Can You Lose Your Salvation?

(Added as the final post in the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series.) 

I believe the Bible shows that if someone is truly a believer, sealed with the Holy Spirit, then it's not possible for them to lose their salvation.

It's no secret that I disagree with and hate Calvinism - the idea that God predestines who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.  CALVINISM IS NOT BIBLICAL!  It's full of twisted Scripture, "secret" word meanings, presumptions about how God acts, etc. - all so it can try to support its own misconceptions of God and salvation and the Gospel.

But there is one area that we can agree on: a true believer cannot lose their salvation.

However, I see it much differently than they do.  So I couldn't even call myself a 1-Point Calvinist.  (Maybe a 1/4-Point Calvinist?  But why would I even want to do that!)


Calvinism believes that God picks who goes to heaven, that He causes us to believe in Him, and that He will help believers "persevere" to the end.  They find security in this because "If God made it happen, then there's no chance of falling away."  

However, Calvinism actually leads to major insecurity about your salvation- because a person can never know for sure that God picked them until and unless they "persevere" in the faith all the way to the end.

Does Believing in Predestination Affect Our Prayers?

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

So, here's a question ... Does your belief in whether it's predestination or free-will affect how you pray for people and their salvation?

Yes, very much so.  

If you are a Calvinist and you believe that God Himself sovereignly chooses whether someone should go to heaven or hell, how would you pray for that person's salvation?  You'd have to pray something like, "Dear God, please choose this person to be saved.  Make them believe in You.  But it's up to You if they are saved or not.  And if it's not Your Will, then I guess I will have to accept it."

And you'd be praying this knowing that it doesn't matter if you pray it or not.  Because you can't affect God's "predetermined" plans either way.  But, hooray for you, at least you are going through the motions, like a good Calvinist.  Even though God Himself caused you to go through the motions, since Calvinism believes that God controls all we do.    

What About Those Who've Never Heard of Jesus?

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

In the previous "predestination" posts, I have been making the case that anyone can be saved, that God didn't predetermine who goes to hell and who goes to heaven.


            “But,” you might wonder, “how can it be possible for all people to come to Jesus if some people have never even heard of Him, such as those who live in the jungles of a primitive island or those who grew up in another religion and only heard the name of other gods?  How can they be saved if the Bible says that only those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved, and yet they have never even heard of Him?  You can’t call on a name you never knew about.”

            I have always been interested in sorting this question out in my mind – how (and if) salvation can come to those who never heard about Jesus.  When I was a Calvinist in my teens (a tiny, baby Calvinist that never grew up), I used to think "Oh well, that's just the way God determined it, that they should be lost.  Who are we to question Him?"  

            But I think I understand it differently now.  (I do not know if I am accurate on this, but it’s what I think so far.) 

            First off, keep in mind that there is a difference between those who have never heard of the Bible or Jesus and those who have heard but who reject it (such as atheists or those of most other religions).  And I will look at each group separately.

My Response to a Post I Recently Read

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

I want to share my response to a post I read from our church.  The person who wrote the post (I believe it was our pastor) quoted Acts 2:23: “This man [Jesus] was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross.”  

The writer’s point is that God pre-planned Jesus’ death and chose to use wicked men to accomplish this.  I can agree with this.  However, the underlying point of his post is that God basically caused the men to be wicked (that He planned their evilness), to accomplish His purposes.  And yet God – even though He planned for and caused these men to be wicked – cannot be accused of doing evil or wrong.  This is a typical Calvinist view.    

He also goes on to say that God also planned for Adam and Eve to rebel, to fall.  That it is for His glory that they fell.  The implication is, once again, that God caused them to fall, for His purposes.  

Acts 13:48: Not as "predestination" as it sounds

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

Calvinists often point to Acts 13:48 as an ultimate predestination verse.  "... and all who were appointed (ordained) for eternal life believed".  They say, "See, God appointed them, predestined them, chose them to go to heaven.  And because He chose them, they were predestined to believe.  And those who weren't chosen can't believe."

But look it up online and you'll see that it's not that cut-and-dried.  It's not as "predestination" as it sounds.

First off, it's important to not take it out of context or separate it from the rest of Scripture.  If you do, then it could definitely sound like God predetermined that only certain people would obtain eternal life.  But we need to look at it in context and in relation to the rest of Scripture.

