A Devotional Commentary
on the Canons of Dordt
by
Stanford E. Murrell
The Canons of Dordt
Formally Titled
The Decision
of the Synod of Dordt
on the Five Main Points of Doctrine
in Dispute in
the Netherlands
The First Main Point of
Doctrine
Divine
Election and Reprobation
The Judgment
Concerning Divine Predestination
Which the
Synod Declares to Be in Agreement with the Word of God
and Accepted
Till Now in the Reformed Churches,
Set Forth in Several Articles
THE CANONS OF DORT
“He that is not interested in the eternal election o f God the Father,
in the atoning blood and
justifying righteousness of God the Son,
in the work and witness of God the Holy Ghost,
whatever be his name, sect, denomination or profession;
whatever be his outward
conduct, the doctrines he professes,
or the creed to which he signs his name,
he will…never see the King in His beauty,
never see the land afar off, never see the new Jerusalem,
nor the blood of sprinkling,
‘that speaketh better things than
the blood of Abel..”
~*~
J. C. Philot
From November 13, 1618 through May 9, 1619, the Synod of Dort convened at the request of Prince Maurice and the States-General of Holland, who supported his efforts to soliditate political authority. Judgment was to be passed upon the Arminian controversy that plagued Christendom. Great religious decisions were asked to be made in the Netherlands City of Dordrecht. Intended to be a general council of the Calvinistic Churches, Dutch delegates met with twenty-six delegates from eight foreign countries. Representatives from England, the Palatinate House, Switzerland and Bremen were present.
Concentrated attention was to be given to the teachings of Jacob Arminius (1559-1609), a theological professor at Leiden University in Germany (1603-1609). Arminius had questioned the teaching of John Calvin and other Reformers on important doctrinal matters including grace (the unmerited favor of God shown towards sinners) and predestination (the biblical doctrine that God determines beforehand who will be saved. In 1592 a colleague, Franciscus Gomarus, brought formal charges against Arminius charging him with Pelagianism (an emphasis on free will), an unhealthy reliance upon the early Church fathers, departure from the Calvinistic standards of the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism which he had vowed to uphold, and erroneous teaching on predestination.
Desiring to give the human will a more active part in the salvation of the soul Arminius taught a conditional election in which the will of an individual might or might not affect the divine order of salvation. With this seed thought before them the followers of Arminius enlarged upon the role of a free will and in 1610 presented their views on five particular doctrinal points in a document known as the Remonstrance. In this document or in later more explicit writings, the Arminians taught specific concepts.
· Election is based on foreseen faith. God’s predestination is and was conditioned by human choice.
· The atonement was universal.
· The depravity of man was partial not total.
· Divine grace is irresistible.
· A person who had become a Christian could “fall from grace” or lose their salvation.
In the Canons the Synod of Dort rejected these views and set forth once more the Reformed doctrine.
· Election to salvation is not based upon foreseen faith or good works but is unconditional.
· The intent of the atonement was for the elect and the elect. There was a definite or limited atonement made to save those whom the Father had chose to be the heirs of salvation.
· The depravity of man is total.
· Saving grace is compelling and irresistible grace.
· Those who are saved will persevere in the faith.
The Canons have a special place in the Church because of their original purpose as a judicial decision on the doctrinal points in dispute between the Calvinist and the Arminians. This is somewhat ironical because it was Arminius who had suggested the calling of a national synod, “an orderly and free convention of the parties that differ from each other” (On Reconciling Religious Dissensions among Christians, 1606).
Reflecting the sentiment for an honest examination of the doctrinal issues, the original preface to the Canons of Dort called upon the assembly to bring a "judgment, in which both the true view, agreeing with God's Word, concerning the aforesaid five points of doctrine is explained, and the false view, disagreeing with God's Word, is rejected."
Realistically, the Canons have a limited scope of inquiry in that they do not cover all of biblical doctrine, but focus on the five points of doctrine in dispute. Each of the main points consists of a positive and a negative section, the first being a presentation of the Reformed doctrine on the subject, followed by a renunciation of the reflected errors.
It will be noted that in the official form there are only four points because the Canons were structured to correspond to the five articles of the 1610 Remonstrance. Main Points III and IV were combined into one.
Special notes
· The doctrinal position of the Arminians within the text is highlighted in blue, all Scriptural references in red.
· For the sake of emphasis and clarity the phrase in brackets [The Synod rejects the errors of those] has been added before each major section dealing with an area of concern by the Council.
· This translation of the Canons, based on the only extant Latin manuscript among those signed at the Synod of Dort, was adopted by the 1986 Synod of the Christian Reformed Church. The biblical quotations are translations from the original Latin and so do not always correspond to current versions. Though not in the original text, subheadings have been added to the positive articles and to the conclusion in order to facilitate study of the Canons.
