*Update: I originally focused on Free Will vs. Election and have since become more aware of the distinctions of a couple Free Will views: “Arminianism” and Provisionism. Note, that many who are mostly “Arminian” believe in a “Calvinist” view of preservation of the saints, and they may deny being “Arminian” due to this. However we are focused here on the doctrines of total depravity and election. I am making an update to represent all of these views fairly, i.e., “Arminians” do not believe the same as Provisionists. I use quotes because those who ascribe to these views are not following a particular man or all of his beliefs.
Why is this discussion of Total Depravity and Election important? The church historically rejected views that denied Total Inability and Total Depravity. The church rejected even partial depravity, Semi-Pelagianism, as heresy in the Council of Orange in 529. Yet these views are gaining popularity especially in Baptist circles as Provisionism promoted by Leighton Flowers. He also labels this view “Traditional” even though it has no connection to any traditional view from the Protestant Reformation or even the Early Church.
Those who believe humans have a freed will to choose or reject God commonly hold an “Arminian” view. This view believes in Total Inability and Total Depravity of a sinner to repent and believe apart from God’s grace, same as the Calvinist view. Both views stem out of the Reformation period. However, “Arminians” believe that God grants everyone an enabling grace, momentary or longer, that “frees” them to choose to repent or reject Christ. “Calvinists” believe the Scriptures describe how salvation is wholly God’s grace without a synergistic choosing from depraved man.
More recently a view called Provisionism rejects the doctrines of Total Inability and Total Depravity. Provisionists hold the same view as Semi-Pelagians that mankind retains enough good from the fall to still be able to choose to repent and believe or reject God and deny the doctrine of Total Depravity. This article replies to a defense by Provisionists and explains how they fail to clarify their stance of the condition of the fallen sinner. Note the Provisionist Article 2 on the Sinfulness of Man: “We deny that Adam’s sin resulted in the incapacitation of any person’s free will or rendered any person guilty before he has personally sinned. “
- Provisionism denies that man is totally unable to exercise free will to choose God apart from God’s grace.
- Provisionism denies we are born with a sin nature as the Bible states many times.
- The Article 2 is inconsistent with the historical views on Total Inability and Total Depravity held by “Arminianism” or “Calvinism”. Article 2 is a Semi-Pelagian doctrine. This article defines Semi-Pelagianism and how it also rejects the doctrine of Total Depravity same as Provisionists.
The remainder of this article will address two questions: Is there a little goodness in all humans, sufficient to choose or reject God? and Who chose who? The first question should be a point of agreement between those who are “Arminian” and “Calvinist,” and is a point to address the Provisionist claims and avoid falling into a Semi-Pelagian heresy. The second question section attempts to investigates all references to “choosing” in the Old and New Testaments and evaluate whether it is man or God who does the choosing.
Is there a little goodness in all humans?
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me. – Psalms 51:5
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away. -Isaiah 64:6
10 as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open tomb,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” – Romans 3:10-18
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, – Romans 3:23
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. – Romans 5:10
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— – Romans 5:12
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then having from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ? – Romans 6:20
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. – Romans 7:18
13 Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, – Colossians 1:13
21 And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, – Colossians 1:21
13 And you being dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions. – Colossians 2:13
2 And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. – Ephesians 2:1-3
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; -I Peter 3:18
Conceived in sin. Unclean. None righteous. None who seeks for God. None who does good. All have sinned. Enemies of God. All sinned. Slaves of sin. Nothing good dwells in our flesh. Under authority of darkness. Alienated. Enemies in mind and in evil deeds of God. Dead in transgressions. By nature children of wrath. Unrighteous.
In 13-0 passages the Bible unanimously says mankind is inherently depraved, enslaved, and not seeking God by nature. I don’t see any speck of goodness here. The Provisionist claim should be rejected by those who seek to follow Scripture honestly.
Who chose who?
For many are called, but few are chosen.” – Matthew 22:14
And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. – Mark 13:20
And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: -Luke 6:13
Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” – John 6:70
I do not speak about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ -John 13:18
You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would abide, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. – John 15:16
If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. -John 15:19
until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen, -Acts 2:1
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; -Acts 9:15
not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. -Acts 10:41
The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and lifted up the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. -Acts 13:17
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. -Acts 13:48
And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from His mouth. -Acts 22:14
Listen, my beloved brothers: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? -James 2:5
What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but the chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; -Romans 11:7
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may abolish the things that are, -I Corinthians 1:27-28
But now God has appointed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. -I Corinthians 12:18
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love, -Ephesians 1:4
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. -2 Thessalonians 2:13
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to the obedience of Jesus Christ and the sprinkling of His blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. -1 Peter 1:1-2
But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; -I Peter 2:9
She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. -I Peter 5:13
In 22-0 passages, God’s Word tells us that only God chose and appointed everyone who will believe to trust and follow Him. While some of these references are specifically to choosing the disciples, we see God’s sovereignty in choosing them not only for salvation but a special work, as He chooses all of us for His work in our places and times. God is sovereign!
This did not consider other verses like John 6:44 that states no one can come to the Son unless the Father draws Him.
For all of us who follow Christ, what can we say to this? Only praise God! God has given us His truth to humble us – that we may know our own wicked, dead, enslaved flesh nature did not choose and could not choose God. God’s Word says it better than I can:
But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— -Ephesians 2:4-5
God takes the first action. God made us alive when we were dead!