Page 226 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

ELECT

them in the mountains, and to consume them from the Consider another prayer scene in Scripture. In Isaiah
face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and 38 we read that King Hezekiah was sick unto death and
repent of this evil against thy people. Remember God told the prophet Isaiah to go to him and say, “Set
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not life” (Is.
swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will 38:1). Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept
multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this and “prayed unto the Lord.” The Bible says that after
land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed,
and they shall inherit it for ever. AND THE LORD this, God sent Isaiah back to the king to say, “Thus said
REPENTED OF THE EVIL WHICH HE THOUGHT TO the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy
DO UNTO HIS PEOPLE” (Ex. 32:9-14). prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy
God told Moses that He would consume Israel and days fifteen years” (Is. 38:5).
make a great nation of Moses, but Moses pleaded with In response to earnest prayer God gave him this man
Him and the Bible says that God repented. Where does 15 more years of life on earth. Prayer changes things!
this fit into Calvinism’s emphasis upon God’s absolute “What takes the greater power (omnipotence): to
sovereignty? Here we see God interacting with man and create beings who have no ability to choose--who are
His mind literally being changed by man’s pleas. mere pawns on God’s cosmic chessboard--or to create
Someone will ask at this point about Numbers 23:19, beings who have the freedom to accept or reject God’s
which says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; salvation? I submit, the latter. ... Would a God who
ordained the existence of immortal beings without
neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he making any provision for them to escape eternal
said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall torment be a cruel being? What kind of God would call
he not make it good?” on mankind to ‘believe and be saved’ when He knows
There is no contradiction between Nu. 23:19 and Ex. they cannot [and] what kind of relationship is there
32:14. In Numbers 23 Balaam is speaking about God’s between God and people who could never choose
eternal plan for Israel, and in that He will not repent. Him--but are ‘irresistibly’ called...? For these and other
“For the gifts and calling of God are without reasons I question the idea that individual
repentance” (Ro. 11:29). But within the context of God’s unconditional election and five-point Calvinism best
reflect the attributes of God. A God who sovereignly
overall plan for the ages, He does repent or change His offers salvation to all through His elect Saviour reflects
mind in relation to man’s actions in many ways, and both power and love.” (Philip F. Cogdon,
that is the mystery of prayer. “Soteriological Implications of Five-Point Calvinism,”
What about 1 Sa. 15:29, which says, “And also the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Autumn 1995;
Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a cited from Dave Hunt, A Calvinist’s Honest Doubts
man, that he should repent”? This statement was made Resolved, p. 76).
by Samuel after God had rejected Saul and chosen WHAT ABOUT “HYPER-CALVINISM”?
David as the new king. Saul was pleading with Samuel Hyper-Calvinism is a label that some Calvinists have
to change his mind about that decision, and Samuel put upon other Calvinists. For example, in “Hyper-
replied that God’s decisions in such matters are Calvinism Examined” Jeffrey Khoo, who is a
unchangeable. Presbyterian Calvinist and a staunch defender of the
There are times in which God’s mind can be changed faith and of the Greek Received Text and the King James
and there are times when it cannot. At one point, God Bible and a man that I have a high regard for, analyzes a
told two of the prophets not to pray for Israel (Je. 7:16; position that he labels “hyper.” He says:
Eze. 14:4), but that was after Israel had gone too far in “Calvinism is that system of doctrine derived from the
rebellion and God had determined to judge them. After great French theologian--John Calvin. ... What then is
other times, prayer, such as that of Moses in Exodus 32, Hyper-Calvinism? The prefix ‘hyper’ (Gk: hyper) means
drove back God’s wrath and gave Israel more time. ‘above’ or ‘beyond.’ Hyper-Calvinism is a twisted form
Neither Nu. 23:19 nor 1 Sa. 15:29 change the fact of Calvinism that goes beyond what Calvin in
accordance to Scriptures had taught.”
that God repented of His plan to destroy Israel in Dr. Khoo presents two characteristics of Hyper-
Exodus 32 in response to Moses’ earnest intercession. Calvinism: “(1) denial of common grace, and (2) denial
The fact is that man is an amazing creation. He is of the free offer of the gospel.”
made in God’s image, and he is not a robot or a pupPe. Common Grace vs. Saving Grace, Degrees of Love
God is still God, but God has ordained that man has a
will and can say yes or no to Him. Men can even change Khoo claims that Calvin taught that there is both a
God’s mind through earnest entreaties! That is the common grace and a saving grace, and that failure to
wondrous power of prayer. distinguish between the two is a mark of Hyper-
Calvinism. Saving grace is “the Holy Spirit’s
regenerative work on the sinner through the Gospel,”

226 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity