A Chosen Race (Eph. 5.26,27; Eph. 1.4; 1 Pet. 2.9,10)

[everstill]

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph. 1.4). "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5.26,27). This is not referring to individuals determined irresistibly but the corporate body of Christ. Peter echoes this. "But ye are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy" (1 Pet. 2.9,10).

An analogy. The president of United States invites a choir to come sing at the white house. He invites the corporate group of the choir. But the individual choice to be in the choir is up to you.

Paul uses the analogy of the physical body. The liver in the body of a man on death row is condemned because the man is condemned. But there is a transplant. The liver is taken out of that man's body and is put into the body of the man who is about to become president. The liver is now in the corporate body of one of the most powerful men in the world and so the liver gets all those benefits.

[everstill]

[Jer 18:7-10 KJV] 7 [At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it]; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it]; 10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

[Jer 18:7-10 NLT] 7 If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8 but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. 9 And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, 10 but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.

God is an interactive God, a personal God. God wants a relationship.

"The LORD mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble" (Prov. 3.34). The LORD opposes the proud but favors the humble (see James 4.6, 1 Pet. 5.5).

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5.7).

"To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity" (Ps. 18.25). Calvinists are not faithful and have no integrity so God is not faithful to them nor does He show integrity to them.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10.9). Sounds like computer code. An IF/THEN statement. If you do this, God will do that. If you do the right thing, God will have mercy. Whether you are in the corporate body or not depends on whether you humble yourself and believe.

Crazy things Calvinists say (twisted thoughts to reject the Biblical term "freewill"):
1) We can do what we want but we can't want we want.
2) God causally determines all things.
3) We act freely but in a different way, acting in accordance with our nature, but we have no control of our natures.
4) God places chess with himself.
5) Compatibilism doesn't reduce down to determinism.
6) I don't have faith to be regenerated.
7) The reprobate hates God because God first hated him.

[Gen 4:5-7 NLT] 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. 6 "Why are you so angry?" the LORD asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master." That we have the free choice makes Calvinism deceptive and a lie.

Sufficient grace for all to have the free choice is seen in Rom. 11.2 "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all," and 11.1 "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy," and 11.14 "for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them." This is judicial hardening.

[InTruth]

"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13.48).

The question is how they were ordained? Were they ordained by being irresistibly selected, or were they ordained by foreknowing their free choice to believe? The latter seems reasonable.

1 Cor. 16.15 uses the same word tasso: "I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints—."

I really think all these verses about Calvinism, that is, irresistible selection, have nothing to do with Calvinism at all. Simply those who were devoted believed.

Even A.T. Robertson, Calvinist said, "This verse [Acts 13.48] does not solve the problem of divine sovereignty and human free agency. There is no evidence Luke had that in mind an absolute decree of personal salvation."

The way I read Acts 13.48 is God ordained by foreknowing our free choice to believe.

Calvinists repeatedly say man's sin nature can't choose God. OSAS Arminians don't say our sin nature chooses God, but our human nature, our freewill to choose to believe, to accept all things "sum up in Christ".