Doctrine of Predestination

[ITS]

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

[kmiller]

Edwards clearly thought that the purpose of man was to be found in the emanation of God?s glory in life and conduct. From his observation of Scripture, Edwards concluded that the way a person glorified God was in ?the creature?s knowing, esteeming, loving, rejoicing in, and praising God, the glory of God is both exhibited and acknowledged; his fullness is received and returned. Here is both an emanation and remanation. The refulgence shines upon and into the creature, and is reflected back to the luminary. The beams of glory come from God, are something of God, and are refunded back again to their original. So that the whole is of God, and in God, and to God; and he is the beginning, and the middle, and the end.?
Edwards understood all too well that because of Adam?s rebellion, it is impossible for man to function according to the purpose for which he was created. Man?s condition is deplorable because of sin and its nature for which all of man is guilty, as Edwards states in Charity and its Fruits,
The ruin that the fall brought upon the soul of man consist very much in his losing the nobler and more benevolent principles of his nature, and falling wholly under the power and government of self-love? Sin like some powerful astringent, contracted his soul to the very small dimensions of selfishness; and God was forsaken, and fellow creatures forsaken, and man retired within himself, and became totally governed by narrow and selfish principles and feelings. Self-love became absolute master of his soul, and the more noble and spiritual principles of his being tool wings and flew away.
Sin is evil and that, ?If God should open the window in the heart so that we might look into it, it would be the most loathsome spectacle that ever was set before our eyes.? Edwards? understanding of the condition of man?s heart was that it is beyond repair. Man?s sinful condition and the way it is manifested is only a symptom of a larger problem in Edwards? mind, notice the great care Edwards takes in crafting the following statement, "The hearts of natural men are exceedingly full of sin. If they had but one sin in their hearts, it would be sufficient to render their condition very dreadful. But they have not only one sin, but all manner of sin. There is every kind of lust. The heart is a mere sink of sin, a fountain of corruption whence issue all manner of filthy streams?. Men have not only every kind of lust, and wicked and perverse dispositions in their hearts, but they have them to a dreadful degree. There is not only pride, but an amazing degree of it?pride whereby a man is disposed to set himself even above the throne of God itself."
In Edward? final work, Original Sin, he goes through great length to help the reader understand that man is incapable of doing any good. Not only has man?s sin rendered him impotent to glorify God in life and conduct, but he has no desire to do so. There is no ability in man to do any good whatsoever according to Edwards,
But if any should still insist on a notion of men?s good deed exceeding their bad ones, and that, seeing the good more than countervails the evil, they cannot be properly denominated evil; all persons and things being most properly denominated from that which prevails and has the ascendant in them; I would say further, that if there is in man?s nature a tendency to guilt and ill desert, in a vast overbalance to virtue and merit; or a propensity to sin, the demerit of which is so great, that the value and merit of all the virtuous acts that ever he performs, are as nothing to it; then truly the nature of man may be said to be corrupt and evil.
But what is it exactly that renders man in such a dreadful condition? On this point, Edwards? position is an interesting one. Man was created with a disposition towards righteousness and that disposition towards righteousness was resultant to man being created in the image of God. But in Edwards? mind, man?s being created in the image of God is twofold, for when God created man in His image man was created both naturally in the image of God and morally in the image of God.
Resultant of the fall, man retained the natural image of God as it pertains to intellect, emotion, and will, but the moral image of God was completely destroyed, or as Edwards wrote it, ?There in not one lust in the heart of the devil that is not in the heart of man. Natural men are in the image of the devil. The image of God is razed out and the image of the devil is stamped upon them.? Because the moral image of God was destroyed in Adam when he sinned, so too the moral image of God in Adam?s posterity. Therefore it is utterly impossible for man to do any moral good, for ?all mankind are under the influence of a prevailing effectual tendency in their nature, to that sin and wickedness, which implies their utter and eternal ruin.?
Certainly, all of Edwards? works are not outweighed by his writings on hell, in fact, his writings and sermons on hell are just a small portion of the many themes encompassed in his works. But one thing is sure, Edwards was very clear about the condition, nature, and eternal prospect of the reprobate. Before Edwards doctrine of justification is observed, it is profitable to note one more excerpt from his sermon, Natural Men in a Dreadful Condition,
The hearts of natural men are dreadfully hard and incorrigible. There is nothing but the mighty power of God that will move them. They will cleave to sin, and go on in sin, let what will be done with them. Pro. 27:22, ?Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.? There is nothing that will awe our hearts; and there is nothing that will draw them to obedience: let there be mercies or afflictions, threatenings or gracious calls and invitations, frowning, or patience and long-suffering, or fatherly counsels and exhortations. Isa. 26:10, ?Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.?

