ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 197

“ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED”

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D.,

Retired Professor of Theology, Andrews University

INDEX OF TOPICS OF THIS NEWSLETTER

* AN UPDATE: Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical?

* William Richardson’s book Speaking in Tongues is out

and is ready for shipping

* “ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED”

This is the essay of this newsletter which is excerpted from

the chapter 9 of the forthcoming book Popular Beliefs:

Are they Biblical?

* Cristina Picardi’ New DVD Recording done in Loma Linda

on February 8-10, 2008.

* Upcoming Seminars for the Month of April

* How to Contact the Center for Cancer Care that

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* Prof. Jon Paulien’s DVD on Simply Revelation

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AN UPDATE – POPULAR BELIEFS: ARE THEY BIBLICAL?

The research and writing of the new book Popular Beliefs: Are They Biblical? is proceeding well. By God’s grace I completed chapter 9 “Once Saved Always Saved,” while Cristina Piccardi and myself were in England, presenting our seminars with Words and Songs, at six rallies. The reception and response warmed our hearts.

Last Sabbath, in Wolverhapton, five churches closed down for the Sabbath and rallied together in a most beautiful old Methodist Church. About 800 members attended the meeting. The previous Sabbath in London, we had a similar experience at the Croydon SDA Church, the second largest Adventist church in the city. To accommodate the overflow the service was transmitted via a closed circuit to two other locations, including a large fellowship hall. A total of about 1000 people attended the meetings.

I am posting in this newsletter excerpts from chapter 9 “Once Saved Always Saved.” The full version is found in the forthcoming book Popular Beliefs: Are They Biblical? This chapter, as you will note, offers a compelling refutation of the popular, but unbiblical and deceptive belief in the unconditional nature of our salvation. This belief is held today by most evangelical churches and is popularized by well-known preachers like Billy Graham (quoted in the chapter).

Currently I am working on the last chapter dealing with “Infant Baptism.” The practice of baptizing new born babies is shared by Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, and a host of other churches influenced by Calvinistic, Reformed traditions. Though the reasons for baptizing infants differ in various denominations, the practice is the same.

You should find this chapter very informative, and even shocking in some places. Indeed you will be shocked to read about the tragedy of the Reformation when Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli ended up killing, often by drowning, the Anabaptists who promoted and practiced adult baptism. It is hard to believe that the leading Reformers would not only reject the self-evident biblical teachings of the “believers baptism,” but would also call for the intervention of local authorities to kill those who wanted to be true to the New Testament teachings regarding baptism.

Desperate Need for a Book Editor

By God’s grace this final chapter on “Infant Baptism,” should be completed within the next 10 days, by March 27, 2008. This means that the major challenge I still have to face is the final editing of all the chapters. Several people have graciously edited the previous chapters. What I desperately need at this time, is the service of a professional Book Editor, who has the time and skills to prepare the manuscript for printing. I will supply to this person all the edited chapters, asking him/her to incorporate into the final version all the valid suggestions various readers have made.

Surprisingly, competent book editors are hard to find. At Andrews University we have only one excellent professional book editor, Debby Everhart, who works for the Andrews University Press. She has helped me several times in the past, but at this time she is overloaded with urgent projects. If you know of a good professional Book Editor, who has the time and interest to help me, please help me to contact such a person. I will be glad to pay for the service.

Importance of this Book on Popular Beliefs: Are They Biblical?

This research project has been very expensive in time and money. During this past year I have invested an average of 15 hours a day on this manuscript, because I believe it is desperately needed to call out of Babylon many sincere people who are sincerely seeking to know and to do the revealed will of God.

There are million of sincere Christians who do not realize that most of their popular beliefs are biblically wrong, while our Adventist beliefs are biblically right. This book Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? is designed to help these sincere Christians to re-examine their beliefs in the light of the normative authority of Scripture.

At this time our Adventist Church has not no witnessing book written in a profound, yet popular style that can help sincerely people understand why their popular beliefs are biblically wrong, and our Adventist beliefs are biblically right.