Some Problems with Predestination/Calvinism (And What I Think The Bible Really Says)

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

Calvinists (those who believe in predestination, that we don’t have a real choice about salvation) – say that we have to evangelize and pray because God told us to and because God knew that this is how the lost would be saved.  This is a pretty flimsy reason for evangelizing, given that (according to Calvinists) no one really has a choice about where their souls end up anyway.  

(And actually, they'll say that we do get a choice, that we freely, willingly choose according to our nature.  But what they don't say is that God alone determines our nature, whether we get a new "saved" one or whether we have to keep the old "sinner" nature which can do nothing but sin and reject God.  This is still God determining whether we believe or not, whether we sin or not.  Don't buy into their double-talk.)
            
If evangelizing didn’t really make a difference, then doing it just because God told us to would just be “going through the motions,” acting out a part just for the sake of acting it out.  We would just be “pretending” to evangelize because it wouldn’t really be needed or have an effect anyway.  This really waters down the Christian message and the urgency to reach the lost.  And I think it can cause believers and unbelievers alike to not take seriously God’s call to salvation and Jesus’ sacrifice for them.  What does it really matter what you think about these things anyway if it doesn’t really matter what you think and if you are just going to end up where God assigned you?  It kind of makes a mockery of thinking and of faith and of sharing the Good News.  

Pre-chosen People? Is God's Call Irresistible?

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

John 6:37:  “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
            
This one confused me for awhile.  It sounded like Jesus is saying that all the people that God has pre-chosen to be believers are destined to come to faith in Him.  And that only those who are chosen by God will come to faith.
            
But I’m not sure if that’s what this is really saying.

The Holy Spirit and "Dead People"

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

Maybe you've wondered this ...

"Isn’t it the Holy Spirit’s job to convict people and draw them to God?  Aren’t we 'dead people' before the Spirit wakes us up, unable to even think about God or seek God because “dead people” can’t do anything?  And so we need the Spirit to make us become believers?  Isn’t there a verse about Him opening people’s minds so that they can understand God’s truth?  So if He doesn’t draw someone and doesn’t open their minds, then they cannot become saved?  Isn’t it His job to save people?

I would answer this way:  Yes and no.

I used to think this was the case - that if the Holy Spirit didn’t open your eyes, you would not be able to come to God.  That basically, the Holy Spirit decided who to “enlighten” and who to leave ignorant of God.  And I guess, then, that if you wanted someone to become a Christian, you would have to pray, “Lord, make so-and-so become a Christian.”  Because it’s all up to Him, right?  He decides who to let into heaven and who to keep out. 

But as I have learned more over the years, I now see it just a touch differently.

God Does Not Cause Us To Sin

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

James 1:13-15: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” 

God does not cause us to sin, tempt us to sin, or encourage us to sin ... but He does bring us opportunities to decide if we will choose to sin or not (see the previous post, “God Set Pharaoh Up”).  And if we sin, it’s because that's what we wanted to do.  

But encouraging us (prompting us) to make our own decision to sin is far different than encouraging us to sin.  Giving us the opportunity to sin if that's what we want to do is far different than causing us to sin.

Bear with me here for a small, pathetic illustration of what I'm saying.  You know in movies sometimes when two men are about to get into a fight.  And Guy #1 (who doesn't want to fight) is waiting for Guy #2 (the Instigator of the fight, the one who wants to fight) to throw the first punch.  This way, when Guy #1 hits back, it's in self-defense.  Guy #1 will yell something like, "Go on, do it!  Take a shot; you know you want to!"  He is encouraging Instigator to act out what's in his heart, to do what he wants to do.  And if Instigator does throw the first punch, Guy #1 is justified in punching back.  

Did Guy #1 force Instigator to punch him?  Did Instigator have no choice but to do what Guy #1 told him to do?  

No!  Guy #1 didn't force Instigator to do what he did; he just gave him the opportunity to do what he wanted to do all along.  Instigator is fully responsible for deciding to throw that first punch.  He could have walked away but he chose not to because he didn't want to.  He wanted to fight.  Guy #1 just gave him the chance and the promoting to do it so that Guy #1 was justified in fighting back.     

God Set Pharaoh Up

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

If you’ve read the previous posts, you know that I believe that God does not cause us to sin or to be disobedient.  We decide if we want to believe in Him and obey Him or if we want to rebel against Him. 

