Election Versus Determination By D. Davenport Introduction Does God sovereignly pre-determine who will be saved and who will be lost for eternity? Or does Christ make a legitimate offer to every human being to personally trust the Atonement and become justified before God? It comes as a startling shock to millions of people who begin to study Biblical Theology that multiple denominations believe and teach that the Bible clearly teaches that Christ's Atonement on the Cross was LIMITED only to those sovereignly PRE-DETERMINED by God to be saved--and that all the rest of humanity past, present, and future will be sent to hell and have absolutely no "choice" in the matter. Frequently a second startling reality emerges when people (correctly) realize that history, common sense, and the Bible instruct us that the majority of individuals historically have never trusted the Atonement for exclusive personal salvation.....which would in turn signify that God PRE-DETERMINES THAT MOST HUMAN BEINGS BE LOST FOR ETERNITY THROUGH NO CHOICE OF THEIR OWN. The Players 1.Determination Those that adhere to the theological position that God "Pre-Determines" or "Specifically Elects" the salvational status of individuals before they are even born are frequently called "Calvinists" (although there are exceptions to this).... The three main bible verses that are frequently cited as evidence for their position are: Romans 9:....."Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." John 6:..... "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Romans 8:..... "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." This Pre-Determined theological position teaches that Paul is contending that God sovereignly chooses to have salvational mercy on some and not others, and that he "Pre-Destines" only those whom He chooses beforehand. By taking such a position, they also frequently argue for the Five Points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Limited Atonement, Irresistable Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. In a practical sense, these sentiments may be expressed as believing that man is so spiritually fallen that God has to "regenerate" him as an act of pre-salvational mercy, that Christ only died for the Elect, that Gods work of regeneration cannot be resisted by any individual, and that every saint will ultimately persevere by "living out" their faith. 2. CHOICE and those that adhere to the theological position that God sovereignly assigns "FREE CHOICE" to individuals to determine their eternal destiny are frequently called "Dispensationalists" or even "Free Will" proponents. carolinablueridge@yahoo.com (864) 363-9564
Introduction
Does God sovereignly pre-determine who will be saved and who will be lost for eternity? Or does Christ make a legitimate offer to every human being to personally trust the Atonement and become justified before God? It comes as a startling shock to millions of people who begin to study Biblical Theology that multiple denominations believe and teach that the Bible clearly teaches that Christ's Atonement on the Cross was LIMITED only to those sovereignly PRE-DETERMINED by God to be saved--and that all the rest of humanity past, present, and future will be sent to hell and have absolutely no "choice" in the matter.