In 1988 our Adventist Church published the book Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . which proved to be a most popular book. Many of our members eagerly donated this books to their friends who wanted to know what Adventists really believe. (I happen to be one of the contributors to this book). But the problem with Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . is that it is simply a confessional statement of our Adventist beliefs. No attempt is made to examine biblically the difference between our Adventist beliefs and the popular beliefs held by Catholic and Protestant churches. When I proposed Elder Bob Spangler, the co-ordinator of the project, to present our beliefs in the contexts of the popular beliefs of other churches, he felt that the time was not right for such a book.

Personally I feel that today the time is right, even overdue. If we seriously accept God’s summon to call sincere people out of Babylon, then we urgently need various resources, including a timely book that can help people understand why their popular beliefs derive from ecclesiastical traditions, rather than from Biblical teachings.

When Will the Book Be Out?

By God’s grace, I plan to complete the writing of the book by March 27, 2008, and have the book printed and ready for distribution before the end of April 2008. Nine of the ten chapters are done and I am now working intensively to complete the last chapter on “Infant Baptism” within the next 10 days.

Your encouragement has meant a lot to me. Four months ago I was ready shelf the project, especially because of the new ministry we started with Cristina Piccardi–a powerful and passionate soprano who touches the hearts of people and greatly enriches my seminars. In my view, she is by far the best Adventist soprano in the Adventist Church. Three years ago she won the first price at an international opera singers competition.

We present together with words and song our SABBATH, ADVENT, and LIFESTYLE SEMINARS. Cristina sings several sacred songs before and after each of my lectures. Her powerful and passionate singing moves people to tears. The reception and response we have received during the past four months has truly been incredible. If your church wishes to invite us, feel free to contact us by phone (269) 471-2915 or even better by email: <sbacchiocchi@biblicalperspectives.com> We still have several open weekends in the latter part of this year.

Planning this new ministry has consumed a lot of my time, especially in processing the invitations we are receiving from across the USA and overseas. We just came back from England where we were privileged to share our ministry at six rallies. This is why I was considering shelving the manuscript for the time being.

But your letters caused me to reconsider my priorities. Some of you have reminded me that our Adventist Church desperately need Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? to witness to people who are sincerely seeking to know and to do the will of God. The many pre-publication orders I have already received, have strengthen my determination to speedily complete this project without delay.

Thank You for Your Advanced Orders

The book consists of about 400 pages with a nice four colors, laminated cover. We are in the process of redesigning the cover, after receiving many valuable suggestions.

At this time we wish to offer our readers the opportunity to place an order at the special pre-publication prices listed below. Your advanced orders will offer me, not only the encouragement needed to speedily complete this very demanding project, but also an approximate idea of how many copies we should print. Thank you for your encouragement and support. Your order will be processed as soon as the book comes out by the end April.

Special Pre-publication Offer of Popular Beliefs: Are They Biblical?

1 copy of Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? at $30.00 per copy. Mailing expenses are included for the USA. Add $10.00 for AIRMAIL postage to any overseas destination.

10 copies of Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? at $10.00 per copy, postage paid, instead of the regular price of $30.00. ($100.00 for 10 copies). Mailing expenses are included for the USA. Add $40.00 for AIRMAIL postage to any overseas destination.

30 copies (one case) of Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? at $5.00 per copy ($150.00 for 30 copies). Mailing expenses are included for the USA. Add $80.00 for AIRMAIL postage to any overseas destination.

100 copies of Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? at $4.00 per copy, postage paid. ($400.00 for 100 copies). Mailing expenses are included for the USA. Add $160.00 for AIRMAIL postage to any overseas destination.

HOW TO ORDER POPULAR BELIEFS: ARE THEY BIBLICAL?

You can order Popular Beliefs: Are they Biblical? at the pre-publication prices given above, in four different ways:

(1) ONLINE: By clicking here: http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/cart/catalog/index.php?cPath=26_35

(2) PHONE: By calling us at (269) 471-2915 to give us your credit card number and postal address.

