Romans 5:12-21 - Original Sin Proof Text Exposed

Romans 5:12-21

Original Sin Proof Text Exposed

Ever since Augustine introduced Platonic philosophical thought into theology, the church had been plagued with various brands of determinism.  Today Calvinism and Universalism are the two main deterministic trends of this branch of thinking.  Neo-Calvinism can be considered the core theology of fundamentalist Christianity in the U.S. and many Christians today question the validity of free will.  It is not at all surprising that the idea of determinism has such strength considering American secular thought in education, art and the media teach it's own brand of determinism; naturalistic determinism.  The only difference between naturalistic determinism and the Christian brands is the replacement of "nature" with some concept of "god" as the primary determiner.  Christian determinism is rooted in several key concepts, one of which is the idea of Original Sin in which all men are made sinners because of Adam's sin.  The loss of relationship between God and mankind is due to the supposed choice of one man.  Thus all men are born sinners and are not ever capable of making any good choices.  Man is totally depraved and has no free will.  Faith and salvation are gifts of God given to those whom He has chosen, at his own discretion.  The difference between Calvinism and Universalism lies only in the idea that Universalism states all mankind are or will eventually be given faith and salvation.

Many of the key proof texts for Original Sin are found in Paul's letter to the Romans.  The choice of English words loaded with deterministic nuances to translate the original Greek by biased determinism believing translators muddle a true understanding of the text but even with the current English translations, one need not succumb to a Calvinistic nor a Universalistic conclusion that Paul in the letter to the Romans supports Original Sin in any way.  The main error of those who claim the passages clearly support determinism is found in the cut and paste method of exegesis where three or four verses that appear to support their belief are taken out of context and interpreted by themselves.

The Importance of Contextualization

In this writing I would like to take a close look at the Romans 5:12-21 text, but before that I want to take a little aside to demonstrate the importance of sound hermeneutics in the area of contextualization.  Consider the following story.

(Paragraph 2) Before he went to his friend's house to play, John asked his mother if it was all right if he got a chocolate bar on his way home and his mother said "OK" and give him some money.  John played with his friends all afternoon and come 4:30 p.m. he thought it was time to go home.  He left his friend's house and dropped into the convenience store on his way home.  After he got home, he ate dinner, watched TV and went to bed.  The next morning John's brother Mark got up went downstairs and thanked his mother for the chocolate bar he ate the day before.  His mother smiled, said "You're welcome." and went on about her business.

Now I don't know about you but I have some problems with the way Mark's mother reacted.  Shouldn't she have been surprised at Mark's statement?  Shouldn't she have asked him where he got the chocolate bar?  Or if she thought John was involved, wouldn't she have asked, "Oh did John share his chocolate bar with you?"  And if John shared his chocolate bar wouldn't Mark have thanked John instead of his mother?

The fact is, there is no mention of Mark asking for money for a chocolate bar or receiving any in the paragraph.  There is no mention of him buying a chocolate bar,though we can infer that John did.  There is no mention of Mark at all until he came downstairs the next day.  Was Mark with John playing at his friends house?  Did he receive money for a chocolate bar too?  Could that be the reason why his mother reacted the way she did?  But the paragraphs doesn't say so does it?  This is the problem we run into when we look at only part of the context of a story.  Had we read the paragraph before paragraph 2 we could have understood the story better.

(Paragraph 1) John and Mark are brothers.  John is 10 and his brother is 7.  They are very close and often play together.  In fact Mark follows John around all day long and does pretty much everything John does.  One day their mother took them to play with their friends down the block.  She was a good mother and she told John he was to look after his brother and come home in time for dinner.  John promised he would.

Wow, all of a sudden we understand what happened.  John and Mark both went to their friends house to play.  Mark was there when John asked for the money for the chocolate bar.  Their mother gave money to both of them.  She's a good mother.  Both of them went into the convenience store, bought chocolate bars and ate them.  Both of them ate dinner, watched TV together and in the morning Mark thanked his mother.  We understand this because of the extra information of paragraph 1.  Paragraph 1 is a part of the context of paragraph 2.  Now let me rewrite paragraph 2 in light of what we know from paragraph one.  I could write it in the following way:

(Paragraph 2, rewritten.) Before he (John) want to his friends house to play (with his brother Mark, because they often play together and Mark follows John around all day long and does pretty much everything John does and because his mother took both of them there), John asked his mother if it was all right if he got a chocolate bar on his way home (and his brother Mark whom he often plays together and follows John around all day and does pretty much everything John does and was with him because his mother took him with John to their friend's house watched on expectantly) and his mother (who was a good mother) said "OK" and give him (that is John, and his brother who often play together with John and follows John around all day long and does pretty much everything John does) some money.  John played with his friends all afternoon (along with his brother because they often play together and Mark follows John around all day long and does pretty much everything John does and because his mother took both of them there) and come 4:30 p.m. he (John) thought it was time to go home (with his brother whom his mother told him to look after, because they often play together and Mark follows John around all day long and does pretty much everything John does).  He left his friend's house and on the way home dropped into the convenience store (with his brother whom his mother told him to look after, because they often play together and Mark follows John around all day long and does pretty much everything John does) on his way home. (The two boys bought chocolate bars and ate them.) After he (John) got home, he ate dinner (with his brother....ah forget it, you get the point),watched TV (with his brother....) and went to bed.  The next morning John's brother Mark got up went downstairs and thanked his mother for the chocolate bar he ate the day before.  His mother smiled, said "You're welcome." (because she was a good mother) and went on about her business.

Now of course this revision of the second paragraph is a lot more understandable than the original because there is no need to make any inferences or add back any of the "understood" information, but it would be extremely boring because of all the redundancy.  Nobody writes like that, but anyone who has studied Noam Chomsky's generative grammar knows that all of the inferences and extra understood information that I have put in parentheses (and much more) is actually understood in the minds of both the writer and the reader.  Understanding language is a combination of both bottom up and top down strategies.  Contextualization and infrencing are absolutely necessary in understanding any linguistic information, spoken or written whether it be in English or in Greek. 

Therefore to understand one verse, Romans 5:18 for instance, one must understand what was written before and after the verse.  Information in chapter 1 to 4 may be just as vital to the understanding of what is in 5:18 as verse 18 itself.

