Not Chosen To Salvation
By Dr. Max D. Younce, Pastor
HERITAGE BAPTIST BIBLE CHURCH
P.O. Box 573| Walnut Grove, MN 56180 | Telephone (507) 859-2519
CHAPTER FOUR (continued)
3.
Reading into the Scriptures
In Nettleton's book, on page 161, he quotes Acts 18:9-11 and then gives his assessment of what the verses teach:
"Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among Them."
Acts 18:9-11
Here are Nettleton's words concerning these verses:
"It was predetermined that Paul would have success in Corinth. God assured him that he had much people there. Did this dull the edge of Paul's evangelism? Not at all. The opposite being true. Being assured God had chosen many to salvation, Paul set out to reap the harvest."
The error that Nettleton makes is in saying that, "God had chosen many to salvation." In re-reading these Scriptures, I do not find Nettleton's words in these verses anywhere. In God's foreknowledge, He knows everyone who is going to be saved. But never does God choose those to be saved, over-riding their free will. Notice in verses 12 and 13:
"And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat. Saying, this fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law."
Notice the words "persuaded men to worship God." You see, the Jews accused Paul of persuading men to worship God. Why would Paul have to persuade men to worship God if they were already elected to do so? Nettleton says God has chosen some to salvation, but the Scriptures he quoted do not say that. Psalms 118:8 is a constant reminder to the sincere Bible student who seeks the truth of God's Word.
God, in his omniscience, knew that there would be people saved in that city. In verse 9 the Lord spoke to Paul at night by a vision. Today, the Lord does not speak to us in visions, but speaks to us by His Word. In Isaiah 55:11 we are told:
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
In the New Testament we are instructed in 2nd Timothy 4:2, 3:
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears."
Our commandment is to "Preach the word." People will be saved by hearing the Word of God preached, just as there will be people who reject it. Nevertheless, we are assured by the Word of God that it will not return void. Our command is to tell everyone the good news of Jesus Christ. God's will is revealed in Mark 16:15...
"And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Those endorsing election would reason away this verse by saying that we are to witness to every creature since we do not know whom God has chosen to be saved. That kind of reasoning disintegrates in light of God's answer to such foolishness as recorded in 1st Timothy 2:3,4:
"For this is good and acceptable in the of God our Saviour: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
I choose to agree with God's Word and will, that He would have "all men" to be saved. What about you? For election to salvation to be true, God would have to go against His own will. Unthinkable!
4.
Human Reasoning and Double-Talk
I would like to quote two paragraphs by Mr. Nettleton from page 162 of his book. These reveal the confusion which results from endorsing "Chosen to Salvation":
"There is a great danger of depending on self, on human wisdom and human ability, but 'salvation is of the Lord' and we must depend upon the reproving (convicting) work of the Spirit of God. Since God has chosen some to be saved, He will carry out His plan. He will, by His Spirit, do a work of grace in hearts. God will do it. We as earthen vessels will give him the glory. Dependence on God makes man dependent on prayer. We appropriate power and wisdom from heaven for our task. It is still wise to plead with God for souls."
Keep in mind that what we have just quoted are Nettleton's words, not God's. Since, Nettleton says, God has chosen some to be saved and He will carry out His plan; then, turn around and tell me it is wise to plead with God for souls--may I ask, why? Since God's mind is supposedly already made up, why would it do any good to plead with God for someone else to be saved? Would I be pleading with God to change His mind? If so, then the doctrine of election would not be true. Therefore, God's election before the foundation of the world could be changed by my pleading at his present time. To put it bluntly, this is just plain, old-fashioned double-talk which only leads a Christian into the arena of confusion! Can you see how this doctrine crumbles under the Light of the Word of God.
On one hand, if God has elected certain ones to be saved and that cannot be altered--why would Nettleton tell me that it is always wise to plead for souls? This would be ridiculous! On the other hand, if God's election can be altered, then it evidently depends on the free will of man to choose or reject Christ. Either way you go, the doctrine of election for salvation is excluded and the free will of man is illuminated.
5.
An Un-Wise Evangelist
May I quote Mr. Nettleton's words on page 162 on his book:
"A wise evangelist once said, 'I believe more in pleading with God for men than I do in pleading with men for God.' One does not exclude the other. We must still plead with men."
The quote from a "wise evangelist" is, first all, not Biblical. It is just another "cute cliché." A line of double-talk which is illogical because it has no Biblical foundation whatsoever. In fact, it is contrary to the Word of God. Notice in Luke 14:23...
"And the lord said unto the servant, go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."