What is Edwards? response to the fact that natural men are in dreadful condition?
Christ will not refuse to save the gravest sinners, who in a right manner come to God for mercy; for this is his work. It is his business to be a Savior of sinners; it is the work upon which he came into the world; and therefore he will not object to it. He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, Matt. ix. 13. Sin is the very evil which he came into the world to remedy: therefore he will not object to any man, that he is very sinful. The more sinful he is, the more need of Christ.?The sinfulness of man was the reason of Christ?s coming into the world; this is the very misery from which he came to deliver men.
The means to have the above is faith in Jesus Christ. For Edwards, faith is that which causes the soul of man to be united to Christ. Faith begins in the understanding of biblical truth, truth that is present in the individual before it is illuminated through the power of the Holy Spirit and is immediately received at the moment true faith is exercised. For Edwards, faith was not something that the reprobate could just exercise, for the moral condition of man will not allow man to see his real need to be justified by God. In his sermon, A Divine and Supernatural Light, Immediately Imparted to the Soul by the Spirit of God, Shown to be Both a Scriptural and Rational Doctrine,
This light is such as effectually influences the inclination, and changes the nature of the soul. It assimilates our nature to the divine nature, and changes the soul into an image of the same glory that is beheld?. This knowledge will wean from the world, and raise the inclination to heavenly things. It will turn the heart to God as the fountain of good, and to choose him for the only portion. This light, and this only, will bring the soul to a saving close with Christ. It conforms the heart to the gospel, mortifies its enmity and opposition against the scheme of salvation therein revealed. It causes the heart to embrace the joyful tidings, and entirely to adhere to, and acquiesce in the revelation of Christ as our Savior. It causes the whole soul to accord and symphonize with it, admitting it with entire credit and respect, cleaving to it with full inclination and affection, and it effectually disposes the soul to give up itself entirely to Christ.
It is, in Edwards? view, that God is the only being who can open the mind of man to see his need for salvation. God takes the truth that is in the mind of the reprobate (intellect), acquiesces the soul to what he understands (emotion), and brings the reprobate from his sins to Christ in repentance (will). God has done the above in every Christian; it is the Christian who is passive, and it is God who is aggressive in redemption, for ?God, in mercy to miserable man, entered on the work of redemption, and, by the glorious gospel of his Son, began the work of bringing the soul of man out of his confinement and contractedness, and back again to those noble and divine principles by which it was animated and governed at first? it is through the cross of Christ that he is doing this.?

[brshaw]

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

Edwards believed that God?s sovereignty is what should encourage evangelism, not discourage it. Knowing that God has elected to save some, the evangelist does not have to worry that his work is in vain. Without God?s promise of predestination, no one would be able to respond, according to Edwards. ?Whosoever believes? is a condition of salvation, but not a causal condition. In the same way, faith and good works are conditions of justification, but they are not causal conditions. The bottom line is that God?s election of the saints should not discourage God?s people from proclaiming his gospel, but should make them more bold and more sure of the result.

[CThornton]

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

Carl Thornton, Jr.
130 West Lynne Drive
Martinez, Ga. 30907
Student ID #352
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards


Interactive Assignment – Posting

Many think that a strong view of God’s sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the gospel’s invitation to “whosoever believes.”