The Contextualization of Romans 5:12-21

Now let us take a look at the passage.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned —  13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.  14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.  17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 

Romans 5:18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.  19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 

Romans 5:20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,  21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If verse 18 is taken alone it would appear that Paul is making a case for Original Sin and Universal Salvation.  "Condemnation" for "all men" was the result of the "one trespass" by Adam and "justification" for "all men" was the result of the "one act of righteousness" by Jesus Christ.  And if verse 18 was all the information we had then it stands to reason that both Original Sin and Universal Salvation were valid.  But as I stated before, we must look at the context and find what is already "understood" by the writer and should be understood by the reader; the redundant information that Paul chose not to repeat.

The key to understanding Paul's teaching about Original Sin is found six verses earlier in verse 12.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

Paul does not say death came to all men because Adam sinned; he says death came to all men because all sinned.  In other words Paul believes all men are held accountable for their lifestyle just like Adam and Eve and Cain and Able were.  And because all men sin, they all receive the exact same punishment for sin; they are separated from God in relational death.  In verses 13 to 14, Paul states that this accountability is not influenced by the absence of the written law.  Humanly speaking there is no guilt if no law was broken.  That's why societies make laws about everything.  Men are not held accountable (at least not to the same measure) for sin unless they know what they are doing is wrong.  Hence we say to our children, "Well next time you do this you are going to get a spanking."  We make allowance for ignorance.  But from God's perspective, a person is a sinner if he doesn't "do what is right" (Genesis 4:7), regardless of whether he has received a specific law against a specific sin or not.  Thus Paul says, "death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command."

What Paul is doing in Romans 5, is eliminating any discussion about whether the Gentiles can be let off for their sinful behavior on account of not having the written law, like the Jews had.  Paul's contention is that everyone is judged by how he or she lived, regardless of whether they had specific laws against sinful behavior.  All are sinners because all sin and all are saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Now understanding verse 15 to 21 is a little bit trickier than verses 12 to 14.  In verses 12 to 14 Paul added the qualifier "because all sinned"; "death came to all men, because all sinned".  In verse 15 to 21 he doesn't add the qualifier because it's understood.  In leaving out the qualifier verse 18 is left open for interpreters to believe Paul is making a case for Original Sin. But that's not the only qualifier Paul leaves out.  In speaking about salvation from sin, he leaves out the qualifier, "for those who believe in Jesus Christ." thus opening the door for some interpreters to make a case for Universalism, that people are saved by Christ's death and resurrection regardless of whether they have faith or not.

Let's take a look at the qualifiers for faith in Christ.

Romans 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference,  23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Notice the two uses of the word "all" here!  Firstly, "all" who "believe" receive righteousness which comes "through faith".  Secondly, "all" have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 4:23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone,  24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. 

There is no way from these two verses that Paul believes in Universalism.  Salvation and righteousness comes by faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Now lets look at verses 15 to 21 and add the qualifiers, the understood information back into the text.

Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man (because like him all sinned), how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many (who believe in him)!

When we add back the qualifiers that Paul previously gave then his meaning becomes clear.  Everyone, everywhere, whether Jew or Gentile is a sinner because we sin like Adam our ancestor.  And everyone, everywhere, whether Jew or Gentile are saved through faith in Jesus Christ.  There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, in Christ we are one people, one church, one holy nation.  That's what Paul's been arguing for since verse 1 of chapter 1, and will be what he argues for until the end of the letter.

Now lets read verses 16 to 20 again, adding back the qualifiers.

Romans 5:16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation (because all sin), but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification (for all those who believe).  17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man (because all sin), how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men (because all sin), so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men (who believe in Christ).  19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners (because all sin), so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous (who believe in Christ). 20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,  21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The reason Paul chooses to contrast Adam and Christ here in chapter 5 is because both Jews and Gentiles are descendants of Adam.  Earlier in chapter 4 he dealt with Abraham, but Gentiles cannot relate to Abraham, but they can relate to Adam. But in no way does Romans 5 teach Original Sin. Paul states several times, including verse 12, and 3:23 that separation from God in relational death occurs in mankind because everyone sins.  Neither sin nor the penalty for Adam's sin is inherited.  The only thing that can be said to be "inherited" or passed down is the accountability for sin.  All men are held accountable for their actions just as Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel were.  Adam "died" because of his one sin.  We die because of our sins.

Romans 5 also does not teach universalism.  Paul states several times including verse 17, 3:22 and 4:23 that God's grace and gift of eternal life is only for those who receive it in faith.  All who have faith in Christ receive the gift that brings justification.  Those that have no faith are left in their sins.

The reason Paul leaves out the qualifiers is for brevity.  He doesn't want to be redundant.  We need to be careful not to take scripture out of context and make it say the opposite of what it does.  Romans 5 cannot be used in support of determinism in any form.

Thoughts on Prayer

I for one believe that what we experience in real life is important. The 5 senses are to be trusted and if something looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck it must be a duck. Here are some of my experiences with prayer.

I was 21 when my father died of colon cancer. He was 71 and in charge of finding land and building a Christian camp grounds in Nagano prefecture. He had to leave that work unfinished. When they discovered the cancer and operated it had progressed to level 4 and had gone to his liver and other parts of his body. He couldn't continue chemotherapy as it was wiping out his white blood cells. The elders came twice, anointed him with oil and prayed for him to be healed. I prayed every day for him as did thousands of other people and he still died.

My wife is Japanese and she is the only Christian in her family. When I was 29 her uncle who was 55 had a heart attack in the hospital during a routine check up. My wife's mother came and asked me to pray to my God for him. If he lived it would have been a strong witness to the power of God and I prayed for hours, but he didn't survive. My wife's mother never believed in Christ, nor has any of her family.

10 years ago a fellow missionary who had been away from the field came back to Japan. He was looking for a place to serve. One of our churches in Hiroshima who was in need of a minister had him come and invited him to minister to them. He accepted, and it looked like a perfect match, but only a couple of months later he was diagnosed with cancer and was sent back to the United States. Everyone prayed for him including many Christians in America and Japan. He died two months later of melanoma. He was 50 years old. I asked another missionary friend of mine, "What the hell is God doing?" And he replied "I haven't the slightest idea."

About 5 years ago, another Japanese minister/teacher friend and coworker of mine was also diagnosed with cancer. All the Christians within our churches prayed for him and he also died. He was 55 years old. He is greatly missed.

