Pilgrims Progress - Ch 08 - The Man in Iron Cage 1

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 These Pilgrim’s Progress Presentations are as a result of Bible Studies I did at my home church in Moose
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1. Truly Saved  Remaining Saved, but:
• Has severely backslid
• Seriously doubts himself, to the point of despair
• Thinks he has fallen away
2. Truly Saved  Becomes Unsaved
• Sinned beyond the point of repentance
3. Not Saved Yet  Salvation in the Future
• Only thought he was saved, repentance is possible
4. Never Saved  Remains Never Saved
• Thought he was saved, proving he never was

• Moses says:
 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things
revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may
observe all the words of this law." Deut 29:29
• Job asks:
 "Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?" Job 11:7
• David says:
 …I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too
awesome for me to grasp. Ps 131:1 NLT

• "I do not seek, O Lord, to penetrate Thy depths. I by no
means think my intellect equal to them: but I long to
understand in some degree Thy truth, which my heart
believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I
may believe; but I believe, that I may understand."
(Anselm 11th century)
• "If we do not get our doctrine of God right, we will destroy
the foundations of delight in Him. Joy may flourish for a
generation when the root is severed, but in the end,
delight in God will die without true doctrine." (John Piper)

• The meanings of all the passages in the Bible are not equally obvious,
nor is any individual passage equally clear to everyone. However,
everything which we have to know, believe, and observe in order to be
saved is so clearly presented and revealed somewhere in the Bible that
the uneducated as well as the educated can sufficiently understand it by
the proper use of the ordinary means of grace. (The Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch1 #7)
 Known as the "Perspicuity of Scripture"
• Chuck Smith, the late Calvary Chapel pastor, wrote regarding debates ab
out predestination:
 "If you have come to a strong personal conviction on one side of a doctrinal
issue, please grant us the privilege of first seeing how it has helped you to
become more Christ-like in your nature, and then we will judge whether we
need to come to that same persuasion."

• Even those that are united to one and the same
Jesus, and sanctified by one and the same Spirit,
have different apprehensions, different opinions,
different views, and different sentiments in points of
prudence. It will be so while we are in this state of
darkness and imperfection; we shall never be all of a
mind till we come to heaven, where light and love are
perfect. (Commentary , vol. 6, p. 200)
• Or simply:
In essentials unity, In non-essentials liberty, in all things charity

• Terminology
 Predestination (synonym of "election")
 Election
 Foreknowledge
• Distinguish between the two main traditions with regard to divine
sovereignty, free-will, and salvation
 Arminian, Calvinist
• Free Will
 If born with fallen nature, how held responsible?
• God's Options wrt our Eternal Destiny
• Heb 6 examination
 Backslider or Apostate
• Warnings in the Bible

• Predestination does not form an important subject of discussion in history
until the time of Augustine.
• At first, he was inclined to think it as the prescience of God with reference
to human deeds, on the basis of which He determines their future destiny.
• However, deeper reflection on the sovereign character of the good
pleasure of God led him to see that predestination was in no way
dependent on God’s foreknowledge of human actions, but was rather the
basis of the divine foreknowledge.
• Led to his famous quote;
 "Command what Thou dost desire, and Grant what Thou commandest"
• The provocation of this prayer stimulated a British monk by the name of
Pelagius to react strenuously against its contents.
Berkhof, L. (1938). Systematic theology (p. 109). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co.Berkhof, L. (1938). Systematic theology (p. 109). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co.

• Acts 4:27-28 27 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy
servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the
Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose
predestined to occur.
• Rom 8:29-30 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed
to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and
these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified;
and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
• 1Cor 2:7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God
predestined before the ages to our glory;
• Eph 1:4-5 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would
be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons
through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
• Eph 1:10-11 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that
is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In
Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His
purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

• This word is properly used only with reference to God’s plan or
purpose of salvation.
• Found only in these six passages, and in all of them it has the
same meaning.
 They teach that the eternal, sovereign, immutable, and unconditional decree
or “determinate purpose” of God governs all events.
• This doctrine is beset with many difficulties.
 It belongs to the “secret things” of God.
• But if we take the revealed word of God as our guide, we must
accept this doctrine with all its mysteriousness, and settle all our
questionings in the humble, devout acknowledgment, “Even so,
Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

