Is the Doctrine of Election Unfair?
August 8th, 2007
(By John MacArthur)
In spite of the clarity with which Scripture addresses this topic, many professing Christians today struggle in their acceptance of God’s sovereignty — especially when it comes to His electing work in salvation. Their most common protest, of course, is that the doctrine of election is unfair. But such an objection stems from a human idea of fairness, rather than the objective, divine understanding of true justice. In order to appropriately address the issue of election, we must set aside all human considerations and focus instead on the nature of God and His righteous standard. Divine justice is where the discussion must begin.
What is Divine justice? Simply stated, it is an essential attribute of God whereby He infinitely, perfectly, and independently does exactly what He wants to do when and how He wants to do it. Because He is the standard of justice, by very definition, then whatever He does is inherently just. As William Perkins said, many years ago, “We must not think that God doeth a thing because it is good and right, but rather is the thing good and right because God willeth it and worketh it.”
Therefore God defines for us what justice is, because He is by nature just and righteous, and what He does reflects that nature. His own free will and nothing else is behind His justice. This means that whatever He wills, is just; and it is just, not because of any external standard of justice, but simply because He wills it.
Because the justice of God is an outflow of His character, it is not subject to fallen human assumptions of what justice should be. The Creator owes nothing to the creature, not even what He is graciously pleased to give. God does not act out of obligation and compulsion, but out of His own independent prerogative. That is what it means to be God. And because He is God, His freely determined actions are intrinsically right and perfect.
To say that election is unfair is not only inaccurate, it fails to recognize the very essence of true fairness. That which is fair, and right, and just is that which God wills to do. Thus, if God wills to choose those whom He would save, it is inherently fair for Him to do so. We cannot impose our own ideas of fairness onto our understanding of God’s working. Instead, we must go to the Scriptures to see how God Himself, in His perfect righteousness, decides to act.
(To Be Continued Tomorrow — Today’s post adapted from John’s foreword to Foundations of Grace)
In the words of Randall Foster
“…the New Testament so constantly exhorts men to come to Christ, reproves them for neglect, and threatens them with the penal consequences of their own folly, thus uniformly placing the obstacle of their salvation just where Christ places it in his parable of the supper–in the perverseness of those who, having been bidden to the feast, would not come.”
If God has ordained that man sin and have no capacity to repent than God Himself is the only real sinner and is punishing man for nothing but His own decree!
It isn’t just the “fairness” thing but it makes God out to be false. While calling those He kows will not repent is not hypocrisy (for the sinner must at least play out his own rejection in real-time, that which God foreknew) but His apparently sincere call to all and pasages like this:
‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. (Ezekiel 33:11)
Certainly He knows those who will believe (called the “elect”) but He did not make them repent.
Foster goes on:
The Calvinian doctrine of election and reprobation, in the place of making the atonement a benefit to the reprobates, makes it an infinite curse, not in its avoidable abuse, but in itself necessarily. So that here is a sovereign scheme of God, intended to be a benefit to some chosen persons, by being in its very nature an infinite curse to others. This must appear in one moment. Let it be remembered that the atonement, with respect to reprobates, does not make their salvation possible–they cannot be saved by it. Let it be further remembered that, while it does not make it possible for them to be saved, it makes their damnation a hundredfold worse than if it had never been made. It does them no real good–it brings them infinite mischief, and this entirely without respect to anything in them that was voluntary. And this their infinitely increased misery is upon a false pretense. They are called to return unto God, to repent, to believe in Christ, to a holy life–no one of which calls could they possibly obey. And yet, for not obeying, every time they refuse, their damnation is increased.
Is not this awful–frightful! Could Satanic cruelty display greater malevolence than is here supposed? Every mercy, every call, every seeming good is so arranged as necessarily to sink the poor, miserable victim deeper into the quenchless flames of eternal damnation
and
Why remonstrate with the reprobate upon the folly of his course and about destroying himself? Does not God know that the poor wretch cannot help it? He help it! He was damned thousands of years before he was born! He never had any hand in it originally! And if he has had since, it was only in this way: He was given an existence which he was compelled to employ in sin that a pretense might be furnished infinite cruelty for doubly damning him! Why will you die? What language to put in the mouth of God concerning the reprobates!
Whay does a soveriegn God choosing to allow HIs creation to accept or reject Him somehow make Him less soveriegn?
