A while ago, a fellow
named John Moore, in a response he gave to me in a
discussion regarding whether or not God is in control of the evil that occurs
and whether or not he acts based not on the actions of men but rather out of the
supreme council of his will said,
“Your idea of
God makes Him the most unholy being in the universe- the cause of all
wickedness and misery.... Shame on you.”
Similarly, Jeremy Hiltz, a friend of Mr. Moore,
in an article titled “Unconditional Reprobation: A Divine Injustice states that,
Certainly, a person ordained from all
eternity to be punished without any reference to their moral choices is far
from justice. Surely no one would condone a man being punished for the good
pleasure of a totalitarian dictator without any regard to criminal charges.
Such behavior would immediately be repudiated by anyone familiar with Biblical
justice. (Paragraph 7:Sentances 4-6).(Full Article Found Here)[1]
First of all, it is completely
fallacious, to think that if God does something only for his pleasure then he
is the same as a human dictator who does something for his own pleasure. God is
God and is pleasure is by nature “good,” and since he is God, he has the Divine
right to do anything he wants merely for his good pleasure. The mere pleasure
of a totalitarian dictator would not be “good pleasure.” Don’t make
Equivocations between God’s pleasure and man’s pleasure.
Secondly, Equal Ultimacy, that is, the
doctrine that God with equal and, in both cases, positive force saves and
damns, is a fallacy and not representative of the Reformed position.
Thirdly, as will be demonstrated,
active punishment is entirely conditioned upon the actions of the criminal and
the charges placed upon them due to their willful violation of God’s law. This
statement by Mr. Hiltz is an example building a giant straw man and trying to
blow it down with a bendy straw, the opponent isn’t real, and the attack is
ridiculous.
Paul
deals directly with the doctrine of Election in the ninth chapter of his letter
to the Romans. Romans 9:6-13 demonstrate to us that Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob became what they were by way of election.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has
failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they
are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the
flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted
as offspring. 9 For
this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and
Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had
conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not
yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of
election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
13 As it is written,
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Romans 9:6-13) (Emphasis added).
Abraham was taken by God
from Ur, and given a promise of seed, which was realized in Isaac. And when
Isaac the promised son, had born children by Rebekah, Paul tells us clearly
that God chose Jacob over Esau though they were not yet born, before they had done anything either good or bad. Why did he do this? Paul answers,
“..in order that God’s purpose
of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls-
she was told, “The older shall serve the younger” (9:11c-12)
“Not because of works, but because of him who calls.” And all of
this to serve the purpose of God’s election! It is election that is not
conditioned upon the actions of him(Jacob) to whom it is given. In other
words…. Unconditional Election
Is
there injustice on God’s part Mr. Hiltz or Mr. Moore, for having mercy on some
and not on others, before they had done anything, either good or bad? By no
means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
16 So
then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans
9:16)
Reprobation is the
necessary correlation to Election. When one is chosen, it follows of logical
necessity and biblical revelation that at least one is not. While the decision
to positively exercise mercy on one person over another (Election) and
therefore passively leave the other to his own devices (Reprobation) is
unconditional, and therefore “grace,”[2]
and no-grace respectively, the execution of Justice and punishment is certainly
conditioned upon human activity. All are under the bondage of sin and will come
from the womb willfully sinning (Psa. 58:3), willfully following the
lusts and desires of their hearts (Eph. 2:1-3) and continue willfully
sinning every minute until they die; unless God at some point steps in and
exercises mercy on them. His mercy is grounded in his eternal election (Eph.
1:4-12), because they must be actively given to Christ (John 6: 37-44)
who was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). For those
however whom he has not chosen before the foundation of the world, they
continue[3]
as they are wont to do, and God exercises justice and punishment on them
because of their willful sin. Those who receive punishment are entirely
responsible for their actions and their rejection of the knowledge of God given
to them (Rom. 1:18-32; 6:23), they are judged for their sinful
actions and the sinful intention of their hearts. They are not judged on the
basis of reprobation. Reprobation means they will certainly sin, but they do
not sin because of the reprobation.
They sin because it is their nature to sin and they want to sin. Then on the
basis of their willful sin and rebellion, God judges them. Is God unjust for
not electing them? No! Certainly not! “What shall we say
then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I
will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have
compassion.” Is he unjust for not electing someone before they do anything either good or bad? No! Certainly not!
Justice is the foundation of God’s throne (Psa. 89:14) and his election
and reprobation of Jacob and Essau (recall, before
they were born) in Romans 9 are, and must be, examples of his Just rule.
In
verse 14 of Roamans 9, Paul anticipates the objection to his teaching of
election. The objection might go, “So, if God chooses people before they are
born, not based on anything they do, just to serve his “election” then he is
unjust!”
14 What
shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom
I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Romans
9:14-15)
“By no means!” I propose that if the reader finds
themselves proposing the assertion that the Apostle directly refutes, then
their belief on the subject is contrary to the Apostle’s, and they need to
conform their understanding to the testimony of Scripture.
Such statements as
those above show a complete lack of understanding as to the Reformed position
as well as the Biblical revelation. Salvation is from start to finish entirely
the work of God, and therefore all boasting in man is excluded. Our only
position is humility, and thankfulness to God for not leaving us to our own
devices, but for graciously and lovingly paying for our trespasses and
forgiving us, leading us to repentance and faith and teaching us to love him
and holding us up through the entire sanctification process until we reach
glorification in the end, and for allowing us former children of wrath (Eph.
2:3) to become children of mercy who are partners with God in the
demonstration of his glory and justice, and coregents with our Lord Jesus over
the redeemed creation.
“For by
grace you have been, saved through faith and this is not your own doing, it is
the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.”
(Ephesians
2:8-10)
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