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Sunday 01/12/25
Title: Free-willed vessels of Honor Pt.3
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Free-willed vessels of Honor Pt.3
This is our 3rd and final week of teaching on who Paul meant when he said to Timothy…
“I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”– 2 Timothy 2:10
This week we will cover ‘the chosen’, the foretold, those whose minds are blinded and the process by which that blinding takes place.
You know on Wednesday night I mentioned that in the past I had used Nebuchadnezzar as an example of God taking free will away, when He gave him the mind of a beast for 7 years. Now I did this not to prove the nonexistence of free will but to demonstrate that God is the Owner and judge of the human heart. Nowhere in scripture is there a promise of free will, rather it is demonstrated in nearly all God does and says.
God OWNS our hearts and has given us the stewardship rights over them. What we do with our minds, wills and emotions determine the direction God’s judgments will assume regarding our hearts.
In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, God warned him in a disturbing dream that his pride regarding the scope of his kingdom would cost him. This happened to him just as it is described by the wise young man Elihu who confronted Job.
“(15) In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, (16) he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, (17) to turn them from wrongdoing and keep them from pride, (18) to preserve them from the pit, their lives from perishing by the sword.” – Job 33:15-18,
Notice why God does this. To warn and save mankind from the consequences of their own free will choices.
Daniel gave the king the warning in VERY clear and unmistakable terms as it is recorded in Daniel 4. One full year later, while Nebuchadnezzar was boasting in pride over his accomplishments, God spoke to him directly reminding him of His warning and told him that for 7 years he would have the mind of a beast and live in the fields and it came to pass immediately.
In addition to this, God returned his sanity to him at which point Nebuchadnezzar, of his own reformed will, praised God and gave Him glory!
This is ANYTHING but an example of predestination or a lack of free will. You don’t give warnings to people who have no choice, nor do you give them time to think about it and change their minds if they cannot change their minds.
So let’s begin our lessons today by looking first at who are “the chosen”…
Chosen
This door could swing in any direction because the places where this word is used do not indicate the sovereignty of God forcing the issue nor does it exclude that possibility. So what we know about this must be tempered by what we have and will learn regarding predestination in other places.
John 13:18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS BREAD WITH ME HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’
Does this mean Judas was created with the express purpose of betraying Jesus? That Judas had no choice?
I think his grief Judas expresses afterward his betrayal concludes otherwise. I know his grief was self-focused, but if he was created for this, he would have taken pleasure in it, not selfish regret.
Jesus said that Judas did these things so that the scriptures might be fulfilled which predicted it.
So does that mean that Judas betrayed BECAUSE God foretold it or does it mean that because Judas was going to betray, God foretold it?
Well Revelation 17:14 seems to indicate a need for faithfulness in those who are called and chosen so that those chosen seem to have a free will role to play.
It says, “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and FAITHFUL.”
There are many examples of the statement used with Judas, that “these things happened that the scriptures might be fulfilled” but we know that such does not mean God forced their happening. As we read last week, God in His sovereignty DID predestine Jesus’ death by crucifixion but it was His people who chose how that happened.
The accusation from the Spirit through Peter on the day of Pentecost was that Jesus was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge but that the blame for HOW that happened by lawless people was due to the free will choice of Israel at large.
Acts 2:22-23, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know.
(23) Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined planAND foreknowledge, YOU USED lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him.”
Meaning that, at least in this case God did not predetermine the who or the how only the what.
If Israel had embraced their Messiah, then the Romans would have crucified Him as a potential rival to Caesar. God did not NEED the Israelites to turn Him over to godless hands to have Him crucified. Like with Pharaoh, God’s purposes and plans would have been fulfilled either way!
So we at least have some examples where we know for certain that the foreknowledge of God in speaking of future events through the prophets did not force people to act in a certain way, but only reveal what He knew from eternity past they would choose.
In reality that speaks more of God’s sovereignty and power than the other. If everything happens because God predetermined it only reveals power and authority over His creation. But for God to be able to fulfill His purpose and plan WITHOUT forcing it. For He in His brilliance and influence working within the boundaries of the free will of mankind to cement the outcome of His choosing speaks of a God truly worthy of praise!
What I have set before you over these three weeks is NOT a comprehensive expose of the topic but rather a sampling of all that IS said.