Regarding the issue as to who is invited to be saved, one of the clearest and most emphatic verses occurs in John 3.16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. (KJV) This verse is abundantly clear in making the invitation a universal one: one that is extended to all people. Whosoever. No mention is made of race, nationality, gender, age…It mentions “whosoever.”

The invitation is to “whosoever” but the promise is to all who believe as did righteous Abraham. Romans 4.11 says that Abraham “…received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them…” (NAS) We see that as the importance of believing was stressed by John it is now stressed by Paul. Verse 13 tells us that the promise of being declared righteous is obtained by faith.

We know from Ephesians 1.4 that God determined before the foundation of the world who would be in Christ. Romans 8.29 lets us know that the all-knowing God did not make this decision whimsically but, rather, based on His eternal knowledge of who would accept His invitation to be saved He predetermined/predestinated some for election.

It should be understood that although God already knew who would accept and who would reject His invitation, He still desires that all would be saved (2Pe. 3.9) and, therefore, extends His invitation to the world for whom He sent His only-begotten Son.

[CThornton]

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

Edwards believed that God?s sovereignty is what should encourage evangelism, not discourage it. Knowing that God has elected to save some, the evangelist does not have to worry that his work is in vain. Without God?s promise of predestination, no one would be able to respond, according to Edwards. ?Whosoever believes? is a condition of salvation, but not a causal condition. In the same way, faith and good works are conditions of justification, but they are not causal conditions. The bottom line is that God?s election of the saints should not discourage God?s people from proclaiming his gospel, but should make them more bold and more sure of the result.
Carl Thornton, Jr.
130 West Lynne Drive
Martinez, Ga. 30907
Student ID #352
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards


Interactive Assignment – Response

One of the points made is that the saints should not be discouraged from reaching out to people for the purpose of bringing more people into the kingdom, but, rather, we should be encouraged knowing in advance that many will accept the invitation. I think this is a means of encouragement. I don’t quite agree with Edwards’ assertion that no one would be able to respond to God’s invitation were there no promise of predestination. We are able to be saved largely as a result of the Father drawing us to Himself. He could draw us to Himself even if He had not given a promise regarding predestination. The promise that whoever will believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and will confess the lordship of Jesus will be saved (Ro.10.9, 10) is a powerful promise that encourages mightily but it doesn’t really address the concept of predestination since the latter addresses the fact that God made the determination before the world was formed. It’s good to know God made the determination before the world was formed but I believe God would have many people accept His invitation by drawing us to Himself and letting us know what He tells us in Romans 10.9,10 about believing and confessing. My disagreement, again, is with Edwards’ assertion concerning man’s ability to respond if there was no promise of predestination. I do still agree with the respondent that awareness of predestination can be encouraging to anyone interested in reaching out to people.

[clrhymes]

Clifford L. Rhymes
College Park, GA. 30349
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards

Interactive Assignment - Posting

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

A strong view of God’s Sovereignty impedes evangelism because the gospel call is to all, and, according to Edwards, God already pre-selected those who would hear and have the means of grace to be saved, and is just in doing so.

However, Jonathan Edwards’ success is that he harmonized, to a certain extent, the Divine decrees and the responsibility of man to act. He taught that the fixity of Divine Decrees in no way altered the responsibility of man. He pressed his hearers for decision and warned them against procrastination. He insisted that once God has spoken it behooved men to listen. He stressed the actuality of the Divine decrees and the responsibility of man to act.

[clrhymes]

Clifford L. Rhymes
College Park, MD. 30349
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards

Interactive Assignment - Response

I am in agreement again with Carl Thornton when he says the INVITATION is to all but the PROMISES are to those who believe [Elect].

I admit that if I believed in the Sovereignty of God to the eradication of human responsibility I would not be motivated to evangelize. Conversely, if I believed that salvation were totally contingent upon man, I also would not evangelize much.