An acquaintance of mine in America had a son with leukemia that went into remission. He claimed God had healed his son. I asked how could he be sure? Was he not under the care of doctors? Perhaps it wasn't God at all. Talk about reaping the whirlwind. He chewed me out something fierce about my lack of faith and the clear fact that God had healed his son. Some years later I was back in America at the same church and asked about him and was told that he had left the church. I asked about his son and they said his leukemia had returned. I don't know if he survived or not, but one thing was true, God hadn't healed him.

I've run into many people in my ministry who prayed genuine prayers for a great many things, including escape from physical and mental abuse in their homes when they were children, and God never rescued them. They are so resentful to ever believe he exists.

A few years ago another missionary related a story about a children's meeting he had and that they had prayed it wouldn't rain on that day. It didn't rain and they had a good meeting so he declared God had done a miracle for them. I challenged him, that it was mere coincidence. Several other missionaries took his side and they all started shouting at me to "Give God the credit! Give God the credit." They never talked to me again after that.

Another missionary related a story about needing $200.00 in school expenses and went to his grandmother's house to ask her for help. Before he was able to ask her she offered to give him $200.00, the exact amount he was going to ask her for. He claims it was God's miracle. I can't help thinking that if it was a genuine miracle then God certainly wasted one because the missionary was going to ask for the money and would have gotten it anyway.

Now I ask, why would God control the weather and cause this man's grandmother to give $200.00, which there was no need for, and not answer the prayers for the lives of his workers who were greatly needed on the mission field?

The classic answers are, "You didn't have enough faith." (But it only takes the faith of a mustard seed to move mountains right?) "You weren't sincere enough." "God has a better thing planned for you." "We can't know God's bigger plan." "When God closes a door, he opens a window." "God moves in mysterious ways." "God will answer in his own time." "God wants you to learn patience."

Oh come on now! If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck. We need to stop making excuses and admit that God hasn't answered prayer, period.

Well, that leaves me with a dilemma. Did God lie? Does he answer prayer arbitrarily? If so, does he answer our prayers for forgiveness arbitrarily too? What exactly did he promise to answer? What promises were made to the apostles?  Were those promises for them only? What promises were made for every Christian? Do we have prayer all wrong? Perhaps these things we are praying for aren't promised, that's why they aren't answered!

This is the way I have resolved the issue. I believe, New Covenant promises are strictly spiritual. No physical promises are promised. The Old Covenant promises were physical, but the New Covenant ones are spiritual only. God answers prayer for spiritual things. He will not answer prayers for physical things, he is not obligated to do so. (Thus there should be no surprise that they aren't answered in real life, which is my experience. Prayer that people claim is answered is of a kind that is easily explained as coincidental.)

I thing God is saying, "I'll take care of the spiritual things, and I'll let nature take care of the physical things. If I interfere with nature it will be for special cases only. Cases that involve fulfillment of a promise I have made or the establishment of the New Covenant."

I'm a cessationist when it comes to the gifts of the Spirit. I believe they were meant for the "times of the end" of the Old Covenant till A.D. 70. But I would extend that cessationism to include prayer for physical things as well.

Answered prayer for spiritual things I have experienced often. Prayer for the power to forgive others, even deep resentment has been answered. Prayer for courage, for patience, for peace of mind, to stop worrying, for faith, for acceptance, for forgiveness (promised to be given if we believe it's already happened). These things God has answered EVERY TIME I pray them. I have real life confirmation and experiential evidence for answered prayer for spiritual things, but for physical things real life confirmation and experiential evidence point the other way. They are rarely if ever answered.

Many people believe that in my reaction I have swung the pendulum too far but I have never claimed God doesn't answer prayer, just prayer for things not promised within the New Covenant. He answers prayer everyday for many people but only for the "good" things, the things within his will, the things that really matter.

I stopped praying for physical things about 15 years ago and I have not noticed any change in my physical well being one way or the other. When I was praying for physical things and I lost income I had a lot of anxiety until the situation was resolved, but after I stopped praying for physical things, even when I lost income, I had total peace of mind and things resolved themselves anyway. It allowed me to focus my attention on "the kingdom of God and it's righteousness" rather than on "God, heal this person and heal that person, bless this person and bless that person. Give me this and give me that." Does that make any sense to you? Not a single prayer for physical things in 15 years and my faith is stronger because of it. The spiritual blessings have been abundant. What need do I have of physical things? They are the things pagans seek.

When I preach here in Japan I often have them notice what can be found in their own temples and shrines. They all sell talismans. One for safety on the highway. One for good health. One for success in school. One for success in business. One for success in marriage. They are all for physical things; health, wealth and happiness from physical things. None of the temples sell talismans for loving one's enemy, for a pure heart, for righteousness, for patience or any spiritual thing. I ask the Japanese, "What do you truly desire? If it's physical things you desire then you don't need Christ, just go to their shrines and buy up all the talismans. But if you want something that can change the heart and can really make a difference in their lifestyle then come follow Christ. He can give you what really counts."

Christ did signs and wonders but never prayed for physical things for himself. He resisted temptation for physical things when tested in the desert. He didn't pray for his own safety in Gethsemane. In all those cases he prayed not for his own will but God's will and God's will is for us is to develop good spiritual lives. Why would Christ ever answer prayers for health, wealth and physical happiness when he himself never pursued them?

Jesus said, "the truth will set you free". When I stopped praying for physical things, they ceased to matter and I WAS SET FREE from them. Truth is, I haven't gotten many people to agree with me. Physical things are just so important to them. Maybe you people are different.

Gleason Archer - Did Adam really die when he ate of the forbidden fruit?

Gleason Archer one of the foremost authorities on Ancient Hebrew in his Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties said:

Genesis 2:17: Did Adam really die when he ate of the forbidden fruit?

In Genesis 2:17 God warned Adam, “But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die” (NASB). Later, in Genesis 3:4, Satan’s serpent assured Eve, “Surely you will not die!” When Adam and Eve yielded to temptation and partook of the forbidden fruit, they certainly did not drop dead on that fateful day; but they lived on to face the rebuke of God (3:8-19). Was Satan right? Did God fail to carry out His promise? Certainly not! But the death that overtook the guilty pair that day was spiritual only; physical death did not come until centuries later (Gen. 5:5).