While without question God does exercise sovereignty over His creation, He would have to be duplicitous to say that He gives light to “all who come into the world” like the Spirit said through John in his gospel account (John 1), but then simultaneously and arbitrarily blind some people to that light.
Does God blind certain people? Well yes and no. Rather He allows the devil to do so for it is said both ways.
John 12 has God blinding them and 2 Corinthians 4 has the devil blinding them.
THESE VERSES ARE NOT IN A VACUUM! They exist in an ocean of related knowledge ALL OF WHICH has to be taken into account before laying down a verdict as to what God says about this!
IF God DOES do it or even if He just allows it – the question is why?
Again, scripture plainly reveals it is not arbitrary but in response to their rebellious hearts.
Let’s start with John 12:36-43…
“(36) While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
When Jesus had said these things, He departed and hid Himself from them. (37) Though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him, (38) so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Now we will cover this in greater detail before closing today but notice this statement was AFTER Jesus told them ALL to believe SO THAT they might become sons of light.
If a command from Jesus is NOT an example of grace given (influence) to come then I don’t know what is! But these people refused and in Romans 10 we will see why and -spoiler alert- it isn’t because they were sovereignly predestined to be blind!
“(39) Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
(40) “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
(41) Isaiah said these things BECAUSE HE SAW His glory and spoke of Him.
(42) Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; (43) for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”
Now it could easily be excused for people to misunderstand this passage because it appears to swing both ways. Free choice to an invitation to believe and then their inability to believe because it was foretold that they wouldn’t.
But Isaiah did not say these things because God foreordained them, but because he saw them! Meaning the prediction did not cause the choice, but the foreknowledge of the choice caused the prediction.
This is further clarified by 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 which says,
“(3) But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, (4) among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.”
There are a few things to know here. First the words “do not believe” is one Greek word with several shades of meaning. In this context it means they are incredulous – they refuse to believe which is altogether different than say the unbelief in Thomas who would only believe under certain conditions. (Which too speaks to free will – how could Thomas set the conditions for his own belief if grace was irresistible?)
These incredulous souls will not believe. They’ve dug their heels in and resisted the influence upon their hearts leading them towards belief. Once cannot resist what they have never had revealed to them which brings up the second issue.
The result of their determination to not believe is rewarded with blindness so that they cannot perceive the light of the image of God in the gospel.
The word “light” is NOT the typical word used for light in Greek. It is a word used by the Septuagint in translating Psalm 44:3 and specifically refers to the light of God’s countenance.
This means that the initial light of the Gospel which is given to everyone and which Romans 1 clearly says God reveals to each person in the world only introduces one to the knowledge of salvation through Christ. It does not reveal Christ Himself. THAT greater and more personal revelation is reserved for those who respond to the initial light in faith.
Meaning God will not reward the lost with a revelation of the PERSON of Christ unless they respond in faith to the revelation of salvation through Him alone.
This is a progressive revelation. God does not cast His pearls before swine. The preciousness of knowing the person of Christ is protected by the Father. He will not lower and cheapen it so as to give such inside knowledge to those who would scorn it.
Let’s read this passage in Romans 1:18-23. It too points to this blindness and hardness of heart being NOT arbitrary but in response to free will choices of the individual…
“(18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS,
(19) because what may be known of God is manifest in them, FOR GOD HAS SHOWN IT TO THEM.”
Notice the wording. “What MAY BE known of God”. This implies that not everything is open to the non-believer, only certain things. As we keep reading we see these are surface things about God – things which are obvious BECAUSE God has revealed these surface things to everyone as a bait or invitation to come and know Him better IF THEY WILL.
“(20) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, (21) because, ALTHOUGH THEY KNEW GOD, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Professing to be wise, they became fools, (23) and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
It says that these people who rejected God and became blind and insensitive to Him did so AFTER having first known Him. The word for “KNEW” in the phrase “knew God” is the imperfect tense of Ginosko [G1097] which means the first blush of knowledge. It is to begin to know. It is NOT a full and complete knowledge nor even a personal knowledge only a surface and casual knowing. Of course this would be understood anyway by the example provided. It is to know God’s eternal power and Divinity through seeing the things God has made.
This is in part what it means in 2 Corinthians 3 when it says that a veil lies upon Israel’s eyes until they turn to Christ. It isn’t until AFTER they respond to the message ABOUT HIM they the veil is removed to behold Him!
