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THE MISSIONARY BAPTIST'S AND THE CALVINIST'S DOCTRINE OF ELECTION COMPARED By Edwin Jardinel

I. CONCERNING THE FALL OF MAN AND REGENERATION

The Calvinists have often charged the Missionary Baptists of the Arminian belief "That man can come to God and is able to recover himself by an act of his own free will." The Calvinists have constantly affirmed their position "That man in his natural state being dead in sins, is unable to recover himself by an act of his own free will." Furthermore, they believe that man being spiritually dead cannot hear the Spirit's call and the Gospel, and cannot make a decision to repent and believe, they believe that a depraved sinner must be regenerated first by the Spirit in order for Him to effectively make the call and influence.

The Missionary Baptists' position is different from that of the Arminians and the Calvinists. Missionary Baptists do not believe that man is able to recover or save himself by his own works or efforts. Salvation is God's work and regeneration is an act, performance, or operation of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:6;1:13). But, before God will save a person, and before the Spirit will perform the act of regeneration, He requires man to exercise faith (Jn. 1:12; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 1:13; Rom. 10:13; Eph. 2:8-9). For example, it is the surgeon that will perform the operation on the man that needs to be operated, but the surgeon will ask the man first if he is willing. During the operation, the man needs not to help the surgeon. The Calvinist may say, "Man is not just sick, but dead." The Bible compares a depraved sinner to a sick and dead. Jesus said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." (Matt. 9:12). When the Bible uses the word "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1), it does not mean that the depraved sinner cannot hear the Spirit and the Gospel call, repent and believe (Prov.1:23-24; Ezek. 37:4; Jn 5:24-25). Even believers who are already "dead to sin" (Rom. 6:2,7) can still be tempted by Satan ocassionally. The Devil cannot be more powerful than God, so the Holy Spirit can also influence the spiritually dead to hear the gospel, repent and believe if they choose to humble under the Spirit's conviction. Though God wants all men to be humble, He does not force people to humble against their will but has given them the freedom of choice either to be humble under the Spirit's conviction, or remain proud. However, He decided to bestow greater grace upon those who humble under the Spirit's conviction so that they can be led to repentance and faith (Jam. 4:6; II Cor. 7:9-10; Rom. 10:17). The decision to humble oneself, repent and believe is not an act of works to recover or save oneself. There is no need of physical action in repentance and faith. The decision of faith is not classified as works in the Bible (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 11:6). Faith is the required channel, a God-given ability upon those who humble, to be exercised by every man in order to receive the salvation provided by God. Missionary Baptists believe that man, in his state as spiritually dead and depraved, can make a decision of choice either to accept or reject Christ under the call and influence of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel. This is Biblical. The Jailor in Acts 16 verse 30, heard the Spirit's call and conviction, and decided to humble himself and seek to know the Lord and His truth while in his state of being spiritually dead as he asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" A spiritually dead under the influence of the Holy Spirit can have the desire to be saved and can make a decision to accept the salvation that Christ offers (Jn. 12:47-48; Isa. 55:1-3). So, Paul replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). If the spiritually dead cannot hear, repent, and believe, this jailor couldn't have followed the simple instruction of Paul to believe. The Calvinist says, "The man who wants salvation already has it". However, If the man who wants salvation already has it, then Paul should have said "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ because you are already saved". Was Paul telling the jailor a lie when he said "Believe ... and thou shalt be saved..." or he was just ignorant of the true doctrine? Do the Calvinists know better than Paul? But Paul learned that the jailor who desired salvation was not yet saved, so he said," Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved". The word "shalt or shall" is in the future tense and it shows that faith must precede salvation. If so, the spiritually dead, under the influence of the Spirit and the Gospel can make a personal choice either to accept or reject Christ. And if he accepts the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, he is saved (Jn. 12:47-48; Acts 7:51; Heb. 3:7; Mt. 22:14). The doctrinal position of the Missionary Baptist is that A DEPRAVED SINNER UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE GOSPEL CAN WILLINGLY COME TO GOD AND IS ABLE TO MAKE A DECISION TO RECEIVE THE SALVATION PROVIDED BY CHRIST THROUGH FAITH (Jn. 6:44; Matt.11:28; Rom. 5:11; Rev, 22:17).

Some questions:

1. Who is calling in Matt. 22:14? If it is the preacher, why is it that there are those who responded through such call? If it is God, how come that not all were chosen? Is there an equal number of the called and the chosen?