Scripture distinguished three types of death. First, there is physical death, which involves separation of the soul form the body. The separated body undergoes chemical dissolution and reverts to the “dust of the ground” (i.e., the elements of which it was composed). The soul (nepes) of subhuman creatures apparently ceases to exist (cf. Eccl. 3:21: “Who knows that the breath [ruah, used here in the sense of the breath of life metonymic of the nonmaterial personality of the human or subhuman animal] of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?”). On the day Adam was disobedient, the sentence of physical death was imposed; but by God’s grace the execution of that sentence was delayed.

The Old Testament people of God were fully aware that physical death did not entail the annihilation of the person who indwelt the body. Genesis 25:8 states that Abraham after his decease “was gathered to his people”—which implies a continuing consciousness of personal relationship with those who had preceded him in death. Job 19:25-26 quotes the suffering patriarch as saying: “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is flayed [lit., ‘stripped off’], yet in  (lit., from) my flesh I shall see God” (cf. 2 Sam. 12:23; Pss. 49:15; 73:24; 84:7; Isa. 25:8; 26:19; Hos. 13:14). Already in Daniel 12:2 we find a reference of the bodily nature of deceased persons as  “sleeping” in the dust of the earth, from whence they shall be raised up.

In the New Testament this same resurrection of both the evil and the good is taken up by Christ Himself in John 5:28-29: “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds, to a resurrection of life, those who committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (NASB). The implication is that all humans after death remain in a state of sleep or suspended animation so far as their bodily nature is concerned. In the New Testament specific references to this state of sleep pertain to believers, at least so far as Paul’s Epistles are concerned (1 Cor. 11:30; 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:14; 5:10). But their soul and spirit, which prior to the resurrection of Christ waited in that portion of hades referred to by Christ as “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22), go to be with Christ immediately upon death (Phil. 1:23).

The second type of death taught in Scripture is spiritual death. It is this aspect of death that overtook our first parents immediately upon their act of sin. Alienation toward God was shown by their vain attempt to hide from Him when He came to have fellowship with them in the cool of the evening (Gen. 3:8). It was apparent from their attitude of guilty fear toward Him  (3:10), in the curse of expulsion from the Garden of Eden (where they had enjoyed intimate and cordial fellowship with Him), in the curse of toil and pain both in the eking out of a living from the soil and in the process of childbirth, and in the eventual death of the body and its reversion to the soil from which it was made (3:16-19,23-24).  From that moment on, Adam and Eve fell into a state of spiritual death, separated from the living God through their violation of His covenant. As Ephesians 2:1-3 expresses it, they became “dead in trespasses and sins,” walking according to the course of Satan and this present evil world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind. as children of disobedience and wrath.

Not only did Adam and Eve become guilty before God and thereby fall into a state of unrighteousness, but they also incurred that defilement and pollution that characterize the unholy life of the fallen sarx (“fleshly nature”) that is basically alienated toward God and in a state of enmity toward Him (Rom. 8:5-8). Hence the mind-set (phronema) of the sarx is death  (v.6 and those who abide in this state are incapable of pleasing God (v.8 Hence they are alienated from the life of God, being completely helpless to save themselves or to earn any merit or favor in the eyes of God. They are utterly lost from the time they first begin their earthly life (Ps. 51:5), for they are born as “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3).

Such was the condition of Adam and Eve as soon as they committed their first transgression. They were plunged immediately into a state of spiritual death, from which they had no prospect of recovery, despite the most strenuous efforts to lead a better life.  Yet the biblical account goes on to tell of God’s forgiveness and remedial grace. To that guilty pair He gave the promise (Gen. 3:15) that one of Eve’s descendants would someday crush the head of the satanic serpent, at the cost of personal suffering (suggestive of His death on the Cross).

Instead of immediately inflicting the penalty of physical death on them, God gave Adam and Eve a set of guidelines for their life subsequent to their expulsion from Eden—which surely implied that their execution was to be delayed for some gracious purpose, even though they had forfeited the communion they had formerly enjoyed with God. God also provided them with animal pelts to cover up their nakedness and to protect them from the cold and the rigors of the outside world. But to furnish them with such pelts, it was necessary to take the lives of the animals whose fur they were to wear. It may have been in this connection that God taught Adam and Eve about blood sacrifice on the altar, as a means of their laying hold in advance of the atoning merit of the Cross—that vicarious, substitutionary death that the messianic “seed of the woman” was someday to offer up on the hill of Golgotha. As they responded in repentance and faith (bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit), they were rescued from their state of death and brought into a state of grace. This faith is deduced from the sacrificial practice of their son Abel, who presented the firstlings of his flock as a blood sacrifice on his altar in his worship of God. Blood sacrifice presupposes a concept of substitution, whereby the innocent dies in place of the guilty.

The third type of death referred to in Scripture is eternal death, that final, complete, and irremediable state of eternal separation from God, who is the only true source of life and joy. This death is referred to in Revelation 20:14 as the “second death.” This is characterized by unending and unrelieved pangs of conscience and anguish of soul, corresponding to the ever-ascending smoke of the torment of the damned (Rev. 14:11). This is said to be the final state of Satan, the Beast (or the self-deifying world dictator of the last days), and his religious collaborator, the False Prophet (Rev. 20:10). All three are to be cast into the “lake of fire and brimstone,” there to be tormented “day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 21:8 reveals that every type of unrepentant, unforgiven sinner (the cowardly, the unbelieving or untrustworthy, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers and idolaters, and all liars) will likewise be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death. This, then, is the ultimate destiny of those who willfully abide in a state of spiritual death until they experience their physical death. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18, NASB). “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey [or believe] the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).

The Conditional New Covenant and Gym Subscriptions

The New Covenant can be likened unto a gym subscription.

