On Salvation and Reprobation

From the debates between Paul and the Gnostics through the ancient dialogue between Augustine and Pelagius to the exchanges between Luther and Erasmus or Calvin’s disciples and those of Arminius to the more modern upheaval between the New Calvinists and Free Willists, the doctrine of election has dominated Christian discussion. Election is the doctrine that most prominently applies directly to individuals. It is also the most basic biblical doctrine—framed in terms of the redemption of humanity throughout the Bible. Election can be broadly defined as the redemption of individuals and their entrance into the kingdom of Heaven. Though election is the most basic biblical doctrine, it is the most controversial. I think it is the most controversial because it deals with our very nature. People do not want to believe they are robots without the choice to love God. Neither do we want to believe that God is not sovereign or in charge of salvation. So, there is a tension in our minds. That tension comes out as we interact with one another, usually in a way that is unhealthy. We are so familiar with systematic theology that we use systematics (a topical look at the Bible) to defend our positions. I think we have erred when it comes to the doctrine of salvation because it is a biblical doctrine first. As a prerequisite to any type of systematic look at salvation, redemption, election, or reprobation, we should look at the doctrine biblically. Before we spend our hours and days in high philosophical cognation or in systemization into five points, we should see what salvation looks like in the narrative of the Bible.

Just so you know where I am at the beginning of this study, I am technically calvinistic in my soteriology. Before you spit me out of your mouth, please understand that I am not in the vein of the Neo Calvinist movement but more in the vein of Augustine, Calvin, and Spurgeon. I think it is worthless to stand against the Free Willists of our day because I don’t think their definition of free will is the same as that of the Arminians during the days of John Calvin. To put your mind at ease, that means I believe:

1. People freely choose to sin against God and earn their own condemnation.
2. God loves people unconditionally and saves them from their sin by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
3. We cannot lose our salvation once it has been given.

If this study of a biblical theology of redemption and reprobation leads to a different soteriology than I currently hold to, I am willing to be changed by the Bible. I must admit that, like many others, my doctrine has largely been shaped by the study of systematics. I love systematic theology. As I stepped into the PhD program at Midwestern, I learned very quickly that the topic I was most interested in needed the backdrop of biblical theology. When we say theology, systematic theology is almost immediately what comes to people’s minds. To my knowledge, there is no systematic theology that takes the time to first build a biblical theology of redemption before setting out to define salvation systematically. The foundation is missing. So, I want to take some time to build the foundation. Most theologies take a look at what several verses say about the topic and extrapolate meaning from the explicit rendering of the text without considering biblical motifs, imagery, authorial intent, or the curves of the biblical story. That means most of the context is missing when we do systematic theology. That can lead to some dangerous and extreme views. I hope to explore the underlying biblical context of salvation through the lens of John 3, perhaps the most popular Chapter in the Bible that deals explicitly with soteriology. Through the exposition of John 3, I want to look at the biblical narrative as a whole and provide a proper foundation upon which we can build a proper frame if we so desire. Understand, systematic theology is not a requirement for Christians. As Christians, we do seek to know what God’s word says. If we are going to do theology, I do not believe we should skip over biblical theology to start defining systematic doctrine without a proper foundation.

In this chapter, then, I will provide an overview of John 3. In each subsequent chapter, we will observe one or two verses in John 3 and see if we can trace the biblical motifs Jesus describes through the Old Testament and see if there are more New Testament resolutions. At the end of this study, I hope our soteriological foundation is stronger and that we understand God’s work more fully even before we have tried to systematize our own doctrine.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:1-2). 