· In more recent day the argument has been set forth that John Calvin did not teach or believe in the doctrine of a definite redemption or limited atonement. For those who are interested attention is invited to Calvin’s Institutes (Book III, Chapters XXI through XXIV).
Appendices
Theological
Terms used in the Canons of Dort
· ADOPTION. The apostle Paul used the term adoption to set forth a vital aspect of the salvation of every believer (Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:15). According to law of Rome adoption was a legitimate means to designate an heir. A legal transfer was made from the authoritative structure of the natural father to that of the adoptive father. The Christian has a relationship with God whereby he is transferred out from under the authority of the Evil One and placed under the authority of the Another. The believer is made a son of God and an heir with Jesus Christ. As an adopted son there can be intimacy of soul (Gal. 4:6).
·
AGUSTINIANISM.
Augustine (AD 354-430) was the Bishop of Hippo, near Carthage in North Africa.
Converted to Christ after a turbulent early life of intellectual searching and
moral licentiousness Augustine became the champion of Christian orthodoxy. He
defended the trinity against Arius and his followers (Arians), articulated the
depravity of man, and set forth the doctrine of predestination. Salvation was
taught to be by grace through faith alone. Conversion is the sovereign work of
God based upon the grace of electing love. The proper order of salvation is regeneration
by the Holy Ghost, followed by faith and justification. A supporter of
monasticism, Augustine wrote the first western monastic rule for monks at
Tagaste and Hippo. After the Visigoths destroyed Rome in 410, Bishop Augustine
pursued the philosophical question of why Rome fell, and eventually wrote The City of God.
·
CONVERSION. The
term conversion reflects the response
of an individual to the gospel. While regeneration
is God’s active work in the creation of a new nature in the life, conversion or
a radical change is the result. Conversion affects the total personality of an
individual, intellect, emotion, and will. When Saul of Tarsus met the glorified
resurrected Master on the road to Damascus his intellectual view of Christ
changed as he cried out Lord. His emotions changed as he asked what to do and
then Paul arose to obey from the heart. The Sovereign subdued will (Acts
9:1-18).
·
DECALOGUE (Gk. deka, ten, logos, word). The “Ten
Commandments” written by the finger of God on stone were given by God to
Moses at Mount Sinai (Ex. 31:18; 34:1; Ex. 20:2-17 cf. Deut. 5:6-21).
·
ELECTION. The doctrine of election sets forth the
belief that God in His inscrutable wisdom ordained before all worlds were
formed a twofold decree, whereby He chose some for life everlasting (election),
while condemning others to eternal death (reprobation). Many theologians
maintain that God, by His sovereign will purposed positively on the decree of
election, taking negative action with regard to the non-elect and angels by
simply passing them by (preterition), leavening them to suffer the just and
natural consequences of their sin. When a president is chosen, there is not
another formal decision to not elect the other candidate. There is simply a
passing by.
· FREE WILL. The will of man in the matter of salvation is one of great concern. Pelagius and Arminians endow man with freedom in alternate choices; Augustine and Calvinist view freedom of the will as the establishment of the soul in goodness through indwelling grace sovereignty imparted. The Scriptures set forth the truth that God’s sufficiency is man’s only hope for salvation and eternal life while all men are answerable to God for the life, words, and deeds that are lived, spoken, and performed.
· FOREKNOWLEDGE. The Bible teaches that God is aware of the actual and potential future (Acts 2:23; 26:5; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2,20; 2 Pet. 3:17). The word means “foreordination” (Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:2) not simply the acquiring of facts for the purpose of making a decision. God does not come into knowledge. Those whom God foreknew (Rom. 8:29) he also loved and ordained to be conformed to the image of His Son.
·
GRACE. The
grace of God is the glorious manifestation of His goodness toward the
undeserving. Grace is favor freely bestowed apart from merit. Grace is the
basis of the salvation of every soul (Eph. 2:8-9). In salvation the hell bound
and hell-deserving soul is saved, rescued from eternal judgment and given
heaven. The Christian must never forget that he is saved, endwelt by the Holy
Spirit, and allowed to serve God—by His grace (Gen. 6:8, Eph. 2:28; cf. Psa.
139:1).
· JUSTFY. In the act of justification the legal standing of a soul before God is changed so that it is declared righteous. When saving faith in God is expressed because of His gracious act of renewing the soul in regeneration, He imparts the righteousness and perfection of Another to our record. The believer shares the life of Jesus Christ the Righteous One. God, as the Law Giver and Moral Judge of the Universe is the source of justification, with the power to declare righteous whom He will, and man is the recipient, being declared righteous. The first recorded case of justification in the Bible is that of Abraham (Gen. 15:6) though anyone who comes to God and trusts or believes Christ for salvation will be justified (Rom. 3:28; cf. Eph. 3:2-8).
·
LIBERTINISM. When
used in an ethical context the reference is a derogatory term applied to those
who act without moral restraint but give fully expression to their natural
impulses and appetites without regard for consequences. The term may also be
directed towards irresponsible freethinkers that advocate a philosophy of
hedonism.
