An old saying holds that the two topics that are off-limits in conversation are politics and religion. But as Christians, we can hardly avoid or minimize the second topic:  it’s in fact a conversation we’re commanded to have with unbelievers (to witness) and believers (to exhort and edify) alike!

One especially unavoidable conversation – and one that is nearly certain to offend someone no matter where you land – involves election versus free will. 

Initially I leaned very heavily into the free will side of that conversation and was allergic to anything remotely close to predestination or so-called “Calvinism.” Then, several years into my ministry, I began to preach verse-by-verse through the books of the Bible, desiring to allow the Scriptures to set the agenda for my sermons – which requires confronting every topic in the Bible. There’s nowhere to run or hide. 

As I was preaching through the Gospel of John, one verse in particular handcuffed me – John 6:37, in which Jesus says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Although I tried to handle the passage in as neutral a way as possible, not necessarily wanting to come out in full on the “predestination” or the free will side. Yet as I preached the text that morning, I experienced a sense of discomfort I never had before or since. To be honest, I left the pulpit that morning thinking I had mishandled the text, and decided I would from that moment preach only what the Bible said. 

The logical implication of the first half of John 6:37: those who will come to the Son for salvation are the ones given to Him by the Father. While much work has to be done to flesh out a fuller understanding of Scripture, piecing this truth together with the rest of the Bible confirms that God has indeed chosen a people for His Son – a doctrine we know as election.

Take for instance Ephesians 1:4-5:  "… even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will." Believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. They were predestined for the adoption as sons. Why? “According to the purpose of His will.” Romans 8 and 9 affirm the same teaching in explicit detail. 

After many years of wrestling with such questions, I have come to believe in “the doctrines of grace.” Chapter 9 of the New Hampshire Confession of Faith, “Of God’s Purpose of Grace” is helpful here: “We believe that election is the eternal purpose of God, according to which he graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners…” 

Yet the last sentence of the NH Confession seems to present a contradiction: “… that being perfectly consistent with the free agency of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end.” But in fact, reformed theologians still believe in free will, and I likewise affirm it. As the great Reformed Baptist pastor Charles Spurgeon dismissed the potential conflict between free will and predestination, “One does not reconcile friends.” 

At the same time, Scripture overall presents our free will as consistent with our inmost nature. In other words, we will only choose that which is consistent with our hearts’ desires. As Romans 3:10-11 directly quotes from the Old Testament: … as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  Ephesians 4:18 affirms: They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 

Once you recognize that the Scriptures present humanity with a hopeless case to remedy their condition, you also realize God must take the initiative. As Ephesians 2:1 affirms, we are indeed “dead in our sins.” 

An illustration from the animal kingdom is helpful here. Why do pigs run to slop, no matter how much you train them? Why do dogs eat their own vomit? It is because it is within their nature to do so. The Scriptures are clear that no one will choose God on their own because our sinful nature makes us flee from God.

Finally: God’s word also teaches that those who have truly been saved will never be lost, a doctrine called “the Perseverance of the Saints” in Reformed theology and also known as “eternal security.” However, this doctrine – “once saved, always saved” -- is often used to argue that people who live sinful lives or lives that ignore God completely are truly saved if they have “asked Jesus into their heart.” This is certainly not what the Perseverance of the Saints means. God will keep his people saved all the way to the end, but believers are responsible to live for Christ, fight their sin, and honor God until they die or Jesus comes. And a life of active disobedience raises legitimate questions as to whether a person actually was ever saved. 

Philippians 1:6 is so helpful in this regard: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. And to quote the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (chapter 11) again: “We believe that such only are real believers as endure unto the end: that their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special providence watches over their welfare, and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” Amen and Amen!

Much else could be said, but a healthy dose of Reformed theology helps lead us to a healthy model of ministry. It strikes against easy believism. It makes God the goal. It upholds the doctrine of conversion. Much study, much grace, and much patience is needed in working through and discussing these doctrines. May God give us unity in the essentials and healthy appreciation for one another no matter where we fall on these topics. 

Soli Deo Gloria!