Part Eight "During the period before an elect person gets saved, how are they condemned already (for not believing) when their unbelief (which is a sin) has already been paid for by Christ on the cross?" My Response: As I have previously noted, God's wrath abides on all the children of disobedience, to which group we once belonged, (Eph. 2:2-3). This doctrinal truth opposes Arminianism which teaches God's love abides on all people, including children, when they cite John 3:16 and 1John 4:8, 4:16. John 3:18 is further proof that God's wrath abides on all unbelievers, worldwide. Condemnation speaks to God's will of justice and punishment for ill doing. It does not speak to God's will of mercy and love. John 3:36 speaks to the sin of unbelief which is deserving of just punishment by the Judge of all creation. The Judge has already declared mankind's guilt without a jury trial in which witnesses and evidence is brought forth in an effort to either acquit or condemn the accused. Man stands condemned before God. Without the gifts of saving grace, regeneration, repentance and faith it is impossible for one person to truly believe on Christ. Christ explains this truth in verses 19-20. Men love darkness and hate the light. Christ' kingdom is light. Satan's kingdom is darkness. John 3:36 reiterates the truth of Ephesians 2 --- the wrath of God abides on all unbelievers. No love for them is described here. These verses teach the universal depravity of man and God's righteous anger, judgment and condemnation against all. However, these verses do not teach all doctrines. They do not teach the doctrine of Election, for example, whereby in God's mercy and compassion He has chosen to save some men from eternal punishment through Christ's substitutionary atonement. Christ and Christ alone removes God's wrath and condemnation when the Elect person believes unto justification. Until that person believes, he is under the wrath of God, having no peace. This great truth I can attest to personally, as I was driven to utter hopelessness and desperation before the love of God in Christ lifted my enormous sin burden. Although the Elect sinner is under the temporary wrath of God, he will never come under the eternal wrath of God. Even as a believer, the Elect child of God can and will sin. In this case, he will be severely chastised, according to the degree of his sin, by a loving Heavenly Father who leads him back home into fellowship with Him through the narrow gate. "If repentance is a gift only given to the elect, what did Jesus mean when He said that some of the people in hell would have repented if they had had the same opportunity as the people to whom He preached?" My Response: Admittedly, this is a hard saying because it teaches that God could have saved more of mankind had He so desired. But the truth is, He did not so desire. Since salvation is of the Lord, He can save as many as He wishes, be they great in number or few. The Bible teaches a remnant in each generation will be saved according to the Father's good pleasure. However, when this remnant is added to generation after generation, we find that the number is greater than any man can count, (Rev. 7:4: a remnant few in number; Rev. 7:9: an aggregate described as innumerable). Another equaling hard saying is, woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man had he not been born. There is no disagreement between Arminians and Calvinists regarding the sovereignty of God in determining who shall be born of the flesh, as well as when and where. Had the Lord not wished for Judas Iscariot to be born in the first place, thus avoiding the betrayal of Jesus, as well as avoiding the ensuing eternal punishment it caused, he would not have been born. But the Lord did wish the birth of Judas for this very purpose, for which Judas will be severely judged. Again, we have the example of Pharaoh who was ultimately born to be destroyed in the Red Sea. My wife frequently asks the excellent question, Why does the Lord wish to bring the reprobate into the world? Would it not be more expedient that they not be born in the first place? Of course, from our sinful, limited understanding and perspective we have no right to bring the Lord down to our unholy bar of justice, judging His ways according to our feeble standards. Certainly those of us born in Western Civilization understand the advantages we have over those born in less than ideal circumstances, i.e., the Australian outback, the North Pole, African bush country, etc., etc. Though our advantages far outweigh those of the less fortunate, they are still held accountable and guilty before God, (Romans 1 & 2). The hard fact remains that those who have been given more will be held more accountable before the Lord, their judgment being far more severe. "Why does the Spirit of God strive and convict some sinners who later prove, by dying and going to hell, that they were non-elect? What is the purpose of such movings of the Spirit?" My Response: Jesus states clearly that the Holy Spirit has several offices. To the Elect, He is the Comforter and Teacher. It is His task to convict the Elect of their sin, bringing about their repentance, as a gift of grace purchased by Christ, (see John 16:7-11). The non-elect are convicted of their sin, but not to a repentance unto life. They have no cloak for their sin. The Holy Spirit efficaciously teaches the Elect of Christ, their righteousness, His righteousness imputed to them upon their faith in Him as Savior. Though the non-elect have the Gospel of Christ preached to them, without the irresistible grace of God to convict and teach them, they remain dead in their sins. Another divine act of the Spirit is to convict the Elect of the truth concerning eternal judgment. This is one very strong motivating factor in moving the Elect to witness to family and friends. If there was no judgment, why worry? Why evangelize? The non-elect do not believe in eternal judgment, not having been regenerated by the Spirit that they might believe the truth. The false Christians do not believe they are doomed as tares sown among the wheat, unless the Spirit enlightens them by an act of saving grace. In this case, they leave their wicked doctrines and life, fleeing to the true Christ for safety. The Apostle Paul is one dramatic example of the conversion of a Christ killer to that of a Christ lover. "If the following is true: Jimmy is deliberately foreordained to commit sin; is hated by God before He is born; is predestined to go to hell before he is born; cannot repent because God deliberately refuses to give him the gift of repentance; cannot believe because God deliberately refuses to give him the gift of faith; was not, is not and never will be loved by God in the slightest degree; was deliberately excluded from the group of people Jesus died for on the cross so that salvation was intentionally and for ever put completely out of his reach; then how is it Jimmy’s fault that he will end up burning forever in the lake of fire?" My Response: Your non-biblical example has several foundational errors. (1) God is not a tempter of persons. With Him there is no variableness, no shadow of turning, (James 1:13, 17). Jimmy was drawn away of his own lust, and enticed, (James 1:14). Did God prevent Jimmy from sinning? No. Is God under obligation to prevent Jimmy? No. God did not take an innocent Jimmy, who loved Him, and then tempted him to sin so that he can burn him alive, forever. There is no blood lust in God, as there is in Satan. (2) God does not refuse a contrite and humble heart, which Jimmy naturally lacks due to original sin. God is under no duty or obligation to give saving grace, as well as the gifts necessary unto eternal life, to anyone. The Lord is free in giving or withholding them. In neither is He an evildoer. Will not the Lord of all the earth do right? (3) God has declared that He wills to declare His glory in its several manifestations. To the Elect is declared the glory of His mercy, compassion and love in Christ. To the Reprobate outside of Christ is declared the terrible, fearsome righteous justice and eternal wrath of God. The Lord is not evil in so doing. (4) Jimmy will be judged according to the scope of those sins he willfully committed, though his conscience, human witnesses and the Holy Spirit declared his words, thoughts and deeds were evil. On the Day of Judgment, Jimmy will be lacking a viable excuse once all the damning evidence is presented. Until the Day of Judgment
actually takes place, the Elect will not be able to truly understand
the justice of God. True, in some small respect, we can see evidence or
it in events which occur worldwide; i.e., 9/11 displayed God's
displeasure with |