Calvinists, although Christians are predestined by divine election (in their dogma) still endeavor to persuade Christians that their eternal destiny is set in stone. They still use persuasion against your beliefs but deny the persuasiveness spoken of in scripture.
I have known of those persuaded to be Calvinists who turn their backs on missions. Missionary Baptists were organized to combat the anti-missionary view of Particular Baptists (Calvinists). Why would Calvinists waste time persuading the elect if they were predestined as already elected? The answer is they would not, and some of my Calvinists friends ceased The Great Commission. Why? Because the commission had no value, and the words of Jesus were vanities, in their viewpoint.
The King James Version of the Bible is the translation of the “reformed church” — the Calvinists. Their primary doctrine is that only God is sovereign. However, the word “sovereign’ does not even appear in their own version of Holy Scripture. Sovereignty means that God is the supreme Authority, and that is certainly true.
Pilate thought himself thought he was supreme to God because he was Caesar’s governor who had authority over Syria, include all of Judea. Caesar himself had authority over the Roman Empire. Caesar was Pontifex Maximus — the High Priest of the pagan Roman pantheon of gods. Pilate had power over the body of Jesus, he thought. Jesus set him straight:
10 Then saith Pilate unto him, “Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” 11 Jesus answered, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” (John 19:10-11)
If Caesar had been there, Jesus would have said the same thing because Pilate was merely a servant to Caesar. Pilate was a Samnite, a nation that was defeated and subjugated by the Romans. His power was delegated by Tiberius Caesar.
Pilate had no power of his own but only what he was allowed to have. The mob was feared by Caesar, and Pilate did their will! With that, Tiberius held no power over the life of Jesus. Jesus rightfully pointed out to Pilate that he was not the supreme authority, and neither was Caesar! He also denigrated the power of the mob.
The “Power” that crucified Jesus was from above. His Father, JHWH, is the Supreme Authority and the Father alone is sovereign. In that Jesus is the face of God, then Jesus authorized His own crucifixion. Jesus was sovereign that day and still is.
With that said, if you are a Christian, just what did you do to redeem yourself? Nothing… Jesus did it all and paid it all! Pilate, after Jesus was hung on the Tree, confirmed to the High Priests, that Jesus is “King of the Jews” [i] Of course, he was born to be King of the Jews. That was the Abrahamic Covenant that was about to be finished!
Just who are the Jews? Are they a race of people or a nationality? We think of them that way, but Christians are “Jews” inside because they too are the seed of Abraham:
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Rom 2:28-29)
Thus, Jesus is King of the Circumcised; not of the foreskin but of the heart and they are those who praise God. Indeed, God is sovereign. We were not even there the day that Jesus redeemed all the sins of mankind. Only a fool would think that they had any part in the redemption when not even Caesar himself the power to kill the Lord God!
Judas Iscariot felt extre me guilt and he committed suicide to relieve the guilt resulting from his conviction. Neither did Judas really orchestrate the mob. When Satan left him at his suicide, Judas was rendered powerless. That leaves Jesus alone as the Sovereign.
Satan only guided the mob to Jesus and incited them, but God allowed them to do His Will, and God willed that Jesus would die in the place of all mankind. Everyone is responsible for the crucifixion but only God allowed Himself to be crucified in the flesh. He even created Flesh for Himself for that purpose!
Just what part do people have in salvation? They were and are still not killed for their sins; Jesus was. Jesus described very well what it takes from people. We are to be Jews inside and do as the Hebrews did during their exodus from Pharaoh (an antitype of Satan) and Egypt (a symbol of sin).
Jesus was explaining “born again” [ii]. He gave an example of what rebirth entails: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14). Not that we lift up Jesus again to crucify Him, but that Jesus be honored as Sovereign.
Why, then, the pole with the lifeless brazen serpent on it? [iii] The Jews accomplished nothing when they tried to avoid the serpents and could not heal themselves after they were bitten, but what could they do? Foresee what Jesus would someday do to Satan. The brazen serpent on the pole was not a symbol of Jesus on the Cross, but Judas hanging from his tree that symbolized the Tree of Knowledge of Evil; with him hanging there with Satan in him. [iv]
What did those who survived the poison from the serpents do? They trusted what God alone would do much later. They could not be sovereign over their own lives, but Jesus would be! When they looked at the Serpent as dead, they saw Jesus hanging from His Tree, the Cross. [v]
Not only would they see Jesus, but they would trust God to save them from the Serpent. So, what is it that Christians do to be born again? Trust Jesus for safety and deliverance from the Wicked One!
The Jews of the exodus worked out their salvation. It was not ergonomically in that their actions did nothing to save them. What saved them from perishing? They looked at the Serpent as dead and thought about the meaning of it — that they were powerless but God is Supreme.
