Romans 9, Predestination & Total Depravity

Question: WHO are the “predestined before the foundation of the world” of this passage? My contention is that the “we” and the “us” of verses 3 – 12 are not all Christians in general but only the NT apostles and prophets even as Eph 3:5 explicitly states.

 

In Eph 3:3 Paul says, “…that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.” The term “I wrote before in brief” refers to chapter 1, verses 3-14. The phrase, “the mystery”, in 3:3, is the same “mystery” of which he “wrote before in brief” in 1:9. He continues, “By referring to this, [i.e. what he had written before in brief in chapter 1] when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in OTHER generations was NOT made known to the sons of men, as it has NOW been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit…” (Eph 3:3-5) Those same NT apostles and prophets are explicitly defined as being the foundation of the church in Eph 2:20. They are the foundation because the foundation is laid first, they were “the first to hope in Christ”, and because it was to them that God first revealed that Jesus is the Christ. The revelation that Jesus is the Christ is the rock on which the Church is built. That revelation was given to the NT apostles and prophets first, directly from God. That is why they are called the foundation.

 

In chapter 1 certain things are said about “we” and “us” that can ONLY pertain to the NT apostles and prophets spoken of in chapters 2 and 3.

 

1) “…who HAS blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Notice the use of the past tense. The blessing had already happened to “us”. The “us” cannot be anybody that has lived AFTER Paul wrote these words. Also it says “EVERY spiritual blessing”. This cannot refer to the elect of Calvinism because if all believers have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, (verse 3) and if God, in “…ALL wisdom and insight made known the mystery of His will…(verse 8b)” to all believers as Calvinists maintain, then why does Paul pray that God “…may give to YOU a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of YOUR heart may be enlightened so that YOU will know what is the hope of His calling…”(verses 17b-18a)? If the eyes of YOUR heart need to be enlightened, how can it be said that YOU have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing? The “we” and the “us” have been blessed (past tense) with EVERY spiritual blessing, but the “you” needs to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the “you” needs the eyes of their heart enlightened.

 

2) “In all wisdom and insight He made known to US the mystery of His will…” As we have seen from Eph 3:3-5, God revealed the “mystery” directly to the NT apostles and prophets. God did NOT directly reveal that mystery to the church-at-large; He revealed it to the church-at-large through the NT apostles and prophets.

 

3) “…to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” How can EVERY believer be “the first to hope in Christ”? If verses 3-12 refer to every believer, or at least can be applied to every believer, as Calvinists maintain, then to whom is verse 13 referring? “In Him, you also…”

 

Question: What pertains to the “you” that does NOT pertain to the “we” and the “us”? What is it that distinguishes one from the other?

 

Answer: “…after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation…” The apostles did not listen to the message of truth; they heard it from no man, but received it directly from God in Christ and consequently spoke it. The Ephesians listened to “the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation,” as given by the apostle, and by extension, all other believers down through the ensuing centuries have also “listen[ed] to the message of truth” - for that apostolic message has been proclaimed ever since. In general, that message is: Jesus died, Jesus rose and was seen by many. Therefore, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and ALL men, Jews and Gentiles alike, have access to God through faith in Christ and repentance from sin.

 

To what does the word, “also” (in verse 13) refer? What do the “we” and the “us” of verses 3-12 have in common with the “you also” of verse 13? “In Him, you also after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having ALSO believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise…” Both the “you” of verse 13 and ALSO the “we” and “us” of verses 3-12 have the following in common: Both groups “believed” and “were sealed”.

 

Nothing is said about both groups being predestined. The predestination statements concern ONLY the “we” and “us” of verses 3-12. Read through the entire epistle and you will find that the term, or even the concept, “predestined” (as in 1:5 and 1:11) is NEVER used in reference to “you”. It is ONLY used in reference to “we” and “us”. NOWHERE does it say, “And you ALSO were predestined before the foundation of the world…”

 

My argument here does not get into what the nature of the predestination spoken of in Ephesians 1 is, that is, how it should be defined or understood. (More on that elswhere.) However, pointing out that it is in reference to ONLY the NT apostles and prophets is sufficient to refute the Reformed interpretation of this text.

 

What we can say, then, concerning God’s predestinating activity that is spoken of in Ephesians 1 is that He had a plan, a mystery hidden for ages in God, which was revealed to the original NT apostles and prophets, those apostles and prophets being chosen before the foundation of the world to receive from God the revelation and to reveal that mystery to the world-at-large. (Ephesians, chapters 1-3). That mystery is, “…to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Jesus Christ through the gospel…”(Eph.3:6). THAT’S IT! That’s the “mystery”! In other words, you don’t have to be a Jew to be accepted by God. I would like to point out, that that idea has not been a “mystery” to anybody but the Jews! But the WAY in which that was to be accomplished was unknown before NT times. Even the OT prophets “…inquired what person or time was indicated…when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but YOU, in the things which have now been ANNOUNCED to YOU by those who preached the good news to YOU…” (1Pet 1:10-12) “Those who preached the good news” would be the original apostles. The “you” refers to the recipients of Peter’s letter, who heard and believed the apostolic message, and by implication, all others who have heard that message, believed it, and turned from their sins. The “you” of 1Pet 1:10 IS comparable to the “you” of Ephesians 1:13. Peter is doing the same thing Paul is; he’s making a distinction between the apostles (“we” and “us”) and the believers to which he’s writing (“you”).

 

Consider this unnecessary comparison: Acts:10:40-41: Peter speaking at Cornelius’ house says, “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses that were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to US who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.”

 

According to Peter, “those chosen beforehand by God” are the NT apostles (and witnesses) ONLY (I include more than just the 12 here). What were they “chosen” for? To be witnesses of the resurrected Christ – to eat and drink with Him AFTER He rose from the dead. When were they chosen? Before He rose from the dead.

 

Consider Acts 9:15: God says concerning the apostle Paul, “…he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel…”

 

The Gentiles, kings, and sons of Israel are contrasted to the apostle, the “chosen instrument.”

 

Calvin, in his commentary on Ephesians, applies to all believers the statements made in Eph 1:3-12 that relate only to the NT apostles and prophets. Calvin is not distinguishing the “we” and the “us” from the “you”.

 

Furthermore, when Reform Theology “compares” the predestination spoken of in Eph 1, which concerns only the NT apostles and prophets, with Paul’s allegorical use of Jacob and Esau in Romans 9, and says that those two texts are parallel, that they are talking about the same thing, as Calvin does in his commentary on Ephesians, it is putting two texts together that are talking about different things, and using both texts to support a doctrine that NEITHER text teaches!

 

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