I believe this view stems from a (perfectly understandable) reluctance to give sinful man any “credit” for his salvation. However, merely crying out that one is defiled and helpless to do anything about it is hardly a meritorious act. In John 6:28 Jesus was asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” to which He responded “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”. Calvinists assert we are not saved by works, which is completely true but this one strange “work” of believing is the exception. Else, God is endlessly calling people to choose life and serve Him only to mock and damn them more.
Also it makes God’s assertion that He “delights to show mercy” disingenuous at best. If He really delighted to show mercy, then why is it His “good pleasure” to damn billions to everlasting torment. Does He hide things from them? Clearly, but the reason cannot be to prevent them from salvation they were about to attain but rather (perhaps) to, as MacArthur himself has suggested, to spare them worse punishment for rejecting additional revelation.
No, I don’t get how Matthew 11:21 lines up with what Foster, Wesley and I am saying but there are countless passages that apparently counter Romans 9.
Foster again: “The sinner’s damnation is ascribed to his rejection of Christ, to his resistance of proffered mercy, to his willful distance from God. But, according to this system, he does not reject Christ, for Christ never was offered to him; he could not accept him. He did not refuse mercy, for mercy never was held out to his acceptance. His own will did not keep him in sin, for there never was a way of escape.”
Oops, hyperactive fingers. I meant ’sovereign’ , not soveriegn. Sometimes those spell checkers come in handy even if you can spell!
David, May I lovingly say your comments miss the whole point of Dr. MacArthur’s blog. Your argument sets man’s view of GOD as the test. Perhaps it would be best to await tomorrow’s Biblical support to fully appreciate the Doctrines of Grace. In CHRIST alone! Bob S
Because the justice of God is an outflow of His character, it is not subject to fallen human assumptions of what justice should be.
So well said. I often hear “If God were truly fair (as we the created define fair), then all of us would go to hell.”
Grateful for your pointing to Foundations of Grace while taking on what isn’t always popular yet is necessary. After watching the clip by the author and reading several online reviews including a post on challies.com, it was ordered. Looking forward to Pulpit Magazine’s postings concerning future volumes if they merit mention here. God is so good.
Also it makes God’s assertion that He “delights to show mercy” disingenuous at best. If He really delighted to show mercy, then why is it His “good pleasure” to damn billions to everlasting torment. Does He hide things from them? Clearly, but the reason cannot be to prevent them from salvation they were about to attain but rather (perhaps) to, as MacArthur himself has suggested, to spare them worse punishment for rejecting additional revelation.
A. “Pleasure” is spoken of in Scripture and Reformed theology in reference to election, not reprobation. You’re failing to represent the opposing position properly.
B. “Good pleasure” in Ephesians is not a reference to emotions; rather it is a reference to divine freedom, and traditional Christian theism has generally preferred a doctrine of divine impassibility, at least as far as not being controlled by passions.
C. Mercy is something in which God delights. Who denies this?
D. At to say that God is depicted as taking emotional pleasure in reprobation is to misrepresent Reformed theology.
E. Further “mercy” is not God’s only attribute.
F. So, what we have isn’t an exegetical argument against election by sovereign mercy alone but an ethical argument – argument by outrage.
Whay does a soveriegn God choosing to allow HIs creation to accept or reject Him somehow make Him less soveriegn?
Because, on a theory of libertarian freedom, we have two first causes in the universe: God and man. Further, libertarian freedom reduces to choices being uncaused. Ergo, at the level of causality, the libertarian can provide no reason for two agents making two different choices given the same conditions. Further, on a theory of libertarian freedom, if those same agents were given the same conditions in a “do over,” the consistent libertarian must agree that they may not make the same decisions, so, yes, on that view God’s plan is thwartable by human freedom. Further than that, libertarian freedom cannot tell us how God knows those choices, since those choices cannot be known until instantiated. The Open Theist is correct. The other libertarian arguments for foreknowledge: Molinism and Simple Foreknowledge invariably never tell us how God knows what He knows – He just does.
When Calvinist, I mean the Bible says God can has mercy on who He wills and hardens who He wills you reply by saying – How can God find fault with anybody? For who can resist God’s will if its for them to be hardened and therefore reprobate?
But who are you to talk back to God? Can you tell Him what is fair? Can the creature talk back to the Creator?
Oh btw if that sounds familiar its Romans 9:18-20
This is the chapter where Paul answers the critics (v18) when they ask why God finds fault in the unelect/hardened.
Romans 9
18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?”
20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?
