Election and Free Will: God’s Gracious Choice and Our Responsibility (Explorations in Biblical Theology)
Overview
Election and Free Will helps those who believe in a reformed view of predestination to better understand their faith. It traces teaching on election through the Bible and explains the doctrine of free will. It tackles objections to predestination and concludes with applications of this neglected biblical teaching. Clear, biblically based, and solidly Reformed, this book gives special attention to free will and seeks to apply election to contemporary culture.
Top Highlights
“To affirm absolute power to contrary is to make God dependent on human beings.” (Page 149)
“An Attempt to Relate the Three Reasons Why People Are Condemned” (Page 142)
“This parallels other passages in which God or Christ knows persons in a saving relationship. Listen to Jesus’ words condemning hypocrites: ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matt. 7:23). Jesus does not mean that he was ignorant of certain facts; instead, he means that he did not know the hypocrites with the knowledge of salvation. Similarly, Jesus’ announcement, ‘I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me’ (John 10:14), does not speak primarily of facts, but of a saving relationship.” (Page 111)
“The order, from least to greatest ultimacy, is: actual sin, original sin, and reprobation. It is vital to understand that the Bible gives these three reasons why people perish and does not regard any one of them as canceling out the others. To be faithful to Scripture, we must do the same. It is foolish to exalt our reason unduly and harmonize matters that the Scriptures leave in tension, because such harmony comes with a price—distortion of the Bible’s witness.” (Page 142)
“Grace does not simply provide the option of salvation; it always accomplishes what it purposes. On this Augustinian understanding, prevenient grace (grace that ‘comes before’) has an important place. And this prevenient grace is particular and effective, rather than general and potential.” (Page 19)
- Title: Election and Free Will: God’s Gracious Choice and Our Responsibility
- Author: Robert A. Peterson
- Series: Explorations in Biblical Theology
- Publisher: P&R
- Print Publication Date: 2007
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Predestination; Election (Theology); Free will and determinism
- ISBNs: 9780875527932, 0875527930
- Resource ID: LLS:LCTNFRWLL
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:07:20Z