"Here
we go. You’ll note by the end that I really don’t care for (or feel the
need) to frame these issues they way they are typically framed. III) Election
and Salvation The
major point of my previous post on election was that it was not to be
understood as synonymous with salvation.
It
became clearer from other graphs and discussions that this particular
graph and my comments referred to Israelites. We found that among the
non-elect (Gentiles) there were many who were in fact saved.
The apostasy of
the elect led to many Gentiles being saved and, in fact, replacing
those elect Israelites as Yahweh’s people, the inheritor’s of the
Abrahamic promises (Galatians 3). The result was one people of God (Jew
and Gentile = the “Church”). This meant in turn that the one people of
God was therefore ultimately composed of elect and non-elect.
Paul, in
prelude to his explanation of all this in Romans 9-11, gives us the
famous “foreknowing, predestinating, justification, etc.” chain of
concepts in Romans 8. There’s no indication that he was speaking only
of Jews there, as what he says in Romans 8 is true of all believers.
He does not speak
of Jew only. He tells us more broadly that God predestinated
the
salvation of … some … a remnant … the composition of which he will
explain in the next three chapters, (Romans 9-11):
Romans 8
28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for
good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those
whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of
his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he
called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
We
now move to the next set of issues. If the saved are composed of the
elect and the non-elect, brought into the family by God’s choice via
Israel’s apostasy, what about the eternal security of the
saved?
I need to make a couple observations as a prelude to what I’ll say —
and I urge you to think about whether you agree or not. I
also
ask that you read carefully.
2. Apostasy is a subset of general wickedness (i.e., other sins are
wicked as well, showing disloyalty to God). XVII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
3.
The OT gives us examples of people who really did believe in Yahweh but
who committed evil acts (murder, adultery, etc.; think of David here). XVIII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
4.
Therefore, it seems that, of all acts of wickedness, the one that
results in Yahweh’s rejection is unbelief - a forsaking of Him as one’s
God in favor of another god or no god at all).
Therefore, it seems that, of all acts of wickedness, the one that
results in Yahweh’s rejection is unbelief - a forsaking of Him as one’s
God in favor of another god or no god at all). XX) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
5. The person in number 4 could legitimately be called an unbeliever
with respect to Yahweh as the true God. XXI) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
It
is interesting that Paul does in fact relate the forsaking of elect
Israelites to their unbelief. This is perhaps most clearly articulate
in Romans 11:20-23:
20
. . . They [the elect Israelites who were set aside] were broken off
because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not
become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural
branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the
severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s
kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you
too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their
unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in
again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree,
and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much
more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own
olive tree. What do we
learn here?
1.
That the Israelites, who were elect, forfeited salvation because of
their unbelief (see Jude 5 here as well). As elect people, if they
would have believed, they would have been (spiritually) saved and not
condemned as unfaithful.
2.
If God was able and willing to set aside these elect who did not
believe, He will not spare “you”. Who is Paul addressing? Gentiles who
were allowed entrance into the people of God through faith. Paul says
God expects them to “continue in his kindness” — in my view, this
refers to God’s offer of salvation to them — the non-elect.
2 cont.
If God was able and willing to set aside these elect who did not
believe, He will not spare “you”. Who is Paul addressing? Gentiles who
were allowed entrance into the people of God through faith. Paul says
God expects them to “continue in his kindness” — in my view, this
refers to God’s offer of salvation to them — the non-elect.
3. Paul also curiously says that if the unbeliever (in cont),
the failing Jew who was elect) *does not continue in their unbelief*
they will be “grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.”
3 cont. Paul also curiously says that if the unbeliever (in cont),
the failing Jew who was elect) *does not continue in their unbelief*
they will be “grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.”
Did
you catch all that? Paul appears to be clearly saying that, just as was
the case with the elect of Israel, God can and will set aside those who
don’t continue keep believing, and can graft in those who do believe
(and, we presume, keep believing).
I
ask you now to entertain this question: “Is there, or will
there
be, anyone in heaven who does not believe?” That is, are
there
any in heaven who do not follow Yahweh, or who have rejected
Christ? I would say, no.