John loves to mark the beginning of a new discourse. It makes it easy for us to see how he has divided his gospel narrative. Here, he uses the word “now” to show that this is the beginning of a new discourse. It’s the perfect place for us to start a new teaching unit. John’s gospel is also marked by a unique reflective tone. Of all the New Testament writers, perhaps except for Matthew, John uses the most Old Testament language and, in my opinion, has a greater understanding of Old Testament prophecy than the others. Paul’s strength was the Law (Torah or Penteteuch). John’s is definitely the prophets. While Matthew’s goal was to explicitly tell his audience how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, John’s knowledge is seen more in his allusions and general use of language. If you were to cut John, he would bleed prophetic language. We can see this in his gospel, epistles, and apocalypse (Revelation). While expositing Pauline literature, we certainly benefit from dissecting the intricacies of words and syntax because Paul wrote with precision for such a purpose to be exact with his language, John does not write with such precision. He is looser and more philosophically abstract with his language than Paul. They are different people. They have different characteristics, different styles. Just as we wouldn’t read Chaucer like we read Darwin or Darwin like we read Plato, we shouldn’t read John like we read Paul. When John uses two different words for “love,” then in John 21:15-17, we shouldn’t read John like we would read Paul. Of Paul, we ask, “Why did he use two different words?” Paul does that sort of thing intending for us to ask such a question. John cares much more about literary beauty. So, we know that when he changes to another word meaning the same thing, he is doing it to create contrast. For John in Chapter 21, agape and phileo simply mean love. We are accustomed to reading Paul for the purpose of theology, so we too often read more into John than we should.

John tells about a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was advanced in Jewish society. Nicodemus tells Jesus that they (plural) know that Jesus has come from God as a teacher because of the wonders Jesus performs. Only God has the power to do such things through a person.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Notice that Nicodemus has not asked a question. Jesus initiates the teaching about salvation. Unless one is born again, He cannot see the kingdom of heaven. To not even see the kingdom of heaven is to be completely oblivious to its existence. Jesus isn’t even talking about entering the kingdom yet. He is just talking about seeing it. I wonder, in and of my own self, if I would ever even desire to know God. From birth, we are concerned about our own lives and making homes for ourselves. We care to define ourselves and strive for the things we want. We are completely oblivious to the invisible. We cannot see the kingdom of heaven. In order to see it, we first must be born again.

We are conditioned from a very young age to think that being born again is our making a confession in Christ. If we can’t see the kingdom of heaven, how can we enter its gates to be born again? How can we confess what we cannot see? We can’t. Scripture never calls us to a blind faith. Jesus is about to explain what it means to be born again.

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:4-5).

Nicodemus, though he is advanced in status and knowledge and a Pharisee, doesn’t seem to have heard about this concept “born again.” In fact, it kind of sounds ridiculous to tell someone he must be born again. When we observe this verse in the coming weeks, we are going trace the born again thread through the Old Testament so we can see more about what it means to be born again. For now, Jesus answers Nicodemus, revealing that He is not talking about physical birth, but a birth of water and the Spirit—a phrase I believe refers to a birth by water (natural and physical) and then the Spirit (spiritual birth). One cannot see the kingdom of heaven before he is born naturally. He can’t even perceive anything outside the womb. It is not until his mother’s water breaks and he enters into the world that he can see worldly things. Jesus uses this imagery on purpose. Until one is born spiritually, he cannot perceive spiritual things, the kingdom of heaven. He cannot enter the kingdom of heaven if he cannot see it. New birth, then, is the prerequisite for our seeing and entering the kingdom of heaven. At the least, we can say being born again is an epiphany moment. But, Jesus goes on to describe how one comes to be born again; it is more than merely a spiritual epiphany.

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:6-7).

In the flesh, all we can see is flesh. This has nothing to do with the level of freedom our wills experience. It has everything to do with the spectrum of things we are able to see. I can experience physical and material things. My natural eyes cannot see what is not physical or material. That which is born of flesh is flesh. If I am born of the Spirit, then I can experience the things of the Spirit. I can try to make this clearer for us. Have you ever tried to explain what it is like to be human to a dog? The other day, I found myself telling my dog to use his words to tell me what he needs because, whether he is hungry or needs to go outside, his mannerisms are the same. He jumps around like a maniac. That’s silly. He is a dog. He is incapable of human language. In fact, he is incapable of accomplishing the depth of human thought and philosophy—even to the level of a two-year old. He was born a dog. What is born a dog is a dog. He cannot perceive or even enter into a state of humanity, not because his will is limited but because of his inability by nature. What is born a dog is a dog. What is born a human is a human. If we are to be able to perceive the things of the Spirit, we must assume a spiritual nature. To be born of flesh is not enough because the kingdom is not of flesh. It is of the Spirit.