·
MANICHEISM. Mani (named Manes or Manichaeus in the West)
was born in southern Babylonia (modern Iraq) in AD 216. His aristocratic mother
and perhaps his father Patek were related to the Parthian royal family of the
Arsacids. Brilliant of mind, a gifted
writer and linguist, Mani set forth a rival philosophy to Christianity by
recording the revelations he purported to received at ages twelve and
twenty-four. Protected by the Persian emperor Shapur I, the cosmic dualism that
Mani taught in Turkestan, India, and China, would eventually lead to his death
in prison at the hands of the Magian in AD 276. He believed that he was the final prophet of God who had been
sent to complete the work of all others including Christ.
· MOHAMMEDIANISM. Muhammed was born in Mecca in what is today western Saudi Arabia, in the 6th century AD. Believing himself to be a prophet of God, Muhammed taught submission to the will of God (Islam, from the Arabic word for submission). The sacred book of Islam is the Koran (Qaraa, to read). The Hadith, a collection of traditions about Muhammed is also believed to be sacred. There are five basic obligations for a Muslim (one who submits to the will of God). The first is the Shahadah, or profession of faith in Allah. The second is prayer, five times a day while facing Mecca. The third is charity, or zakat. Fourth, all Muslims must fast during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan. Finally, all Muslims are to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
· PELAGIUS. Pelagianism is in Christian theology a rationalistic and naturalistic teaching that emphasizes human free will as the determining factor in human development. It minimizes or denies the need for divine grace and redemption. The brilliant and morally austere Roman-British monk Pelagius (c. 355-c. 425) crystallized the doctrine. Pelagius denied the existence of original sin and the need for infant baptism. It was his contention that the corruption of the human race was not inborn but was the result of bad example and habit. Humans can live a life of righteousness and thereby merit heaven by their own efforts. True saving grace, taught Pelagius, is found in the natural gifts displayed in humanity including free will, reason, and conscience. For Pelagius faith and dogma were overshadowed by the essence of religion which is believed moral action leading to perfectibility. Beginning in AD 412 Augustine challenged the Pelagian doctrine of human moral autonomy. As a result of his writings, Pelagius was accused of heresy but was acquitted at synods at Jerusalem and Diospolis. In 418, however, the Council at Carthage did condemn Pelagius and his followers.
·
PERSEVERENCE. The
security of the believer is grounded in the doctrine that God is able to
complete the good work of eternal life that He has begun in every believer
(Phil. 1:6). While God preserves His own, they in turn persevere in the faith
by doing good work (John 10:28; 2 Cor. 6:17,18).
·
PREDESTINATE. The
word “predestine” literally means “to mark off or choose before”. God chooses those who will participate
in His plan of redemption (Rom. 8:28ff).
·
RECONCILIATION. Sin
has brought a state of hostility between God and man so that man needs to be
reconciled to God. The Cross-removes the basis of hostility for the justice of
God is satisfied by the work of redemption (2 Cor. 5:19; cf. Rom. 3:25).
·
REDEMPTION. The
word “redeem” means “to purchase.” When Christ died at Calvary, He paid the price that satisfied the
demands of God righteousness and holiness. The price of redemption was the
blood (1 Pet. 1:18,19). Those who have been “sold under sin” (Gal. 3:10;
2 Pet. 21), are no longer “for sale” (Gal. 3:13) for they belong to God (Gal.
4:5).
·
REGENERATION is
the work God through the Holy Spirit whereby new life is instilled into the
soul dead in trespasses and sin. To be regenerated is to be “born again” (John 3:3-7; 1 Pet. 1:23).
The instrument which the Spirit uses is the Bible, which is likened to a hammer
that destroys sin (Jer. 23:29), a mirror that reveals it (James 1:23), a sword
that slays sin (Heb. 4:12), and a lamp that guides the believer (Psa. 119:105).
·
REPENTANCE. True
evangelical repentance is a deep,
sincere, emotional heart felt turning away from sin to salvation and
sanctification (Luke 15:7).
·
REPROBATION.
The Bible teaches that those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will
suffer a just retributive justice ordained by God. (Luke 16:19-31 cf. Rev.
9:1).
·
SOCINUS. Faustus Socinus (1539-1604) was an
influential thinker among the humanist in Italy who denied the doctrine of the
trinity. Forced to flee the Inquisition the followers of Socinus fled to Poland
where his views found wide acceptance in the Reformed Church of Poland (1565).
He came to them in 1579 and assumed leadership of the Minor Reformed Church of
Poland. The Socinians adhered to the Apostle’s Creed rather than the Nicene and
Athanasian Creeds. The maintained a high moral standard, lived simply, and
encouraged pacifism while opposing serfdom. The movement spread quickly for two
generations despite severe and violent opposition. Though the last Socinian
church in history disbanded early in the 19th century, the spirit
and doctrine of Socinus lived on in England and America. The views of Socinus
were eventually transformed into Unitarianism.