I
think this is the point of the passages in Hebrews I cited in earlier
posts. the writer of Hebrews is genuinely concerned that those who
professed to follow Christ would fail in there faith or
belief.
XXIX) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
Let’s juxtapose Romans 11 with Hebrews for some perspective:
Romans
11:20 – They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand
fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.
Hebrews
3:12 – Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil,
unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:19 –
So we see that they were unable to enter [i.e., Israelites in the
exodus] because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12
is especially important since it links “falling away” (apostasia) with
unbelief. They are mutually defining.
The
bottom line us that, regardless of what profession we make or have made
in terms of faith in Christ, we must believe to have eternal life (John
3:16 – what else?). We are not eternally secure because of a prayer we
prayed at some point in our past if we do not now believe. There is no
assurance without belief. There is no security without belief. No one
goes to heaven who does not believe the gospel (or whatever revelation
God gave to them to elicit a faith response, as in the Old Testament,
before the work of Christ). We must believe.
Romans
11:20 – They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand
fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.
Hebrews
3:12 – Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil,
unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:19 –
So we see that they were unable to enter [i.e., Israelites in the
exodus] because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12
is especially important since it links “falling away” (apostasia) with
unbelief. They are mutually defining.
The
bottom line us that, regardless of what profession we make or have made
in terms of faith in Christ, we must believe to have eternal life (John
3:16 – what else?). We are not eternally secure because of a prayer we
prayed at some point in our past if we do not now believe. There is no
assurance without belief. There is no security without belief. No one
goes to heaven who does not believe the gospel (or whatever revelation
God gave to them to elicit a faith response, as in the Old Testament,
before the work of Christ). We must believe.
Let’s juxtapose Romans 11 with Hebrews for some perspective:
Romans
11:20 – They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand
fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.
Hebrews
3:12 – Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil,
unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:19 –
So we see that they were unable to enter [i.e., Israelites in the
exodus] because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12
is especially important since it links “falling away” (apostasia) with
unbelief. They are mutually defining.
The
bottom line us that, regardless of what profession we make or have made
in terms of faith in Christ, we must believe to have eternal life (John
3:16 – what else?). We are not eternally secure because of a prayer we
prayed at some point in our past if we do not now believe. There is no
assurance without belief. There is no security without belief. No one
goes to heaven who does not believe the gospel (or whatever revelation
God gave to them to elicit a faith response, as in the Old Testament,
before the work of Christ). We must believe.
Let’s juxtapose Romans 11 with Hebrews for some perspective:
Romans
11:20 – They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand
fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.Hebrews
3:12 – Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil,
unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:19 –
So we see that they were unable to enter [i.e., Israelites in the
exodus] because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12
is especially important since it links “falling away” (apostasia) with
unbelief. They are mutually defining.
The
bottom line us that, regardless of what profession we make or have made
in terms of faith in Christ, we must believe to have eternal life (John
3:16 – what else?). We are not eternally secure because of a prayer we
prayed at some point in our past if we do not now believe. There is no
assurance without belief. There is no security without belief. No one
goes to heaven who does not believe the gospel (or whatever revelation
God gave to them to elicit a faith response, as in the Old Testament,
before the work of Christ). We must believe.
[Heiser states above, "Hebrews 3:12
is especially important since it links “falling away” (apostasia) with
unbelief. They are mutually defining."
[Heiser then states, "The
bottom line us that, regardless of what profession we make or have made
in terms of faith in Christ, we must believe to have eternal life (John
3:16 – what else?)."
Let’s juxtapose Romans 11 with Hebrews for some perspective:
Romans
11:20 – They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand
fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.Hebrews
3:12 – Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil,
unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:19 –
So we see that they were unable to enter [i.e., Israelites in the
exodus] because of unbelief.
Hebrews 3:12
is especially important since it links “falling away” (apostasia) with
unbelief. They are mutually defining.
The
bottom line us that, regardless of what profession we make or have made
in terms of faith in Christ, we must believe to have eternal life (John
3:16 – what else?). We are not eternally secure because of a prayer we
prayed at some point in our past if we do not now believe. There is no
assurance without belief. There is no security without belief. No one
goes to heaven who does not believe the gospel (or whatever revelation
God gave to them to elicit a faith response, as in the Old Testament,
before the work of Christ). We must believe.
