Response to Article Eight

          I haven't written much about the Statement of the Traditional Southern
     Baptist Understanding of God's Plan of Salvation, recently released by a
     group of Southern Baptist leaders.
   

          Others know more about the subject and can articulate their reasons for
     opposing the statement better than I can.  However, I will say that the state-
     ment was obviously written to repudiate Calvinism in Southern Baptist
     churches.  Frankly, it is in some ways unbiblical and inaccurate, as it mini-
     mizes Reformed influence from the earliest days of the Southern Baptist Con-
     vention.


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          Tom Ascol (Founder's Ministries) has written extensively in response to
     each of the ten articles found in the statement.

          First, the article, and then the response by Ascol.


          This is article eight - The Free Will of Man

          "We affirm that God, as an expression of His sovereignty endows each
     person with actual free will (the ability to choose between two options),
     which must be exercised in accepting or rejecting God's gracious call to
     salvation by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel."

          "We deny that the decision of faith is an act of God rather than a response of
     the person.  We deny that there is an "effectual call" for certain people that
     is different from a "general call" to any person who hears and understands
     the Gospel."

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          Here is a summary of Tom Ascol's response.


          God does endow people with "the ability to choose between two options."
     Part of being human is to have volition.  We are not puppets.  We make choices
     every day.

          Compatibilisim basically teaches that God's meticulous sovereignty and
     predestination are compatible with and do not violate in any way the free
     moral agency of people.

          The signers of this statement deny compatibilism and affirm "genuine free-
     dom," which exists only when a person is able to choose between options.

          However, Jesus (John 5:40) said to some Jews who were opposing Him,
     "You are unwilling (outhelete) to come to Me so that you may have life."
     The problem was with their will.  They would not choose to trust Him as
     Lord.  That is the problem with every unbeliever.

          While it is true that the gospel enables us to say, "whosoever will," it
     is also true that sin forces us to admit that the problem is that "whosoever"
     won't!  At least, left to himself and his own power of choice he won't.


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                          "(Jesus said) No one can come to me unless the Father who
                            sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day."

                         "He went on to say, ' This is why I told you that no one can
                           come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
                                                                                  John 6:44,65

          "Can" in English and Greek is a word of ability or power.  The Father
     must "grant" a person the ability to come to Jesus and overcome his
     spiritual "inability."


                          "... Jesus declared, 'I tell you truth, no one can see the king-
                           dom of God unless he is born again.'"

                         "You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be
                           born again.'"                John 3:3,7


           A person "cannot" see the kingdom of God unless he is born again
     first.  Human will is enslaved to sin and is unable to believe without
     new birth.


          The person without the Spirit is unable to do anything to please God.

                       "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled
                         by the Spirit is life and peace;  the sinful mind is hostile
                         to God.  It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
                         Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."
                                                                         Romans 8:6-8


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          The signers of this statement believe this teaching (that man cannot
     come to God of his own free will) "violates free will," but by nature the
     sinner's will is enslaved to sin and what he needs is not encouragement,
     but emancipation.

         
          It is no violation of the will of a prisoner to open the prison door and
     remove his chains.

          It is no violation of the will of a dead man to bring him back to life.

          It is no violation of the will of a baby to have it conceived and brought
     into the human race.


          When Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus, after He prayed, He
     loudly said, "Lazarus come out" (John 11:43).  Think about this scene.
     Jesus commanded Lazarus to do what he was unable to do.  If Lazarus
     had the ability to come out of the tomb, he would not have needed Jesus
     to be there.

          But it was as the Word of the Lord was accompanied by the power
     of the Lord that the dead man was made alive, and Lazarus was awakened,
     and came out.

          In evangelism, we call spiritually dead people to come to life.  We
     call on those who do not have spiritual ability to repent and trust Christ.
     As we preach the gospel, we know that the Word of the Lord must be
     accompanied by the power of the Lord or no one will be saved.

         When God graciously does this saving work, it is not a violation of man's
     will.  It is a gift of resurrection.  Can you imagine Lazarus complaining that
     Jesus had vitiated his free will by granting him life?

                
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          EFFECTUAL CALL


          The signers of this statement deny there is an "effectual" call for certain
     people, but Romans 8:28-30 is clear that there is an effectual call for some.


                                  "And we know that in all things God works for
                                    the good of those who love him, who have been
                                    called according to his purpose.  For those God
                                    foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to
                                    the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first-
                                    born among many brothers."
                                    And those he predestined, he also called;  those he
                                    called he also justified;  those he justified, he also
                                    glorified." 


         If there is no distinction between the call of God that results in salvation
     through the effectual working of his Spirit and the general call of the gospel
     that goes out every time it is preached, then we are forced to conclude from
     this "golden chain of salvation," that everyone who is called by hearing the
     gospel will be justified and glorified.

         Obviously, that is not what the Bible teaches.


         The opening paragraph of Chapter 10 of the Philadelphia Baptist Confession
     of Faith states:

                      "He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to
     call, by His word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they
     are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ;  enlightening their
     minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God;  taking away
     their heart of flesh;  renewing their wills, by His almighty power determining
     them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ;
     yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace."


          Sandy Creek Baptist Association, which contributed so much to the
     establishment of the Southern Baptist Convention, also affirmed effectual
     calling in Aritcle IV of their Principles of Faith.


                                IV. "We believe in election from eternity, effectual
     calling by the Holy Spirit of God, and justification in His sight only by
     the imputation of Christ's righteousness.  And we believe that they who
     are thus elected, effectually called, and justified, will persevere through
     grace to the end, that none of them be lost."


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          If the Word of God does not support this article (Article 8 of the
     statement of the signers), but actually teaches contrary to it, then
     neither Baptists nor any other evangelical Christians should be willing
     to approve it!