Someone's decides to offer (an eternal) subscription to the local gym and pays the admission fee and monthly gym fees (something you couldn't ever afford).  The offer has a time limit (your lifetime) but it requires you to get come down to the gym (belief).  It requires that you read all the gym rules, agree to them and sign the contract with them (repentance, confession, baptism).  After you sign the contract you get a membership card (you're "in Christ").  When you show the membership card you can go into the gym and use the facilities.  Without the membership card you will be barred from entrance.  You must observe gym rules (live "like Christ").  If you don't then you risk having your subscription canceled.  Also you can cancel your subscription any time you like (disbelief).  Provided you have your membership card and are a member in good standing you are free to use the gym and reap it's benefits. (be "with Christ")

What I've just described is a covenant much like the New Covenant.  I put the New Covenant things in parentheses so that there would be no mistake in seeing the parallel.  Notice the gym subscription is a gift.  It is something that is totally unearned and undeserved, yet it is conditional.  It requires you believe the offer exists.  It requires you go through the process to sign the contract and get your membership card.  It requires that you understand, agree to and follow gym rules.  It requires that you remain a gym member in good standing.  As long as those conditions are met, you can use the gym and receive all the benefits.

Now there are many people who want to tamper with the way the local gym handles subscriptions.  Here are some examples.

Example one:

You think the subscription is great and go down to the gym. You walk up to the entrance and try to go in but the guard stops you.  "But it's a gift," you say.  "It's my gift, I demand you let me in."  The guard says, "Not on your life.  Get a membership card first.  No one gets in without a membership card.  That's the rules."  You complain that the gift should be unconditional but the guard doesn't listen.  So you go home and stew for awhile. "It was supposed to be free.  The guy paid for it.  I should have been a member of the gym when he paid for it.  There shouldn't be any need for a membership card.  Isn't that how it works?  Damn if I'm gonna let anybody say it isn't."

Example two:

You think the subscription is great and go down to the gym to sign up.  You read the contract and state that you agree with it but you refuse to sign the contract.  You begin to complain that just coming down to the gym and reading the contract should be enough.  "I signed it in my head" (prayed the sinners prayer).  The membership card is not issued because you refuse to sign the contract in the proscribed way, according to gym rules.  So you go home and stew for awhile. "It was supposed to be free.  The guy paid for it.  I should have been a member of the gym when he paid for it.  I made the effort to got down to the gym and I mentally assented acceptance of the gym rules.  Isn't that how it works?  Damn if I'm gonna let anybody say it isn't."

Example three:

You think the subscription is great and go down to the gym to sign up.  You read the contract and state that you agree with it but you refuse to sign the contract with the pen they offered you.  You say, "I'll sign it with my pencil."  They explain that the contract is only valid if you sign it with a pen.  So, you rudely grab the pen out of their hands and sign the contract with your first name only.  "That's no good." they say.  "You must sign your full name."  In frustration you leave the gym go home and stew for awhile.  "It was supposed to be free.  The guy paid for it.  I should have been a member of the gym when he paid for it.  Who cares how I sign the contract?  I should be able to change the rules if I like.  It's my gift isn't it?  Isn't that how it works?  Damn if I'm gonna let anybody say it isn't."

Example four:

You think the subscription is great and go down to the gym to sign up.  You read the contract, state that you agree with it, and sign it.  A membership card is issued to you and you begin to workout at the gym.  But the benefits that the gym offers are not to your liking.  They are long term benefits and you have to actually "work out" to get them.  The gym staff say, "No pain, no gain."  But you would rather have immediate gratification.  You know about another gym, long gone out of existence, but you've read about the immediate benefits they offered.  So you begin to demand that your gym offer immediate benefits along with the long term ones.  You stop working out and concentrate on the things that give you immediate gratification.  Other members point out that you are being selfish and that long term benefits are the only ones your gym offers.   You begin disrespecting the staff and other members.  When they point out the gym rules, you begin complaining that your membership is an unconditional gift, you shouldn't have to follow any rules. You get angry and begin stewing.  "It's my gift.  I can do with it as I like.  I don't' need to work out if I don't want to and you are obligated to give me the kind of benefits I desire.  Isn't that how it works?  Damn if I'm gonna let anybody say it isn't."  The staff begins to wonder if you are really a member in good standing or not.  They decide to wait and see a little longer before revoking your membership.

Example five:

You think the subscription is great and go down to the gym to sign up.  You read the contract, state that you agree with it, and sign it.  A membership card is issued to you and you begin to workout at the gym.  You find other members there willing to work with you toward the common goal (Christlikeness and Ministry of Reconciliation). You remain a member in good standing.  You receive the promised benefits to your joy and the joy of the one who paid the price for your membership.  Eventually you meet him in person and you express your heart felt gratitude.

Now I could go on with other examples but I think this is enough to make my point.  All covenants are conditional, including the New Covenant in Christ Jesus.  I do not deny that salvation in the New Covenant is a gift.  I do not deny that Christ fully paid the payment for sin.  We do not deserve it and salvation cannot be earned.  But there are conditions that need to be met for us to cash in on our gift benefits.  All covenants have parties, terms and promises, whether it be your local gym or the New Covenant in Christ.  Example one is the "grace only" position.  Example two is the "faith only" position.  Example three is various forms of covenant signing other than immersion baptism taught in the New Testament.  Example four is the transference of Old Covenant physical promises and the neglect of New Covenant terms.  Example five is biblical Conditional Covenant Theology as it ought to work.

God communicates through the written Word - Psalm 119

As Christians, we believe God speak to us through his Word, not in subjective inner voices.  We believe in propositional revelation. Take a look at Psalm 119.  Psalm 119 tells us exactly how God reveals himself.  It says it no less than 182 times in 176 verses.  He communicates through his written word.

Psalms 119:1 [Aleph] Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the LAW of the LORD.  2 Blessed are they who keep his STATUTES and seek him with all their heart.  3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in HIS WAYS.  4 You have laid down PRECEPTS that are to be fully obeyed.  5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your DECREES!  6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your COMMANDS.  7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous LAWS.  8 I will obey your DECREES; do not utterly forsake me. 

Psalms 119:9 [Beth] How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your WORD.  10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your COMMANDS.  11 I have hidden your WORD in my heart that I might not sin against you.  12 Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your DECREES.  13 With my lips I recount all the LAWS that come from your mouth.  14 I rejoice in following your STATUTES as one rejoices in great riches.  15 I meditate on your PRECEPTS and consider your ways.  16 I delight in your DECREES; I will not neglect your WORD. 

Psalms 119:17 [Gimel] Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your WORD.  18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your LAW.  19 I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your COMMANDS from me.  20 My soul is consumed with longing for your LAWS at all times.  21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your COMMANDS.  22 Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your STATUTES.  23 Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your DECREES.  24 Your STATUTES are my delight; they are my counselors. 

