double double, toil & trouble: part 4 - chapter 15 - my final answers

7/31/2019 Double Double, Toil & Trouble: Part 4 - Chapter 15 - My Final Answers

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Chapter SixteenMy Final Answers

Throughout his sermons and works, Charles Spurgeon absolutelyrefused to try to reason out how certain persons who were not elect

could be held accountable for not trusting Christ. If they were not elect,then there was no chance of them ever coming to Christ. So how couldthey be held responsible for not coming if they never would have in thefirst place? Spurgeon never made a single attempt to answer suchseeming contradictions.

What were his grounds for refusing to quarrel about matters likethis? Simply, the Scriptures were his grounds. The Bible never offers anexplanation about this matter. It merely teaches that God does indeedpredestine some to enjoy his glory forever, and that He also predestinessome to be abandoned to sin and judgment forever. As stark and scary

as it sounds just writing that last half, its right from the Scriptures.

The Bible teaches that those who are not elect are responsible fortheir sinful choices and for their rejection of Jesus Christ, the onlysacrifice for their sins. But the one thing the Bible does not teach is howthese truths are to be harmonized or reconciled. Therefore,Spurgeon would not fall into the trap of trying to do so. In his mind, andtherefore in our minds, we ought not to do such a thing either. Thesetwo truths do not need harmonizing. It is our finite minds that pinpointsuch supposed contradictions and presumptuously assume they needreconciling. But the Bible presents both truths as truth and does not

presume that they are contradictory.

It was enough for Spurgeon that there is a salvation to bepreached with love to all and that he call to come to Christ and to say,If he died for all those who trust him, I will trust him; if he has offeredso great a sacrifice upon the tree for guilty men, I will rely upon thatsacrifice and make it the basis of my hope.1 It is based on this verytestimony and thought process that I give you my final answers on thismatter. And though some may think it odd or strange, these answersare all focused on the matter Spurgeon raised the necessity of man tohear the gospel and follow Jesus Christ.

Double-Predestination Makes Christians Cry, Why Me!

First, the doctrine of double-predestination makes the elect cry toGod, Why me! It makes a believer reel in shock and wonder that Godsaved him and not the other guy. It makes one so intimately aware oftheir own sinfulness as they look at another who is without mercy.

1 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 19, p. 280. Quoted in Murray, p. 99.


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What difference is there between us, O God?! Nothing whatsoever.And that was the original point back in verse 11. Theres nothing goodor bad that separates you, but only Gods sovereign choice to love youand hate (or love less) the other. This doctrine makes you acutelyaware of your own unmeritorious standing before God, realizing that you

had absolutely nothing to do with Gods setting His affection on you. Hedid it because it was part of His purpose. And He didnt do it for theother person because that was part of His purpose too. I dont knowwhy, and I dont have any earthly idea. But its what the Scriptures say,and its all about Gods glory. Thats truly humbling, reader.

Double-Predestination Makes Christians Cry, Send Me!

Second, this doctrine also makes the elect cry Send me dearLord! With the lack of understanding as to why God did it for them andnot for others, the heart surges with urgent desire to go and tell them of

Gods mercy so that perhaps Gods sovereign election might includethem too in His purpose. I believe it was Spurgeon who somewhereprayed, God save the elect, and elect some more!

We dont really know who the elect are, do we? A formercolleague in ministry suggested that it would be nice if we could tell whothe elect were by looking at their belly-buttons! If youre an innyyoure in, and if youre an outy youre out! Spurgeon suggestedsomething similar, preaching that we cannot lift up their shirts and seewhether or not theres a gigantic E for elect tattooed right on theirbacks.

So if we cant know who the elect are, and if we dont know, ifwell never know for sure in this world who they are, that means wevegot to get out and tell them all! Now! Yesterday! I mean, if we dontreally know why He showed us mercy in the first place, and if we arekeenly aware of nothing different between us and the unsaved guy, thenwe really dont know if God will not save the lost guy after all, right? Itsthe biblical logic of double-predestination that smashes the criticismsleveled against it. It demands evangelism and missions. It demandsthat others be told because we really dont know what Gods ultimateplan and purpose is for that person.

Double-Predestination is All About Gods Glory!

Finally, Its not about us! Its all about Him! Its all about theglory due His holy name! Those words from my buddy Steve Camp(Desiring God, 2002) ring true in my ears yet again. The glory of God isthe end of it all. And the sovereignty of God, or the right of God to dowith His creation what He wills, is what guides that glory. In other


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words, He will by any and all means necessary do whatever He must anduse whatever He must, or whoever He must, in order to glorify Himselfand make His saving name known throughout all the earth.

