I see the doctrine of election as one that requires a number of footnotes. By this I mean that there are things we need to keep in mind when we say that the salvation is the result of God’s sovereign choice. As a result I have listed the following four clarifications below.
Firstly, God desires all people to be saved. The Lord . . . is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). [God] who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Say to them, ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live’ (Ezekiel 33:11). When we walk down the street we are looking at people that God genuinely wants to rescue.
Secondly, God offers salvation to people. J.I. Packer writes, ‘The belief that God is sovereign in grace does not affect the genuiness of the gospel invitations, or the truth of the gospel promises. Whatever we may believe about election . . . the fact remains that God in the gospel really does offer Christ and promise justification and life to “whosoever will” . . . As God invites all men everywhere to repent, so God invites all men everywhere to come to Christ and find mercy.’ Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).
Thirdly, people universally reject God and his invitation of salvation. This is because the sinful mind is hostile to God (Romans 8:7). Unless God does a transforming work in our hearts we will never turn to him for forgiveness. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).
Fourthly, people are accountable for their rejection of God and his gospel. Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper puts it ‘we are lost, not because we could not be saved, but because we would not.’ Similarly J.I. Packer writes, ‘None are shut out from mercy save those who shut themselves out through impenitence and unbelief.’ They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved (2 Thess. 2:10). “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (Matthew 23:37).
It is with these four clarifications in mind that I state my belief that Romans 9 teaches that God chooses whom he will save. He graciously saves many people who have done nothing to deserve his favour. We are not told why he chooses some and not others—but it is certainly not to do with any merit on their part. Of course the hard part of this teaching is that he does not choose to save all people.
It appears that God will display his glory in showing undeserved mercy to some and deserved judgement to others. While this is an uncomfortable fact one day we will see that in doing this he does what is perfectly good. On that day we will know that the judge of all the earth has done what is right (see Gen. 18:25).
Commenting on Romans 9 John Stott writes, ‘If therefore anybody is lost the blame is theirs, but if anybody is saved, the credit is God’s. The antinomy contains a mystery which our present knowledge cannot solve; but it is consistent with Scripture, history and experience.’ Peter Lewis says the same thing, ‘If a man is saved it is because he has been elected in the love of God to his salvation and if a man is lost it is not because God has predestined him to be lost, but because he has rejected the offered love and salvation of God in Jesus Christ. God is the cause of faith; man is the cause of unbelief.’
Obviously my position on this issue is at odds with the traditional understanding of the Methodist church. With this in mind I wrote to the Secretary of Conference before being ordained in 2003. I met with him and the chairperson of the board of examiners. I hope that I was clear in outlining my position. They seemed happy that I could declare that I believed and preached the doctrines of our church.
Indeed an interesting development has taken place in the last number of years that has a bearing on what is acceptable belief within our denomination. We have signed a covenant with the Church of Ireland. The only issue that appears to remain a stumbling block between the two denominations is the role of bishops in the ordination of ministers. This then implies that an Anglican position on theological issues is acceptable to the Methodist Church in Ireland. The position I hold with regards to election is entirely in line with article 17 of the Anglican Church’s 39 articles.
Firstly, God desires all people to be saved. The Lord . . . is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). [God] who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Say to them, ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live’ (Ezekiel 33:11). When we walk down the street we are looking at people that God genuinely wants to rescue.
Secondly, God offers salvation to people. J.I. Packer writes, ‘The belief that God is sovereign in grace does not affect the genuiness of the gospel invitations, or the truth of the gospel promises. Whatever we may believe about election . . . the fact remains that God in the gospel really does offer Christ and promise justification and life to “whosoever will” . . . As God invites all men everywhere to repent, so God invites all men everywhere to come to Christ and find mercy.’ Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).
Thirdly, people universally reject God and his invitation of salvation. This is because the sinful mind is hostile to God (Romans 8:7). Unless God does a transforming work in our hearts we will never turn to him for forgiveness. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).
Fourthly, people are accountable for their rejection of God and his gospel. Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper puts it ‘we are lost, not because we could not be saved, but because we would not.’ Similarly J.I. Packer writes, ‘None are shut out from mercy save those who shut themselves out through impenitence and unbelief.’ They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved (2 Thess. 2:10). “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (Matthew 23:37).
It is with these four clarifications in mind that I state my belief that Romans 9 teaches that God chooses whom he will save. He graciously saves many people who have done nothing to deserve his favour. We are not told why he chooses some and not others—but it is certainly not to do with any merit on their part. Of course the hard part of this teaching is that he does not choose to save all people.
It appears that God will display his glory in showing undeserved mercy to some and deserved judgement to others. While this is an uncomfortable fact one day we will see that in doing this he does what is perfectly good. On that day we will know that the judge of all the earth has done what is right (see Gen. 18:25).
Commenting on Romans 9 John Stott writes, ‘If therefore anybody is lost the blame is theirs, but if anybody is saved, the credit is God’s. The antinomy contains a mystery which our present knowledge cannot solve; but it is consistent with Scripture, history and experience.’ Peter Lewis says the same thing, ‘If a man is saved it is because he has been elected in the love of God to his salvation and if a man is lost it is not because God has predestined him to be lost, but because he has rejected the offered love and salvation of God in Jesus Christ. God is the cause of faith; man is the cause of unbelief.’
Obviously my position on this issue is at odds with the traditional understanding of the Methodist church. With this in mind I wrote to the Secretary of Conference before being ordained in 2003. I met with him and the chairperson of the board of examiners. I hope that I was clear in outlining my position. They seemed happy that I could declare that I believed and preached the doctrines of our church.
Indeed an interesting development has taken place in the last number of years that has a bearing on what is acceptable belief within our denomination. We have signed a covenant with the Church of Ireland. The only issue that appears to remain a stumbling block between the two denominations is the role of bishops in the ordination of ministers. This then implies that an Anglican position on theological issues is acceptable to the Methodist Church in Ireland. The position I hold with regards to election is entirely in line with article 17 of the Anglican Church’s 39 articles.
No comments:
Post a Comment