It takes a strong belief that God is with you, that you are doing his will, that you are in his will, and that nothing can stop his will from being done. We must belive that everything passes through his hands, even and including a human beings choice to believe.

[jcislove]

The whole matter comes down to the particular realtion of men to God. Edwards thoroughly defends the absolute sovereignty of God in his treatise on "The Freedom of the Will". His conclusion is "for if men are made true saints, no otherwise than as God makes them so... (P.88).

Christ died for the elect, he maintains. The elcet are chosen by God apart from the will of man. Arminians suppose that this type of mentality would result in man as a "mere machine". edwards negates this by appealing to the reason and undrstanding of mankind. Man's will is guided by his understanding, with his thoughts being subject to his will.

Thus the former traits are at work within the will of man.

However God sees what is best and knows the heart of all men. If we agree to this, then it is reasonable that God knows "whosoever" will serve Him according to those faculties. Therefore, He has elected those particular individulas who would make use of those faculties in a manner directing them to God.

[jcislove]

Clifford L. Rhymes
College Park, GA. 30349
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards

Interactive Assignment - Posting

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

A strong view of God’s Sovereignty impedes evangelism because the gospel call is to all, and, according to Edwards, God already pre-selected those who would hear and have the means of grace to be saved, and is just in doing so.

However, Jonathan Edwards’ success is that he harmonized, to a certain extent, the Divine decrees and the responsibility of man to act. He taught that the fixity of Divine Decrees in no way altered the responsibility of man. He pressed his hearers for decision and warned them against procrastination. He insisted that once God has spoken it behooved men to listen. He stressed the actuality of the Divine decrees and the responsibility of man to act.

Rob Lopez
Alliance Theological Seminary

I see the reasonableness of your thinking, and I quite agree. Edwards was a bulldog in the pulpit, demanding that his hears submit themselves to the will of God. I liek how you said that he "pressed" his hearers, and I wonder how many pastors today "press" thier hearers with the heart of the gospel. I also see the truth that you stated about Edwards beliefs on the sovereignty of God in regards to predestination. Despite the culture that yess against this doctrine, it is most reasonable that God selects certain men for salvation. We who are elect must be grateful beyond words that we have been chosen for salvation.

I am not sure where you were going with the once God has spoken. God speaks through his word and those who exegete it. Yes, men must listen to what God says through His word, but the idea of God speaking must be accompanied through a confirmation of the Biblical testimony.

Thanks for your insights!

[Aaron Choi]

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

Edwards did not expound the sovereignty of God at the expense of practical exhortation to evangelism. He believed wholeheartedly in the idea of God's sovereignty and human responsibility, affirming both. Gerstner mentions that some had accused Edwards of forsaking Calvinism because of the urgency with which he exhorted people to evangelize. Just because one believes the divine decrees of God, there is absolutely no reason to rule out that one should evangelize. History has confirmed this as most Calvinist preachers have tended to be passionate evangelists. Edwards preached the necessity of human responsibility while simultaneously maintaining that the doctrine of predestination is biblical. In other words, they are not mutually exclusive. It is clear that God has not only ordained the ends, but He has also ordained the means. If God has chosen some to be saved, as the doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty asserts, it would follow then that God has also decreed the means in order to secure that the ends would be surely met. Therefore, God has sovereignly chosen some for salvation and he has also chosen the means of evangelism to ensure that their coming to faith in Christ would come to pass.

[Aaron Choi]

Edwards believed that God?s sovereignty is what should encourage evangelism, not discourage it. Knowing that God has elected to save some, the evangelist does not have to worry that his work is in vain. Without God?s promise of predestination, no one would be able to respond, according to Edwards. ?Whosoever believes? is a condition of salvation, but not a causal condition. In the same way, faith and good works are conditions of justification, but they are not causal conditions. The bottom line is that God?s election of the saints should not discourage God?s people from proclaiming his gospel, but should make them more bold and more sure of the result.

