Think Wink.

Today I want to discuss the next objection on my list, Election and Evangelism. Let me review the series so far. In the first post, I tried to distinguish historic, five-point Calvinism from hyper-Calvinism. In the second post, I showed that election in a Reformed soteriology is not a source of pride and arrogance, but is a humbling action of God that reveals his glory, from Romans 9:11 and 1 Corinthians 1:20-31. In the third post, I argued that election does not diminish our pursuit of obedience and holiness, but rather grounds our pursuit and gives us confidence that we will be obedience.

In my last post, I have to admit that I had been taken off guard by God and his word and my argument expanded longer than I had anticipated. So I hope to not let that happen again. But before I get to the topic, I want to say another brief word about doctrine and its practicality. The objections that I am answering are of a practical nature, see last post for the quotes. I said that a doctrine’s practicality does not determine its biblicality. Today I want to come back to something I heard from Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Keller said, and I am paraphrasing, that if have studied a text but struggle to find the practicality to it, the practical application, then you haven’t understood the text and its doctrine. I believe the same is true here. Many people fail to see how Calvinism applies practically because they don’t understand the doctrines of Reformed soteriology to begin with. Now I am not going to do it here, but if you cannot understand the practical side of the doctrines of grace, then you might want to study them more. Then you might see it. That was one of the driving forces behind my study of Calvinism that enabled me to embrace them as biblical, I looked to see how they could be practically beneficial and found them to be immensely helpful. Just some food for thought as we look at Evangelism and Election.

The first text I want to look at I Luke 10:21-22 where Luke records for us this, “21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’”

The context is key to understanding what is going on that would cause Luke to record this prayer of Jesus. In Luke 10:1-20, we see the mission of the seventy (or seventy-two) witnesses. Jesus sends them out, ordering them to take no provision but to rely upon wholly what God supplies for them through the “son(s) of peace” in the towns that they enter (Luke 10:3-8). He empowers them to heal the sick in all the cities to which they enter (Luke 10:9). He charges them to do one thing: Preach the message of the nearness of the kingdom of God (Luke 10:9). If they are rejected, they are to wipe the dust off of their feet, reiterate the message, only now as judgment instead of redemption, and leave the city (Luke 10:10-12). Then Jesus pronounces woes upon the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their unbelief (Luke 10:13-15). Then Jesus says that these seventy witnesses speak as if he is speaking, like an ambassador would do today, or even the President of the United States speaks for every citizen (all politics aside); thus to reject them is to reject him, and as he speaks for the Father they deny the Father as well (Luke 10:16).

In Luke 10:17-20 we have their report of being so overwhelming that not only did they heal the sick, they were even able to cast out demons (Luke 10:17). Jesus responds by saying that as they went out and preached, healed, and exorcised demons, he saw Satan falling like lightning (Luke 10:18; cf. Matthew 12:25-29; Revelation 12:10-12). Then he reveals the full extent of the authority that he gives his witnesses (I do not believe that this is a proof for the sensationalism that many churches, often charismatic, practice; but this is not relevant to the present discussion; Luke 10:19). But to keep them from getting caught up in being a miracle worker, one who just wants to cast out demons and heal the sick and lame, he cautions them to place their joy in their salvation and not in the sensational working of miracles (Luke 10:20; again this really puts a hindrance in many ministries like Benny Hinn and his crusades that focus upon healing people’s physical ailment but never focusing upon the gospel itself).

To start, I want to focus on two Greek words and how they function in Luke 10:21. First term is the Greek verb ἠγαλλιάσατο, which means to celebrate, to praise. It is primarily a middle voice (an action that I would perform upon myself) verb in the New Testament, as it is here. What Luke is saying is that Jesus “rejoiced” himself. He caused himself to rejoice in his prayer. So what Jesus is praying in Luke 10:21-22 is a prayer of joy by the Savior. But also, this ἠγαλλιάσατο is “in the Holy Spirit” (ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ). This is a joy that was moved in Jesus by the Holy Spirit, which I take to mean that the Holy Spirit ἠγαλλιάσατο as well. So we see two persons in the Trinity rejoicing in what has happened, the kingdom advancing through the evangelistic preaching of these seventy missionaries/apostles commissioned by Christ.

The second term in Luke 10:21 is found in Jesus prayer. Jesus prays, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will (ὅτι οὕτως εὐδοκία ἐγένετο ἔμπροσθέν σου). Literally it would read “because in this manner good/pleasing it-became before/in-the-sight-of you.” The word is εὐδοκία ἐγένετο ἔμπροσθέν σου. The hiding of the power of the kingdom of God over Satan and his kingdom from the wise and understanding and revealing it to children (implying those who are not wise and understanding). It was good in the Father’s sight to do this, it was pleasurable and delightful to the Father. So we see in the prayer the joy of the complete Godhead, the Holy Trinity. But it must be kept in the context of evangelism. The Triune God is rejoicing because of the missionaries report.

But notice in that Jesus continues in expressing his joy in the Holy Spirit in Luke 10:22, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” This verse is part of the joy that is being expressed by the Savior. Jesus is subjecting both heaven and earth under himself by virtue of the gift of the Father to him. Jesus uses the Greek term παρεδόθη, aorist passive, to describe the giving. This term is used to describe being entrusted with. Look at Matthew 25:14 where Jesus begins an eschatological parable like this, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.” There the term is aorist active, but you can see the act of entrusting or committing to someone. The Father gave Jesus all things, and thus all things belong to Jesus.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there in his prayer of praise to the Father. He continues on, not only rejoicing in his authority and rule and ownership of all things, but also in election. Jesus says, “and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Look at what Jesus says, no one knows who the Son is (οὐδεὶς γινώσκει τίς ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ).” Now let us compare this to its parallel in Matthew 11:27, “no one knows the Son except the Father (οὐδεὶς ἐπιγινώσκει τὸν υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ).” It is almost verbatim identical, even when the Father and Son are switched in the second phrase, except two small changes: Matthew uses ἐπιγινώσκει where as Luke uses γινώσκει; Luke adds in the verb “to be” (ἐστιν).