But I read a post recently by a strong Calvinist who believes that God causes people to sin, for His reasons and His glory, such as causing Adam and Eve to eat the fruit and causing Pharaoh to have a hard heart so that he wouldn't release the Israelites.  (Can you guess who wrote it?  Yep, my pastor.  He says that God "ordained" those things, but he really means God "caused" those things.  FYI, when a Calvinist says God "ordained" something, they don't mean He knew it would happen and just allowed it to happen; they mean He preplanned it and caused it to happen.  Big difference!)   

I don’t agree.  I do not think God causes (“forces”) people to sin, to rebel, to resist Him, to be hard-hearted.  I think obedience or disobedience is our decision.   

However (not to confuse you), I do think that God can set us up to make our decision to obey or disobey.  He can put us in a situation that forces us to decide.  But He already knows from the beginning if we are going to obey or disobey.  And if He knows that He can work our disobedience into His plans, He might just set up the circumstances so that we make our choice to disobey, so that we act out the rebellion that is already in our hearts.  And then He uses our disobedience for His purposes. 

But ... and this is critical ... He never forces us to disobey, to choose to do wrong.  He just gives us the chance to do it, knowing full well what we would choose to do. 

According to the Concordance ... It's NOT (Calvinist) Predestination!

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)
As I have studied this issue of “predestination vs. free-will,” I have found it immensely helpful and clarifying to look up certain words in Strong’s Concordance.  The concordance lists each word of the Bible, what it means in the original Greek or Hebrew, and how the word is being used in that particular verse. 

I used to be really scared of looking up words in the concordance.  I was afraid that I would learn that my “free-will” view was wrong all along.  But I was determined to learn the truth, even if I didn’t like it.

But, thankfully, the more I have looked up words and their meanings, the more convinced I have become that the Calvinist view of "predestination" is not right.  That salvation is a choice, that it’s not predetermined for us by God.  God has made salvation available to all.  We have the responsibility to choose whether to believe in God or to reject Him.  And we will justly reap the consequences that go with our choice. 

This post is a quick overview of some of the words that I have looked up and what I learned about them.  (I did cover most of these in other posts too.)  However, due to copyright laws, I cannot quote directly from Strong’s concordance.  So I will do my best to explain it in my own words.      

Prepared for Destruction/Hard Hearts - Romans 9

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

Romans 9:22-23:  “What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath – prepared for destruction?  What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory . . .” 

Ah, the big chapter!  (Read it all if you want to.)  The one that really does make it sound like God decides whom to make for heaven and whom to make for hell.  If you're a Calvinist, that is.

But I don’t believe this passage is talking about individuals being specifically, deliberately created for destruction. 

Predestined For Salvation? Or For Something Else?

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series.  And I covered this in the previous post in this series, but it deserves its own post too.)

1 Peter 1:1-2:  “To God’s elect . . . who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.” 


Let's look again at this verse (because it is a verse that predestination hinges on), but let’s dig even deeper.  

As I sought to understand 1 Peter 1:1-2 more accurately, I learned that the Revised Standard Version of this verse says this:  “. . . To the exiles of the dispersion . . . chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling of his blood . . .” 

The NIV's "elect" is simply translated "exiles of the dispersion" in the RSV.

Maybe you won’t see it this way, but to me it sounds like Peter is not writing to the “elect,” as in “those predestined by God for salvation,” as Calvinists would view it  But it sounds like he is writing to those Christians of the day who have been scattered under the persecution they were experiencing, to “dispersed exiles.”

Calvinists make so much of the word "elect," but it might not be what they think it is!  And this might not be a "predestined to go to heaven" passage at all.  

The Elect - Foreknown by God

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

1 Peter 1:1-2:  “To God’s elect . . . who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.” 

People who believe in predestination (Calvinists) define the “elect” (the “chosen” ones) as those whom God has pre-chosen for salvation.  And everyone else is destined for hell, with no chance of being saved.  They would say that this verse confirms it.  That we are chosen by God to be believers or unbelievers. 

For starters, I don’t think “elect” means "specific people chosen by God to be saved."  And I don't think this verse is saying that God has prechosen people for salvation.  I think this verse means that God foreknows who will choose to believe in Him and that He has pre-decided to help them grow in obedience to Jesus Christ, through the work of the Spirit.  Not that He has planned to save certain people.  


