Author: Sean
Date: 5/17/2011 1:21 am
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Besides the bizarre UFO YouTube videos, and what I believe to be other doctrinal fallacies, I would like to specifically (for now) address your citation of Exodus 32:33 in your attempt to refute the traditional reformed understanding of “Eternal Security” and/or the doctrine of the “Perseverance of the Saints.” I hope that the reader of this essay will recognize that the citation does NOT refute the reformed understanding of either of these two truths. I also hope that this will be done in an easily understandable manner.
Let us first be clear that the reformed understanding of “eternal security” does not state that a person who has come to faith in Christ may, later on, turn aside to a lifestyle of willing sin, and yet he will be saved anyway, because he professed faith at one time. That is BY NO MEANS the reformed understanding of eternal security. The phrase “eternal security” emphasizes that all who are in Christ, that is, all the elect, who have truly been regenerated, are secure in their position forever – they will never finally fall away. The doctrine of “perseverance,” on the other hand, emphasizes the manner in which God will infallibly preserve his own – by causing their faith to persevere through every trial, until they finally apprehend the prize of the upward calling, for which they have already been apprehended by Christ (see: Philippians 3:12-14). To argue against a position other than this is simply a straw man and grossly misrepresents the reformed position. If you desire to engage in apologetic refutation of what you believe to be Calvinism or Reformed Theology, straw men should be avoided. It is misleading and can cause learned people to not take your argument very seriously.
While the bible indeed teaches that all redeemed people's names are written in the book of life, the Exodus citation in it’s own context does not explicitly or implicitly state that genuinely saved persons can become unsaved, then saved again, then unsaved again, and so on until we physically die. It does NOT state that the names of the elect can be “blotted out.” What does it say? Let’s look at it in it’s context:
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. 34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”
Who will be blotted out? The simple answer given in this text is, “Whoever has sinned against me...” Now, it should be obvious that a well-known verse will come to mind, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. It should also be clear that all who have sinned have sinned against God, since sin is indeed transgression of the law of God. This should now, naturally, leave us with some questions. Now given that ALL have sinned against God, do we then believe that EVERYONE’S name will be blotted out of the book of life leaving heaven devoid of all humans? Whose sins will be counted against them? Will the elect, whose sins were actually atoned for by Christ’s death on the cross be counted against them? Did the atonement of Christ actually accomplish the salvation of anyone in particular, or was it just a “potential” atonement? What is the only hope humans have regarding our eternal situation? Answer, the Atonement of Christ. Let’s investigate further; consider these verses:
“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Hebrews 8:12
“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 44:22
He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19
"No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jeremiah 31:34
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
“I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.” Jeremiah 33:8
Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them. Psalm 65:3
“I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him.” Hosea 14:4
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9:12
. . . how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14
. . . and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood . . . Revelation 1:5
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18
. . . who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24
. . .and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:39
“For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:27
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
. . . in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10
. . . whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood . . . Romans 3:25a
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ . . . 2 Corinthians 5:18a
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered; blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity Psalm 32:1-2a
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin. Romans 4:7-8
You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Psalm 85:2
If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. Psalm 130:3-4
Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. Micah 7:18
. . . 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. 2 Corinthians 5:19
. . . for He shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11b
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Do these verses indicate that the elect of God, regenerated by the Holy Sprit unto faith will have their sins counted against them and there names “blotted out” of the book of life? The answer is a loud and clear, “NO!”
To cite the Exodus verse to rebut the entire doctrine of perseverance and/or eternal security, as believed by numerous reformers throughout the history of the church and articulated at the Synod of Dort, shows a serious lack of apologetic aptitude and serious ignorance of the historical reformed perspective. If a claim like this is going to be made, let us actually see scripture that states that the elect of God, whose sins were actually atoned for, could ultimately end up in the lake of fire. How can it be logically stated, from a theocentric perspective, that a person can be genuinely saved, then ultimately unsaved? While considering this question, we should all agree that what matters is who is saved in God’s eyes and not man’s. Man is not our judge but the almighty God is. Now, simply assuming that God has perfect knowledge of the future; How could God consider someone genuinely saved who He perfectly knows, without a doubt and before he actually creates them, will ultimately perish? How could those who perish, ever be viewed as "saved" in God's eyes? Is God not sure what the outcome will be until it happens? I will leave it at this for now hope you can see that your doctrine of “insecurity” must be read into this specific text. I hope you will be able to see the heaping pile of contradictions that you will be left with by using this text to support the idea of losing your salvation. The Word should bring clarity to the character of God, not confusion. |
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