This also agrees with the same doctrine explained in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, [Weymouth]
“The appearing of the Lawless one will be attended by various miracles and tokens and delusive marvels–for so satan works– (10) and by every kind of wicked deception for those who are on the way to perdition because they did not welcome into their hearts the love of the truth, so that they might be saved. (11) And for this reason God sends them a misleading influence that they may believe the lie; (12) in order that all may come under judgement who have refused to believe the truth and have taken pleasure in unrighteousness.”
The ESV says “they refused to love the truth”.
Notice that NONE of these passages claim that God didn’t let these people love the truth or God did not let them believe. The scriptures set this forth as a choice people make and it cannot be a choice people make if in reality it is a choice God made for them.
So contrary to the way this could be understood by a surface reading and most likely by Calvinists this is NOT saying God arbitrarily blinds some and gives light to others.
For God to declare His desires that none perish but for all come to the saving knowledge of the truth, as in 2 Peter 3:9 but then willfully act contrariwise by only offering a few the knowledge and grace of salvation would be double minded!
If I were to tell a group of people that I will give them a signal which will tell them what to do or where to go for safety, but then deliberately craft that signal to come in a way which only certain people can see – then isn’t it deceptive to claim that I sent the signal to everyone?
In all reality I only sent it to those I wanted to see it, the others never had a chance and in fact saw nothing!
We are told in John 1:7-9 that John the Baptist was sent as a witness to the light with the desire that “ALL THROUGH HIM MIGHT BELIEVE.” But if God doesn’t even allow most people to believe – then this is patently a lie!
Also John 3:16 is a witness to this.
You recall that it does NOT say that God so loved the elect so much that He gave His only Son so that these elect should not perish, but have eternal life – but rather that He loved THE WHOLE WORLD with the intention that WHOEVER believes would not perish!
In fact the scriptures go even further than this. MUCH further!
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 has God begging the lost to be reconciled!
“(17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (18) Now all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
(19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
(20) Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. (21) For He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
May I suggest to you that you do not plead with those who are given no choice and without a choice is not relationship – its rape!
God would have to be THE poster child for mental and emotional instability to feel this way, love this way, desire this way and make these claims and then turn around and stack the deck against it!
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 says that “the lawless one comes with all unrighteous deception among those who perish” – NOT because they were not the elect, but “because THEY DID NOT RECEIVE the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
You cannot receive something that has not been offered!
So while we cannot deny that there are some passages which sound as if free will has nothing to do with salvation and that grace is irresistible I think an overview of the subject paints a very different picture.
That while God desires, offers and even pleads with the world to receive the truth of Jesus in humility, He does not force humanity to comply with that outcome.
- It can hardly be called surrender or willing submission (which is the word for “humble yourself”) if you had no choice.
- Paul said only those who compete according to the rules are rewarded and that we should DECIDE to run in such a way as to win. But there can be no basis for reward if you could not fail and didn’t willingly participate.
Let’s read Romans 10 for I think it summarizes and helps bring all of these opposing views into focus, revealing it isn’t man’s free will alone nor God’s sovereignty alone but a marriage of the two that determines salvation.
Romans 10:1-21,
“(1) Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
(2) For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. (3) For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
(4) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
(5) For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law,
“THE MAN WHO DOES THOSE THINGS SHALL LIVE BY THEM.”
(6) But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way,
“DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) (7) or, ” ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
(8) But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): (9) that IF YOUWILL confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
(10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(11) For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
(12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. (13) For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”
Notice it does not say, “For whoever is elect of God will call upon His name and they alone will be saved”. I mean if this IS the truth then this is the way it SHOULD be said otherwise it is downright misleading!
Notice that this is NOT on rails. A whole plethora of things must conspire to generate belief – not just the preordination of God.
“(14) How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?
(15) And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!”
This is all a very logical progression and would be THE place to introduce predetermination if it exists.
ANY of these phrases could have said it.
- How can they call on Him if they were not predestined to believe?
- How can they believe if God will not let them hear?
- How can they hear if God only sends preachers to those who are preselected?
- How can the preacher preach to those predestined to unbelief if God will not send them?
But instead all of these statements conspire together to strongly imply free will!