Brshaw: Your comments accurately and faithfully convey what Edwards would have preached with respect to the relationship of divine sovereignty and human responsibility in evangelism. I think it would be helpful however for you to elaborate on your comments regarding conditions and causal conditions. A detailed explanation would avoid any misinterpretation of comments. For example, how are faith and good works “conditions” but not “causal conditions” to justification? Is not justification BY faith? I do agree with your “bottom line”, however. It is practical and encouraging to think that God prods believers along in their obeying the call to evangelize by reminding them of the sure result of the salvation of sinners that will come in the accurate preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[Aaron Choi]

Carl Thornton, Jr.
130 West Lynne Drive
Martinez, Ga. 30907
Student ID #352
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards


Interactive Assignment – Posting

Many think that a strong view of God’s sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the gospel’s invitation to “whosoever believes.”

Regarding the issue as to who is invited to be saved, one of the clearest and most emphatic verses occurs in John 3.16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. (KJV) This verse is abundantly clear in making the invitation a universal one: one that is extended to all people. Whosoever. No mention is made of race, nationality, gender, age…It mentions “whosoever.”

The invitation is to “whosoever” but the promise is to all who believe as did righteous Abraham. Romans 4.11 says that Abraham “…received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them…” (NAS) We see that as the importance of believing was stressed by John it is now stressed by Paul. Verse 13 tells us that the promise of being declared righteous is obtained by faith.

We know from Ephesians 1.4 that God determined before the foundation of the world who would be in Christ. Romans 8.29 lets us know that the all-knowing God did not make this decision whimsically but, rather, based on His eternal knowledge of who would accept His invitation to be saved He predetermined/predestinated some for election.

It should be understood that although God already knew who would accept and who would reject His invitation, He still desires that all would be saved (2Pe. 3.9) and, therefore, extends His invitation to the world for whom He sent His only-begotten Son.

Carl: Thank you for your answer to the original question. I wholeheartedly concur with your reference to Ephesians 1:4 and its clear teaching about predestination and divine election. I also agree with your assessment of Romans 8:29 and that it no way to speaks to a capricious nature in God to choose some and pass over others. Rather, this decision to save some and judge others is wholly grounded in the holy wisdom of God and is not subject to human scrutiny, which would want to make election and preterition comprehensible. Paul himself makes no attempt to do so in other parts of his letter to the Romans. I would challenge you on your last point, however. 2 Peter 3:9 may indeed state that it is the will of God that he would desire for all to be saved and to come to knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ. However, this does not necessitate that he would extend his invitation to the entire world. Edwards as a thorough-going Calvinist would believed in Limited Atonement and particular redemption. How would he respond to your comments? Also, I believe that your interpretation of John 3:16 could undergo the same criticism. “Whosoever” may cut through national, ethnic, and gender lines, but does it mean that the invitation to accept Christ is a “universal one” in the sense that Christ died for all? I believe that Edwards himself would assert that though Christ came to save the elect (as opposed to the “whole world”) and that divine election is the precursor to this coming and redeeming act of Christ. Divine election however, should not as you say, impede evangelism. But not because the call is a “universal” one. Rather, it is because human wisdom is unable to comprehend who and who has not been elected. Furthermore, God has dictated the means of evangelism to secure his divine choosing of some to salvation. This is why the human responsibility to evangelism is not refuted by the belief that God has predestined the elect for salvation.

[Aaron Choi]

Edwards clearly thought that the purpose of man was to be found in the emanation of God?s glory in life and conduct. From his observation of Scripture, Edwards concluded that the way a person glorified God was in ?the creature?s knowing, esteeming, loving, rejoicing in, and praising God, the glory of God is both exhibited and acknowledged; his fullness is received and returned. Here is both an emanation and remanation. The refulgence shines upon and into the creature, and is reflected back to the luminary...