·
STOICISM. The
Stoic school of philosophy was established at Athens about 300 BC by Zeno of
Citium in Cyprus as a reaction to Epicureanism and its views of life and duty.
The Stoics advocated that ultimate good and happiness does not lie in external
objects of pleasure but in the state of the soul itself, in the wisdom and
restraint which a person is delivered from the passions and desires that
disturb daily living. Wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance are four
cardinal virtues. Moreover, since all people are manifestations of one
universal spirit brother love should be expressed with a readiness to help one
another. Rank and wealth are of no importance in the relational structure of
society.
· THE FALL. The entrance of sin into the moral universe of God remains a great mystery. How man was able to fall from an exalted state of creation into the most heinous of sins cannot be explained. But that man did fall from grace is the clear teaching of the Word of God and is reflected by the present plight of man (Gen. 3:1-13).
· TOTAL DEPRAVITY refers to the state of men in the sight of God. The doctrine asserts that moral corruption extends to every facet of man’s nature, his will, emotions, and intellect. There is nothing in man that can merit the merits of Christ or commend him to God for salvation. The natural nature of man is derived from fallen Adam (Gen. 6:5-7; Eph. 2:1-3).
Geographical Locations (from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
·
BETHSAIDA,
which was later called Julias, was situated two miles north
of the Sea of Galilee and east of the Jordan River. The name Julias was given
to it by the tetrarch Philip (Luke 3:1), after Julia, the daughter of Caesar
Augustus. In the wilderness near Bethsaida, Jesus fed the 5,000 and healed the
multitudes (Luke 9:10-17). It was also in Bethsaida that the Lord restored
sight to a blind man (Mark 8:22).
·
BITHYNIA
(bih THIN ih uh, meaning unknown)—a coastal province in northwestern Asia
Minor. Bithynia was bounded on the north by the Black Sea, on the south and
east by Phrygia and Galatia, and on the west by Mysia. While at Mysia, Paul and
Silas decided to go into Bithynia "but
the Spirit did not permit them" (Acts 16:7). Later, however, the
gospel reached the province; and many of the citizens of Bithynia became
Christians (1 Pet. 1:1-2). The experience of Paul and Silas illustrates that
God's delays are not always denials.
·
KORAZIN
(CHORAZIN, ko-ra'zin). This city, in the general vicinity
of Bethsaida and Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee, was upbraided by Jesus and
committed to destruction for its unbelief in the face of His mighty works
(Matt. 11:21; Luke 10:13).
·
MYSIA (MISS ee uh) (meaning unknown)—a province in
northwestern Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Paul and Silas passed through Mysia
on their way to Troas, one of its main cities, during Paul's first missionary
journey (Acts 16:7-8). Three other cities of Mysia are mentioned in the New
Testament: Assos (Acts 20:13), Adramyttium (Acts 27:2), and Pergamos (Rev.
1:11).
·
SIDON [SIGH dun] (a fishery)—an ancient Phoenician
city on the Mediterranean coast in northern Palestine. Sidon dominated the
coastal plain in the area of the Lebanon Mountains. Built on a hill across
several small islands, it was connected by bridges.
·
TYRE [tire] (a rock)—an ancient seaport city of
the Phoenicians situated north of Palestine. Tyre was the principal seaport of
the Phoenician coast, about 25 miles south of Sidon and 35 miles north of
Carmel. It consisted of two cities: a rocky coastal city on the mainland and a
small island city. The Island City was just off the shore. The mainland city
was on a coastal plain, a strip only 15 miles long and 2 miles wide.