They realized the sovereignty of God. Their thoughts were not the Calvinistic “works” (ergo in the Greek) but another kind: Paul wrote, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12).
Was Paul speaking of ergonomics, to work efficiently and Jesus would respond? No! “Work” in that context is katergazomai in the Greek. Elsewhere “work” is ergon in the textus receptus. “Work” in that context is to render something to a conclusion. Thus, it is thoughts, or works of the mind that is the circumcision of the heart.
“Circumcision” comes from peritome; “the extinction of passions (lusts) and the removal of spiritual impurity” (Strong’s Dictionary). “Heart” is kardia — the soul or mind, as it is the seat of thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors” (ibid). In other words, the minds of Christians are circumcised, and old thoughts and passions are cut off to make a new creature in the image of Christ.
Paul almost persuaded the Jew in authority in Judea. After Paul tried to persuade King Herod Agrippa to become a Christian, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, ‘Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian’” (Acts 26:28).
Subsequently, Paul lived with his fellow tentmakers, “And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks” (Acts 18:4). Persuaded them of what? To become Christians. He was not successful with Agrippa because he thought that he had authority over all the Jews, but Jesus did. But Paul was successful with humble tentmakers.
So, Jesus must be recognized as the Sovereign God. You must think that thought: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (Jas 4:10). Humility in that passage is tapeinoo; “to have a modest opinion of oneself” (ibid). “Opinions” are a katergazomai type of work — working smarter, not harder as they say. Is it not easier kneeling in thought to Jesus as King rather than hanging yourself because of your sins, or even dodging poisonous vipers?
Paul wrote to Timothy:
12 I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. 13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim 1:12-13)
Jesus did it all and paid it all…What do you do? Believe that Jesus is LORD of all, and that takes persuasion (peitho); “to have confidence” that Jesus is Sovereign and was efficacious in saving the souls of Christians from perishing. God indeed is sovereign, but the Christian must trust that He is King over life and death. Christians are to fear God over Satan; to wit: “Fear not them (demons) which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him (God) which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell” (Mat 10:28).
Because God is sovereign and Satan not, Christians are to fear God more than Satan. The latter can kill the body, but God alone has power over both the body and soul as He demonstrated with His Son.
“Fear” is phobeo in the Greek; “to have reverence” for God because He is sovereign. Sovereignty is of God, but reverence is of the mind. The thoughts of people do matter. What if they think that Satan is sovereign? Then their “god” is Satan, and that is what Satan desires, as he said, “I will be like the most High (God” (Isa 14:14). Thus, Satan wants Christians to disregard their thoughts about God and that serves his purpose to undermine God.
By thinking on their own, Adam and Eve did not become gods. Even Satan knew that. He accused them of being “as God”. [vi] Good knowledge is that they understood that they were a mere image of God, but that God was still Supreme to them. With that thought, God put onto them a coat made from skins [vii] (of lambs) to preserve them from the Wicked One. Adam and Eve knew their place.
They were helpless in their nakedness against the Serpent, but God would keep them safe from Satan’s fiery darts because of the thick coats that he provided. They trusted God for safety, and that thought kept them safe from harm. Think on that: they were preserved because they had in their minds that God was sovereign, and that Satan is not! They turned their backs on Lucifer and looked toward God.
God did not force them, nor predetermine their response to what hey had done, but their thoughts — their own free wills — persuaded them to turn away from the beautiful tree toward the Word, Jesus! They were preserved until the day of the rapture of the dead in Christ because they believed Jesus to be sovereign.
With that said, Calvinism, from the beginning, has twisted the Word until even the “elect” shall be deceived. Lucifer is still at work, with the deception that trusting God is not efficacious to salvation; but by some “divine lottery” that God is unjust enough to predestine some to Paradise and some to Hell without regard to whether they see Him as sovereign or not.
Paul persuaded many to become Christians and with some he failed. Their minds were made up and they would not turn on their true master, Satan.
Paul was persistent. He went all over the known world trying to persuade heathens that God is Supreme, and that life and death depends on His Power and Grace. He changed minds! As such, many began to diminish themselves and elevate God to His true Lordship. As such “persuasion” is accepting Jesus as LORD of all things and dependence on Him alone for preservation.
If you are not fully persuaded that God is sovereign, then you just may be
your own “god” and that is a dangerous thought to have. Paul wrote, “Let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Rom 14:5). Persuaded of what? That
Jesus Christ is LORD of all, is sovereign, and above all. In other words,
“fully persuaded” is that eternal life is dependent on Christ alone.
(picture credit: VirtueOnline; "St. Paul's Application of Greek Philosophy")
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