Still, we are left asking. How is one born of the Spirit? Jesus continues.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

Just as we cannot predict the wind, we cannot predict who will be born again of the Spirit. The Spirit has a will of His own. He moves, and we can see the effects of His work. We do not know where He is coming from or going. Jesus is simply saying that it is not up to us to predict who will be born again. There is a metaphysical power at work that causes people to be rebirthed. Jesus isn’t explicit about what that is. He does not tell us that people have been chosen from the foundation of the world or expound to tell us particularly what that means. He doesn’t tell us that there was a covenant of redemption prior to creation of people between the Father and the Son. He does not say that God is choosing some people for salvation and others for damnation. The difference between biblical theology and systematic theology is we must use the explicit terms of Scripture in biblical theology. Here, Jesus does not reveal the intricacies of how someone comes to be born again. He simply suggests that it is not for us to know. It is not for us to instruct the Spirit. The Spirit blows where He wishes. People must be born of the Spirit before they are able to see or enter the kingdom. This is all Jesus gives Nicodemus. No wonder Nicodemus follows Jesus’s statement with the questions he does.

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:9-12). 

Jesus tells Nicodemus that this truth about being born again is an earthly truth. In context, that means it can be understood from the flesh. It is evident to natural-born people that they do not have a nature they haven’t been born into. Nicodemus apparently does not believe that he must be born of the Spirit instead of merely the flesh in order to see or enter the kingdom of heaven. Many people are like Nicodemus. We are intelligent. We know a great many things about the Bible. Still, people don’t believe when Jesus says they must first have assumed a new nature before they can see or enter the kingdom of heaven. They believe they can enter what is unseen by some merit of their flesh. They can’t even see where they are going. Jesus asks, if you don’t believe something that is evident even to someone who is born of the flesh, how will you believe if you are told something that is of the Spirit?

There is so much to learn beyond the truth of salvation. Theology is so rich a thing. What it means to be born again is so basic that it can be understood even by those who cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Yet, we so quickly jump past salvation in order to explore the complexities of theology and philosophy, stretching toward the stars, without believing what should be plain. We cannot save ourselves. We need a savior. We always act on our desires. We need someone to interrupt our lives, open our eyes to the kingdom of heaven, introduce us to spiritual realities that we are oblivious to. This is the work of the Spirit. The Spirit, by causing people to be born again, initiates individual salvation. Being born again makes it possible, to say the least, for someone to see the kingdom of heaven and enter its gates.

There is much debate about whether the initiative of the Holy Spirit merely makes possible or actually guarantees salvation. We can take our time getting there. Jesus doesn’t get there yet with Nicodemus. What we know at this point is that the Holy Spirit generates a new nature that we assume. Then, and only then, can we see or enter the kingdom of heaven. Some pinpoint this moment as the moment of regeneration. Jesus is describing not a regeneration but an initial generation of a new nature, a spiritual nature to be assumed by the individual. The Spirit is the one moving where He wishes and not according to the instructions of any human person.

“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man” (John 3:13). 

Jesus reveals to Nicodemus that no one has made it to heaven. Not a single person up to this point in the story has entered the kingdom of heaven. Only Jesus at this moment in time in the First Century has been to heaven because that is where He came from. Jesus doesn’t go on to describe heaven because it won’t do Nicodemus any good. Nicodemus cannot see the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is the only one who has been there. This means that no one up to this point has been born again. So, as we move through the remainder of the text, we will continue to see what it takes for a person to be born again. We cannot fault Nicodemus for not seeing the kingdom of heaven. He is not born again. No one has been born again up to this point in history.

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).

Jesus dials it back and speaks to Nicodemus in terms he will understand. Do you remember that Old Testament story in which the people were being bitten by snakes and dying? God instructed Moses to craft a bronze serpent and lift it up. Whoever looked at it lived. The same is true when it comes to being born again. The Son of Man, the title Jesus gave Himself in verse 13, must be lifted up like that snake. People are dying without having entered the kingdom of heaven. If they look upon the Son of Man, believe in Him, they will receive eternal life. By all indication, the reception of eternal life is equivalent to entering the kingdom of heaven. Elsewhere, John defines eternal life as knowing God (John 17:3). Eternal life is more than merely living forever in a place called Heaven. We will get to that during this series. Being born again is somehow connected to the individual’s belief in Jesus. John here states that those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life. It’s all connected. Those who are born again believe in Jesus, can see the kingdom of heaven, are able to enter the kingdom of heaven, and have eternal life.