Psalms 119:25 [Daleth] I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your WORD.  26 I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your DECREES.  27 Let me understand the teaching of your PRECEPTS; then I will meditate on YOUR WONDERS.  28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your WORD.  29 Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your LAW.  30 I have chosen the way of TRUTH; I have set my heart on your LAWS.  31 I hold fast to your STATUTES, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame.  32 I run in the path of your COMMANDS, for you have set my heart free. 

Psalms 119:33 [He] Teach me, O LORD, to follow your DECREES; then I will keep them to the end.  34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your LAW and obey it with all my heart.  35 Direct me in the path of your COMMANDS, for there I find delight.  36 Turn my heart toward your STATUTES and not toward selfish gain.  37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your WORD.  38 Fulfill YOUR PROMISE to your servant, so that you may be feared.  39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your LAWS are good.  40 How I long for your PRECEPTS! Preserve my life in your righteousness. 

Psalms 119:41 [Waw] May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to YOUR PROMISE;  42 then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your WORD.  43 Do not snatch the WORD of TRUTH from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your LAWS.  44 I will always obey your LAW, for ever and ever.  45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your PRECEPTS.  46 I will speak of your STATUTES before kings and will not be put to shame,  47 for I delight in your COMMANDS because I love them.  48 I lift up my hands to your COMMANDS, which I love, and I meditate on your DECREES. 

Psalms 119:49 [Zayin] Remember your WORD to your servant, for you have given me hope.  50 My comfort in my suffering is this: YOUR PROMISE preserves my life.  51 The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your LAW.  52 I remember your ancient LAWS, O LORD, and I find comfort in them.  53 Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your LAW.  54 Your DECREES are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.  55 In the night I remember your name, O LORD, and I will keep your LAW.  56 This has been my practice: I obey your PRECEPTS. 

Psalms 119:57 [Heth] You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your WORDS.  58 I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to YOUR PROMISE.  59 I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your STATUTES.  60 I will hasten and not delay to obey your COMMANDS.  61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your LAW.  62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous LAWS.  63 I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your PRECEPTS.  64 The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your DECREES. 

Psalms 119:65 [Teth] Do good to your servant according to your WORD, O LORD.  66 Teach me knowledge and GOOD JUDGMENT, for I believe in your COMMANDS.  67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your WORD.  68 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your DECREES.  69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your PRECEPTS with all my heart.  70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your LAW.  71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your DECREES.  72 The LAW from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. 

Psalms 119:73 [Yodh] Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your COMMANDS.  74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your WORD.  75 I know, O LORD, that your LAWS are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.  76 May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to YOUR PROMISE to your servant.  77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your LAW is my delight.  78 May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your PRECEPTS.  79 May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your STATUTES.  80 May my heart be blameless toward your DECREES, that I may not be put to shame. 

Psalms 119:81 [Kaph] My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your WORD.  82 My eyes fail, looking for YOUR PROMISE; I say, “When will you comfort me?”  83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your DECREES.  84 How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?  85 The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your LAW.  86 All your COMMANDS are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause.  87 They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your PRECEPTS.  88 Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the STATUTES of your mouth. 

Psalms 119:89 [Lamedh] Your WORD, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.  90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.  91 Your LAWS endure to this day, for all things serve you.  92 If your LAW had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.  93 I will never forget your PRECEPTS, for by them you have preserved my life.  94 Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your PRECEPTS.  95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your STATUTES.  96 To all perfection I see a limit; but your COMMANDS are boundless. 

Psalms 119:97 [Mem] Oh, how I love your LAW! I meditate on it all day long.  98 Your COMMANDS make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.  99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your STATUTES.  100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your PRECEPTS.  101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your WORD.  102 I have not departed from your LAWS, for you yourself have taught me.  103 How sweet are your WORDS to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  104 I gain understanding from your PRECEPTS; therefore I hate every wrong path. 

Psalms 119:105 [Nun] Your WORD is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.  106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous LAWS.  107 I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your WORD.  108 Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your LAWS.  109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your LAW.  110 The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your PRECEPTS.  111 Your STATUTES are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.  112 My heart is set on keeping your DECREES to the very end. 

Psalms 119:113 [Samekh] I hate double-minded men, but I love your LAW.  114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your WORD.  115 Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the COMMANDS of my God!  116 Sustain me according to YOUR PROMISE, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.  117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your DECREES.  118 You reject all who stray from your DECREES, for their deceitfulness is in vain.  119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your STATUTES.  120 My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your LAWS. 

Psalms 119:121 [Ayin] I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.  122 Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me.  123 My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.  124 Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your DECREES.  125 I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your STATUTES.  126 It is time for you to act, O LORD; your LAW is being broken.  127 Because I love your COMMANDS more than gold, more than pure gold,  128 and because I consider all your PRECEPTS right, I hate every wrong path. 

Psalms 119:129 [Pe] Your STATUTES are wonderful; therefore I obey them.  130 The unfolding of your WORDS gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.  131 I open my mouth and pant, longing for your COMMANDS.  132 Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.  133 Direct my footsteps according to your WORD; let no sin rule over me.  134 Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your PRECEPTS.  135 Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your DECREES.  136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your LAW is not obeyed. 

Psalms 119:137 [Tsadhe] Righteous are you, O LORD, and your LAWS are right.  138 The STATUTES you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.  139 My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your WORDS.  140 YOUR PROMISEs have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.  141 Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your PRECEPTS.  142 Your righteousness is everlasting and your LAW is true.  143 Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your COMMANDS are my delight.  144 Your STATUTES are forever right; give me understanding that I may live. 

Psalms 119:145 [Qoph] I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your DECREES.  146 I call out to you; save me and I will keep your STATUTES.  147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your WORD.  148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on YOUR PROMISEs.  149 Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your LAWS.  150 Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your LAW.  151 Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your COMMANDS are true.  152 Long ago I learned from your STATUTES that you established them to last forever. 

Psalms 119:153 [Resh] Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your LAW.  154 Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to YOUR PROMISE.  155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your DECREES.  156 Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to your LAWS.  157 Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your STATUTES.  158 I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your WORD.  159 See how I love your PRECEPTS; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your love.  160 All your WORDS are true; all your righteous LAWS are eternal. 