2. How will Eph. 1:13 be explained? Which comes first, faith or the sealing of the Holy Spirit?

3. When does the Holy Spirit make the call to repent and believe in Jesus as Saviour, before regeneration or after?

4. Can the Holy Spirit influence a depraved sinner (unregenerated) to repent and believe, or He can only influence the regenerated?

5. If the Holy Spirit cannot influence the unregenerated being spiritually dead, to repent and believe in Christ, how come the devil can still influence the regenerated to sin? Is the devil more powerful than God?

6. Which comes first, forgiveness or repentance? How will you explain the following passages: Isa. 55:7; Luke 13:3; II Chron. 7:14?

7. Which comes first, faith or forgiveness? Jn. 8:24; 5:24; Rom. 5:1; Acts 10:43. How will you explain such passages?

8. If the Gospel is not necessary in regeneration, how will you explain the passages-- Jn.5:24; Rom.1:16; I Cor. 1:21; 15:1-4; II Thes. 2:14; James 1:18; Jam. 1:21; I Peter 1:23; Eph. 1:13?

II. CONCERNING ELECTION ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLEASURE.

Both Missionary Baptists and Calvinists agree that election was made by God in eternity as mentioned in Eph. 1:4 but they differ in their points whether it is conditional or unconditional. The Calvinists believe in unconditional election while the true Missionary Baptists believe in conditional election. There are several passages that show that election is conditional such as II Thes. 2:13; Titus 1:1; James 2:5; I Cor. 1:27. According to II Thes. 2:13, "... God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." The Bible teaches that a person is sanctified by faith (Acts 26:18). It is also clear that a person was elected through belief of the truth and such is the condition.

Election is according to God's foreknowledge (I Pet. 1:2). God is omniscient, and it means that God is All-knowing. He knows all things even the things that have not transpired yet. God has a foreknowledge of all things. By foreknowledge, he knew all events before they happen. When we say that election is according to God's foreknowledge, it means that God elected in eternity those whom He foreknew would humble under the Spirit's reproofs, repent, and believe in His Son Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:4,12; Rom. 8:29; Jam. 2:5; 4:6; Prov. 29:1; John 16:8). The Calvinists will then say that the words "foreknew" and "knew" means "foreloved" and "loved" and then they will use Matt. 7:23 and say, " I never loved you." However, the Bible used the word "knew" in John 6:64 and it says, "...For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not..." If they will substitute "loved" for "knew" it will contradict their doctrine. The word "knew" may sometimes be used pertaining to a relationship such as Matt. 7:23; John 10:27 not necessarily "loved" because God loves His children even long before the relationship was established.(I John 3:1). Oftentimes, the word "know" is used just exactly what it means "awareness, understanding and knowledge." (Job 13:23; Ps. 103:14; Matt. 6:8; Rev.3:1). When "foreknew" in Rom. 8:29 and "foreknowledge" in I Peter 1:2 were used, it means God's foreknowledge of those who will humble under the Spirit's call, repent, and believe in Christ as Savior. They cannot pertain to relationship because there was no existing relationship between Christ and the elect when God the Father made the election in eternity.

Election is not salvation (II Tim. 2:10). "Chosen us in Him" in Eph. 1:4 does not mean that the elect had already an existing relationship with Christ for they were not born yet neither in spirit nor body. Rather, this means that the basis of the Father's election is Jesus who is the provision for man's sins. So, He elected those whom He foreknew would believe in His Son Jesus. The believers at Ephesus "were without Christ" (Eph. 2:12) until such time that they believed. (Eph. 2:8-9). A person is in Christ only if he has received Christ by faith, (John 1:12, Eph. 3:17; I John 5: 11-12; II Cor. 5:17).

Election is according to God's good pleasure of His will (Eph. 1:5). Calvinists believe that it is God's good pleasure to elect in eternity a certain number of people to eternal salvation unconditionally; and such people were among others who are proud, depraved, unwilling, cannot repent and trust Christ; and by God's will of pleasure, regenerates such proud people apart from their willingness; giving them the Holy Spirit despite their unbelief (without their faith), and through the Holy Spirit already in them, cause them to repent and believe, and such repentance and faith are not their personal decision and function, but of God. Is it really God's good pleasure to elect to eternal salvation the proud and unbelieving? Is God pleased with the unbelieving? Heb. 11:6. Can God be pleased of saving a person who does not believe the glorious Gospel? I Cor. 1:21. The Calvinist says, "God will save the unbelieving elect without the Gospel" but the Scripture says, "... It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I Cor. 1:21) . Will God bestow greater grace to save the proud? The Calvinist teaches that God will bestow greater grace to save the proud elect, and when he is already saved the Holy Spirit will cause him to humble and seek God. But the Scripture says,"...He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble" (Jam. 4:6) . How will the Calvinists harmonize their doctrines with the Bible since they ignore the many truths in the Scripture and violate its basic principles.

