“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:3-5).
A simple rule of logic acknowledges that any statement which implies a falsehood is itself false. There are several places in Scripture where this valid principle of logic is used.
In Matthew 12, for example, when the Pharisees claimed Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons (v. 24), Jesus demolished their charge with this simple question: “If I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by who do your sons cast them out?” (v. 27). Their charge was falsified because its implication was false.
In 1st Corinthians 15 when the apostle Paul demolishes the teaching/belief that there is no resurrection of the dead (v. 12), he does so by showing that it implies a falsehood—Christ is not risen (v. 13).
This simple rule of logic is most important to remember when a discussion of God’s election and predestination arises. Here is why: The Calvinistic teaching of unconditional election and personal predestination clearly implies a falsehood—that God is a respecter of persons. But God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11); therefore, every teaching/belief which denies it is false.
The fundamental flaw in Calvin’s teaching is a failure to recognize that God’s predestined plan of salvation is of a specific class of people—those who are in Christ where every spiritual blessing is. Anyone who chooses to obey Christ and thus become part of that body of people who are in Him will be saved; anyone who refuses God’s offer will be lost.
God’s perfect plan is not one of foreknowing every human and predetermining on a whim that He will save this man named Ulysses and condemn that man named Ulysses. He does not want any to perish (2nd Peter 3:9); however, it is not He who casts the deciding vote in the election of your salvation. You do.
Because of His holiness, Jehovah operates by principles of righteousness. He is in no way a moody, erratic tyrant.
He is no respecter of persons.