• In Short:
 A doctrine plainly set forth in the Bible
 Virtually all Christian churches have some formal doctrine of predestination
 If we are biblical in our thinking we must come to some understanding of
what it means
 Has something to do with the relationship of our ultimate destination and
that something is done about that destination by God before we arrive there
 Is only ever applied to the elect. (It is never once used of the non-elect.)
 If it is applied to individuals, it is applied to the believers only
 We must leave the matter where the Bible leaves it: the word
"predestination" only concerns predestination to salvation, never
predestination to damnation

• God’s choice of a person or people group for a
specific purpose, mission, or salvation. The theme of
election is prominent in both the Old and New
Testaments. The doctrine of election traditionally is
related to the concepts of predestination,
foreknowledge, and free will.
 Thornhill, A. C. (2016). Election. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D.
R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, …
W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham,
WA: Lexham Press.

• 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 Rom 9:11 ESV
• And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT
TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His
elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the
other. Matt 24:31
• Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your
calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities
you will never fall. 2 Pet 1:10 ESV

• The Bible is filled with references to God's choice of
people, both individuals and groups.
 Abraham was not just "called" by God but also "chosen" or
"elected" to be the father of God's "chosen people"
(Gen 18:19; Heb 11:8)
 God's elect nation of Israel (Gen. 12:1-3; Isa. 45:4).
 The church is the elect of God, chosen for adoption as his
children through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5).
 Paul was clearly chosen by God for apostleship (Acts 9).

• “Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven
them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has
brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the
wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them
before you. “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of
your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is
because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your
God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath
which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. “Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the
LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are
a stubborn people. Deu 9:4-6

• Areas of agreement:
 God elects people to service
 God chooses (thru corporate election) to have a people
 Verses above show election relates to the concept of
man's salvation
 All evangelicals agree that salvation is God's work and
not ours
 Nowhere does the Bible even hint that people elect
themselves

• As a noun, it is used three times:
1. In Romans 8:29, concerning believers’ salvation;
 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His
Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
2. In 1 Peter 1:2, of believers’ salvation;
 To God’s elect, … who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father
3. In Acts 2:23, it is used of the sacrifice of Messiah.
 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a
cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
• As a verb, it is used in Romans 11:2, that He foreknew Israel, and;
 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.
• In I Peter 1:20, He foreknew the sacrifice of the Messiah.
 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last
times for the sake of you

• The unique knowledge of God that enables Him to know all
events, including the free acts of people, before they happen.
 God’s foreknowledge is much more than foresight. (Omniscience covers
that)
• God does not know future events and human actions because
He foresees them; He knows them because He wills them to
happen (Job 14:5; Ps. 139:15-16).
 Thus God’s foreknowledge is an act of His will (Is. 41:4; Rev. 1:8, 17; 21:6).
• In Romans 8:29 and 11:2, the apostle Paul’s use of the word
"foreknew" means "chose" or "to set special affection on."
 More on this
Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., & Harrison, R. K., Thomas Nelson Publishers (Eds.).
(1995). In Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., & Harrison, R. K., Thomas Nelson Publishers (Eds.).
(1995). In Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

• God is represented in the Scriptures as purposing or determining
future events; as they could not be foreseen by him unless he had
so determined they would take place
• In other words, He knows (foreknows or foresees) them because
He wills them to happen (Job 14:5; Ps 139:15-16; Pr 16:9, 20:24).
 Piper states in respect of Jesus' death in John 19:36: For these things came to
pass to fulfill the Scripture …, the events were not a coincidence that God merely
foresaw, but a plan that God purposed to bring about.
• So the word "foreknowledge" is sometimes used in the sense of
"determining beforehand," or "decreeing (willing) beforehand"
• What is the bases of His determining? – Key question! - TBD
• Thus God’s foreknowledge is an act of His will.
• Foreknowledge related to election and predestination (Rom 8:28-30)

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also
predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn
among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He
called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Rom 8:28-30
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also
predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn
among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He
called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Rom 8:28-30

• Acts 2:23 says: … this Man, delivered over by the predetermined
plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands
of godless men and put Him to death.…
 Does this verse mean that God simply foresaw that they would kill the Messiah?
 He simply looked down the future and He saw they would kill the Messiah?
 Obviously, according to the total biblical record, God foreknew Messiah would
die because He had already planned for Him to die from the foundation of the
world.
 He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
 In this verse, that foreknowledge is based upon God’s determinate counsel or
decree.
 God decreed Messiah would die for sins.
 Because God decreed it, that is how He foreknew it.
God's Will and Man's Will – Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum – Ariel MinistiresGod's Will and Man's Will – Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum – Ariel Ministires

