so that it is, those who have spiritual birth, and those who are saved by grace lose on the people, who received the blessing. And Pharaoh he stands as a warning against wilful unbelief. Like the clay and the potter and God says I will have mercy on whom, I will have mercy. And the clay cannot dictate to the potter. So, the, the Jew, the physical descendant of Abraham cannot say to God. You must save the Israelite and you must not save the Gentile. The Israelite must have an advantage. over the gentile. But no one dictates to God how to save or whom to save. God dictates the terms of salvation He wrote the terms of the gospel; how does God save? He saves by Grace.

Who does he save? He saves those who believe whether Jew or Gentile. No one can challenge God on his terms of salvation. And if God decides, I'm going to save by grace, and I open the offer of grace, to the whole world. No one can challenge that. Now the Calvinist know is going to if God if God elects Mr. Brown in this house but the next-door neighbour Mr. Black. I'm not going to elect him, and you cannot challenge God on that, because God is sovereign, and you can't tell God how to save. Or like the clay dictating to the potter that is not the fault It is not, the problem is not that God is going to choose this person and reject that by an unchangeable decree from the eternity past, but he's telling them that God will see it by grace. He will save those who believe. Whether Jew or Gentile and what's true for the gentiles is true for the Jews.

So, the whole crux of the argument of Romans 9 is that justification, is by faith alone. Even in the case of the Jew, this God is sovereign and unchallengeable. So the conclusion is, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works through the law, and there is no mention of any eternal decree to salvation or reprobation. So I would suggest the Calvinist are not reading Romans 9 correctly at all, because the whole thing is to do with, Paul is defending his great doctrine of justification by faith and, no law-keeping Jew will tell God how to save or who to save because God has decided He will save by grace through faith And that God is sovereign and unchallengeable and no one will tell Him Like the clay to the potter. No one wil tell Him otherwise.

So I hope that that little look at Romans 9 will help you to see enough God's grace, to both Jew and gentile. And to grasp the conclusion of Romans 9 that the Jews missed the gospel blessing. because they went after it as if it were by works and the gentiles came into gospel blessing because they accepted it by faith and that is what Paul is saying, that is the reason for Israel’s blindness to this day. They still think it's by the works of law, and they still think that they have an advantage over the gentile. And they have veil over their eyes to this day. So that's gospel of John and Romans 9,


Revisiting the definition of Biblical election and predestination
So, reminding ourselves again of the definition of biblical election and predestination. Election is God's choice of those who are in Christ. Predestination is God's future purposes, for those who are in Christ. Now, I think the time is really gone as far as to move into another section, but what we have considered Ephesians, we have considered John, considered Romans. We've considered the election and predestination as taught on scripture. You might say well how did it all go wrong and the in our next message we will be looking at the emergence of Calvinistic Election as opposed to Biblical Election. Sometimes known as five-point Calvinism and we will be a considering in it the implications for the gospel.

So may I just remind you what the Bible teaches. Election in scripture means God's choice of those in Christ. Predestination as God's future purposes for those in Christ. And we looked at the, the different references to predestination, what is reformed theology teach? It teaches that predestination has two components, Election and Reprobation. We looked last week at all the references to predestination, and it doesn't do any such thing. It hasn't got two components election and reprobation by which they mean election is God's choice of certain sinners to salvation by eternal decree and that reprobation is God's rejection and damnation of certain sinners to eternal degree.

So, where did these ideas come from? Because you don't get them in the New Testament. You don't get this teaching on predestination in the New Testament. And next week, we'll start at some of the history over the ideas of reformed theology come from and we'll go into that, and we'll start at this slide So, we've nearly done the full hour. Thank you for bearing with me. I hope it helps. And those chapters of John and in Romans chapter 9 and to appreciate that. God's Gospel is for all the world. The world is not divided into elect and non-elect. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And it says, God will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And again, as I said earlier, if you're a gospel preacher, you can look any person in this world in the eye. And to say to him that it is God's will for him that they might be saved. I don't let any narrow-reformed theology spoil that truth for you So may God bless his world. We finish there and for this time and I'll hand back to our chairman.