So let the lost serve as a warning to your soul, that you could have

been there were it not for grace. Let it make you hate pride with allyour being, since you had nothing to do with any of this! And let it makeyou long to drink more deeply of His grace and mercy toward you. Lostpeople should make you glory in His salvation! And again, this doctrineshould motivate you and compel you to snatch the lost into thekingdom, pouring out your energy to see them saved from thedestruction that awaits them. Who knows but that God may have mercyon thembut only if you tell them!

Conclusion: A Passionate Call to Missions and Evangelism

My final answers lead me from Romans 9:22-23 to a passionatecall for evangelism and missions, locally and abroad. This was thenecessary consequence of the doctrines of election and reprobation forPaul in Romans 9-11. Election and reprobation were a call to evangelizebecause that was how God was going to get glory for Himself throughoutall the earth. The fact that those who have been predestined by God fordestruction are a stimulus to the elect to fall more and more in love withGod for His sovereign mercy leads to the call that Paul makes in chapter10. Those who become vessels of Gods mercy have a responsibility.

Yes, once again our finite minds clash with the truth of Gods

sovereignty in Romans 9 and the responsibility of man in Romans 10.Nevertheless, the means of becoming a vessel of mercy is faith in Christ.According to verses 1-13, to be accepted by God and forgiven, we musthave the righteousness of God. We get that by believing in the work ofChrist. We dont get it by working in such a way as to try to acquire ourown righteousness. To do that will only leave us ashamed on judgmentday.

Gods righteousness is available to anyone who will believe.Theres no distinction between people groups. Anyone who calls on thename of the Lord will be saved. Theres the promise from God to the

responsibility of man. But the questions then present themselves to usin rapid firing succession.

How are they to call on one they have not believed in?And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of?And how are they to hear without someone preaching tothem?And how are they to preach unless they are sent?


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As it is written, How timely is the arrival of those whoproclaim the good news Consequently, faith comes fromwhat is heard,And what is heard comes through the preached word ofChrist.

(Romans 10:14-15, 17)

This is the heart of the apostle Paul, one who believed in double-predestination. And it has been the heart of every sincere, authenticCalvinist Ive ever met. So it continues to astound me that these type ofpeople are stereotyped as missions-killers, or something to that effect.The Scriptures are clear enough in Romans 9 that God elects some anddoes not elect others. And they are equally clear in Romans 10 that Godwants us to get the gospel out to everybody. God elects, but weve gotto preach!

Why is that so hard for anti-Calvinists to accept? Why is it so hardfor them to accept the fact that Calvinists believe both? And eventhough it may be hard for them to grasp, why take that joy away fromthe Calvinist? He doesnt have it worked out, but hes fine with thatfact. Just because the anti-Calvinist is not fine with it doesnt mean hecan or should attack the Calvinist. Thats imply absurd. Thats likesaying, because you dont see the things the way I do, youre wrong.

There were two particular encounters I had with two differentpersons in the course of my whole conflict. These two encountersemphasize what I just stated in the previous paragraph. One was with

the assistant administrator of our Christian school. Her father was apastor, and from what I heard he seemed to preach the gospel. But inhis theology there was no room for the doctrines of predestination,election, reprobation, etc. That theology rubbed off on his daughter.

After the conflict erupted at the school the last week of April andfirst week of May, she was one of only two teachers who desired to chatwith me about my views. She was quite emotional in a very positivesense, weeping at times for the souls of the children at the school. Ipraise God for that kind of care. It was the logic of her grave dislike forme that I challenged.

She opened our schools doctrinal statement and showed thefollowing line to me: quote line here. My response was simply that whatI believed did not contradict that truth. I believed that truth and Ibelieved in double-predestination as well. She was dumbfounded, asmost are, that I could believe two things that seem so contradictory,although she flat out told me they were contradictory.


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My explanation fell on deaf ears. She had neither the categoriesinto which to put my truths, nor did she have the willingness to learn it.Even when I tried to explain it to her, telling her that both are true andwe must simply accept it and go on with the work of winning students toChrist, she had the gall to tell me that I could not logically do it with any

degree of sincerity. She simply and arrogantly concluded that I did notbelieve the point in the doctrinal statement and therefore did notbelieve in evangelism. In her mind, if she couldnt figure it out then Imust be wrong, and I must be teaching false doctrine, which means Imust need to leave! I was accused of being a hyper-Calvinist and Iwas summarily dismissed, the meeting was ended.