[Heiser states above, "Hebrews 3:12
is especially important since it links “falling away” (apostasia) with
unbelief. They are mutually defining."
[Heiser then states, "The
bottom line us that, regardless of what profession we make or have made
in terms of faith in Christ, we must believe to have eternal life (John
3:16 – what else?)." XXXIII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
I
think at this point it is important to point out that a person can sin
— and very badly — and still be believing. There are plenty of
scriptural examples. Unbelief should also not be equated with doubt.
There are scriptural examples there, too — Thomas, the psalmist or
prophet who asks where God is in time of trouble, etc. I would go
further and also say that unbelief is also not the instance where a
believer succumbs to fear or persecution. Unbelief is a decision of the
heart that one no longer believes the gospel, that one no longer wishes
to follow Christ / Yahweh. XXXV) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
Unbelief is a decision of the
heart that one no longer believes the gospel, that one no longer wishes
to follow Christ / Yahweh. It is spiritual apostasy
—
choosing
another god or no god at all. No one is in heaven who does not believe
— and that is the point any detractors of my position must show to be
otherwise. XXXVII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
I
think it noteworthy in light of this that, in the long list of what
cannot separate us from God’s love, unbelief does not appear. Why?
Because that can separate us from God’s love — in fact it keeps us from
God’s love shown to us in Christ. XXXVIII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
No sins of the flesh can remove us
from the family of God.
The only thing that keeps us from God’s family
is unbelief. Salvation is BY grace, THROUGH faith; God’s part and our
part. Both are essential, but one is primary (see below).
This
is hard for us to swallow if one was raised Protestant because of an
*exclusively* forensic view of justification: a decision to believe at
one moment of time solves everything. I would say that we must believe,
no matter what point in life we are at, once we are awakened by and to
the gospel by God’s Spirit. We cannot believe and then not believe and
still have eternal life (cf. John 3:36-37).
Rather than seeing saving faith as only a one-time decision, I
would suggest that Paul saw a decision to accept Christ as the messiah
and savior as the beginning point of saving faith / belief.
It is at this point that one could
wonder if Paul would have said, “well, if they no longer believe, they
never really believed in the first place.” XXXXVIII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
I really don’t care about
how anyone answers this, since what needs to be done with such a person
is the same no matter what the answer is. The person needs to hear and
believe the gospel.
I don’t really care to parse them psychologically
or spiritually beyond that issue. Only God knows the heart. LI) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
I don’t really care to parse them psychologically
or spiritually beyond that issue. Only God knows the heart. LII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
By way of response, I’d rather ask the
asker which one of these propositions they would deny: LIII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
Everyone who
believes the gospel will be saved, by grace and not by any merit of
their own. Everyone who
believes the gospel will be eternally secure. LIV) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
Everyone who
does not believe the gospel (rejects it) will not be saved, regardless
of works. Everyone who
does not believe the gospel will not be eternally secure. LV) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
Someone might
ask, “Can someone who believed stop believing — and if they did, what
would that mean?” LVI) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
Same response:
Which one of these propositions would they deny: Everyone who
believes the gospel will be saved, by grace and not by any merit of
their own. Everyone who
believes the gospel will be eternally secure.
Everyone who
does not believe the gospel (rejects it) will not be saved, regardless
of works. Everyone who
does not believe the gospel will not be eternally secure. LVIII) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
The
above means that I take Hebrews 6 as “a genuine concern but a
hypthetical hyperbole.”
The writer [of Hebews] truly fears people will
turn
from believing and, like the elect Israelites, suffer rejection by God
(but we must add that Paul said in Romans 11 that the rejected can be
brought back in if they believe). LX) [Michael Heiser, cont.]:
But the writer expresses what he has
experienced: it is exceedingly rare, unto impossibility, that those who
decide to not believe actually come back to faith. Why? Because they
have to put their faith in precisely what they rejected – the
crucifixion of the son of God for the sin of the world.