“(16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
For Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
This is the same passage Jesus mentioned before saying in John 12…
“Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
(40) “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
But Paul here in Romans adds to this the necessity of yielding to the message in trust so that this is NOT just an arbitrary predestination of God through the prophets.
“(17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (18) But I say, have they not heard?
YES INDEED: “THEIR SOUND HAS GONE OUT TO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.”
(19) But I say, did Israel not know?
First Moses says: “I WILL PROVOKE YOU TO JEALOUSY BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT A NATION, I WILL MOVE YOU TO ANGER BY A FOOLISH NATION.”
(20) But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME; I WAS MADE MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.”
(21) But to Israel he says: “ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND CONTRARY PEOPLE.”
Whoa! Sounds like resistible grace to me! “ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HAND TO A DISOBEDIENT AND CONTRARY PEOPLE”.
If not responding to God’s outstretched hand was something God predetermined that they HAD to do, then they were not disobedient but obedient to not believe!
It is easily deniable that sovereignty alone can account for all of this if logic has any part of it and if logic plays no part why write about it at all?!
It cannot be a relationship if it is not a free will choice.
Why allow Adam and Eve to fall if free will was not only important for relationship but rather imperative to it?!
Otherwise this is all an elaborate ruse – but for whose benefit? God’s? God already knows everything!
For us? Why? If everything we know and believe is predestined and preordained this circus show could not be to benefit us!
No, the only thing that aligns with ALL THE FACTS set forth in scripture is that God desires all to know Him so He gives that light to all who come into the world.
That the Holy Spirit convicts the world of:
- the reality of sin
- the potential for righteousness through trust in Christ and
- a future judgment which will act in accordance with their decision.
That God’s love for the entire world is what instigated His intervention of sending His Jesus. That if we CHOOSE humility and over pride – If we will surrender to Him in trust we will be “vessels of honor” fit for His use and glory.
Now this final passage we’re reading really seals this issue for anyone who is open to the truth.
Now if you have already made up your mind regarding this subject then all the evidence in the world wouldn’t convince you. You’ve effectively hardened your heart against it and have on some level forsaken a love of the truth.
One of the first lessons I taught you when I became pastor here was that faith doesn’t need a shield, it is one. Meaning, if you find your position so weak that you need to defend it then either your belief is not true or you are believing it for the wrong reasons. If it is true faith IT protects you, it does not need your protection!
Turn with me to Titus chapter 2.
Now as I told you, one of the two primary views on predestination and election believe in a thing they call “irresistible grace”. That God only gives grace for salvation to certain people and all those He gives it to cannot refuse that grace – they MUSTY obey it!
Well Titus makes it clear that if such IS the case then no one, anywhere – including the Apostles were saved.
Titus 2:11-15,
“(11) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.”
That opening sentence actually is all that is needed to completely quell any logical opposition to this Calvinistic view of salvation.
God’s grace comes in many forms and for many reasons, but this is specifically referencing grace for salvation and according to Titus it comes to ALL PEOPLE with the express intention of bringing them salvation.
If grace for salvation IS irresistible and only comes to a select group all of which always get saved then we have a problem here because we know by experience and the testimony of scripture that in fact MOST people will NOT be saved!
But I’m afraid the case only gets worse for those who hold to Calvinistic views the further on you read…
“(12) It (grace that brings salvation) trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, (13) as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
So if grace that brings salvation is irresistible then everyone who is offered this grace would always live godly and reject worldly desires and live self-controlled lives and maintain an ongoing, unwavering awareness and hope of Jesus’ return.
Let me make this super clear – there is NO ONE in the history of the world – save Jesus Himself who does this perfectly. And perfect would be the result if the grace was unable to be resisted.
So there is a somewhat thorough yet overly simplified teaching on the elect, the election, the called the chosen, the ordained and preordained, the determined, the predetermined, the known, the foreknown…etc.
The elect are those who have or will choose to respond in faith to the initial, first blush light of the knowledge of salvation in Christ revealed to them. Afterwords, the very person of Christ is revealed and they begin their journey towards assuming His likeness and evoking that desire to respond in others which is the work of the Kingdom of God.
It is THESE that Paul said to Timothy,
“I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”– 2 Timothy 2:10
Next week we will probably continue in our study of Paul’s encouragement to Timothy in his second letter to him.
Blessings!