• 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image
of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom
He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these
whom He justified, He also glorified. (NASB)
• 29 For those whom He foreknew of whom He was aware and loved beforehand, He also
destined from the beginning foreordaining them to be molded into the image of His Son
and share inwardly His likeness, that He might become the firstborn among many
brethren. 30 And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He
called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with
Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified raising them to a heavenly dignity
and condition or state of being. (Amplified Bible)
• 29 For those whom He determined beforehand, He also designated to become conformed
to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and
these whom He set His love on, He also drew; and these whom He drew, He also
justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (Mine)

• Philosophical:
 God, before the world was made, looked down into the hallway of time and saw
(foresees) those people who would choose Him. Based upon this foreknowledge
of these people’s choice of Himself, God elected, or predestined them.
 Problems with this view:
1. If God has to "look down" the implication is that He is not omniscient
» If all God does is look into the future to see what someone will do, and that's what
foreknowledge is; then this is what God will foresee:
 We all like sheep have gone astray each one of us has turned to his own way.
» God will see that no one will believe in Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches repentance is a
gift that God must bestow to the guilty sinner; no one can believe on their own.
2. Begs the question; Why elect?
• Biblical:
 A specific and intentional action of God loving certain people and setting His
affection on them alone.

• A gross misunderstanding of what the word "foreknowledge" means.
• In the original Greek language it is a verb with a prefix, that is placed
in front of the main verb; γνώσει (gnosei) which means "to know;" –
to know in a personal love relationship. To love in a very intimate way.
• The prefix is προ (pro) means "before." So the word prognosei means
 "Those whom God previously chose to love; with a distinguishing love
in ways that he does not love others."
• Foreknowledge does not mean foresight, because in Romans 8:29 it
says; "because those whom he foreknew." It's a personal pronoun.
• It doesn't say "what he foresaw" but "whom he foreknew."
• In fact, the Bible never says "what he foresaw"
From Attributes of God, by Steve Larson. #15 The Foreknowledge of GodFrom Attributes of God, by Steve Larson. #15 The Foreknowledge of God

• 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as
aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey
Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood… 1Pet 1:1-2
 It appears that foreknowledge is the controlling factor on chosen, but
• For He [Jesus] was foreknown before the foundation of the
world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
1Pet 1:20
 However you understand verse 20 is the way you have to understand verse 2.
From Attributes of God, by Steve Larson. #15 The Foreknowledge of GodFrom Attributes of God, by Steve Larson. #15 The Foreknowledge of God

• Amos 3:2
 You only have I known of all the families of the earth ESV
 You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth
• Does God only know of Israel on the planet?
• Is he ignorant of all other people?
 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are
open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Heb. 4:13
• So what does it mean when it says God only knew
Israel out of all the families of the earth?

• God only set His favor and affection upon Israel out of all the
families of the earth.
• When a man has relations with his wife, the Bible calls it, 'knowing.'
 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain
Gen 4:1 ESV
 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Gen 4:17 ESV
 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his
name Seth. Gen 4:25 ESV
 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given
birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. Mat 1:25 ESV
 From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you
alone. Amos 3:2 NLT

• Dr. Fruchtenbaum states; "The Bible never says what He foreknew,
meaning believers' faith; it always speaks of whom He foreknew. It is
always the individual or corporate body He foreknew, not what He
foreknew. Thus, foreknowledge is never used in the sense that He
foresaw believers’ faith and elected them accordingly. He had a special
foreknowledge of them."
• It does not refer to God’s actual knowledge of anything beforehand,
rather it refers to God’s setting His affection upon His people beforehand.
 God intimately chose His people, just as a husband intimately knows his wife.
• So if we were translate the Biblical meaning of foreknowledge into
Romans 8:29 it would read like this,
• "For those whom God intimately set His affection upon beforehand, He
also predestined…"

• Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, … "Many will say to Me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in
Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform
many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never
knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE
LAWLESSNESS.' Matt 7:21-23
• Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they
stood outside, calling, 'Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!'
but he called back, 'Believe me, I don't know you!'
Matt 25:11-12 (NLT)

•Foreknowledge
 Philosophical or Biblical?
•Election (to salvation)
 Conditional or Unconditional?
•Predestination
 Secure or Insecure?

