I recently received a series of questions from a good friend dealing with some issues/objections she had with Calvinism/Reformed Theology.  I truly appreciated the opportunity to share what I explicitly believe in the realm of the Doctrines of Grace with her, and humbled she came to me to know how a Calvinist deals with each of these questions.

Because these questions are quite common inquires into Reformed Theology, I figured it would be profitable to the body of Christ for me to post my answers here as well.  Perhaps I will continue on beyond her questions in writing on/replying to other objections common to Calvinism.  Again, I hope this is useful to all who read this. 

Question #1:
How does the Calvinist approach the Great Commission? Wouldn't the same "All" in 'All Power' be the same as in "all nations"?

1.a. The Calvinist (or rather "Reformed") approach to the Great Commission is such:  

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." 

  Our mandate as Christians is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ - announce his death, whic atones for sins, and his burial and resurrection (and subsequent ascension) ... and that is offered to all who turn from their sin (repent) and trust in (believe/ "to faith") Christ's work alone to save them.  We proclaim this boldly, knowing that God will save his own.

 

b.  The "all" in "all nations" yes could be the same "all" as "all authority."  The Greek in both cases is "pas".  I would note, however, there are several uses of the term "all" in the Bible, and those who would proclaim "All means all, and that's all [that] all means" are mistaken.  Certainly "pas" can mean every single individual... but it can also mean "collectively - some of all types."

Please permit me to quote at length from Charles H. Spurgeon, known as the Prince of Preachers:

... 'The whole world is gone after him.' Did all the world go after Christ? 'Then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in Jordan.' Was all Judea, or all Jerusalem baptized in Jordan? 'Ye are of God, little children', and 'the whole world lieth in the wicked one.' Does 'the whole world' there mean everybody? If so, how was it, then, that there were some who were 'of God?' The words 'world' and 'all' are used in some seven or eight senses in Scripture; and it is very rarely that 'all' means all persons, taken individually. The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts—some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted his redemption to either Jew or Gentile.  --Charles H. Spurgeon, Particular Redemption, A Sermon, 28 Feb 1858).

I would not assert (nor would dear Mr. Spurgeon) that pas never means every single individual.  Only that the context should allow us to interpret the verse.  Certainly, we are to make disciples of all nations.  Heaven will have, as Rev 5:9-10 says, people out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation!  Every nation will be "represented" (as it were) in Heaven.  We are not to discriminate who we share the gospel with based on color of skin or region they live or what their last name is.

By the way... "pas" ... "all" in the Great Commission is the very word used that is translated "men from every" or "people from every" in Rev 5:9. 

... more to come...

Psalm 115:1-3 (ESV)

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.  Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"  Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases."

Too often I am about my own glory.  I wonder what others have thought of me or my pride keeps me from doing what I know I should have done.  Selfishness, pride, all abound in my life in a daily basis.  But this is not how it should be.  Despite   what some televangelists who claim “God wants a dollar from you,” God is not about OUR glory.  A famous evangelical wrote a book on this theme – it’s not about you – but then proceeded spend the rest of the book declaring how it IS about us as people.  When we make it all about us, we rob God of what he deserves – his own glory.  This is a magnificent creator and Savior, one who is all about his own glory.  If we were about our own glory, we would be narcissistic.  But God is the only one DESERVING of his own glory, and so it is not narcissistic.   

This is a God “in the heavens, who does all that he pleases.”  This concept that God is sovereign over his creation is not a very popular one, and has been abandoned in Christianity, even in those traditions in the historic Protestantism.  At least Job and Paul, in Romans 9, recognized that God truly is sovereign over his creation and does as he pleases.  I am ever thankful that it was his good pleasure to foreknow me before the foundation of the world and elect me for his saving purposes, though I in NO way deserve his great love.  For this, God alone gets all the glory.  In the words of the famous reformers, “Soli Deo Gloria”

Today in my REL 580 "Theories of Religious Studies", Dr. Given brought up something interesting that the Deists and Natural Religion gurus of the 18th century were bothered by.  something called "The Scandal of Particularity."  This "scandal" deals with their rebellion against the notion of God choosing to save a VERY SMALL group of people throughout History - taking true form in Abraham and throughout to those in the New Covenant today.  This seems to be the minority today, in our world of fast and easy communication.  But consider how many people have lived on this planet... and in places where the gospel never reached... or even a word of the Torah uttered.  It is quite clear that the VAST majority of people, according to biblical Christianity, will be in Hell after the final judgment for all eternity.

These more "enlightened" thinkers (oh brother!) gauge that if there was really any justice in the world, religion must be natural and available to everyone, making salvation available at all times in all places.  These men saw it as unjust for a god to only make salvation available to a select few, and to condemn several worlds full of people who do not have an option to be saved.  After all, how can those who do not know about the gospel be held accountable for not being saved?  Thus, this is the "scandal of particularity."  That God would only save a particular people within a particular time.  And somehow this doesn't sit well with human beings and their (fallen) concept of what is just and good.

Actually, this is Palagianism, run amok

The very "problem" itself is nothing more than the complaining of sinful, wretched, rebellious creatures who HATE their creator and are using this as an excuse to not repent and trust the gospel to save.  It if fundamentally flawed.  It presupposes that we, as sons and daughters of our first father Adam, are morally neutral (or even good) creatures, who deserve salvation... who are not responsible for their damnation if they can't accept a way out of it.

This is not just unbiblical, it is counter-biblical!  It spits in the face of the gospel of divine grace.

Their dichotomy begins with their selfish man-centered concept of "justice" they have cooked up and are forcing upon our Sovereign Lord.  Yet while they scream WE WANT JUSTICE!!!  they deceive themselves.  They do not want justice.  They do NOT want JUSTICE!!  JUSTICE would mean that Adam and all of his offspring would spend an eternity experiencing God's righteous wrath in Hell!  That is what we deserve.  By nature we are in fact children of WRATH (Eph 2).  We are not morally neutral beings who have gotten a bum deal for being born at a time or place absent from Christianity... we are at enmity with God from birth... nah, from conception, as we are sinful from the moment we are conceived (Ps 51).  THAT is what is JUSTICE.  That is what we all deserve by our nature.

And yet... God does not give us justice.  THANKFULLY he does not.  He is a God of justice... but he does not pour out his just wrath on me for my sin... he poured it out 2000 years ago on Christ Jesus, who was the Godman... lived a perfect life... and gave his life as a ransom for many.  His righteousness was imputed to me, and my sinful wretchedness was imputed to him.  He gave me his righteousness to wear as a pristine pure white coat... and in love he took on my disgusting dung-covered jacket as his own.  I do not deserve salvation.  It OWED to me or to you or to ANYONE.  It is not owed by those living in nations where Christianity is prevalent, nor is it owed by those who live in jungles unaware of the gospel... nor was it owed by those living prior to the free offer of the gospel!

That is the thing about GRACE... it is never earned.  Never deserved.  It is given out freely, graciously by the giver.  God would have been 100% PERFECTLY JUST to not offer salvation to ANYONE.  But he chose, because he FELT LIKE IT, because it pleased him to do so, to save SOME.  He chose to save a particular people for himself... to give to the Son (Jesus Christ) as a payment for his selfless humiliation - the death on a cross.  Because God foreloved he chose to shed his blood for all who repent and believe the gospel - for the elect, chosen before the foundation of the world.

I do not scream out for JUSTICE.  Instead I thank God for his glorious, marvelous GRACE.   Completely undeserved, applied to my account.

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