(3) EMAIL: By emailing your order to <sbacchiocchi@biblicalperspectives.com>. Be sure to provide your postal address, credit card number, and expiration date.

(4) REGULAR MAIL: By mailing a check to BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES, 4990 Appian Way, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103, USA. We guarantee to process your order as soon as the book comes off the press.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS OUT AND READY FOR SHIPPING

In the latest newsletters I proposed the possibility of reprinting William Richardson’s book Speaking in Tongues: Is It Still the Gift of the Spirit? The book was originally printed in 1994 by the Review and Herald but it has been out of print for several years.

The response surpassed my fondest expectations. I received pledges for orders from different parts of the world, including from some Division offices. In the light of the overwhelming interest, I hastily delivered the book to my printer who reprinted it in a record time of two weeks. Now we are ready to process all your orders.

As a rule I do not publish or reprint books of other authors, because my hands are full with promoting and distributing the 18 books that I have authored. The only other book of another author that I have published, is More than a Prophet: How We Lost and Found Again the Real Ellen White, by Prof. Graeme S. Bradford.

I decided to publish More than a Prophet because I believe that this book is desperately needed to restore confidence in the validity of the gift of prophecy, manifested in the writings, preaching, and teachings of Ellen White. The response has been most gratifying. About 20 conferences in the USA and a few oversea, have donated the book to their workers. If you did not have a chance before to order this timely book before, we still have a small supply left of the second printing. We will be glad to mail you copies immediately. To place an order call us at (269) 471-2915 or click at this link: http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/cart/catalog/index.php?cPath=26_28

William Richardson, Ph. D., the author of Speaking in Tongues, has served with distinction our Adventist church for over 35 years as Professor of NT, Chairman of the Religion Department (my chairman for many years), and finally as the Dean of the School of Art and Sciences. He has written numerous articles and books.

Let me explain why I decided to reprint Richardson’s Speaking in Tongues. After reading a dozen of books and scores of articles in preparation for chapter 8 “Speaking in Tongues” of my book Popular Beliefs: Are They Biblical?, I came to appreciate Richardson’s book for his clarity and objectivity.

Through a painstaking analysis of Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12-14, presented in his doctoral dissertation at Andrews University, Richardson shows that there is a difference between the speaking in tongues in Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12-14. For one thing, the tongues in Acts 2 are known as languages (dialektos) clearly understood by the Jews from different countries present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. By contrast, the tongues in 1 Corinthians 12-14 are characterized as “sound—phonon” (1 Cor 14:10) that needed to be interpreted. No interpretation was needed for tongue-speakers in Acts 2.

Ultimately Richardson shows that a careful study of the restrictions Paul places on tongues-speaking during the worship service, disqualifies much of the Pentecostal speaking in tongues today as an unbiblical, illicit activity. The confusion caused by several people speaking in tongues at the same time without any translation, is an illicit activity clearly condemned by Scripture.

I believe that Richardson’s book Speaking in Tongues is a most timely, witnessing book, at a time when the Pentecostal/charismatic movements are growing 10 times faster than our Adventist church, that is, at the rate of over 20 millions a year, and thus becoming the second largest religious body in the world after the Catholic Church. Their membership today is already over 550 million and within 10 years it is expected to reach 750 million.

Special Introductory Offer of Richardson’s Speaking in Tongues

To facilitate a massive distribution of Speaking in Tongues, we offer the book until April 15, 2008 (the deadline for filing taxes in the USA) by the case of 30 copies for only $100.00, that is, $3.30 per copy, instead of the regular price of $25.00.

These are the Introductory Price for Speaking in Tongues

1 copy of Speaking in Tongues at $25.00 per copy. Mailing expenses are included for the USA. Add $10.00 for AIRMAIL postage to any overseas destination.

10 copies of Speaking in Tongues at $7.00 per copy, postage paid, instead of the regular price of $25.00. ($70.00 for 10 copies). Mailing expenses are included for the USA. Add $40.00 for AIRMAIL postage to any overseas destination.