Scriptures Used in the Canons of
Dort
Genesis 6:5
Genesis 8:21
Deuteronomy 10:14
Deuteronomy 10:15
Psalm 51:17
Psalm 147:19
Psalm 147:20
Isaiah 44:3
Isaiah 53:10
Jeremiah 17:9
Jeremiah 31:18
Jeremiah 31:33
Ezekiel 1:19
Matthew 5:6
Matthew 11:21
Matthew 13
Matthew 13:20ff
Matthew 20:15
Matthew 24:24
Luke 8:13
Luke 10:20
Luke 22:32
John 3:16
John 6:39
John 10:12
John 10:13
John 10:15
John 10:27
John 10:28
John 10:29
John 15:16
John 17:6
Acts 13:48
Acts 15:18
Acts 16:6
Acts 16:7
Romans 3:19
Romans 3:23
Romans 3:24
Romans 3:25
Romans 5:5
Romans 5:8
Romans 5:9
Romans 5:12
Romans 5:16
Romans 6:23
Romans 8:16
Romans 8:17
Romans 8:30
Romans 8:32
Romans 8:33
Romans 8:34
Romans 8:35
Romans 8:39
Romans 9:11
Romans 9:12
Romans 9:13
Romans 9:16
Romans 9:18
Romans 9:20
Romans 10:14
Romans 10:15
Romans 11:6
Romans 11:7
Romans 11:33
Romans 11:34
Romans 11:35
Romans 11:36
1 Corinthians 1:8
1 Corinthians 4:7
1 Corinthians 10:13
Galatians 2:20
Ephesians 1:4
Ephesians 1:11
Ephesians 2:1
Ephesians 2:3
Ephesians 2:5
Ephesians 2:8
Ephesians 4:1-6
Ephesians 4:24
Philippians 1:29
Philippians 2:13
2 Thessalonians 1:11
2 Timothy 1:9
Hebrews 7:22
Hebrews 9:15
Hebrews 9:17
1 Peter 1:23
2 Peter 1:3
1 John 3:9
1 John 3:23
1 John 3:24
1 John 4:10
1 John 5:16
1 John 5:17
1 John 5:18
THE CANONS OF DORT
Formally Titled
The Decision of the Synod of Dort
on
the Five Main Points of
Doctrine in Dispute
in the Netherlands
The First Main Point of Doctrine
Divine Election and Reprobation
The Judgment Concerning Divine Predestination Which the Synod Declares to Be in Agreement with the Word of God and Accepted Till Now in the Reformed Churches, Set Forth in Several Articles
Article 1: God's Right to Condemn All People
Since all people have sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will to leave the entire human race in sin and under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin. As the apostle says: The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God (Rom. 3:19), All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
Commentary
The justice of God in the act of condemnation of all men is based upon the reprobate condition the Fall created. As the result of man’s perverse mind which stubbornly refuses to obey God’s will he has become “disqualified” (Gk. adokimos) “morally corrupt” and, “unfit for any good deed” (cf. Rom. 1:28; 2 Cor 13:5-7; 2 Tim. 3;8; Titus 1:16). “The Divine record of the Fall is the only possible explanation of the present condition of the human race. It alone accounts for the presence of evil in a world made by a beneficent and perfect Creator. If affords the only adequate explanation for the universality of sin. Why is it that the king’s son in the palace, and the saint’s daughter in the cottage, in spite of every safeguard which human love and watchfulness can devise, manifest from their earliest days an unmistakable bias toward evil and tendency to sin? Why is it that sin is universal, that there is no empire, no nation, no family tree from this awful disease? Reject the Divine explanation and no satisfactory answer is possible to these questions. Accept it, and we see that sin is universal because all share a common ancestry, all spring from a common stock, ‘In Adam all die.’ The Divine record alone explains the mystery of death.” (A. W. Pink)
Article 2: The Manifestation of God's Love
But this is how God showed his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Commentary
God’s election of certain ones to salvation is a merciful provision. Unless God’s sovereign grace in sparring a remnant, all of Adam’s descendants had perished in their sins.
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell,
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell
~*~
Frederick M. Lehman
Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel
In order that people may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends pro-claimers of this very joyful message to the people he wishes and at the time he wishes. By this ministry people are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified. For how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching? And how shall they preach unless they have been sent? (Rom. 10:14-15).
Commentary
“No sermon is of any value, or likely to be useful, which has not the three R’s in it: ruin by the fall, redemption by Christ, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit.” (John C. Ryland, 1723-1792)
Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel
God's anger remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God's anger and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life.
Commentary. Repentance leads to life eternal only when it is accompanied by saving faith in the redemptive work of Christ (Acts 20:21; Mark 1:15). Apart from genuine repentance the wrath of God keeps on abiding on the lost (John 15:1-4; 3:18). The confession of every Christian should affirm the confession that says, “I believe in a God of absolute and unbounded love, therefore I believe in a loving anger of His which will and must devour and destroy all that is decayed.” (Charles Kingsley, 1819-1875)
Article 5: The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith
The cause or blame for this unbelief, as well as for all other sins, is not at all in God, but in man. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, and salvation through him is a free gift of God. As Scripture says, It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). Likewise: It has been freely given to you to believe in Christ (Phil. 1:29).
Commentary
As to the ultimate origin of evil the Bible makes not attempts to vindicate God apart from contending that He is absolutely sovereign, that He is righteous in all that He does, and that He had decreed the existence of both good and evil for His own glory. “The sacrifice of Christ give the humble believer not a solution but a satisfying reply. There must have been some good reason for allowing evil, but this does not imply a defect in God or in His benevolence. If there had been any defect in Him, He would hardly have sent His holy Only Begotten Son, who was worth more than all worlds, to save one.” R. L. Dabney (Theology, 1927)
Article 6: God's Eternal Decision
The fact that some receive from God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems from his eternal decision. For all his works are known to God from eternity (Acts 15:18; Eph. 1:11).
