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Archive for August, 2008

Question 23. Predestination

Article 1. Whether men are predestined by God?

Objection 1. It seems that men are not predestined by God, for Damascene says (De Fide Orth. ii, 30): “It must be borne in mind that God foreknows but does not predetermine everything, since He foreknows all that is in us, but does not predetermine it all.” But human merit and demerit are in us, forasmuch as we are the masters of our own acts by free will. All that pertains therefore to merit or demerit is not predestined by God; and thus man’s predestination is done away.

Objection 2. Further, all creatures are directed to their end by divine providence, as was said above (22, 1, 2). But other creatures are not said to be predestined by God. Therefore neither are men.

Objection 3. Further, the angels are capable of beatitude, as well as men. But predestination is not suitable to angels, since in them there never was any unhappiness (miseria); for predestination, as Augustine says (De praedest. sanct. 17), is the “purpose to take pity [miserendi]” [See 22, 3]. Therefore men are not predestined.

Objection 4. Further, the benefits God confers upon men are revealed by the Holy Ghost to holy men according to the saying of the Apostle (1 Corinthians 2:12): “Now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God: that we may know the things that are given us from God.” Therefore if man were predestined by God, since predestination is a benefit from God, his predestination would be made known to each predestined; which is clearly false.

On the contrary, It is written (Romans 8:30): “Whom He predestined, them He also called.”

I answer that, It is fitting that God should predestine men. For all things are subject to His providence, as was shown above (Question 22, Article 2). Now it belongs to providence to direct things towards their end, as was also said (22, 1, 2). The end towards which created things are directed by God is twofold; one which exceeds all proportion and faculty of created nature; and this end is life eternal, that consists in seeing God which is above the nature of every creature, as shown above (Question 12, Article 4). The other end, however, is proportionate to created nature, to which end created being can attain according to the power of its nature. Now if a thing cannot attain to something by the power of its nature, it must be directed thereto by another; thus, an arrow is directed by the archer towards a mark. Hence, properly speaking, a rational creature, capable of eternal life, is led towards it, directed, as it were, by God. The reason of that direction pre-exists in God; as in Him is the type of the order of all things towards an end, which we proved above to be providence. Now the type in the mind of the doer of something to be done, is a kind of pre-existence in him of the thing to be done. Hence the type of the aforesaid direction of a rational creature towards the end of life eternal is called predestination. For to destine, is to direct or send. Thus it is clear that predestination, as regards its objects, is a part of providence.

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Bullinger:

We must not here carefully and curiously search and dispute, whether all men be drawn by God, or whether faith be given only to a few? And albeit thou see that all men believe not, & even those which daily hear the word of God to withstand it, yet thou must not despair nor say: these therefore do not believe (the which indeed is true) because they are not of the number of the sheep of Christ, and therefore peradventure I am not elected also, nor shall be endued with faith by God, what shall it then profit me to hear sermons? But rather we must comfort ourselves with the most sweet promises of God’s hand. For the Lord says, “I will not the death of a sinner, but that he be turned and live” [Ezek. 18.]. And Peter says, “that God is patient toward us, and would not  have that any man should perish, but that all should repent” [ 2 Pet. 3.]. And Paul says, the Scripture says, “everyone that believes in him, shall not be ashamed. For there is no distinction, either of Jew or Greek.  For there is one Lord of all, rich unto all that call upon him” [Rom. 10.]. Therefore let every man be of good hope, that God in time, will give faith unto him also.

Henry Bullinger, Common Places of Christian Religion, (Imprinted at London by Tho. East, and H. Middleton, for George Byshop, 1572), 144-145.

22
Aug

Zwingli on God’s New Covenant with the Human Race

   Posted by: CalvinandCalvinism    in God who Covenants

Zwingli:

And the reason why he made the promise was none other than because of blessedness could not come to us, however much we toiled and sweated, while the fall of the first parent had not been atoned for. But when Christ, slain for us, appeased the divine justice and become the only approach to God, God entered into a new covenant with the human race, not new in the sense that he had only just discovered this remedy, but because he applied it at the right moment, having prepared it long before.

Exposition and Basis of the Conclusions or Articles Published by Huldrych Zwingli,  (PA: Pickwick Publications, 1984)  2:224.

Greenhill:

1) Ver. 23. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die.” Hebrew is He-Chapets Ae-Chapets is, the radical word signifies to have pleasure in, to affect, delight, to desire and will; therefore some render Do I desire or will the death of a sinner? Others, have I pleasure, or any pleasure? You charge me to punish the children for the fathers sins, and think I take pleasure in the death of sinners, but I neither do the one nor the other; I punish not you for your lathers sins, but for your own: and when I do punish you for your own, I had rather you should repent and live, than be cut off for them.