We have to do quite a bit of work philosophically and infer quite a few things to see how these steps relate to one another temporally. Paul would do that for us. John does not. Perhaps that’s why Paul never wrote a Gospel account. He wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to commentate on the story as he was telling it. John is perfectly okay to leave some mystery and simply quote Jesus. By this text, we can’t tell if regeneration precedes faith or if faith precedes regeneration. Must one look upon Jesus and believe in Him in order to be born again and receive eternal life? Or, must one be born again of the Spirit before he looks upon Christ and receives eternal life? If one is born of the Spirit and sees the kingdom, is he also looking on Christ and receiving eternal life? If the Spirit chooses to rebirth an individual, does that individual have any choice to reject the gospel at all? John does not answer these questions for us. In my human mind, I want John to tell me a lot more. I want him to fill in the gaps for me. He doesn’t.

He simply quotes Jesus, and we see that being born again and believing in Jesus are necessarily connected. The Spirit must generate our new natures to be assumed and we must believe in Jesus. At that moment, we see the kingdom and enter in—laying hold of the eternal life that God freely gives. In our limited mindsets, I understand that we need to put an order to things. I don’t know if God needs to. He is timeless and eternal. Cause and effect are simultaneous to Him. What if the thing we popularly refer to as regeneration and belief are inseparable actions? I hold that regeneration precedes faith logically, but regeneration is so closely interweaved with faith (here to mean belief) that the two are inseparable. I’m sure Nicodemus is thinking, ‘I can’t see the kingdom of heaven, but I can see Jesus.’ If Jesus tells me that all I have to do is look up to Him to receive eternal life, I’m going to. I can understand that. I don’t know how the Holy Spirit is working, but I can look to Jesus’s work on the cross. He came down from heaven so we could see Him even though we were blind to the kingdom of heaven. I could not ascend to heaven. I receive a promise. If I believe in Jesus, I have eternal life. That’s all I need. I have decided to follow Jesus. I believe it is His work and the work of the Spirit. I’m glad He got my attention. We are really good at making this truth way more complicated than it needs to be. I love to philosophize about it and extrapolate systematically upon soteriological doctrine. Jesus, here, gives us what we need. Look to the cross. It’s simple.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).

How can Jesus make things so simple for Nicodemus? Because God so loved the world. Jesus doesn’t here say so that whoever is elected from the foundation of the world and predestined to eternal life will be called and be converted because they were predestined. Jesus simplifies it. You can’t see the way that the Spirit is working. It’s beyond you. He says, “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Our belief, something observable and visible even to those who are born only in the flesh, is the evidence that we are not perishing but have eternal life. It is evidence that we can see and enter the kingdom of Heaven. The Spirit causes new birth. We see the effects of His work. Our belief is the evidence. God’s promise is sure. It is nonsensical to ask, “What if I believe but haven’t been chosen?” The work of God is inseparable. If we believe, we have eternal life. We are citizens in the kingdom of heaven. The reason no one has yet ascended to heaven as Jesus is talking with Nicodemus is Jesus hasn’t yet been raised up on the cross. Jesus gives Nicodemus God’s (God the Father) motivation for sending the Son.

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:17).

The Father did not send the Son into the world for the purpose of condemnation. He sent the son so that the world might be saved through Him. People could not ascend to heaven on their own. By our nature, we cannot see the kingdom of heaven. The Father sent someone we can see who is from heaven. He atones for our sin, and we believe in Him. Using verse 16 as our context for verse 17, world means something different from “whoever believes.” The world is broader. Jesus came to save the whole world, meaning everything that is created, the cosmos. The whole world, all of creation, is to be saved and not scrapped. Individuals who believe in Jesus will be saved along with the world. God’s ultimate goal in sending Jesus is salvation, not condemnation or destruction.

If we are saved by believing in Jesus in conjunction with our being born again, why are some people condemned? Why are there reprobate people? By what conditions are people passed over or not born again by the Spirit? What kind of God would not permit them a chance? Why, in His salvation of the whole world does God not save every individual? It’s almost as if Jesus knows these questions are coming. He continues to explain salvation to Nicodemus and includes a revelation about reprobation.

“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).