In accordance with this decision he graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of his chosen ones and inclines them to believe, but by his just judgment he leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart those who have not been chosen.
And in this especially is disclosed to us his act - unfathomable and as merciful as it is just - of distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known decision of election and reprobation revealed in God's Word. This decision the wicked, impure, and unstable distort to their own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort beyond words.
Commentary
The decree of God by itself determines the course of history. It is never the course of history or the decisions of men which determines in any manner or modifies the decree of God.
Therefore, since God is sovereign He has a right to decree as He wills and that without being impugned by finite creatures.
That God in His mercy has decreed some, but not all to salvation, reflects His mercy. That God in His wisdom has decreed some, but not all to reprobation, reflects His justice. In all matters He will be glorified (Matt. 11:25,26; Rom. 9:17-18, 21-22; 2 Tim. 2:19-20; Jude 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:8).
Undergirding these truths is the ground of creation. “We say, that God made man neither to damn him nor to save him; neither salvation nor damnation were God’s ultimate end in making man, but His own glory, which will be answered one way or another, either in his salvation or damnation.” (John Gill)
God
moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform
Article 7: Election
Election [or choosing] is God's unchangeable purpose by which he did the following:
Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, he chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. He did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation.
And so he decided to give the chosen ones to Christ to be saved, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ's fellowship through his Word and Spirit. In other words, he decided to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of his Son, to glorify them. God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of his glorious grace.
As Scripture says, God chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and blameless before him with love; he predestined us whom he adopted as his children through Jesus Christ, in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, by which he freely made us pleasing to himself in his beloved (Eph. 1:4-6). And elsewhere, Those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified (Rom. 8:30).
Commentary
“Election is the pitching of everlasting love, or the good pleasure of God, choosing and decreeing to eternal life: it is the great charter of heaven, God’s special and free grace deed of gift to His chosen ones, made over in trust unto Jesus Christ, for their use and benefit. Now, in deeds of gift (to make them authentic) there must be inserted the name of the donor, or person that gives; the name of the donee, or person to whom; the quality and extent of the thing that is given; the time when it was done; the consideration that moved thereto; and, in the case of impotency, it is usual and necessary to ordain some fried as the officer in trust, who is to stand seized or possessed of the gift for the donee’s use: all of which are evidently found in scripture election, and may be summed into this proposition: ‘That there is a peculiar people, who were personally chosen of God in Christ, according to His own good pleasure, and ordained to eternal life, before the world began.’” (Elisha Coles, Election)
Article 8: A Single Decision of Election
This election is not of many kinds; it is one and the same election for all who were to be saved in the Old and the New Testament. For Scripture declares that there is a single good pleasure, purpose, and plan of God's will, by which he chose us from eternity both to grace and to glory, both to salvation and to the way of salvation, which he prepared in advance for us to walk in.
Commentary
The mind and the counsel of God is the same, “yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). Therefore the apostle speaks of God, that there is no shadow of change or turning in Him (James 1:17). “God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent: hath he said, and shall He not do it?” (Num. 23:19). And shall He decrees, and not execute it? Shall He purpose and not perform it? “I the Lord, I change not.” (Mal. 3:6) “The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations” (Psa. 33:11) With God “there is neither succession of counsels and purposes, nor yet plurality; but, as with one opening of His eye, He beholds all things as they are, so with one inclination, or nod of His will, He hath given a law, and appointed all things.” (Hugh Binning, Of the Decrees of God)
Because
God has only one decree of salvation all systems which advocate salvation apart
from Christ must be renounced. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”
(Acts 4:12).
The streams of love I trace
Back to their fountain God;
And in His wondrous mercy see
Eternal thoughts of love to me.
Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith
This same election took place, not on the basis of foreseen faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition, as though it were based on a prerequisite cause or condition in the person to be chosen, but rather for the purpose of faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on. Accordingly, election is the source of each of the benefits of salvation. Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects. As the apostle says, He chose us (not because we were, but) so that we should be holy and blameless before him in love (Eph. 1:4).
Commentary
“The Arminian, because he cannot contest the mention of predestination in the Scriptures, in faithfulness to his own peculiar theories, must needs invest it with a meaning which the word was never meant to bear, and thus predestination in Scripture is regarded as meaning God’s foreseeing what will come to pass through the exercise of the free-will of the creature, in virtue of which He confirms and thus ordains what He foresees. But this is not predestination. It is simply a confirming of that which is foreseen by the exercise of a certain power, which is known among men as the gift of prophecy. In fact, is playing with words. If God foresees that certain things will come to pass, what need is there for Him to ordain them? If they are to come to pass, they will come to pass, ordination or no ordination. And if God sees certain things in the future as bound to come to pass, what makes them bound to come to pass but His own will? And if he has will them before they come to pass, wherein lies the difference between this and scriptural predestination?” (K.A MacRae, Resurgence of Arminianism).