• Calvinists and Arminians
• Calvinism and Arminianism are two main systems of
theology that attempt to explain the relationship
between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility
in the matter of salvation.
• Calvinism is named for John Calvin, a French
theologian who lived from 1509-1564.
• Arminianism is named for Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch
theologian who lived from 1560-1609.

• Calvinists - Unconditional election is the view that
God elects individuals to salvation based entirely on
His will, not on anything inherently worthy in the
individual. (Foreknowledge based on God's will)
• Arminians - Conditional election states that God
elects individuals to salvation based on His
foreknowledge upon His knowing in advance who will
actually accept Christ when given the opportunity.
(Foreknowledge based on a person's response)

• Pharisees
 Scribes and commoners
 Minutia of the oral law
 Believed in
 Predestination
 Angels, spirits,
resurrection
• Sadducees
 Priests, wealthy and elite
 Accepted only written law
 Believed in
 Free will
 No resurrection

• Ultimately, both systems fail in that they attempt to explain the
unexplainable!
• A tension of God's Sovereignty vs Human Responsibility
• Divine sovereignty emphasizes that everything that ever
happens in the universe somehow is connected with God's
sovereignty.
 Everything that happens in the universe is something He wills to happen,
allows to happen, in some way.
• On the other side of the coin, human responsibility, the Bible
also just as clearly teaches that individual people are responsible
for their moral choices.
• How can both concepts be true?

• One solution is that God's predestination is based on His foreknowledge (God
looked down the corridors of time, and He could see who would believe.)
 This view emphasizes human freedom.
• The second suggested way to deal with these two issues is that predestination
comes in spite of God's foreknowledge.
 This view goes to the sovereignty extreme.
• The middle view is that God's predestination is in accordance with His
foreknowledge. It is not based upon foreknowledge; it is not in spite of His
foreknowledge; it is in accord with His foreknowledge.
 This view reflects the very phrase that Peter used in
 1 Peter 1:2: "according to the foreknowledge of God."
 God's predestination is not based upon His foreknowledge of human freedom, nor is it in spite of
human choices. Ultimately, predestination and foreknowledge take place at the same point of
time; it is not a chronological or logical order. They both are one and the same in their outworking.
 God foreknows things because He planned out those things.

• For example, God foreknew that Judas
would betray Yeshua (Jesus), which meant
eventually Judas would betray Yeshua. Yet
Judas was not forced to betray Yeshua.
Judas chose of his own will to betray
Yeshua. God did not compel him; God did
not force him to do so. He acted on his own
free will and betrayed Yeshua. That was the
will of Judas. Yet God foreknew that would
happen, and once He foreknew it, it was
unavoidable.

• The analogy of an author and his story helps us to
understand how God can be completely, totally, and
exhaustively sovereign; and how human beings can be
responsible; and how their choices and actions can be
meaningful and significant.
• Why was it always winter and never Christmas in
Narnia?
 Because the White Witch enslaved the land.
(That’s the way Lewis wrote the story.)
• Why does Aslan have to die?
 Because Edmund was a traitor.
(That's how Lewis wrote it.)
• Who killed the White Witch?
 Aslan did. (Lewis did.)
Confronting the Problem(s) of Evil – Joe RigneyConfronting the Problem(s) of Evil – Joe Rigney

• It is not as though God creates us and then places our desires,
intentions, etc. inside of us.
• There simply is no “us” until these things are in place.
• God cannot manipulate us until we exist, and once we exist, he has no
need to. He has created us (presumably) exactly as he wants us. And
he further sustains us exactly as he wants at every step along the
way.
• But at no point does he ever so act as to do violence to our wills.
• Apart from his creative activity there is no will to act upon. He simply
creates us exactly as we are, doing exactly what we’re doing. Both we
and our decisions are not the result of God’s creative will, but the
content of that will.
• Kind of like Artificial Intelligence!
Confronting the Problem(s) of Evil – Joe RigneyConfronting the Problem(s) of Evil – Joe Rigney

• Romans 3:10-18 strongly argues for total depravity.
• Conditional election elevates man’s ability beyond the
sovereignty of God. (Romans 8:28-30).
• Resistible grace thwarts the power and determination
of God. (God would get frustrated)
• Conditional salvation makes salvation a payment for
work rather than a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).