This seems contradictory to what is written, Prov.i 26, “I will laugh at your calamity, 1 will mock when your fear cometh;” and Ezek. v. 13, “Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted.” If God have no pleasure in the death of sinners, how can these texts be verified? To clear this difficulty, know that it is not absolutely to be taken, that God hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, unless you mean it of the wicked who do repent; but respectively, thus, if they could turn from their wicked ways, and keep his statutes, he should have more pleasure in this, than in their death; but when they do not repent, he hath pleasure in their punishment and death, as it is an act of justice, and work of God, for God hath pleasure in all his works: the destruction and ruin of Babylon is called “his pleasure,” Isa. xlviii. 14, “He will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.”

Some refer this to the antecedent will of God, and say so he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner, he wills it not, delights not in it; but in regard of his consequent will he doth.

Obs. 1. Repentance is a turning, and a turning from sin. Ver. 30, “Repent, and turn.” Acts iii. 19; xxvi. 20, repenting, and turning to God, are put together. Sin turns men from God ; Jer. xxxii. 33, “They have turned unto me the back, and not the face.” Repentance is a turning of them again unto God; it turns them from their sinful and wicked ways, 2 Chron. vii. 14; Jer. xxvi. 3; from all sin, and sinful wave, not some few; “if the wicked will turn from all his sins;” so ver. 30, “Turn from all your transgressions;” it turns men from their secret sins, Psal. xix. 12; Isa. Iv. 7. If a man turns not from all, he turns from none in truth, because there is the same reason why a man should turn from all, as well as one, viz. the will and command of God. This turning must he with the whole heart, and therefore it is from all sin, Deut. xxx. 10; Joel ii. 12.

Obs. 2. It is not enough to turn from all sin, but we must turn to all good. “If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do,” &c. Negative righteous ness is no righteousness, negative holiness is insufficient holiness, 2 Kings xvii. 13. We must turn from the commands of sin, Satan, and the world, unto the commands of God. We must turn from worldliness unto heavenly-mindedness, from pride unto humility, from censuring to loving. It suffices not that the tree bears no ill fruit, but it must bring forth good fruit, else it is a barren tree, and must down. The question will be hereafter, What good have you done? 1 Tim. v. 10, “If she have diligently followed every good work.” David fulfilled all the wills of Goo, Psal. cxix. 6, he had respect unto all his commandments ; and Christians must observe all things Christ hath commanded, Matt, xxviii. 20.

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Henry:

1) 1. A fair invitation given to wicked people, to turn from their
wickedness. Assurance is here given us that, if the wicked will turn, he shall surely live, v. 21, 27. Observe…

(3.) What encouragement a repenting returning sinner has to hope for pardon and life according to this promise. He is conscious to himself that his obedience for the future can never be a valuable compensation for his former disobedience; but he has this to support himself with, that God’s nature, property, and delight, is to have mercy and to forgive, for he has said (v. 23): “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? No, by no means; you never had any cause given you to think so.” It is true God has determined to punish sinners; his justice calls for their punishment, and, pursuant to that, impenitent sinners will lie for ever under his wrath and curse; that is the will of his decree, his consequent will, but it is not his antecedent will, the will of his delight. Though the righteousness of his government requires that sinners die, yet the goodness of his nature objects against it. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? It is spoken here comparatively; he has not pleasure in the ruin of sinners, for he would rather they should turn from their ways and live; he is better pleased when his mercy is glorified in their salvation than when his justice is glorified in their damnation. Matthew Henry on Eze 18:23.

2) II. Here are four good arguments used to enforce these calls to repentance:—1. It is the only way, and it is a sure way, to prevent the ruin which our sins have a direct tendency to: So iniquity shall not be your ruin, which implies that, if we do not repent, iniquity will be our ruin, here and for ever, but that, if we do, we are safe, we are snatched as brands out of the burning. 2. If we repent not, we certainly perish, and our blood will be upon our own heads. Why will you die, O house of Israel? What an absurd thing it is for you to choose death and damnation rather than life and salvation. Note, The reason why sinners die is because they will die; they will go down the way that leads to death, and not come up to the terms on which life is offered. Herein sinners, especially sinners of the house of Israel, are most unreasonable and act most unaccountably. 3. The God of heaven has no delight in our ruin, but desires our welfare (v. 32): I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, which implies that he has pleasure in the recovery of those that repent; and this is both an engagement and an encouragement to us to repent. 4. We are made for ever if we repent: Turn yourselves, and live. He that says to us, Repent, thereby says to us, Live, yea, he says to us, Live; so that life and death are here set before us. Matthew Henry on Eze 18:32.

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