No, it is not man’s merits, nor even his will that saves (John 1:13), but Christ through His atoning work at Calvary.
There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gates
Of Heaven, and let us in.
Article 10: Election Based on God's Good Pleasure
But the cause of this undeserved election is exclusively the good pleasure of God. This does not involve his choosing certain human qualities or actions from among all those possible as a condition of salvation, but rather involves his adopting certain particular persons from among the common mass of sinners as his own possession. As Scripture says, When the children were not yet born, and had done nothing either good or bad..., she (Rebecca) was told, "The older will serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" (Rom. 9:11-13). Also, All who were appointed for eternal life believed (Acts 13:48).
Commentary
We are not told
why God does not save all mankind when all were equally undeserving, and when
the sacrifice on Calvary was that of a Person of infinite value, amply
sufficient
to save all men had God so desired it. But the Scriptures do tell us that not
all will be
saved. However, we can say that the atonement, which was worked out at an enormous
cost to
God Himself, is His own property, and that He is at liberty to make whatever
use of it
He chooses. No man has any claim to any part of it.
We are told
repeatedly that
salvation is by grace. And grace is favor shown to the undeserving, even to the
ill deserving. If any part of man's salvation were due to his own good works,
then indeed there would be a difference in men, and those who had responded to
the gracious offer could justly point the finger of scorn at the lost and say,
"You had the same chance that I had.
I accepted, but you refused. Therefore you have no excuse." But no.
God has so
arranged this system that those who are saved can only be eternally grateful
that God has saved them.
It is not for us to ask why God does as He does, for the
Scripture declares: "Nay but, O
man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say
to him that formed it, Why hast thou make me thus? Or hath no the potter a
right
over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and
another
unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power
known, endured with much long-suffering vessels fitted unto destruction: and
that he
might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy which he afore
prepared unto glory, even us, whom he also called." (Rom.
9:20-24) (Loraine Bottner, Major Doctrinal Differences of Reformed
Theology and the Rest, Arminianism)
Article 11: Election Unchangeable
Just as God himself is most wise, unchangeable, all knowing, and almighty, so the election made by him can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled; neither can his chosen ones be cast off, nor their number reduced.
Commentary
The election of souls to salvation is unchangeable because the will of God “is irresistible, His counsel shall stand; who can turn Him from His purpose, and who can hinder him from performance? Therefore He attains His end in the and most superlative degree of certainty and infallibility, Himself will not change His own purpose; for why should He do it? If He change to the better, than it reflects on His wisdom; if He change to the worse, it reflects both on His wisdom and goodness. Certainly He can see no cause why He should change it.” (Hugh Binning)
“He is in one mind, and who can turn Him?” (Job 23:13) “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man that He should repent” (Num. 23:19). “I am the Lord, I change not” (Mal. 3:6). “The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations” (Psa 33:11).
The Lord our God, is clothed with might,
The winds and waves obey His will;
He speaks, and in the shining height
The sun and rolling worlds stand still.
Rebel ye waves, and o’er the land,
With threatening aspect foam and roar,
The Lord hath spoken His command
That breaks your rage upon the shore.
Ye winds of night, your force combine—
Without His holy high behest
You shall not in a mountain pine
Disturb the little swallow’s nest.
His voice sublime is heard afar;
In distant peals it fades and dies;
He binds the cyclone to His chariot
And sweeps the howling murky skies.
Great God! How infinite art Thou,
What weak and worthless worms are we,
Let all the race of creatures bow
And seek salvation now from Thee.
Eternity, with all its years
Stands every present to Thy view,
To Thee there’s nothing old appears.
Great God! There can be nothing new.
Our lives though varied scenes are drawn,
And vexed with mean and trifling cares:
While Thine eternal thought moves on
They Fixed and undisturbed affairs.”
Article 12: The Assurance of Election
Assurance of this their eternal and unchangeable election to salvation is given to the chosen in due time, though by various stages and in differing measure. Such assurance comes not by inquisitive searching into the hidden and deep things of God, but by noticing within themselves, with spiritual joy and holy delight, the unmistakable fruits of election pointed out in God's Word - such as a true faith in Christ, a childlike fear of God, a godly sorrow for their sins, a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and so on.
