The other day, Citizen Tom left a couple of very interesting questions in the comments section, and I thought I’d share the questions and my attempt at answers with everyone because these are not only interesting but asked by a great many people. So, having done the first one yesterday, today I’ll tackle the second one.

Q:           Much of the Bible indicates that whether we go to Heaven or Hell is foreordained. At the same time, we are called upon to spread the Gospel, and that is confusing. I have reached the conclusion that I can share the Gospel with someone, but when and if the Word of God takes root in anyone who hears it is up to God. Therefore, I think the primary role of the church is fellowship in Jesus. That is, we spread the Word, disciple new believers, and we help each other to study the Bible and live in accordance with Biblical teachings. If this is true, then we have very little to do with the process of justification, but as Christians, we do help each other to become sanctified in Christ. What puzzles me is that I have not heard anyone explain the church’s role that way. I don’t a lot of deep thinking in this conclusion. [sic]

A:    Oh dear, there isn’t actually a question there, is there? Even so, I think we can discern what Citizen Tom is getting at, so let’s jump in:

Much of the Bible indicates that whether we go to Heaven or Hell is foreordained. At the same time, we are called upon to spread the Gospel, and that is confusing.

The idea of our eternal future being foreordained comes essentially from the “Doctrine of Selection and Predestination” which has its origins in the teachings of John Calvin, who lived in the 16^th century. This teaching is based primarily on Paul’s writings in the letter to the Romans. The doctrine as it is taught in some circles today holds that God decided who would receive grace and who would not receive grace before He had even laid down the foundations of the Earth. You have identified one of the main arguments against this interpretation. You see, for Jesus to command us to make disciples of all Nations, knowing full well that most of those people had already been condemned to Hell before they were even born, would be ridiculous. The truth is, that God chose all of us, but gave us free will. If we choose to accept grace, we are saved, if we choose to reject grace, we condemn ourselves.

I have reached the conclusion that I can share the Gospel with someone, but when and if the Word of God takes root in anyone who hears it is up to God.

There is a false premise that has colored the discussion of Selection and Predestination for centuries, and we should probably deal with it now. It goes like this:

1) God is all knowing, all present and all powerful.  2) God’s greatest strength is His unlimited exercise of His unlimited power. 3) Therefore, God is sovereign in all things.

This is Western thought; all the rage in the 16^th century, but not at all the way the men who took pen in hand to record the Scriptures thought, for their orientation was not ancient Greek, it was ancient Hebrew. To the ancient Hebrew, God’s most notable attribute was not His unlimited power; it was His restraint. God does not make our decisions for us because He created us with free will: We ultimately decide whether it will be heaven or hell. Through the Bible, God has dealt with His people within the framework of Covenants which, of necessity, restrict His freedom of action to a certain degree, according to the terms of the Covenant. Finally, consider Adam and Eve: They had everything going for them, and yet they chose to violate the one stipulation they had from God, they sinned against Him and He neither stopped them nor smote them and started over; He adapted and went on to Plan B, we might say.

Therefore, I think the primary role of the church is fellowship in Jesus. That is, we spread the Word, disciple new believers, and we help each other to study the Bible and live in accordance with Biblical teachings. If this is true, then we have very little to do with the process of justification, but as Christians, we do help each other to become sanctified in Christ.

Amen, well said!

We might choose slightly different words to describe it, but that’s the way I teach about the Church and its purpose, and there are lots of us out there who are teaching it this way.

I hope I have covered your questions and concerns in a satisfactory degree, and I hope that others may benefit from the discussion.  If anyone has questions or comments, please feel free to chime in below!

I have followed Citizen Tom for many years now and his blog is always interesting, you might want to check it out!