Now, undoubtedly my frustration probably came through. Itcomes through in the anti-calvinists unwillingness to simply readRomans 10 as a balance to Romans 9. I wholeheartedly believe withPaul (and Jesus, for that matter!) that the preaching of the gospel is

necessary. God has not only ordained some to salvation, but He hasalso ordained the means by which they would come to faith in Christ.That means is the preaching of the gospel. Somehow, in the anti-calvinists mind, if you believe in election, you dont believe inevangelism. But God has ordained the means as well as the ends.

In perusing the internet one day for some helpful information onhow others have handled this issue, I came across one brothersdiscussion forum. He stated the matter this way. When Godpredestines a person to be saved, He also predestines that someone willtake the Gospel to him and that he will believe on Jesus Christ.2

Normally, much of what I find on the information superhighway is roadkill! But in this brothers response, I have found some very valuablehelp and if youll allow, Id like to pass it along to you. It is explanatoryand devotional in nature; a corrective to reformed people who arepractical hyper-calvinists (denying what it teaches, but practicing itregularly) and to Calvinists who just need to get off their duff and winsouls to Christ!

Predestination should never be thought of as a nonstopexpress train which detours around the Gospel to get toheaven. Predestination does not teach that God has

appointed this man or that man unto salvation, regardless ofwhether he hears the Gospel and believes in Christ. Rather,predestination decrees that the individual will both hear andbelieve the Gospel in order that he might be saved. But

22 John Kohler. Historic Baptist discussion forum([email protected]), subject: Double Predestination is notHypercalvinism at http://dshortt.homestead.com/files/hbs_double_predestination_is_not_hypercalvinism.htm.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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doesnt this mean that we dont have to worry aboutevangelism or missions, because ifwe dont the Gospel tomen, then God will make sure someone else will? Thefaithful child of God would never reason in this way.

Dont you want to be faithful to your Lord? Arent youexcited about the Lords salvation and full of exuberancethat your sins are forgiven? How can you keep it inside?Evangelism should be natural for one who truly knows theLord and has experienced His forgiveness. We should neverbe afraid to tell others about the Lord, hoping someone elsewill do our part. Moreover, God has foreordained, not onlythe fact that His elect will hear His Gospel, but also thecircumstances whereby they will hear itthe time, theplace, and the persons He will use to bring the Gospel tothem. If God has foreordained thatyou will take the Gospel

to someone then He will give you the burden, the boldness,the grace, the joy and the wisdom to do just that. There areno holes in Gods purposes. He does not ordain merely thedestination, but also the route we shall take to get there.His predestination does not merely place us on a boatheaded for salvationit also designs where we shall be andwhat we shall do on that boat. God has purposedwhatsoevercomes to passeven down to the tiniest detailsof our lives! When people express concern thatpredestination kills any motivation to evangelize, it is oftenbecause they have erroneous ideas about the part we play

in evangelism.3

In conclusion, my plea is that instead of worrying how a Calvinistcan believe both truths at the same time, the anti-Calvinist should thankGod that the Calvinist preaches the gospel with fervor! The anti-Calvinist should also not question the sincerity of the Calvinist whopreaches the gospel, but follow Pauls simple counsel in 1 Corinthians13, love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.Believe that your brother in Christ, that Calvinist over there, trulyloves the lost and sincerely preaches the gospel to them. This is whatthe assistant administrator and Alex did not do for me. They would not

allow me to believe both, nor would they represent me as such.

Finally, I plead with the anti-Calvinists topartnerwith the Calvinistin preaching the gospel. In the end, were going to be judged by whatwe have done in ministry for the Lord just as much as we will by whatwe believed. So if a genuine Calvinist is blood-earnest about gospel

3

Ibid.


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preaching, winning lost souls for Christ, and going to the unreachedpeople groups of the world, then throw out your fleshly inhibitions abouthis sincerity and go preach with him!4 If you do not do this, then you areactually the one impeding the progress of the gospel because of yourown personal problems. Focus on whats most important here. Major on

the majors, and minor on the minors.

44 For me personally, the most heartwarming examples of what Puritans calledexperimental Calvinism can be seen in their writings. Time and again they are seenexpounding the glories of Gods predestination, only to conclude with tearful andfervent pleadings for men to come to Christ and embrace the truth and person of thegospel message. For example, see John Brown, 1 Peter, Vol. 1, pp. 319-20.

double double, toil & trouble: part 4 - chapter 15 - my final answers

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