Commentary
A person may believe himself or herself to be saved when that is not the case. A person may also fear that they are not saved when in actual fact regeneration has taken place (Isa. 50:10; Luke 18:11-14) Assurance of salvation may be found objectively and subjectively. Objectively, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit comes to give assurance of salvation by leading believers to rest on God’s promises. The Spirit also produces in the lives of the elect love for Christ, for righteousness, and for others. Because of the Spirit’s work the saint is enabled to call upon God as the loving Father in heaven (2 Tim. 1:12; John 14:21; 1 John 3:14; Rom. 8:14-16; 1 John 2:5; 5:13; John 10:27-28). Subjectively, assurance of salvation may be detected insofar as there is a growth in grace and knowledge of Jesus and a forsaking of known sin (1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 7:1; 13:5). “It must be held to be an universally acknowledged point, that no man is a Christian who does not feel some special love for righteousness.” (John Calvin)
Article 13: The Fruit of This Assurance
In their awareness and assurance of this election God's children daily find greater cause to humble themselves before God, to adore the fathomless depth of his mercies, to cleanse themselves, and to give fervent love in return to him who first so greatly loved them. This is far from saying that this teaching concerning election, and reflection upon it, make God's children lax in observing his commandments or carnally self-assured. By God's just judgment this does usually happen to those who casually take for granted the grace of election or engage in idle and brazen talk about it but are unwilling to walk in the ways of the chosen.
Commentary
A believer’s lack of confidence or assurance of salvation may be the evidence of sinful neglect. (1 John 4:18). The apostle denies that any man has learned Christ who has not learned to put off ”The old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and put on Christ” (Eph. 4:22).
Article 14: Teaching Election Properly
Just as, by God's wise plan, this teaching concerning divine election has been proclaimed through the prophets, Christ himself, and the apostles, in Old and New Testament times, and has subsequently been committed to writing in the Holy Scriptures, so also today in God's church, for which it was specifically intended, this teaching must be set forth - with a spirit of discretion, in a godly and holy manner, at the appropriate time and place, without inquisitive searching into the ways of the Most High. This must be done for the glory of God's most holy name, and for the lively comfort of his people.
Commentary
“Election!—What a blessed word! What a glorious doctrine! Who does not rejoice to know that he has been chosen to some great blessing? Election is unto salvation—the greatest of all blessings. And strange to say, this is a neglected truth even by many who profess to believe it, and others have a feeling of repulsion at the very mention of this Bible-revealed, God honoring, and man humbling truth.” (C.D. Cole, The Bible Doctrine of Election)
Speaking to his generation in the 19th century, the great English preacher Charles Spurgeon said, “There seems to be an inveterate prejudice in the human mind again this doctrine, and although most other doctrines will be received by professing Christians, some with caution, others with pleasure, yet this one seems to be the most frequently disregarded and discarded." Today, the doctrines of grace are even more universally opposed even within the professing Church. In light of this what must be done? The scriptural answer is for Christians to simply declare afresh the whole gospel to the whole world (1 Cor. 15:1; 1 John 1:3). Faith must not be lost in the power of the Word to be used effectively by the Spirit to save souls and confound the foolish (Heb. 4:12; 1 Cor. 2:3).
Article 15: Reprobation
Moreover, Holy Scripture most especially highlights this eternal and undeserved grace of our election and brings it out more clearly for us, in that it further bears witness that not all people have been chosen but that some have not been chosen or have been passed by in God's eternal election - those, that is, concerning whom God, on the basis of his entirely free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure, made the following decision:
· to leave them in the common misery into which, by their own fault, they have plunged themselves;
· not to grant them saving faith and the grace of conversion;
· but finally to condemn and eternally punish them (having been left in their own ways and under his just judgment), not only for their unbelief but also for all their other sins, in order to display his justice.
And this is the decision of reprobation, which does not at all make God the author of sin (a blasphemous thought!) but rather its fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger.
Commentary
Christ did not lay down His life to atone for all sins of all mankind in all the ages, nor for an indefinite number of sinners. His sacrifice was indeed sufficient to save the whole world, had it been the design of redemption. But in the purpose of God and in the work of Christ, it was decreed that He should make atonement for those who were elected in Him to everlasting life as the heirs of salvation. These only Christ represented in the definite act of redemption, and these only shall be saved (John 10:14-15, 25-30; Acts 20:28; Rev. 5:9; John 17:9-10). “Had God decreed to save all men, and had prepared saving grace for all men, then all men would be saved; what should hinder?” (John Gill, The Cause of God in Truth)
Article 16: Responses to the Teaching of Reprobation
Those who do not yet actively experience within themselves a living faith in Christ or an assured confidence of heart, peace of conscience, a zeal for childlike obedience, and a glorying in God through Christ, but who nevertheless use the means by which God has promised to work these things in us - such people ought not to be alarmed at the mention of reprobation, nor to count themselves among the reprobate; rather they ought to continue diligently in the use of the means, to desire fervently a time of more abundant grace, and to wait for it in reverence and humility.
On the other hand, those who seriously desire to turn to God, to be pleasing to him alone, and to be delivered from the body of death, but are not yet able to make such progress along the way of godliness and faith as they would like - such people ought much less to stand in fear of the teaching concerning reprobation, since our merciful God has promised that he will not snuff out a smoldering wick and that he will not break a bruised reed.
However, those who have forgotten God and their Savior Jesus Christ and have abandoned themselves wholly to the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh - such people have every reason to stand in fear of this teaching, as long as they do not seriously turn to God.