• As long as we recognize the biblical truth of the
natural man’s deadness in sin (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13), his
need of a new heart (Eze 11:19, 36:26), and that man
is a pile of bones needing to be breathed on by God
to be brought to life (Ezel 37:3-7), we can see that
man does not need to be made "better" or "partially
alive" but that man needs to be resurrected/reborn
(John 3:3; 1 John 5:1)!
• Cannot unblind yourself (2 Cor 4:4) or release
yourself from Satan's captivity (2 Tim 2:26)

• It's not fair!
• "It represents our blessed Lord as a hypocrite, a deceiver of
the people, a man void of common sincerity, as mocking his
helpless creatures by offering what he never intends to give,
by saying one thing and meaning another."
 Charles Wesley in Philip Schaff's, "History of the Reformation," in History
of the Christian Church (A P & A, unk.), 113:265.
• Or to put it another way; Is the free offer of salvation to
everyone genuine? Is it made with a sincere heart? Does it
come from real compassion? especially throughout the
Gospel of John. (Does God Desire All to be Saved? by John Piper)

• After many proof texts throughout his book, Piper states;
• Therefore, I affirm with John 3:16 and 1 Tim 2:4 that God loves the world
with a real and sincere compassion that desires the salvation of all men.
• Yet I also affirm that God has chosen from before the foundation of the
world those whom he will save from sin.
• Since not all people are saved, we must choose whether we believe (with
the Arminians) that God’s will to save all people is restrained by his
commitment to ultimate human self-determination or
• whether we believe (with the Reformed) that God’s will to save all people
is restrained (because there is something else that he wills or desires
more, which would be lost if he exerted his sovereign power to save all.)
by his commitment to the glorification of the full range of his perfections in
exalting his sovereign grace (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14; Rom. 9:22–23).

• In the Reformed view (Calvinistic) of predestination God's
choice precedes man's choice.
 "We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19
• Without divine predestination and without the divine inward
call, the Reformed view holds that nobody would ever
choose Christ.
 This is the view of predestination that rankles so many Christians.
 This is the view that raises serious questions about man's free will and
about God's fairness.
 This is the view that provokes so many angry responses and charges of
fatalism, determinism, and so on.

Does unconditional
election mean we
have no free will?
In other words, is everything
already determined
beforehand?

1. It has been called the freedom of indeterminacy, which
holds that man’s will is independent of all previous
conditions.
 This is the claim that free will in man is a total freedom, unaffected by
anything that occurred in the past, such as the fall. This is the theory
of most Bible deniers, particularly those of the existential school.
2. Free will in man has also been called the freedom of self-
determination, or spontaneity.
 That is, man’s free will consists in his ability to choose according to
the disposition, inclination, or bias of his own will.
Cairns, A. (2002). In Dictionary of Theological Terms (pp. 185–186). Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International.

• Controversy around the question of whether people are to
be viewed as responsible choice-making individuals or as
victims of deterministic forces (God's will), or
• Is man "a puppet of necessity and a toy of circumstances,
or the captain of his soul and, within limits, the master of
his fate?"
• "Among the many difficulties encountered in Holy
Scripture - and there are many of them - none presents a
more perplexed labyrinth than the problem of the freedom
of the will." (from Erasmus and Luther Discourse on Free Will)

• Student attended a "Free will/Determinsim" Conference.
• During a lapse in the program, he wandered over to the
determinist group. The leader said to him, "Who sent
you over here?" He replied, "No one. I came of my own
free will." Politely but firmly he was shoved in the
direction of the free will group.
• Arriving, the leader of this group asked him, "How did
you decide to come over here?" He replied "I didn't
decide at all; I was sent over here against my will. He
was promptly sent back to the determinist group!

• Which view has biblical support, free will or determinism?
• Or does the Bible support both positions to some degree
and in some sense?
 Thinkers do not agree in answering these questions.
• The controversy has elicited some classic disputes in the
history of Christianity:
 Augustine vs. Pelagius in the early church;
 Martin Luther vs. Erasmus in the Reformation era; and
 Jonathan Edwards vs. the Arminians in the colonial days.
• Interestingly, as Hugh T. Kerr has observed, in each
argument the determinists won out (Lapsley, 1964, p. 94).