Psalms 119:161 [Sin and Shin] Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your WORD.  162 I rejoice in YOUR PROMISE like one who finds great spoil.  163 I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your LAW.  164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous LAWS.  165 Great peace have they who love your LAW, and nothing can make them stumble.  166 I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your COMMANDS.  167 I obey your STATUTES, for I love them greatly.  168 I obey your PRECEPTS and your STATUTES, for all my ways are known to you. 

Psalms 119:169 [Taw] May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your WORD.  170 May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to YOUR PROMISE.  171 May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your DECREES.  172 May my tongue sing of your WORD, for all your COMMANDS are righteous.  173 May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your PRECEPTS.  174 I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your LAW is my delight.  175 Let me live that I may praise you, and may your LAWS sustain me.  176 I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your COMMANDS. 

WORD - 25 times.

WORDS - 5 times.

LAW - 25 times.

LAWS - 20 times.

STATUTES - 23 times.

PRECEPTS - 21 times.

DECREES - 23 times.

COMMANDS - 23 times.

YOUR PROMISE - 12 times.

YOUR WONDERS - 1 time.

TRUTH - 2 times.

HIS WAYS - 1 time.

GOOD JUDGMENT - 1 time.

TOTAL - 182 times.

SUBJECTIVE INNER VOICE OR ANY SYNONYM - 0 times.

Does God React? - A Response to one Calvinist's Ravings.

Does God React?

A Response to one Calvinist's Ravings.

The following was written by Josiah Luke Spencer in his facebook note.  My Response will follow.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/josiah-luke-spencer/does-god-react/498456539053

What Spencer wrote.

"And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren."  Genesis 29:31.  Did God react?  There is much language in the Bible that would seem to declare that God reacts to human events just like we humans do. 

    There seems to be more to the issue, however.  When we look at James 1:17 we read this: Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, or shadow of turning."  So, God does not/cannot change.  How could God alter His course of action if He does not change? 

    And yet, we see a few places that say God repents.  What about Numbers 23:19: God is not a man that he should lie: neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?  How do we coalesce the two?

    What about Ephesians 1:11  In whom we also have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.  

    God is eternal, is He not?  There is much in the Bible that speaks of God in terms that men can understand.  Human emotions and human actions/reactions are ascribed to God because we could understand no other way.  If God had explained this all in detail to us in the Bible, we'd still be lost. 

    The problem is that we cannot understand how an eternal God interacts with a time-bound Creation.  How does that happen?  How is it possible?   This quandary is what has led to the Arminian/Calvinist argument.  Calvinists protect God's sovereignty and Arminian's protect God's fairness.  The only problem is, God doesn't say anything about being fair.  He says He will do as He pleases (Romans 9).  He will have mercy on whomever He chooses.

    So, did God react to sin by sending Jesus Christ?  Well, Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  So, no.

    God does not react.  Somehow He interacts with us, but we cannot understand this.  We, real active agents, are working out a plan that He works according to His own will.

My Response

Introduction

Really this whole discussion is about free will isn't it?  Is God in total control of everything that happens?  If every event in the universe is determined by God including every action man does, including man's predestination to salvation or damnation, then it can't be conceivable that God could actually change his mind.  If every action in the universe is determined, then every action of God within the universe must be written in stone.  He can never make a mistake.  He can never change his mind.  He can never repent.  He can never react.  He can never respond.  He is just as mechanical as the universe he makes.  Let's take a look at the passages used.  And for the record I use the terms "react" and "respond" interchangeably.  They mean the same thing.

Genesis 29:31

In Genesis 29:31 God blessing Leah rather than Rachel is a way to bring about his covenant promise to make Jacob into a great nation.  He used the situation of the two sisters to his advantage to bring about his promise, otherwise he wouldn't have interfered.  Did he react?  Of course he did.  The feud between the two women was too good to pass up and it helped God make a nation.

James 1:17

James 1:17 is a statement about God's faithfulness to keep his covenant.  He is trustworthy.   It is not a statement about God's not being able to change or altar His course of action.  He is a freewill being.  His determination to keep his word does not in any way hinder his ability to make choices and adjust them as he pleases.

Numbers 23:19

Numbers 23:19 is also about God keeping his covenant promises.  If you look at the parallelisms it's quite clear.  Once God promises something he fulfills it, he acts upon what he has said and he doesn't change his mind (repent) about keeping his covenant.  That would make him into a liar.  This verse again does not limit God's ability to change his mind in any way.  All it says is he will keep his agreements.

But God does change his mind.  Genesis 6:1-8.  God regretted making man because man was a lot more sinful than he calculated he would be.  Such is the limitation of God when it comes to free will beings.  When God made Adam and gave him free will he limited himself to dealing with man in our universe's time dimension.  One cannot know  the choices of a free will being.  The fact is, he made a mistake in the calibration of man's life span and he started over after the flood, giving mankind a 120 year maximum life span as compared to 1000 before the flood.  In this way God limited mankind's expression of sin.  (Notice God miscalculated the depth of man's sin, a miscalculation is not a sin.)

Ephesians 1:11

In Ephesians 1:3-14, God's will and plan is for salvation to be through the New Covenant in Christ, not through the law or any other covenant.  In verse 3 the promises of the covenant are stipulated to be spiritual in nature and he elaborates what they are.  In verse 4 it says that before the creation of the world, it was planned (predestined) that through Christ ( in him) the Ephesians would be made holy and blameless in God's sight.  Salvation through Christ is what is predestined not specific individuals.  Calvinism perverts this verse.  Again verse 6 states that the adoption to be God's sons was predestined to be through Jesus Christ.  Verse 6 states that God's grace, (salvation through the New Covenant) is freely given.  Now if as the Calvinists say, that specific people are already predestined for salvation, how can salvation be said to be freely given?  There is no freedom involved at all.  Verse 7 again emphasizes that it is through Christ that redemption and forgiveness of sins is lavished on the Ephesians.  Verse 9 states that the mystery was made known and proposed through Christ, and was implemented when the (end) times (of the Old Covenant) reached their fulfillment.  All heaven and earth are brought together in Christ.  Then in verse 11-12 he states again that the plan of God is predestined again in Christ.  So that those who hope in Christ, through the New Covenant might give God praise and glory.  Verse 13 states how the Ephesians received the predestined covenant promises.  They were included "in Christ" by hearing and believing the word, the gospel of salvation and were given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of the inheritance till Christ's parousia and redemption.