30 copies (one case) of Speaking in Tongues at $3.33 per copy, postage paid. ($100.00 for 30 copies). Mailing expenses are included for the USA. Add $80.00 for AIRMAIL postage to any overseas destination.

You can order William Richardson’s book Speaking in Tongues at the introductory prices given above, in four different ways:

(1) ONLINE: By clicking here: http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/cart/catalog/index.php?cPath=26_36

(2) PHONE: By calling us at (269) 471-2915 to give us your credit card number and postal address.

(3) EMAIL: By emailing your order to <sbacchiocchi@biblicalperspectives.com>. Be sure to provide your postal address, credit card number, and expiration date.

(4) REGULAR MAIL: By mailing a check to BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES, 4990 Appian Way, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103, USA. We guarantee to process your order immediately.

“ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED”

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D.,

Retired Professor of Theology, Andrews University

The doctrine of “once saved, always saved” is taught by many Protestant churches today. The basic idea is that once a person becomes a child of God, there is no sin that he/she can commit to cause them to lose their salvation. Many people find this doctrine to be of great comfort, because in essence it relieves them of all personal responsibility in their relationship with God.

Christians who believe that they are saved and that there is nothing that they can do to be lost, are not concerned about how they live, because their eternal salvation is secure. This is why the doctrine is also known as the “preservation of the saints” or “eternal security.” Our study will show that this is a dangerous doctrine, because it deceives people into thinking that their relationship with God is secure when it reality it may not be.

The question we intend to address in this chapter is: Can Christians be saved at one point in their lives, and then loose their salvation and die in an unsaved condition? The answer of those Christians who have been influenced by Calvinistic teachings is “No!” Because for them salvation is the result, not of a human response, but of divine election.

This teaching of the divine election and perseverance of the saints, is clearly defined in official documents of the Reformed confessions. For example, the Westminster Confession of Faith, which is largely influential within Presbyterian, Congregational, United Church of Christ, some Baptist churches, and others, states on Chapter 17 on “The Perseverance of the Saints:” “I. They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.

“II. This perseverance of the saints depends, not upon their own free-will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace; from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.”¹

The point of this quotation is that people are saved, not by the free exercise of their will, but by “the immutability of the decree of election,” that is, by the decree of God who elects some people to be saved and some to be lost. If this teaching of unconditional predestination were true, then God would in effect cause some people to remain saved, even if they later choose to return to a life of sin.

Other documents try to moderate the harshness of Calvin’s view of divine election based on predestination, by teaching that believers are eternally secure of their salvation when they accept Christ as their personal Savior. For example, The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches affirms: “We believe that the scriptures teach that such as are truly regenerated, being born of the Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish, but will 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.”²

This belief in the eternal security of salvation is popularized to day by evangelical preachers of different denominations. For example, when Billy Graham was asked: “How big a sin do you have to commit before you loose your salvation?” he replied: “I am convinced that once a person sincerely and honestly trusts Christ for his or her salvation, they become a member of God’s family forever—and nothing can change that relationship.”³

This belief in the eternal security of one’s salvation plays a vital role in the lives of many Christians today, because it affects the way they view God, themselves, and their salvation. Ultimately it impacts their day-to-day Christian lifestyle, by determining the way they relate their behavior to their salvation. The popularity and far reaching consequences of this belief, calls for a close biblical examination of its validity.

Objectives of this Chapter

This chapter examines from a biblical perspective the popular doctrine that a saved Christian is always saved. For the sake of clarity, this study is divided into five parts in accordance with the major aspects of this doctrine:

1. Two Views of the Eternal Security in Salvation

2. The Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints

3. The Case for Unconditional Salvation

4. The Case for Conditional Salvation

5. Salvation Is Assured but not Guaranteed

TWO VIEWS OF THE

ETERNAL SECURITY IN SALVATION

The doctrine that those who are truly saved cannot fall from the faith and be lost, appears in two different forms.