No it is not unfair. As a matter of fact Armininism if true would be unfair in that there would be varying degrees of opportunity to choose to come to faith. Lifespan, birth circumstances, parents, country born in, and so on would unfairly determine one’s likelyhood of becoming a Christian.
Wayne (Jazzy), what a great way of looking at it! This is why I thank God for people who are wiser than me, because they can teach me what they know.
The more I try to reason out the doctrine of election the greater I realize my own limitations. I have to accept what I can never fully comprehend because God’s sovereign election is biblical truth. Let me share with all of you what really blows my mind. WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ME?
Wonderful, marvelous infinite grace. Thank you Lord Jesus!
Victoria
Why did he choose you, Victoria? According to Calvinism, for no reason other than you won the eeny-meeny-miney-moe-catch-a-sinner-by-the-toe. He could just as easily saved everyone but, naaahhh, tough noogies to the billions of others (who are sinners becuase He decreed it anyway), they can fry in hell for eternity because it glorifies God. As far as I am concerned, it is blasphemy to suggest that.
Jazzy: many, MaArthur included, feel that if man responds to the natural revelation (spoken of in Romans 1) that He will (since He is able to do all things) get the truth to them. He is not limited. I met a Nigerian believer recently who said he sincerely asked the God who is obviously there, seen in creation, to reveal Himself and that is what He did.
What, pray tell, is so hard to believe about foreknowledge?
DAVID–How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? there comes a place in human reason where intellect fails us. I do not know how much I really understand the mysteries of God. Why would we argue about these matters when there is a lost world we need to bring the gospel to–especially postmodern America. You can have your opinion and I can have mine. It just so happens that you are posting on a site that is reformed in it’s understanding of theology. You have a right to believe as you do, and so do I. I really hate arguing these things– I am just amazed that God has chosen to save any of us. Can’t we just be grateful for God’s great salvation and endeavor to get that message out to a lost and dying America– That God saves sinners by His grace!
I agree. There are other poster (ocasionally) who are less “reformed” than most who are like me, 60% Arminian, 40% Calvinist. Praise God for His grace.
I would take issue with Dr. MacArthur’s definition of divine “justice.” Because we bear the image of God as His creatures, Scripture affirms that we have the law of God written in our hearts. It is distorted by sin, but Scripture affirms that we know it, recognize it, understand it, and can respond to it. It won’t save us, but we are convicted by it, just as Paul was as a young man (Rom 7:14f). Our natural understanding of justice, because it comes from both specific and general revelation, should correspond with God’s exercise of justice. This Calvinistic argument of divine justice seems to me little more than a circular argument used to justify an unbelievable belief that makes sense only in order to make their systematic theology work.
It just seems to me that Calvinism posits secrets like this to make its followers have to buy into their whole system of belief, and never question Scripture again. It’s almost gnostic: you cannnot really read and understand Scripture until you have the “Calvin Code” that unlocks and unencrypts these mysterious beliefs that only Calvinists can understand.
When I come to Scripture and read it as though I am a first century Christian, the message is clear: God is sovereign, loving, and just; I am a sinner separated from God; I have a personal, real choice to believe in Jesus and be saved, or to reject Jesus and be condemned; I must turn from my old ways and look to Jesus for salvation. There was no secret decoder ring necessary.
When Jesus condemned the Pharisees (Mt 23:23), it was because they had “neglected the weightier provisions of of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness…” They understood exactly what “justice” meant because it was reflected in God’s law, they had violated God’s standards of justice, and Jesus condemned them for willfully neglecting what they knew to be right. They were condemned not because God had not chosen them, but because they had not been just as God was just.
I’m sorry, but Calvinism to me is an OCD theology: no mystery, no messiness, nothing out of place. And if something doesn’t “fit,” we’ll just redefine the terms to make it fit. I was a Calvinist as a young Christian, but then I started studying the Word. Glad I did. It makes more sense to me now.