A man can be well pleased and happier to know that his wife made a personal choice of accepting him before entering such relationship. Now tell me frankly, would you be well pleased to have a relationship with a person who does not love you, and later, for the sake of such relationship choose to love you? Nobody would like to have a relationship with a person who is unwilling to make a decision of choice, but is like a robot, she will do as she was told. See Jn. 1:12. You will be well pleased to enter into a relationship with a person who made a decision to accept your love and choose to love you than with a person who will marry you out of his or her mind and willingness. In the same way, God will not enter into a relationship with the proud, unwilling, and unbelieving (Jn. 14:21,23; Jam. 4:6; John 3:16). Since election is according to God's pleasure, and He is pleased with faith (Heb. 11:6), therefore God elected those whom He foreknew would believe, under His grace, in His Son Jesus Christ. God can't be pleased of electing and saving the proud and unbelieving(Heb. 11:6; Ezek. 33:11).

Some Questions:

1. Were the elect already in Christ in eternity?

2. When did the elect obtain the new nature, in eternity or at the point of regeneration? If the elect obtained the new nature at the point of regeneration, whose children were they before regeneration, of God or of the Devil? Explain John 1:12; Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:26; II Cor. 5:17.

3. How could the elect be in Christ in eternity since they have not existed yet in eternity?

4.Were all elect justified already at the time of their physical birth? If not when will they be justified?

5. Is it God's pleasure that some people will reject the truth? Is it God's will of pleasure that some people will reject Christ and die in their sins? II Peter3:9; I Tim. 2:3-4; Ezek. 33:11.

6. Are disobedient people doing God's will for them? Matt. 7:21. If so, what is God's will for them? I Tim. 2:3-4; II Peter 3:9.

III. CONCERNING CONDITIONAL SALVATION.

The Hyper-Calvinists believe in unconditional election to unconditional salvation. By their calvinistic beliefs, they have ignored and violated too many passages in the Scripture. We have discussed previously, that election is conditional. This time I will show you that salvation is conditional. Below, are the many passages which the hyper-Calvinists ignored and violated:

1. Rom. 10:9 -- It says, "If thou shalt confess...and shalt believe ...thou shalt be saved."

2. Rom. 11:23 -- "If they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again."

3. Luke 13:3 -- "...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

4. John 8:24 -- "... If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

5. John 14:23 -- "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with Him." The point here is that when a person responds to God's love by accepting and loving him also, God indwells his life.

6. John 8:51 -- "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." The saying here refers to the Gospel and those who believe in Jesus receive eternal life (I Cor. 15;1-2; John 3:16;6:47).

7. John 6:53 -- "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." The eating and drinking is a figure of speech. It means coming and believing in order to obtain spiritual life (Jn. 6:35).

8. John 6:51 -- "...if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever..."

9. Rev. 3:20 -- "...If any man hear my voice and opens the door, I will come into him....." The Calvinists believe that Christ must come first into a man, then open the door.

10. Exo.19:5 -- "If ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people".

11. II Chron.7:14 -- The people here refers to Israelites, the people of the Nation chosen by God and not all of them are saved. God required repentance in order for them to be forgiven. God's forgiveness is conditioned on repentance because of the word "if".

12. John 1:12 -- This verse teaches conditional salvation. The adjective "conditional" in the dictionary means "provisional, contingent on, dependent on, subject to, etc." The promise to be God's children is dependent on the response of man to God's influence. One must receive first in order to be God's child.

13. Eph.2:8-9 -- "For by grace are ye saved through faith." The means of receiving salvation is faith. Faith precedes salvation but the Calvinists believe in having salvation first before faith.

14. Rom. 10:13 -- "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". The Calvinists believe they must be saved first before they can call upon the name of the Lord. Do they call on the Lord for salvation?

IV. EXPLANATION OF DISPUTED PASSAGES

John 1:13 -- The Calvinists believe that God saves a person apart from his willingness. But the Scripture does not teach such for before the Spirit will regenerate a person, God requires him to willingly receive Christ (Jn. 1:12). The work of regeneration belongs to God and the act or operations of regeneration is of the Holy Spirit, and man does not need to assist the Spirit in regenerating himself just like the patient need not help the doctor in performing the operation upon himself. But before the doctor will perform the operation, he will ask the consent of the patient. So, God requires a person to willingly receive Christ before the Spirit will regenerate him. The decision to receive Christ by faith is not classified as works in the Bible, thus, no work of man is contributed in God's provision for man's salvation.