This important part of the chapter is intentionally omitted in this newsletter to encourage the purchase of the forthcoming book Popular Beliefs: are they Biblical? The book contains the complete edited text of the 10 chapters, together with the Endnotes. The estimated length of the book is about 400 pages. The book is scheduled to be released in a few weeks by the end of April 2008.

THE PREDESTINATION

AND THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

To understand the popular belief that a saved person is eternally sure of salvation, it is important to consider first its source, namely, the traditional understanding of predestination as first formulated by John Calvin. Those who accept the latter, must of necessity conclude that saved persons persevere in the faith and are ultimately saved no matter what they do.

In 1536 Calvin published The Institutes of the Christian Religion, which was the best systematic theology the world had ever known up to that time. His ideas have permeated the Protestant world and will continue to do so until our Lord returns. He developed an incredible theological system that knows few rivals. He took Augustine’s concept of predestination and developed to its logical end. If man is not free and God predestinates some to salvation and some to damnation, then salvation depends upon the sovereign will of God.

This teaching ignores the fact that God created human beings to be free, and thus responsible for their own salvation or perdition. God is indeed the sovereign ruler of the universe, but His sovereignty and predestination are not common partners.

The popular belief in unconditional salvation, comes from the doctrines of Calvin summarized by the acronym “TULIP.” “TULIP” stands for the five main points of Calvinism:

1. Total Depravity. Human beings are totally depraved because of the pervasive nature of sin, which makes it impossible for them to seek after God.

2. Unconditional Election. Salvation is decreed by God. Human beings have no part in the process beyond receiving it.

3. Limited Atonement. Jesus “paid” the price only for the elects whom He desires to save. The unsaved do not benefit from Christ’s sacrifice.

4. Irresistible Grace. God irresistibly draws the elects to put their faith in Him for their salvation. Faith is entirely a gift of God.

5. Perseverance of the Saints. Through the help of the Holy Spirit the elects persevere to the end.

According to this doctrinal system, before God created anything He chose those who would be saved and those who would be damned for all eternity. Human beings have no choice in their salvation (no free will) because they have no ability to seek God (Total Depravity). Consequently, it is by God’s Unconditional Election that anyone is saved.

In his Institutes of Christian Religion, Calvin states: “By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.”⁴ It is clear that for John Calvin unconditional election is the result of predestination, that is, “the eternal decree of God” by which “some are preordained to eternal life and other to eternal damnation.”

This means that salvation is not the result of believers working together with God, but of God’s sovereign will. It is irresistible because human beings can do nothing but accept it. Overpowered by God, believers cannot chose to reject Him and consequently their eternal salvation is secured. Those who accept this understanding of predestination, can logically conclude that those who have been elected by God are forever saved. Eternal security logically requires absolute predestination.

This teaching, as we shall see, is foreign to the Bible, which teaches that God offers to all the opportunity to choose whether they wish to be saved or not. No one is “locked in” an irresistible salvation scheme, because salvation is conditionally based upon faith and is available to all.

If it were true that the eternal destiny of every human being has already been decreed beforehand by divine election, then we may ask, Why does God allow Christians to fall, to be tempted, and to sin, if He Himself can keep them from falling? If God’s irresistible grace guarantees that a saved person is always saved, why doesn’t His grace also prevent such person from sinning in the first place? It is much more rational to believe that God initiates a love and faith response in the human heart, and then He gives us the power of choice to accept or reject His gift of salvation.

The Roots of Eternal Security Are Found in Gnosticism

Some scholars trace the roots of eternal security back to the Gnostic teachings that found their way into the early church, especially through Augustine. For example, Jeff Paton notes: “Ultimately, the roots of eternal security are in the Gnosticism that preceded Augustine. But it was Augustine that has the unwelcomed honor of leavening the whole lump.”⁵

Gnosticism was a religious movement that flourished during the second and third centuries A. D., and presented a major challenge to Christianity. Most Gnostic sects professed Christianity, but their beliefs differed sharply from those of the majority of the early Christians. The term Gnosticism is derived from the Greek word gnosis (“revealed knowledge”). The Gnostics taught that sparks or seeds of the Divine Being were imprisoned into certain human beings. Reawakened by knowledge, the divine element in humanity can return to its proper home in the transcendent spiritual realm.