Let's review  the passage in a different way.  The promises of the New Covenant are specifically listed and are through Christ.  In fact Christ and the Covenant are almost synonymous to Paul.  Simply put, the parties of the New Covenant are God and anyone who is IN CHRIST.  The terms of the covenant are for believers to be LIKE CHRIST.  And the promises are that they will be WITH CHRIST.  So Christ is all in all.

The New Covenant promises listed in the passage are:

1. "every spiritual blessing in Christ" (3)

2. "in him....to be holy and blameless in God's sight" (4)

3. "to be adopted as his sons though Jesus Christ" (5)

4. "in him we have redemption...the forgiveness of sins" (7)

5. "made known...the mystery of his will...which he proposed in Christ" (9)

6. "to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ (10)

7. "in him...we might be the praise of his glory" (12)

8. "marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Sprit...guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption" (13-14)

Notice the promises are all "in Christ" given to those "in Christ".  The covenant and the promises are what are predestined though Christ.  Those who hear and believe the gospel and join the New Covenant through baptism into Christ receive them.  God's GRACE to us is THE NEW COVENANT IN CHRIST.  It is a free gift.  We receive the gift in faith through our free will.  Deterministic Calvinism kills covenant.  Deterministic Calvinism kills Christianity.

Anthropomorphism

Spencer says, "Human emotions and human actions/reactions are ascribed to God because we could understand no other way.  If God had explained this all in detail to us in the Bible, we'd still be lost."  That's an often used appeal to dismiss God's emotions.  It's called anthropomorphism.  But if God's emotions as recorded in the Bible can't be trusted then how can we trust Jesus?  Was Jesus' emotions faked so that we could understand him?  Are God's love, anger, regret, sadness, joy all faked?  Is God a deceiver and liar?

Does the parable of the lost son actually portray God's emotions or is it all anthropomorphism?  If God as the Calvinist claims, knows all future events then how can he have joy when one sinner repents?  If he is controlling and giving the sinner faith in the first how can he have joy when the sinner repents?  And if he already knows who will or won't be saved then how  much fun is that?  It's like watching the same sports game over again.  No fun if you already know  who is going to win.  How can the father display so much joy if he knows if that the prodigal will return, when the prodigal with return, and what he will say when he returns?  There is no joy in that.  Give me a break!  Calvinism turns God into a mechanistic monster.

If the scriptures cannot be trusted about God's emotions then how can we trust it about anything else?  Anthropomorphism is a Calvinistic way to depersonalize God, because free will and personality go together.

Romans 9

The whole point of Romans 9 is not the individual election of some to be saved and others to be damned.  The point of Romans 9 is that God makes the rules when it comes to salvation and if he decided it should be through the New Covenant in Christ, nobody has any authority to challenge his decision.  The Old Covenant Jews cannot complain that they are the pottery made to be an "object of his wrath" to shortly be destroyed. The Old Covenant had it's purpose in God's plan.  Jesus satisfied the requirements of the law  and in so doing paid the price for sin.

Verse 30 makes it very clear that the Jews were complaining about the Gentiles.  They were saying God's unfair in verse 14.  But Paul says no.  God will have mercy on who he will have mercy.  If he decides to grant mercy to the Gentiles too than that's his prerogative.  If he decides it must be through faith in Christ in the New Covenant rather than the Old Covenant then that's his prerogative too.

God chose to fulfill his promise to Abraham through Isaac rather than Ishmael.  Abraham tried to bring about the promise on his own.  God said no, it is I who decides.  The promise does not come through one's own efforts.  God chose to fulfill his promise through Jacob instead of Esau.  It is not though firstborn birthright that the promise is brought about.  God decides not man.  And notice in both cases it is the younger rather than the older that is chosen.  Paul says this is figurative of God choosing the New Covenant to bring about his promise rather than the Old. (Galatians 4:21-32)

Pharaoh was raised up to bring about God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-16.  So also, Israel was raised up for it's purpose to bring about the New Covenant and then be destroyed.  The Jews cannot complain.  God decides how he wants to bring about his salvation plan.

Romans 9 describes God's prerogative to set up salvation through Christ in the New Covenant.  It is not about individual predestination as the Calvinists want us to believe.  All scripture must be read in context.  Pulling verses out of context is bad exegesis.

Revelation 13:8

Finally we come to Revelation 13:8.  Spencer says that "Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."  It is central to his argument that the sending of Jesus wasn't in response to man's sin because he was the lamb of God prior to man's creation.  Although I agree with Spencer that Jesus' death was planned before the foundation of the world this verse cannot be used to defend it.

Although NIV and KJV put the phrase "from the foundation (creation) of the world at the end of the verse, the NASB and NRSV do not.  The latter two are clearer.  Everyone who has ever lived from the foundation of the world, regardless of whether their names are written in the book of life or not, will worship the Lamb that was slaughtered.

Revelation 13:8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.  (NASB)

8 and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.  (NRSV)

I also need to note that there are theologians, Max King for instance, that interpret the phrase "foundation of world" as "foundation of the New Covenant world", and this is equally possible.  But even if Christ's atonement was pre-planned before the foundation of the world.  It is no argument that God does not change his mind or respond/react to free will decisions made by mankind.

The Personality of God disproves Calvinism

The answer to this problem is not knowing whether God reacts in our universe's timeline but whether he and we are free will beings.  Deterministic Calvinism is a lie.  Free will is what we experience.  Free will is the foundation of covenant.  If man who was made in the image of God has no free will then it stands to reason that neither does God.  And that is exactly what Spencer has been arguing.  He claims, God cannot change, He cannot make a mistake, He cannot respond, He cannot react, He has no emotions, He is not personal.  That's not the description of a powerful God that's the description of an impotent one.  If God is only a machine then there really is no difference between Christianity and Naturalism.  God becomes nothing more than nature in extra-dimensions, nature in the spiritual world.  Hence the syllogism: God is machine.  Nature is machine.  God is nature.  (Might as well become Buddhist then, because that is exactly what they teach.)  Is this the road we want to travel?

Free will is an extension of personality and if Francis Schaeffer was right and God is personal then He must exercise free will.  Man is made in the image of God.  The personality of God disproves Calvinism.