Kmiller: Although I am not entirely certain you have answered the original question, you are correct in your detailing of the Edwardian view of man’s sinfulness absolutely impairing him from coming to know Christ on the basis of “free will”. Edwards believed what the Bible states about the necessity of divine illumination in the coming of sinners to salvation. Although the reasoning faculty of men remains in spite of sin, it cannot exclusively come to faith in Christ. God must bring about special revelation, or what Edwards terms as a “supernatural light”, to bring about life in a spiritually dead soul.

[Aaron Choi]

Carl Thornton, Jr.
130 West Lynne Drive
Martinez, Ga. 30907
Student ID #352
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards


Interactive Assignment – Response

One of the points made is that the saints should not be discouraged from reaching out to people for the purpose of bringing more people into the kingdom, but, rather, we should be encouraged knowing in advance that many will accept the invitation. I think this is a means of encouragement. I don’t quite agree with Edwards’ assertion that no one would be able to respond to God’s invitation were there no promise of predestination. We are able to be saved largely as a result of the Father drawing us to Himself. He could draw us to Himself even if He had not given a promise regarding predestination. The promise that whoever will believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and will confess the lordship of Jesus will be saved (Ro.10.9, 10) is a powerful promise that encourages mightily but it doesn’t really address the concept of predestination since the latter addresses the fact that God made the determination before the world was formed. It’s good to know God made the determination before the world was formed but I believe God would have many people accept His invitation by drawing us to Himself and letting us know what He tells us in Romans 10.9,10 about believing and confessing. My disagreement, again, is with Edwards’ assertion concerning man’s ability to respond if there was no promise of predestination. I do still agree with the respondent that awareness of predestination can be encouraging to anyone interested in reaching out to people.

Re: Carl’s response to brshaw. I respectfully disagree that human salvation could be secured on some other grounds other than the predestining election of God. If God draws those that he saves to himself, what do we call this other than predestination? This drawing would not have taken place without the promise to predestine because the divine decrees have been decided in eternity past and have been applied in the time/space dimension of human history. Therefore, God would not be acting on the basis of his divine decree to save some some and leave others as reprobates. Rather, this drawing to himself some could be deemed as a whimsical and arbitrary act on the part of God.

[Aaron Choi]

Clifford L. Rhymes
College Park, GA. 30349
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards

Interactive Assignment - Posting

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

A strong view of God’s Sovereignty impedes evangelism because the gospel call is to all, and, according to Edwards, God already pre-selected those who would hear and have the means of grace to be saved, and is just in doing so.

However, Jonathan Edwards’ success is that he harmonized, to a certain extent, the Divine decrees and the responsibility of man to act. He taught that the fixity of Divine Decrees in no way altered the responsibility of man. He pressed his hearers for decision and warned them against procrastination. He insisted that once God has spoken it behooved men to listen. He stressed the actuality of the Divine decrees and the responsibility of man to act.

Clifford: I completely disagree with your statement that God’s sovereignty impedes evangelism. You have not done enough to elaborate your point and to back up your assertion. How do you respond to biblical texts that point to the doctrine of predestination? How should we understand soteriology from the aspect of God’s foreknowledge and omniscience? How would you respond to what was stated earlier that the doctrine of predestination actually encourages evangelism because the preacher of Good News is assured that there are some that God has indeed chosen before the creation of the world for the purpose of glorifying himself? You have not addressed any of these issues in your response to the original question.

[Aaron Choi]

Clifford L. Rhymes
College Park, MD. 30349
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards

Interactive Assignment - Response

I am in agreement again with Carl Thornton when he says the INVITATION is to all but the PROMISES are to those who believe [Elect].

I admit that if I believed in the Sovereignty of God to the eradication of human responsibility I would not be motivated to evangelize. Conversely, if I believed that salvation were totally contingent upon man, I also would not evangelize much.

It takes a strong belief that God is with you, that you are doing his will, that you are in his will, and that nothing can stop his will from being done. We must belive that everything passes through his hands, even and including a human beings choice to believe.