The gnostics divided mankind into three categories: the spiritual (pneumatic), the carnal (hylic), and the in-between (psychic). The spiritual Christians were a special or higher class than the ordinary Christians. They were said to be saved regardless of what they did because they had received, as the elect of the good deity, a divine spark into their beings that allowed them to be redeemed. This teaching is strikingly similar to the Calvinistic doctrine that God elected some people to be saved and others to be lost.

The second class, the carnal, were assumed to be beyond salvation, because their lives were governed by material wants and desires. The in-betweens were believed to be capable of salvation if they followed the Gnostic teachings.

It is not difficult to see the striking similarity between Gnostic and Calvinistic teachings. There are some differences, but the essence of their teachings is similar. Both Gnostics and Calvinists agree that Christians are saved not by means of their choice, but on account of their nature. Both taught that people are saved on account of their election. The Gnostic spirituals claimed to be the “elect seed,” because they had a divine spark in their being. Calvinists say that they are elected to salvation by the sovereign will of God. Both agree that their divine election is not affected in a negative way by their actions.

Both Gnostic and Calvinists taught that any sinful action does not affect their eternal salvation. The dualistic Gnostic teaching was illustrated by comparing their spiritual nature to a pure golden ring and their material body to a pile manure. The ring can be placed into a pile of dung, but is not affected by the filthiness of the dung. Its purity remains unchanged.

Both agree that there is nothing that can cause a saved persons to loose their salvation. The Gnostic took this teachings to its ultimate conclusion by pursuing their own lust and passions without restraints. Calvinists, however, believe that Christians who are saved grow in sanctification, though they would not lose their salvation, if they did not.

The similarities outlined above between Gnosticism and the Calvinistic doctrine of “Once saved, always saved,” are too numerous to be ignored. They serve to remind us that the teaching of eternal security is pagan in its origin and stands in open opposition to the teaching of the Bible.

A Biblical Evaluation of the Predestination of the Elect

The notion of God’s arbitrary predestination of some to salvation and other to perdition, is contrary to the overall teaching of the Bible. The message of the Bible is that God is both just and merciful. He not only created humankind perfectly, but after their rebellion, He implemented a plan that could redeem all those who would accept it.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Note that the text does not say that God will save only those whom He has predestined, and condemn to ultimate extinction the rest. Rather, verse 18 explains: “He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).

What determines our salvation is not an arbitrary divine election, but a personal acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. It is our continuing faith in Christ’s sacrifice that finally saves us.

Predestination in Romans 8:28-30

None of the texts quoted so far suggest an arbitrary divine predestination to salvation. To support their position, predestinarians appeal to passages of Paul, especially Romans 8:28-30 and Ephesians 1:3-14. In Romans 8:28-30, Paul declares: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

It is evident from this and similar passages that the Bible teaches a form of predestination, but it is not the kind taught by Calvin. The key to interpret correctly this passage (and Ephesians 1:1-12), is to recognize that Paul speaks of calling, predestination, justification, and glorification, in a corporate, not individual way. It includes potentially all human beings, not individual persons.

To interpret Romans 8:28-30 (and other similar passages) as teaching that God chose who should be saved and who should be lost before the foundation of the world, means to impose an interpretation upon them that is in violent conflict with the overall teaching of the Scriptures. The Calvinistic doctrines of election and predestination violate the truth of the Gospel.

Romans 8:28-30 from a Corporate Perspective

When we examine Romans 8:28-30 from a corporate perspective, the meaning of Paul’s statements becomes clear. “Whom he foreknew” simply means that God foreknew every individual to whom He gave life. This passage does not speak of the specific time at which God foreknew certain specific individuals before they came into existence, but of every person to who