I THINK JOHN MCARTHERS WAY OF THINKING ABOUT GODS ELECTION IS WRONG,THE LORD JESUS TOOK ON ALL OF EVERYBODYS SINS,NOT JUST OURS.HE IS THE LAMB THAT TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD,HE PAID THE PRICE FOR EVERYONE.GOD IS LOVE ,AND LOVE NEVER FAILS.JESUS WILL NOT STOP SEEKING THAT WHICH WAS LOST TILL HE FINDS ALL.HIS MERCY WILL TRIUMPH OVER JUDGEMENT.REALLY SIT BACK AND THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE ONLY NAME WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED.GOD DOES NOT TORTURE PEOPLE IN A ETERNAL HELL.WHEN WILL THEY HEAR,AFTER DEATH?IF PEOPLE WOULD QUIT FOLLOWING TRADITIONS OF MEN ,AND ASK THE LORD HIMSELF FOR TRUTH,HE WILL RECEIVE IT. BUT IT TAKES ALOT OF STUDYING OLD MANUSCIPTSOF GREEK,HEBREW.RIGHTLY DIDVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.JESUS SAID IF,NOTICE HE SAID IF YOU CONTINUE IN MY WORD YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE,NOT CONFUSION,NOT FEAR,NOT HAVING ANXIETY ABOUT HIS JUDGREMENTS.GOD CANNOT COMMAND YOU TO OVERCOME YOUR ENEMYS WITH LOVE AND IN THE END NOT DO THIS HIMSELF,THINK ABOUT IT!YOU WILL HAVE THE CHARACTER OF THE GOD YOU SERVE,EITHER LOVE OR A MONSTER.THAT LETS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE GO TO HELL,ACTUALLY GEHENNA IS THE ACTUAL TRANSLATION WHICH MEANS A JEWISH GARBAGE DUMP,OR VALLY WHERE THEY BURNED THE BODIES THAT WERE CRIMANALS.BUT MR JOHN MCARTHER WONT TALK ABOUT THAT.YOU CANT NOT TAKE EVEYWORD IN THE BIBLE LITERALLY,IF THAT WAS THE CASE ANYONE COULD UNDERSTANDIT! IT HAS TO BE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED,THE NATURAL MAN CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF GOD WITHOUT THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH!!GOD BLESS AL!!!!!!!!IF ANYONE WANTS TO SHARE THERE OPINIONS WITH ME,FEEL FREE TO DO SO ATMIKE306@CHARTER.NET
Mike Gerstner,
They say when you write in all capital letters, you are yelling. Stop yelling! I would also suggest you walk away from the teachings of Charles Russell. JW’s are not the only ones who understand the meaning of Gehenna.
Your friend…
Nevergall
Christian,
You don’t need the “Calvin Code.” Just God’s Word. There is an enormous amount of Scripture that speaks of the elect, the chosen ones, those whom God foreknew. You do not need a special handshake to get into the club of people who “truly” understand God’s doctine of election. It is not gnostic, it is as plain as the nose on your face (or the words in your Bible).
Does man have a choice to make when presented with the Gospel of Christ? Absolutely. Can man choose to have faith in the Gospel? Absolutely not. It is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8) As Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”(John 6:44) Salvation is God’s work, not ours. A wise friend of mine once told me that we only bring one thing to our salvation….our sin.
It is important to remember that God is God, and we are not. His ways are far above ours. It is inevitable (and by design) that we do not fully comprehend all of God’s mysteries. It is for that reason that we do not exalt our own ideas about salvation, but instead we bow the knee to the Word of Christ. Whether it settles well in your soul or not, the doctrine is there. Whether you can accept it or not the doctrine is there. The best policy? Accept God’s word as TRUTH, then prayerfully examine why your thoughts are different than His.
I’ll end with one of my favorite sections of scripture:
Rom 8:29 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.
Rom 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Rom 8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Grace and peace to you,
Keith
Keith,
Your Calvinist Reformed glasses have become so comfortable, you don’t even know you’re wearing them anymore. You simply see all of Scripture through Calvinist lenses. I love the scriptures you mentioned, but without the Calvin shades I do not see what you see (or don’t see, since other scriptures are conveniently filtered out).
For instance, you see election only as an act of God choosing out of those He has already condemned the ones He wants to save. It’s individualistic–this one, not that one. I read Ephesians 1 and see that election is corporate, and that those who are “in Christ” are the elect. The offer of salvation to every person is real (1:13, among many others), and not some trick question reserved only for the “chosen” to be able to answer correctly. And yet I also see in that section of Scripture that God is sovereign in the whole process of salvation.