What do these differences account for? In these parallel texts, the different verbs are demonstrating the different type of knowing, γινώσκει. The prefix ἐπι- to γινώσκει, in ἐπιγινώσκει, gives rise to a deeper knowledge that γινώσκει would give on its own. Matthew is thus trying to communicate a deep and personal relationship between the Father and Son that γινώσκει would not communicate. Matthew is saying that no one has a deep and personal relationship with the Son except the Father. And no one has a deep personal relationship with the Father but the Son…and those who the Son reveals the Father to. Thus in Matthew, Jesus reveals to whom he chooses the Father in a deep and personal way that cannot be observed, but only as he knows him within the Trinity. Luke I think is communicating a slightly nuanced form of knowing by using γινώσκει…ἐστιν versus ἐπιγινώσκει. It seems that no one can recognize the Father but the Son and vice-a-versa. The true knowledge of who Jesus is, his spiritual identity, is only known to the Father; and the true knowledge of who the Father is, his spiritual identity, is only known to Jesus.

Unless Jesus reveals the Father to a person. That person must have Jesus give them an apocalypse of God, a revelation of God. Luke and Matthew both use the Greek construction of καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι. The Greek word for “to reveal” here is ἀποκαλύψαι, an aorist infinitive. It is the same verb used in Luke 10:21 and Matthew 11:25 when God is to reveal to children the kingdom. It is the same verb that Jesus describes Peter’s confession as in Matthew 16:17. It is a revelation that only comes from above and not from man. It is an internal revelation that brings one to a proper knowledge of God the Father through the Son, and thus a proper knowledge of the Son through the Father.

But we must notice what governs the revealing of the Father through Christ. It is only done to those ἐὰν βούληται, who he wills/chooses/desires. βούληται is a present, subjunctive, middle deponent verb (spelled in the middle/passive voice with active meaning). The subjunctive mood indicates possibility, probability, exhortation, or axiomatic truth. This construction of ἐὰν βούληται is usually used in an “if…then” conditional statement. But here it doesn’t seem to be functioning like that. ἐὰν is not functioning like “if” but rather as “anyone.” βούληται is an intentional willing or desiring, thus its subjunctive form seems to make the revelation of God to the person possible. Without the choice of a person to receive the revelation, that person can never know who the Son and Father are. Therefore the choice, the desire, the will is not conditioned by man’s believing or hearing or going, but upon God’s choice to give the revelation.

This is Jesus’ joy. This free electing choice to reveal the Son to a person by the Father, and the Son’s choice to reveal the Father to a person, through evangelism and missions, is God’s joy. The entire Godhead, the entire Holy Trinity, the triune God rejoices and it is his good pleasure to hide from the deserving the truth of himself in Jesus.

One reason why I, as a Calvinist, evangelize is because it gives Jesus joy through missions to see the kingdom of Satan being defeated, and those whom he wills to reveal himself to enter into the joy that he has in the Trinity. It puts a smile on my Master’s face to reveal himself through missions to those whom he has chosen.

I would also point to 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 where Paul says, “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you [from the beginning (ap’ archhs)]to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice that we were chosen by God, from the beginning, to be saved (sothrian: present, infinitive, feminine), through being sanctified/made holy by the Spirit and faith in the truth. To this we are called (see Objections to Calvinism Part 2 of 5 for more on the call of God in Paul) through the gospel to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s election was actualized by the call that came through the gospel.

Or listen to how Paul put it in 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, “4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” Notice that Paul is telling how he knows (εἰδότες: perfect participle) that the Thessalonians are elect (τὴν ἐκλογὴν): because the gospel didn’t just come to the Thessalonians in word, Paul didn’t just preach the gospel to them. Rather while speaking the gospel, the message took the Thessalonians with power, and the Holy Spirit, and conviction. The gospel was accompanied by a supernatural event within the Thessalonians believers that made the gospel powerful and convicting. This Spirit wrought act is what Calvinists would call the internal and effectual call of God. Paul preached to the citizens of Thessalonians, but the gospel came with this supernatural phenomena only to those who believed. This is the confirmation that they were elect of God. If this had not come, they may or may not have been elect. But it did happen and Paul is sure of their election. Not because of their faith, they were chosen for that faith, but because of the power and conviction that accompanied the gospel.

The call of God does not come apart from the gospel, one must be exposed to the gospel (cf. Galatians 3:2-5). This supernatural call only accompanies the preaching of the Gospel. If there is no one to preach, then God will not call. Thus we see that God has ordained the preaching of the gospel as the means by which he saves sinners. God ordains the means as well as the ends. God’s sovereignty reigns over all things, even how to get sinners to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore I must preach the gospel if I hope to see anyone be saved by God. I must preach, it is not optional. Without the preaching, there is no hope of salvation. I preach Christ and Christ crucified and risen.

So I conclude with Romans 10:13-17, which is in the context of unconditional election in Romans 9 and Romans 11 where Paul says,

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news”…17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Unless one is preaching, no one is hearing, believing, and calling. If no one hears, believes, and calls, no one is saved. So let us come together and preach Christ and Christ alone as the hope by which men are saved!

Objections to Calvinism Part 1 of 5

Determinism and Author of Sin

Objections to Calvinism Part 7 of 5