By Tin-chee (TC) Lo
A vast number of passages concerning the Doctrine of Predestination/Election is documented in the following article:
“https://hocl.org/blogs/tincheelo/?p=2091”
Having read this article, we now return to few difficult verses which on the surface seem to contradict the concept of election.
1* The first difficulty is perhaps related to the most familiar one: John 3:16 that reads: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” There are, however, three interpretations of this verse:
The first explanation is: God loves EVERYONE in the world, so he gives EVERYONE the gift of faith, so that with this gift, through the redemptive work of His only Son, they can ALL be saved, which once again expresses that God really loves EVERYONE in the world. This explanation is called “Universalism.” It obviously goes against the “doctrine of Election”. This explanation not only has no biblical basis, but is also inconsistent with real-life observations, but it is what people like to hear.
The second explanation is: God loves everyone in the world. But only those who believe with their own will can obtain eternal life. Salvation becomes the result of a kind of “cooperation between God and man” which runs counter to “salvation by grace alone”. This interpretation also brings about human pride: I am saved and my good friend is not saved because the decision I made was better than his. This explanation disrespects the grace of God and elevates human pride.
The third explanation is that God loves “the world” in the sense that He loves exclusively “the elect” whom He has chosen from the world. So, the word “world” here does not mean EVERYONE in the world.
Furthermore, the word “love” here does not refer to the “love” in the general-grace, like the love in which God indiscriminately “gives rain and air to good people and bad people alike.” The word “love” in John 3:16 refers specifically to God’s special love for His chosen people, the ELECT. As Jesus told his disciples in the Gospel of John 15:9 which reads “I have loved you with the same love that the Father has loved me (John 15:9).” This is a very special kind of love, the same specific love that the Father has for His Son.
God had chosen a group of people before the foundation of the world and gave them the saving faith as gift to the Elect so that all who hold this faith will not perish but have eternal life. This third interpretation is consistent with the host of “election” texts mentioned above.
2* The second difficulty is related to 2 Peter 3:9 which says: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but EVERYONE to come to repentance.”
What does “EVERYONE” mean? First, we need to ask: Who was Peter writing this letter to? From the context, especially (2 Peter 1:1-3), we know that Peter is concerned with readers who
- have received a faith as precious as ours (v. 1) and
- have knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (v. 2)
In other words, 2 Peter is addressed to God’s “ELECT” as its audience.
The difficulty rests on the phrase, “not wanting anyone to perish, but EVERYONE to come to repentance.” Therefore, the “EVERYONE” here does not refer to every person in the world, but only to “those CHOSEN by God.” If “everyone repents” means that everyone in the world is to be saved, this is not consistent with our daily observation. Does it mean God’s will can be frustrated? If God has determined to save ALL people and yet some are indeed unsaved, this means God’s will can be thwarted by human will. But we know that God’s sovereign purpose CANNOT fail. It follows that the word “EVERYONE” refers to a particular group of people, that is, the ELECT.
3* Why preach the gospel? Since salvation depends on God’s election, why should we preach the gospel? There are at least two reasons:
- Preaching the gospel is the Great Commission given to us by Jesus Christ; obeying Christ is the fruit of rebirth.
- The work of the evangelist is to distribute the gift of faith on behalf of God. We do not know who is chosen, but God does. Our job is to distribute this gift called SAVING FAITH to everyone. All the chosen people will gladly accept it with their newly RENEWED wills.
Evangelists are not responsible for the result. Only the Holy Spirit can give new life to people, not the effort of the evangelists, no matter how hard they work.