I am willing to live with the mystery that Scripture can and does affirm both God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom, because any reasonable man reading God’s word can see plainly that it does. When I read Scripture without any lens of “presuppositional systematic” belief, it clearly teaches both. But I have had more than one Reformed believer tell me, “If you’ll just accept what Calvinism teaches, then Scripture will make sense to you.” In other words, wear our desinger shades and THEN you’ll see how we have made it all work neatly and nicely (we really don’t like any messy mysteries in our theology). But that is the “gnostic” compromise–you can’t understand Scripture until you, in a sense, eat the TULIP (the “Calvin code”). Reject any part of that “system” and you’re rejecting all of the truth.
Bottom line: You’re committed to Calvinism; I’m not. I read Scripture in the power of the Holy Spirit, but not in the spirit of Calvin. I just felt the redefinition of biblical “justice” to fit a Calvinist view of election was classic and called for a response.
Christian,
You said “I read Ephesians 1 and see that election is corporate, and that those who are “in Christ” are the elect.”
I have heard this from a friend and neighbor of mine. He says that the elect refers to God’s choice to save His church, but not select individuals that make up that church. He says that we make the choice of whether or not to be “in Christ.”
I guess this doesn’t make sense to me because I don’t see the church as some nebulous void that has been elected and then people choose whether or not to climb into God’s vessel of salvation. The church means “called out one’s” right? It is an assembly of individuals. (By the way, I’m not saying that these are your views; they are my neighbors’. I’m just curious on what you actually believe.)
Also, if you follow his logic further (which he does), it also holds true that if you get out of the “in Christ” boat, you will not be saved. Do you believe you can lose your salvation? or that true believers will perservere to the end? or something else?
Yes, I like to use the verses that refer to God’s sovereignty in electing (as I see it) because I think that those are the verses that are disputed. I don’t dispute the choice that each individual must make, I just look at how Scripture says that choice is brought about.
When I look at verses like the one below (Acts 2:47), I see that it is God who adds to His church.
Act 2:46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
Act 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Let me know what you think, if you have the time. Thanks.
In Christ,
Keith
P.S. I’m actually not committed to Calvinism. The dispute between Arminianism and Calvanism just sparked my wife and I to figure out what we truly believe on the subject of God’s sovereignty. Neither one of us just accepted what either side said. We went to the Word. After reading Romans 9-11 it’s just what we concluded. I was never arguing Calvinism with you, just election.
Greetings from postmodern America! Have enjoyed the back and forth and wanted to throw in my thoughts as they may perhaps give a different perspective. I grew up a Jew. Raised and taught that we were His chosen people. He called Abram from Ur. He changed him. He told us He would be our God and we would be His people. End of story. Not much choice. He’s God, thats it. Job once questioned God, in his weakness and humanity. God responded as He inspired Paul to write in Romans – where were you/who are you? In Judaism, growing up reformed, as I was, meant taking a liberal view of most things (over simplified) but there was still a stressing of being His chosen. After being Bar Mitzvahed when I asked people at temple why we didnt read more of the prophets, especially as I read Isaiah I didnt get answers. Why we studied our Rabbis (Talmud)and not Scripture, didnt get good answers. When I read through Isaiah it became increasingly clear who Scripture was referring to. So long story short, why did I see but others didnt? Was I smarter, better? I’m pretty convinced I was worse than most. Clearly a sinner who trespassed. Then why me? How could I see? How could I choose? Does a bad tree bear good fruit? How do the blind see? Ultimately, what does a child of darkness have to do with the Light? Not sure if Im a Calvinist or not, but I can tell you I see the irony of being raised a reformed Jew and being called reformed now. I dont know that we’ll have all the answers, or attain a perfect theology, but I know I’d have no hope if not for Him and Christ crucified and raised from the dead in accordance to the Scriptures. And I know I see, not because of me, but because of Him. And Im pretty convinced I didnt have a lot to do with it. And if I’m now sealed, and eternally secure, then it only goes to show Im in His hands and it’s because He put me there. Never quite got how we can “choose” salvation and still be secure – at least thinking you can loose your salvation is a consistent pattern of thought.
We are enjoying the studies and questions being discussed in this blog in one of our classes at church. Our church holds to the doctrinal distinctions of John Calvin and Theodore Beza. We are among a unique group of Sovereign grace churches that have any number of our members that view themselves as “non-elect” in that they believe all the truths concerning the “T.U.L.I.P” but identify themselves personally as those who will most likely “glorify God as vessels of wrath unto destruction”. Occasionally, one or two of these individuals or families will gain a peace that they are in fact included among the elect of God for salvation but it causes no loss of harmony and love among our mixed congregation.
Thanks again for these interesting discussions for our small groups!