John 6:44 -- Missionary Baptists do not believe that man can come to God apart from the influence of the Holy Spirit. Missionary Baptists believe that the depraved sinner, under the influence of the Spirit and the Gospel, has the ability to come to God and decide to repent of his sins and believe in Christ.

Ephesians 2:1 -- This verse does not teach unconditional election nor unconditional salvation. It only shows the fact that it is the Holy Spirit that regenerates the spiritually dead. But before the Spirit will regenerate a depraved sinner, he must meet the condition to believe the Gospel first (Eph. 1:13; Acts 10:43-44).

Rom. 9:16 -- It is true that man is unwilling to come to God apart from divine grace. If man can come willingly to God apart from God's grace and Christ's sacrificial death, salvation is still impossible according to I Cor. 15:3-4, 14-17. That's the point of this passage. But man under Divine influence can exercise willingness to trust Christ to be saved. To whom does God bestow greater grace? James 4:6 says, "God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble." No one can question God if He wants to bestow greater grace to save the humble.

John 6:37-39 -- The Calvinists believe that all elect were given to Christ by the Father in eternity. The questions they must answer are: Were all the elect already in Christ in eternity? Did all the elect already possess a new nature in eternity? Were all elect already justified, forgiven, and children of God in eternity? Actually, a person is given to Christ at the point he believes in Him. The word, "giveth" is in the present tense. If it was in eternity that they were given to Christ, the verb used should be in the past tense. Only those who believe will come to God according to Heb. 11:6. John 6:39 tells us that Christ secures the believers.

Matt. 1:21 -- Who are God's people? The Calvinists believe that the elect were God's people since eternity. The questions are, Were they already God's children in eternity? Did Paul made a mistake when he said that the believers in Ephesus were in time past by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3)? Did St. Peter made a mistake when he wrote to some believers and told them that in time past, they were not God's people (I Peter 2:10)? God shall truly save "HIS PEOPLE" from the power and presence of sin in Christ's second coming (II Cor. 1:10).

V. MISINTERPRETATION OF JOHN 3:16

The Calvinists have misinterpreted John 3:16 to suit their Calvinistic doctrine. According to them, the word "world" in John 3:16 refers only to the world of the elect. Let's see what will happen if the word "world" in John 3:16,19 refers only to the world of the elect:

"For God so loved the (elect), that he gave his only begotten Son (to the elect), that whosoever (of the elect) believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

If so, not all elect will believe in Him. This is inconsistent with the Biblical teaching. Let us see further, if we substitute "elect" in verse 19:

"And this is the condemnation that light is come into the (world of the elect), and the (elected men) loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil."

If such interpretation were true, then the elect loved darkness rather than light. This is inconsistent. The adverb RATHER in the dictionary means comparatively, somewhat (smallness); first, sooner, preferably (CHOICE). Now, the point here is that the men in John 3:19 had the opportunity of receiving the light, but they preferred to choose darkness instead of light. A person cannot make a choice between light and darkness, if he is already in darkness and light is not offered to him. John 1:5 says, "The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." If the light shines only to the elect, then only the elect are in darkness. But the Light shines to all men so the light offers salvation to all men. John 1:7 says, "The same came for a witness to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." Jesus Christ, the true Light that brings salvation is being offered to all men as the Scripture says, "That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9). If Jesus Christ who is the true Light is being offered to all men, then salvation is offered to all; and if salvation is offered to all, then Christ died for all, for how can God sincerely offer salvation to all men if Christ did not die for all. Therefore, the world mentioned in John 3:16-19 refers to all men in the world and not to the elect only.

Some Questions concerning atonement:

1. Can a person reject something that which is not offered to him?

2. If Christ was not offered as Savior to some people, how come they were able to reject Christ? John 12:47-48.

3. Did Christ sincerely offer eternal life to the Jews who rejected Him? John 5:39-40. How can He offer salvation if they were not included in His atonement?

4. Did Christ sincerely want the people in Chorazin and Bethsaida to repent or He
was just joking? Matt. 11:20-24. Why would He want them to repent if He thinks they cannot repent? Why would He want them to repent if He is not offering salvation to them? II Cor. 7:9-10.

5. Does God want some people to reject Christ? Why won't He cause all to believe in Christ? Is God pleased if others remain to be unbelievers? Ezek. 33:11