Those who look upon Jesus, who are born again, are not judged. There will never be a moment that we stand before God’s judgment seat and get reprimanded for every sin we committed on this earth. We are covered in Christ. Those who look to Christ receive life; the venom of death is extracted from their veins. We are not judged. Jesus did not come to judge. He came to save, period.

Jesus reveals an interesting truth about those who do not believe. They have been judged already—that’s prior to Jesus’s advent. Don’t stop reading when I write this next line. Continue on. This means that they are on a trajectory that excludes them from the kingdom of heaven. They are condemned already. They should not receive life. By what standard? Jesus is clear; it is because of their own unbelief. They have been condemned because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. There is an ambiguity here in the text that I don’t like. No one has yet looked upon Jesus because He has not yet been raised on the cross. No one has seen the kingdom of heaven except for Jesus. No one believes upon Christ’s atoning work at this moment in time. It seems everyone has already been condemned because everyone only sees with eyes of flesh. Everyone looks to material things. No one can see the kingdom of heaven. Everyone begins life in the state of unbelief. Everyone is condemned already. Every single person is running headstrong into the pit of Hell by his own striving and working and self-will. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So, every person has already been judged.

Jesus doesn’t tell us that people are condemned because they have been chosen specifically for destruction from the foundation of the world. He tells us specifically that they are judged because they have not believed. This makes condemnation different from salvation. In order to enter into the kingdom of heaven, someone must be born again and believe in Jesus. In order to be condemned, a person earns his place by not believing. Instead, he lives for himself—his own kingdom. So, we run into Hell by our self-will but are saved in conjunction with the work of the Spirit. Jesus explains,

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20). 

This is the judgment, by which unbelievers have already been judged (v. 18). God sent light into the world, that’s Jesus. Men loved the dark because their evil deeds would be exposed by the light. I think evil deeds refers to the selfishness and pride of people. People don’t come to the light because they don’t want to be exposed as evil. People run headstrong into Hell because they don’t want to admit their selfishness or pride. Their trajectory away from the kingdom of heaven is entirely their own doing. If anyone wakes up one day surrounded by flames forever, it is always that person’s own fault. What about those who are in Christ and receive eternal life?

“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:21).

He who practices the truth comes into the light, almost like the work of salvation was started before Christ’s advent. The people who care about truth, sincerity, and are willing to have their evil deeds exposed, come into the light. Do you see that? People willingly come. Some people who are condemned choose to come into the light, Jesus. They repent, which means turn from their ways of darkness by which they earned condemnation for themselves. Once they are in the light, their deeds, their coming into the light, are manifested as having been wrought in God. 

It is, then, the case that we freely choose to come to Christ. Yet, God is the one who works out our coming to Him. As we stand in the dark, we cannot see the kingdom of heaven and do not know where the Spirit is moving. We are completely oblivious to the Spirit’s work in rebirthing people. Like Nicodemus, we are unable to see and enter. But, Jesus came so that we could look on Him. He condescended. Those who care about truth look upon Jesus. They are born again and grip eternal life. Having been saved, we look back and see that it was all wrought of God. Even when we were unable to see, God was working. God is free to be gracious to those whom He wants to be gracious.

Jesus does not extrapolate on the relationship between God’s sovereignty and our freedom of choice. He does not wax eloquent on five particular points. In fact, those points haven’t been systematized yet—and won’t be for 1,500 years. Not even Israel’s greatest teacher could figure out the order of salvation. He didn’t understand even what it meant to be born of the Spirit. He did understand Christ’s promise. You couldn’t get to heaven by your merit. That’s okay. Jesus came. Look to Him. Believe in Him. You will be saved. This is a promise and work of God.

So, we know by the end of John 3 that it is unnecessary for us to intricately know and dwell upon the specific order of salvation. It is okay be not know the workings of the Spirit. Jesus, here, makes it known through His conversation with Nicodemus that God is faithful regardless of what we understand or not—even in spite of how we think salvation works. In most cases, the order of salvation isn’t something worth fighting about no matter how strong our opinions are. The issues that make us Christian, the first tier issues, result in the following confession for those who can see and enter the kingdom of heaven:

1. I was in the dark.
2. I saw Jesus, the beacon of light.
3. I believe in Jesus.
4. My wages of my sin was death. Jesus gave me life despite the insufficiency of my own works.
5. Praise God!