Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20050417.htm

CHRIST'S PROPHETIC MESSAGE TO CONTEMPORARY EVANGELICALS
Part III: Christ's Appraisal Of Evangelicalism As Two, Offensive, Judging Factions
B. Christ's Evaluation Of Evangelicalism Detailed
2. Christ's Exposure Of The Factions' False Doctrines Behind Their False Judgments
b. Christ's Critique Of Errant Views Of God's Election And Their Grave Effects On Evangelicals
(Revelation 3:14, 17b[b])
  1. Introduction
    1. Having critiqued the errant judgments leaders of the two factions in Evangelicalism make, Christ details how they arrived at this shocking state by way of their mutually errant [though opposing] beliefs!
    2. Well, Rev. 3:14, 17b[b] is Christ's exposure of Evangelicals' false views on election and their bad effects!
  2. Christ's Critique Of Errant Views Of God's Election And Their Grave Effects On Evangelicals.
    1. Jesus said both factions were "the wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked one" [one article, four conjunctions], (3:17b) in a description of factions that judge each other, hinting the 5 adjectives may be interrelated, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966 ed., p. 845; A. T. Robertson, A Gram. of the Grk. N.T., p. 777.
    2. Well, Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, p. 59 reports Calvinism's five famous points of belief are "not isolated and independent doctrines, but are . . . inter-related . . ." (sic)
    3. In viewing the adjectives in order, we see Christ critiqued the renowned 5 points of Calvinism AND its opposing 5 points of Arminianism with insight on the bad effects each system has had on Evangelicals:
      1. Calvinism asserts "Unconditional Election," that man's will is so bound to his sin nature that God must sovereignly chose some to receive His immediate gift of faith to trust in Christ, Ibid., p. 83-149.
      2. In reaction, Arminius held man's will and nature were both partly depraved so that, with the Spirit's conviction, man authors faith in Christ. God is said then to have chosen in eternity past to save those whom He foresaw would author that faith, Bettenson, Documents of the Chr. Ch., 2nd ed., p. 377-379.
      3. Yet, Christ critiqued both views on election and their errant results in Evangelicalism as follows:
        1. The Laodiceans were second of all "pitiful" (NIV); the Greek N. T. word it renders is eleeinos, and it exists eslewhere in the N. T. only at 1 Corinthians 15:19, cf. Moulton, Geden & Moulton, Concor. to the Greek Testament, 4th ed., p. 324; UBS Greek New Testament, 1966 ed., p. 845, 613.
        2. In 1 Cor. 15:19, eleeinos pictures the "pitiful" state of believers who hope only in this life, making this word in Rev. 3:17 critique both Calvinist and Arminian views of God's election and their bad effects (as follows): (a) both Calvinism and Arminianism make election result in justification, but (b) Scripture reveals election results ONLY in all that follows justification: ((1)) 1 Peter 1:1-2 shows God chose believers unto "sprinkling" of Christ's blood, referring to Ex. 24:6-8 (Heb. 9:19f) where sprinkling to the Hebrews Peter addressed (1 Peter 1:1 and diaspora "strangers") pictured a covenant for living a holy life! ((2)) 2 Thess. 2:13 teaches God chose believers "unto salvation," the context revealing this to be the physical salvation from the man of sin via the Pretribulation Rapture (1 Thess. 5:9); it is NOT justification. ((3)) Eph. 1:4 shows God chose believers for His presence in heaven (the meaning of "before" [katenopion], Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T., p. 664; Moulton & Milligan, The Vocab. of the Grk. N.T., p. 335, 220). (c) [As we show in our work on this site, "Making Sense of God's Election", the word, "ordained" in Acts 13:48 is in the middle voice and means "had marshaled themselves" toward eternal life; it is not a predestination to justification!]
        3. Thus, Calvinism and Arminianism have both erred in making justification the goal of election rather than everything else that follows it as SCRIPTURE teaches: their debate over their errors on this subject has shifted Evangelicals to focus on this life where people are justified rather than on all that follows, leading to worldliness so typical of Evangelicals (J. H. Armstrong, ed., The Coming Evangelical Crisis, p. 17, 29-30 who details this spirituality; E. M. Burns, West. Civ., 6th ed., p. 460ff for secular testimony on how Calvinism has secularized its followers via its view of election).
Lesson: Calvinism and Arminianism have erred in making God's election result in justification when it TRULY results in ALL that FOLLOWS it! They have thus led believers to focus on THIS life and so to become worldly versus the REAL goal of election -- focusing on what FOLLOWS it into ETERNITY!

Application: We must correct BOTH errant views to shift from valuing THIS life to aim for the NEXT!