Re: Clifford’s response to Carl. I don’t understand this sentence in your response: “Conversely, if I believed that salvation were totally contingent upon man, I also would not evangelize much.” This is the opposite of most who do hold to this belief. I would contend that you ought to evangelize with terrifying urgency if you believe that salvation is completely and wholly based on your effort rather than the divine sovereignty of God in election. If I believed this, then I would be beating myself over the head if I felt that anytime I shared the gospel, it was not presented clearly enough. Also, I would be repenting and mourning in despair to see that my preaching did not secure a saving decision on the part of those that I preached to. The belief in predestination encourages preachers of the good news that the Great Commission is a command directed to all believers of Christ, but that the act of saving and regeneration belong to God alone.

[Aaron Choi]

The whole matter comes down to the particular realtion of men to God. Edwards thoroughly defends the absolute sovereignty of God in his treatise on "The Freedom of the Will". His conclusion is "for if men are made true saints, no otherwise than as God makes them so... (P.88).

Christ died for the elect, he maintains. The elcet are chosen by God apart from the will of man. Arminians suppose that this type of mentality would result in man as a "mere machine". edwards negates this by appealing to the reason and undrstanding of mankind. Man's will is guided by his understanding, with his thoughts being subject to his will.

Thus the former traits are at work within the will of man.

However God sees what is best and knows the heart of all men. If we agree to this, then it is reasonable that God knows "whosoever" will serve Him according to those faculties. Therefore, He has elected those particular individulas who would make use of those faculties in a manner directing them to God.

Jcislove: You are right in saying that Edwards maintains against the Arminian accusation that belief in predestination would somehow relegate men into mere machines. The doctrine of election is in no way fatalistic. Moreover, you are also correct that Edwards believed in the doctrine of particular redemption, that is, that Christ died for the elect. However, I am somewhat confused with your statement that, “God knows ‘whosoever’ will serve Him according to those faculties.” This leaves room for the middle knowledge idea that Arminians propagate, that is, that God has given to men certain faculties to freely come to acceptance of him and that on the basis of knowing who would have chosen him, God “elects” on such a basis. This is dramatically different than the traditional Reformed understanding of predestination. Again, your last sentence can be misconstrued in a similar way: “Therefore, He has elected those particular individuals who would make sue of those faculties in a manner directing them to God.” Care to clarify? Thanks!

[Aaron Choi]

Rob Lopez
Alliance Theological Seminary

I see the reasonableness of your thinking, and I quite agree. Edwards was a bulldog in the pulpit, demanding that his hears submit themselves to the will of God. I liek how you said that he "pressed" his hearers, and I wonder how many pastors today "press" thier hearers with the heart of the gospel. I also see the truth that you stated about Edwards beliefs on the sovereignty of God in regards to predestination. Despite the culture that yess against this doctrine, it is most reasonable that God selects certain men for salvation. We who are elect must be grateful beyond words that we have been chosen for salvation.

I am not sure where you were going with the once God has spoken. God speaks through his word and those who exegete it. Yes, men must listen to what God says through His word, but the idea of God speaking must be accompanied through a confirmation of the Biblical testimony.

Thanks for your insights!

Re: Jcislove’s response to Clifford. I am encouraged by your statements regarding the necessity of God’s Word in proper exegesis in the propagation of the gospel. God has chosen to use the Scriptures to speak through and uses his word (and the working of the Holy Spirit) as a means of illuminating the hearts of the unregenerate and bringing them to saving knowledge of Christ. Edwards’ love for the Bible is well-attested. His vigorous and thorough study of the Scriptures and implementation of the Word in his teaching and preaching ministry is also well-known. Edwards has left a godly example for all pastors to follow.

[Moses Cho]

Many think that a strong view of God's sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel's invitation to "whosoever believes."