• Support for Free Will
 Without free will, man would not be responsible for his
behavior.
 For the will to be totally free, it must act from a
posture of neutrality, with absolutely no bias
• Support for Determinism
 Determinism is more consistent with the nature of God.
If God is omnipotent and omniscient, determinism
naturally follows.

• If we make our choices strictly
from a neutral posture, with no
prior inclination, then we make
choices for no reason!
• If we have no reason for our
choices, if they are utterly
spontaneous, then our choices
have no moral significance!
• When God evaluates our choices,
he is concerned about our motives

If there is no prior
inclination, desire,
or bent, no prior
reason for a
choice, how can a
choice even be
made?

Four options:
1. She could have taken the
left fork or the right fork
2. She could have chosen to
return the way she had
come, or
3. She could have stood
fixed at the spot of
indecision until she died
there!

• For Alice to take a step in
any direction, she would
need some reason or
inclination to do so.
• Without any reason, her
only real option would be
to stand there and perish!
• Must reject "neutral-will"
theory; irrational and
unbiblical

• According to Edwards a human being is not only free
to choose what he desires but he MUST choose what
he desires to be able to choose at all
• The will always chooses according to its strongest
inclination at the moment
• Means every choice is free and is determined
 If it is free, means we are responsible!
• Our choices are determined (motivated) by our desires
• Called self-determination, essence of freedom

• Pointed out that in ordinary life people's
actions are constrained by their moral
characters.
• In many of their choices, they are not truly
free to act against their own deeply
established character.
 For example, he said, suppose that an
exceptionally virtuous woman was propositioned
sexually by a scoundrel. Her own good character
would make it inevitable that she would reject the
proposition. Yet we do not say that she is less
praiseworthy because her choice is so determined.

• God's absolute knowledge that Peter would sin, how
often he would sin, when he would sin, and that he would
repent does not remove Peter's moral responsibility in the
least, which is made plain by the fact that Peter weeps
bitterly precisely when he remembers the words of Jesus'
prediction.
• Peter does not say,
 "Well, you predicted this sin, and so it had to take place, and so it can't
have been part of my free willing, and so I am not responsible for it."
 He wept bitterly. He was guilty and he knew it.
(John Piper – Glory of God at Stake)(John Piper – Glory of God at Stake)

• Why are you at this Bible Study tonight?
 Your choice or someone else's?
• If you are here out of duty or because you didn't have
anything better to do, you still had to make a decision
• Every decision you
make is for a reason!

• Calvinisim and Arminianism
 An Arminian knows he's got religion, but is afraid
he might loose it, while
 A Calvinist knows he can't loose it, but he's
afraid he hasn't got it!
• Unconditional and Conditional election
• Determinism vs Free Will
 Are both views supported in the Bible?
 Free will – normal definition
 Biblical Free will

• Edwards said, "We always choose according to our
strongest desire or inclination at the moment."
• Every Christian has some desire in his heart to obey
Christ
 Yet every Christian sins
• The hard truth is that at the moment of our sin we
desire the sin more strongly than we desire to obey
Christ!
• If we always desired to obey Christ more than we
desired to sin, we would never sin!

• Augustine made a distinction between free will and liberty.
• Free will, Augustine said, is simply the ability to make
choices among several options, and human beings retain it
after Adam’s fall into transgression.
• What we lack apart from grace, however, is liberty.
• According to Augustine, liberty is the ability to choose what
is good and pleasing to the Lord.
• True freedom consists in doing what our Creator approves
of. So, Augustine said, we may have free will after Adam,
but we are not truly free apart from grace.

• A slave is freely in bondage if he does the will of his master with
pleasure.
 Accordingly, he who is the servant of sin is free to sin.
• But he will not be free to do right, until he is set free from sin,
and begins to be the servant of righteousness.
• And this is true liberty, for he now has pleasure in the righteous
deed; and it is at the same time a holy bondage, for he is
obedient to the will of God.
• But what is the origin of this liberty to do right for the person who
is in bondage and sold under sin?
• He must be redeemed by Him who has said,
 "If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed" John 8:36

If we are born with a fallen nature, if we
are born in sin, if we are born in a state
of moral inability, how can God hold us
responsible for our sins?

