Dealing with the "Arminian" Texts – Part 3

This is the third in our series of posts looking at a number of so-called "Arminian" texts—texts often cited by opponents of Reformed theology in the belief that they somehow undermine or refute Calvinism.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

This is probably the best-known verse in the entire Bible. The Arminian view is that "world" means everyone without exception—God loves you, no ifs or buts. 

Some Calvinists object to this and argue that "world" here merely means all nations, Jews as well as Gentiles, and that it is really only the elect whom God loves and whom "world" represents here. Indeed, this was my own view for a long time.

However, other Calvinists, who I now think are right, accept that "world" here does simply mean "the human race" especially in its fallen and sinful state, alienated from God. No less a Calvinist than John Calvin himself interpreted John 3:16 this way. Of course, the human race does encompass Jew and Gentile alike and this may well have been part of Jesus' meaning when speaking with Nicodemus. But, it is unlikely the "love" God has for the world in John 3:16 is meant to have any limitation or boundary around the elect.

The meaning of the verse, as many Calvinists agree, is simply that God loves the whole human race, and has what D. A. Carson calls "a salvific stance" (or saving stance) towards everyone. The verse does not teach about election or reprobation, and so does not speak of God's electing love which saves his people. The love here is God's benevolence towards the whole of his creation, a love which sent Jesus to save everyone who believes in him. 

So, yes, a Calvinist can say to anyone God loves you and Christ died for you. The death of Christ is of infinite worth and he is offered to everyone who hears the gospel as Saviour. This truth must be held in parallel with the truth that Christ died with a definite intention to save the elect only, though the gospel call goes out sincerely to all, elect and non-elect alike.

The view that "world" in John 3:16 excludes none, but speaks of a giving and general love for humanity rather than God's electing love for his people, is held by a great many Calvinists, including figures such as the Marrow Men, C. H. Spurgeon, the Princeton theologians Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge and B. B. Warfield, W. G. T. Shedd, R. B. Kuiper, John Murray, R. C. Sproul, James Montgomery Boice, John Frame, D. A. Carson, John MacArthur, and John Piper

Acts 7:51

You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

This verse from Stephen's speech prior to his martyrdom is used by Arminians to argue that God's saving purposes can be thwarted by sinful human beings, and by implication, Arminians suggest there can be no decree or decision of God that determines salvation. The phrase used to argue this was is "resist the Holy Spirit." The Arminian argues this refers to God's will to save everyone without exception.

The Calvinist argues on the contrary that this "resisting the Holy Spirit" does not refer to God's decree (God's decretive will or God's secret will) but to God's preceptive will or God's revealed will. We believe the reference is to the people of Israel disobeying God's commands in Scripture, which of course comes from the Holy Spirit through inspiration. 

The immediate context surrounding verse 51 backs this interpretion up. In the following verse Stephen talks about the people opposing and killings God's prophets—those who brought God's message tudio the people, those who foretold of the coming of the Messiah. In verse 54, Stephen gives the context of what "resisting the Holy Spirit" amounts to: "you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it."

Therefore, I believe that Acts 7:51 clearly refers to the people rejecting God's law and promises, but this has nothing to do with God's will of decree which cannot be thwarted (see Job 42:1, "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted" and Isaiah 46:9-10, " I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose'.")

Hebrews 2:9  

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

This verse from Hebrews is often cited by Arminians as evidence against the Reformed doctrine of particular redemption. The argument is that since the verse says that Christ "might taste death for everyone" how can it be true that Christ died only to save the elect?

To begin with, we need to be clear that the word translated "everyone" is the Greek word pantos meaning "all". The phrase could be translated "he might taste death for all."

This helps slightly because we can then ask, which "all" is in view here? Though we could also ask which "everyone" is in view? 

The Arminian reads it as "everyone" or "all" without exception. Yet given the way the Bible refers to the atonement as accomplishing salvation and not merely making salvation provisionally available, this is deeply problematic. If "all means all" as the Arminian argues, this would imply universalism given the way the Bible speaks of the atonement. 

In the following verse, it refers to Christ "bringing many sons to glory" not "all sons". This would suggest there is also a limitation on the "all" of verse 9 to those who are saved. Similarly, in verse 11 it refers to those who are sanctified or made holy and that they "all" have their source of sanctification in Christ. The context here teaches that "all" does not always mean "all" "all" the time.

An alternative Calvinist interpretation would be that although Christ died to save only the elect, nonetheless, his death was sufficient to save everyone and that everyone called to faith and offered salvation without exception and in this sense Christ could be said to taste death for everyone, though he did not intend to redeem everyone and save them.