Edwards was a predestinarian-evangelist who broke the notion that true predestinarians cannot be evangelistic. He is arguably one of the best examples of a pastor-theologian who vigorously upheld the doctrine of sovereign election and man’s responsibility to believe. As Mr. Aaron Choi mentions above (see #10), Edwards adamancy of the latter have led some scholars to believe that he had broken with traditional Calvinism. The following is a simple explanation of how his doctrine of predestination is compatible with the Gospel’s invitation to “whosoever believes”: (1) God sovereignly possesses an independent right to either confer or refuse salvation to His creatures without violating and prejudice to any of His divine attributes; (2) God sovereignly dispenses His Word to His creatures since none can believe without “hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17); (3) God sovereignly elects some of His creatures to hear His Word and also be saved by it. It is this very last group that constitutes the “whosoever believes.” Put another way, “whosoever believes” are those who have been sovereinly predestined to believe.

[Moses Cho]

Carl Thornton, Jr.
130 West Lynne Drive
Martinez, Ga. 30907
Student ID #352
The Theology of Jonathan Edwards


Interactive Assignment – Posting

Many think that a strong view of God’s sovereignty impedes evangelism. Edwards believed the opposite. Explain his success by showing how the doctrine of predestination is compatible with the gospel’s invitation to “whosoever believes.”

Regarding the issue as to who is invited to be saved, one of the clearest and most emphatic verses occurs in John 3.16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. (KJV) This verse is abundantly clear in making the invitation a universal one: one that is extended to all people. Whosoever. No mention is made of race, nationality, gender, age…It mentions “whosoever.”

The invitation is to “whosoever” but the promise is to all who believe as did righteous Abraham. Romans 4.11 says that Abraham “…received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them…” (NAS) We see that as the importance of believing was stressed by John it is now stressed by Paul. Verse 13 tells us that the promise of being declared righteous is obtained by faith.

We know from Ephesians 1.4 that God determined before the foundation of the world who would be in Christ. Romans 8.29 lets us know that the all-knowing God did not make this decision whimsically but, rather, based on His eternal knowledge of who would accept His invitation to be saved He predetermined/predestinated some for election.

It should be understood that although God already knew who would accept and who would reject His invitation, He still desires that all would be saved (2Pe. 3.9) and, therefore, extends His invitation to the world for whom He sent His only-begotten Son.

Thank you for your response, Carl. Here are a few considerations with regards to your reference to John 3:16. On what basis do you deem this verse to the clearest and most emphatic invitation to salvation? If it is read as an invitation, then it must be agreed that the responsibility to believe is in the hands of the unregenerate man. If so, how can the unregenerate man decide to believe? I think that reading John 3:16 as an invitation without consideration of its context not only leaves the responsibility to believe in the hands of the unregenerate man, but implies that he is capable of believing regardless of his fallen state and only needs a mere invitation. I do not disagree that the responsibility to believe is in the hands of the unregenerate man. But I believe that in order to answer this question ("How can the unregenerate man decide to believe?), v.16 must be read in light of its context starting from 3:2, since that is where the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus begins. Jesus explains that in order to see and enter the kingdom of God (vv.3, 5) one must be spiritually born again (v.7). But notice that v.7 (“You must be born again”) is not a command or an invitation but rather, a statement of fact. It’s like saying, “Regeneration is what must take place in your life!” Then in v.8 Jesus explains that just as the wind blows wherever it wishes, the Holy Spirit sovereignly causes regeneration in whomever He wishes. Back to the question above: "How can the unregenerate man decide to believe?" Answer: by being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Consequently, v.16, when speaking of “whoever” it is referring to those who have been sovereingly regenerated in order to believe. This too is a statement of fact! Carl, I agree and admire your evident desire for all to be invited to believe in Christ for salvation, but we must bear in mind that John 3:16 is not an invitation (Note: this is not to say that one cannot accurately expound v.16 in light of its context and invite the hearer to Christ for salvation as a result of it, which is totally different than saying that v.16 is an invitation).