• Suppose God said to a man, "l want you to trim those bushes by 3
o'clock this afternoon. But be careful. There is a large pit at the edge of
the garden. If you fall in, you will not be able to get out. So whatever
you do, stay away from that pit!"
• Suppose as soon as God leaves the man runs over and jumps into the
pit. At 3 o'clock God returns and finds the bushes untrimmed. He calls
and hears a faint cry. He walks to the pit and sees the gardener
helplessly flailing around on the bottom.
• He says to the gardener, "Why haven't you trimmed the bushes I told
you to trim?"
• The gardener responds in anger, "How do you expect me to trim these
bushes when I am trapped in this pit? lf you hadn't left this empty pit
here, I would not be in this predicament."
Chosen by God – RC SproulChosen by God – RC Sproul

• Adam jumped into the pit.
• In Adam we all jumped into the pit.
• God did not throw us into the pit.
• Adam was clearly warned about the pit. God told him
to stay away.
• The consequences Adam experienced from being in
the pit were a direct punishment for jumping into it.
• We are judged guilty for our representative
participation in the fall of Adam.
Chosen by God – RC SproulChosen by God – RC Sproul

• 19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does
God still blame us? For who is able to resist
his will?"
• 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk
back to God? "Shall what is formed say to
the one who formed it, "Why did you make
me like this?' " Rom 9:19-20 NIV2

• There is a plausible interpretation that we become responsible
for original sin when we choose to accept, and act according
to, our sinful nature.
• There comes a point in our lives when we become aware of
our own sinfulness. At that point we should reject the sinful
nature and repent of it.
• Instead, we all "approve" that sinful nature, in effect saying
that it is good. In approving our sinfulness, we are expressing
agreement with the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of
Eden. We are therefore guilty of that sin (by association)
without actually having committed it.

• "For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that
man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for
that man if he had not been born." Mark 14:2
• But how can this be?
• If God ordained that Judas would betray Jesus, how could it be so bad for
him? He was just doing what the Lord determined for him, so surely he
should not be held accountable, right?
 We must admit that there is some mystery here that we cannot fully comprehend.
• Still, the Bible is clear that human beings cannot blame God for their sin
even though sin is included in God’s predetermined plan for His creation.
• The Lord and a sinner may both will the same act, but their motivations
differ, and that is the ground for moral blame.
RC SproulRC Sproul

• "though God directs [sinners] . . . nothing is farther from their
intention than to obey his decrees."
• In other words, sinners do what the Lord has ordained, but
they do it for wicked reasons, while our Creator's intent is
always good.
• God ordained Judas' betrayal of Jesus, but He did so to
achieve the good of our salvation.
• Judas betrayed Jesus, yet He did not do so because He
wanted to see sinners saved but because he loved money
more than the Lord.
• Same idea in the story of Joseph
RC SproulRC Sproul

• The main difficulty in the controversy is how God can be completely
sovereign, decreeing all that comes to pass, and how man can be
free to choose his destiny in a responsible way. The harmonizing of
God's eternal decree and man's freedom is the Gordian knot of
theology.
• All antinomies are mysterious, but not all mysteries are
contradictions.
 An antinomy is two things that are both true but they apparently contradict each
other.
• W. W. Stevens (1967), theology professor at Mississippi College,
has written: "The sovereignty of God (determinism) and the
freedom of man are two factors which simply cannot be reconciled
in finite thought."

• So, election and predestination have a direct application to the
issue of ones destiny and how that destiny is ultimately determined.

• Our obligation to love, honor, and obey any being is in
proportion to his loveliness, honorableness, and
authority.… But God is a being infinitely lovely,
because he hath infinite excellency and beauty.…
• So sin against God, being a violation of infinite
obligations, must be a crime infinitely heinous, and so
deserving infinite punishment.…
• What is worst, is that we are all guilty!!!!!!