(I once read of one Calvinist who chose to redefine "foreknown" as "fore-chosen."  He actually said this, that he was going to believe that it should be "fore-chosen" instead of "foreknown."  How nice to be able to alter God's Word so brazenly, whenever you feel like it, in order to support your twisted theology!  But fore-chosen doesn't work because, according to the concordance, "foreknow" has to do with perceiving or having knowledge of something beforehand.  It has nothing to do with the action of choosing or electing something.  Totally different ideas that are in no way interchangeable!)  

Are we "forced" to be obedient or disobedient?

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

Does God cause us to be obedient or disobedient?  

If you believe in predestination – that God has predetermined that some people will go to heaven but that most people will go to hell and there is nothing they can do to get to heaven – then you have to say that God ultimately causes us to either be obedient or disobedient.      

But I strongly believe that we have the responsibility to decide if we will obey or disobey.  And I think the whole Bible attests to this, from the Fall . . . to the fact that God lays out “the blessings path” and “the curses path” for the Israelites to choose between . . . to the many calls to “obey” and “choose whom we will serve.” 

Does God cause childhood abuse?

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

In an earlier post called "What Does 'God is Sovereign' Mean?", I explored the issue of God’s sovereignty and what it means that He is in control.  However, I want to address one issue in particular today: childhood abuse. 

My Calvinist pastor strongly believes that God controls everything (even when we sin or reject Him) and that everything that happens is because God caused it to happen.  

He says that God has the right to ordain (by that he means “cause”) evil to happen in your life ... but that He is still good and that He does this for His purposes and for your good and because He knows what trials you need to humble you.    

And he even included childhood abuse in this list of “God-ordained evils.”  He says that the bad things that happened to you are God's "Plan A" for your life, and you just have to trust Him about it.  

Finding "The Next Step" For Your Life

            Okay, onto something a bit more practical.  Sometimes figuring out the “next step” is the next thing that God wants us to do.  We are standing at a crossroad and we ask God, “What do You want me to do next?”  And the thing we need to figure out is ...

            "How can I make sure to stay on the path He wants me on?  How can I recognize His guidance when He reveals the next step He wants me to take?"

 
            I’ll confess that I often struggle with decisions I’ve made, always wondering if I made the wrong one, if I missed His guidance and got off-track.  I do this a lot.  I always doubt myself and then have to re-evaluate my choice before I can feel confident that I made the right one (unless, of course, God lets me know that I was wrong.)  In this post, I want to look at ways we can evaluate our decisions and do our best to figure out which one God wants us to pick. 
            How can we know that we are making the “right decision”?

How to know God's Will

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

Since we're on the topic of God's Will, let’s look at Romans 12:1-2: 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

This verse says that we can “test and approve” what God’s will is.  (What need is there to "test and approve" God's Will if it's always the only thing that happens, as Calvinists claim?  If God always does His Will, regardless of what we do or think, why would He care if we "test and approve" it?)  I have always wondered about this phrase, about what it means and what it means for us.  

The conclusion I have come to is that as the Holy Spirit renews our minds, we will come to better understand God’s goals - His desire to reach people, to save people, to pour out love and forgiveness and grace and mercy and compassion and truth on them.  On all people!  

(Incidentally, I read a post on our church's blog yesterday, and I was trying to figure out if the writer was a Calvinist or not.  And then she said something like, "As we all know, Jesus died for those who believe in Him..."  And I immediately thought "Calvinist!  No, Jesus didn't die for those who believe in Him; He died for all people.  But only those who choose to believe in Him will acquire the forgiveness and eternal life that His death bought for us."  Be careful with Calvinists!  They say things that sound so biblical that you might not notice the Calvinism for a long time.)

As we grow closer and closer to the Lord and let the Holy Spirit transform us, we will be able to grasp more and more what the Lord's Will is, what our role in it is, what our focus should be, and what our responsibilities are.  We will learn to work for His kingdom and righteousness.

Do We Have an Effect on "God's Will"?

(Part of the "Predestination vs. Free-Will" series)

At some point, most Christians struggle with the idea of “God’s Will.”  What is it?  Can we know it?  And what do we mean when we say “God’s Will”?  Are we talking about what He wants for/from us (the path He wants us to take)?  Or are we saying that He has pre-determined and set-in-stone plans, things that will happen regardless of what we do?  Do we have to find His Will or do we have to do His Will?  Do we have an effect on His Will or does His Will always happen, regardless of us?  Can we miss out on His Will for our lives?