REVISITING CHRIST’S MESSAGE TO TODAY’S EVANGELICALS

Part III: Christ’s Appraisal Of Evangelicals As Two, Offensive, Judging Factions

B. Christ’s Evaluation Of Evangelicals Detailed

2. Christ’s Exposure Of The Factions’ Errant Beliefs Behind Their Errant Judgments

b. The Errant Views Of Election And Their Harmful Effects

(Revelation 3:14, 17b[b])

 

I.               Introduction

A.    Having critiqued the errant judgments of today’s two evangelical Calvinist and Arminian factions, Christ detailed how they arrived at this troubling state by the influence of their respective errant BELIEFS!

B.    In Revelation 3:14, 17b[b], Christ exposed the factions’ errant beliefs on election and their harmful effects:

II.            The Errant Views Of Election And Their Harmful Effects, Revelation 3:14, 17b[b].

A.    In Rev. 3:17b in the Greek text, Jesus said that each faction was “the wretched and pitiful and poor and blind and naked one” (five adjectives connected by four conjunctions), implying that the five adjectives are inter-related with each other, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 845; A. T. Robertson, A Gram. of the Grk. N. T., p. 777.

B.    Significantly, Calvinist theologian Loraine Boettner (The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, p. 59) noted that Calvinism’s five points of belief are “not isolated and independent doctrines, but are . . . inter-related . . .”

C.    In viewing these five adjectives in order, we see Christ critiqued the five points of Calvinism in order AND their opposing views in Arminianism, with insight on the harmful effects each view has had on believers:

1.      Calvinism’s second point is “Unconditional Election,” that the unsaved’s will and nature are so depraved that God had to choose some to receive His gift of faith so they would trust in Christ, Ibid., p. 83-149.

2.      Arminianism holds that will and nature of the unsaved are partly depraved, so they have free will to believe in Christ and contribute faith to God to help save themselves.  Thus, God chose those He foreknew would trust in Christ to be justified.  (Bettenson, Docs. of the Christ. Ch., 2nd ed., p. 377-378)

3.      However, Jesus critiqued both views on divine election and their spiritually harmful effects on believers:

                         a.  The Laodiceans were second “pitiful,” from the Greek word eleeinos, and it exists elsewhere in Scripture only in 1 Cor. 15:19 (Moul. & Ged., Con. to the Grk. Test., p. 324; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 845, 613).

                         b.  In 1 Cor. 15:19, eleeinos describes the “pitiful” state of believers who hope in Christ ONLY in THIS LIFE, so eleeinos in Rev. 3:17 critiques Calvinism and Arminianism for making election a hope in Christ ONLY in THIS LIFE: (1) Both Calvinism and Arminianism make election result in justification, but (2) election really results in what follows justification even into eternity: (i) 1 Peter 1:1-2 has God choosing believers to be sprinkled with Christ’s blood, recalling for Peter’s Hebrew readers (“strangers scattered” in 1 Pet. 1:1 KJV is from diaspora = Hebrews; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 845, 613; Arndt & Ging., A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 187) Exodus 24:6-8 where Moses sprinkled God’s people with sacrificial blood for a holy walk!  (ii) 2 Thessalonians 2:13 has God choosing believers to “salvation,” the context showing this deliverance to be escaping the Tribulation by the rapture!  (iii) Ephesians 1:4 has God choosing believers to be in His heavenly presence (“before Him” KJV [katenopion], Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 664; Moul. & Mill., The Voc. of the Grk. N. T., p. 335, 220) as holy, blameless, and in love.  (iv) Thus, God in eternity past chose those He foreknew would trust in Christ for a holy walk after justification, to be raptured after a holy walk, and to eternal, heavenly perfection after the rapture!

                         c.  To summarize, both Calvinism and Arminianism have erred in making JUSTIFICATION the RESULT of election RATHER THAN what FOLLOWS justification EVEN into ETERNITY.  The errant focus of these factions on justification in THIS LIFE has led believers to be PREOCCUPIED with THIS LIFE, and THAT has led believers to a LOVE of THIS WORLD versus motivating them to live in preparation for an ETERNITY with the LORD (John H. Armstrong, ed., The Com. Evang. Crisis, p. 17, 29-30 details this false spirituality; Edward M. Burns, West. Civ., 6th ed., p. 460ff gives a secular historian’s view of how Calvinism has led its followers to dominate others in history in this life by its view of God’s election).

 

Lesson: Calvinist and Arminian views of election have made election result in justification where election really results only in what follows justification!  This error has led believers to focus on this life and to turn worldly versus election’s true goal of focusing on what follows justification in preparation for living forever with the Lord!

 

Application: May we cease holding to the errant Calvinist and Arminian views of election that dwell on how we come to be justified in this life and hold to the true view that leads us to prepare to live forever with the Lord!