1. God could decide to provide no opportunity for
anyone to be saved

1. God could decide to provide no opportunity for
anyone to be saved
2. God could provide an opportunity for all to be saved
3. God could intervene directly and insure the salvation
of all people
4. God could intervene directly and insure the salvation
of some people

#2 God could provide an opportunity for all to be saved
 Choice of Arminians
 Man has the power to cast the deciding ballot for his ultimate
destiny (This is totally fair therefore!)
 God provides opportunity for all to be saved
#4 God could intervene directly and insure the salvation of
some people
 Choice of Calvinists
 Only possible choice if we agree that we are totally dead in our
sins (Eph 2:1-10) and unable to choose Christ
 We may have the free will to choose Christ, but are unable, and
must therefore be called by God

• Do not stand still disputing about your election, but set to
repenting and believing. Cry to God for converting grace.
Revealed things belong to you; in these busy yourself. . . .
whatever God’s purposes may be, I am sure His promises are
true. Whatever the decrees of heaven may be, I am sure if I
repent and believe I shall be saved.
Joseph Alleine (Puritan 1634-68)
• If we want to settle the question of whether we are among God’s
elect, the simplest and surest way to settle it is to bow your heart
before the Lord Jesus Christ, acknowledge your lost condition
and turn to Him for your salvation. That settles the question.
Dr. Lewis Johnson

• If God can and does choose to insure the salvation of
some, why then does He not insure the salvation of
all?
• Does He have the power to do so?
 Definitely
• Why does God only save some?
 For His Greater Glory – Ultimately don't know, and
Bible only hints:

• Moses tells the people that when they are judged,
they will unwittingly provide an occasion for God to
rejoice in the demonstration of his justice.
 "It shall come about that as the LORD delighted over
you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the LORD will
delight over you to make you perish and destroy you;
and you will be torn from the land where you are
entering to possess it." Deut 28:63

• This is Paul’s answer as well. In the demonstration
of his wrath, He displays his power and the infinite
worth of His glory
 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath
and to make His power known, endured with much
patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
And He did so to make known the riches of His glory
upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand
for glory, Rom 9:22-23

• This is the way Jonathan Edwards tackled the
problem of how God and the saints will be happy
in heaven for all eternity, even though they will
know that many millions of people are suffering in
hell forever. It is not that suffering or misery in
itself will be pleasant to God and to the saints, but
that the vindication of God’s infinite holiness will
be cherished so much more deeply.

• When I was in seminary, another student once asked our
professor, John Gerstner, how we will be able to rejoice in heaven
if we get there only to find that some of our loved ones are in hell.
• Dr. Gerstner replied that we will not be sad about that but instead
will rejoice, for it will bring glory to God and vindicate His holiness.
• There was a collective gasp from the students, but as I reflected
upon his words, I understood what he was saying.
• While we are in our mortal flesh, even though we have some
affection for Christ, our basic affections are rooted in this world. We
care more about the well-being of our family members and friends
than about the vindication of the righteousness of God, but that will
not be the case when we arrive in heaven in our glorified state.
Everyones a Theologian– RC SproulEveryones a Theologian– RC Sproul

• God could intervene directly and insure the salvation of some people

• What is meant by fairness here?
• If we mean "equal," then the protest is accurate
• Fact: God does not treat all men equally
 God appeared to Moses like no other
 God blessed Israel like no other
 God appeared to Paul on the road like no other
 God simply has not treated every human being in history in
exactly the same manner
RC SproulRC Sproul

• Probably what is meant by "fair" in the protest is "just."
• It does not seem just for God to choose some to
receive His mercy while others do not receive the
benefit of it.
• The Bible states that all men are guilty of sin in the
sight of God.
• From the mass of guilty humanity, God sovereignly
decides to give mercy to some of them.
RC SproulRC Sproul

• They get justice!
• The saved get mercy and the unsaved get justice.
• Nobody gets injustice!
• Mercy is not justice, but neither is it injustice
• God is never, never, never obligated to be merciful to
sinners!
 Jacob vs Esau
 Paul vs Judas
• When God executes justice He is doing nothing wrong;
must learn to praise Him in both
RC SproulRC Sproul

Mercy
Non-Justice
Injustice
Justice
RC SproulRC Sproul

I do not believe we can preach the Gospel, if we do not preach
justification by faith, without works; nor unless we exalt the electing,
unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do
I think we can preach the Gospel, unless we base it upon the special
and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ
wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a Gospel which lets
saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to
be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in
Jesus. . . . If God hath loved me once, then He will love me forever.
God has a mastermind; He arranged everything in His giant intellect
long before He did it; and once having settled it, He never alters it.
"This shall be done," saith He, and the iron hand of destiny marks it
down, and it is brought to pass.

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