We now have a free will to make a decision as to who is wise, the evangelist or the Lord in Luke 14:23. Whoever this evangelist was, he must never have read the book of Acts. For in doing so, one would find the Apostle Paul continually reasoning with the Jews in the synagogues and pleading with men wherever he went to put their trust in Christ. This so-called "wise evangelist" would be wise to reverse his statement and align his thinking with God's Word. There is nothing complicated or mysterious about the Word of God or the will of God. The "doctrine of election to salvation" is contrary to both.
There is nothing complicated about the foreknowledge and omniscience of God. He knows the end from beginning. He knows everything about everything. He knows who is going to be saved and who is not going to be saved. He never infringes His foreknowledge upon the free will of man.
Can one reconcile the sovereignty of God and the free will of man? Absolutely! As long as one does not take the sovereignty of God and make God contradict Himself. Can God do whatever He wants to do? The answer--"No, He cannot!" For example, we are told in Genesis 9:15...
"And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh."
You see, God can never destroy the earth by water again. There are many things God cannot do because He has limited Himself by stating that He would not do them. God does not come back, years later, and contradict Himself. If God elected some to be saved, He definitely would have contradicted Himself when He tells us in 2nd Peter 3:9 "...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Some try to reconcile the sovereignty of God and the free will of man by taking the "middle road." This is what Nettleton does. He does not deny that we are to take the Gospel to every creature, but attempts to go right down the middle of the road, "straddling the fence," in an attempt to reconcile the doctrine of election with the free will of man. Nettleton asserts that what we cannot understand about God's election:
"We must take it by faith" (page 14).
If we do not, then we are bringing God down to our level. As Nettleton states on page 14:
"We are prone to pattern God after ourselves. We create God in our image and likeness."
This is his philosophy. Then we are slapped in the face with the accusation that God is not pleased with us for doing that--or as he states: "God rebukes our thoughts." One must remember that these are Nettleton's words, not God's.
In short, Nettleton mixes bits and pieces of Scripture with a cup of philosophy as his foundation for "election to salvation." The Word of God disintegrates man-made doctrine built upon the sands of human wisdom instead of His Word.
6.
Nettleton's Psychology
A bit of philosophy by Dr. Nettleton is found on page 142 of his book. I would like to quote two paragraphs for analyzation:
"Some will reason that if God did not elect all, He did not love all. One might as well reason that if God doesn't save all, God doesn't love all. Our system of doctrine should not depend on that which some men call steps of logic, but on clear statements of the Bible which supercede human reasoning."
The only trouble with this reasoning is, the logic that Nettleton uses is really logic against himself. When he says that, "some will reason that if God did not elect all, He did not love all," that is entirely true. This is good reasoning. When you believe that God elected some to be saved and not others, it is the most logical thing in the world that God did not love the others. Remember, this logical conclusion is in reference to a false doctrine. Nettleton attempts to discredit any logical conclusion that would discredit his endorsement of election. If God elected to save some and not others, then it logically can be concluded that "if God doesn't save all, God doesn't love all." Nettleton says this kind of logic is faulty because it is based on human reasoning. The problem lies not in faulty logic; but, rather, in the faulty doctrine of election.
Carrying Nettleton's philosophy to a conclusion--it would not be logical to believe God's Word because it refutes his doctrine of "election to salvation." God's simple Word incorporates excellent reasoning and good logic. For ''His love for all" is proven by His "invitation to all" to be saved. Notice in John 3:16, 17:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Someone has rightly said, "When common sense makes good sense, seek no other sense." These two verses reveal to us that God loves everyone in the world, and His desire is that everyone might be saved. He also informs us that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. It is God's will that everyone be saved, but it is their free will to except or reject Him. These clear statements reveal God's love, purpose and will do not supercede human reasoning and are in perfect accordance with rational reasoning and logic.
7.
No Peace If You Disagree With Nettleton
Mr. Nettleton states that there can be no peace of mind to those who resist his position of election, therefore, resisting the Word of God. Here are his words from page 160 of his book:
"Yet the word of God mentions it (being chosen to salvation) many times, and there can be no peace of mind when the word of God is resisted." [parenthesis and emphasis mine]
In reiterating his position he further states:
"God reminds us that He was at work behind the scenes, planning it all before the world began: 'As many as were ordained to eternal life believed' (Acts 13:48). That settles it."
(For our coverage of Acts 13:48, see pages 22 and 23). I am then assured by Nettleton that I can have peace if I submit and believe as he does. His words on page 160:
"When the struggle is over, even though the mind can by no means grasp it all, there is peace in believing."
Here, again, his accusations are asserted and not God's Word. I would like to know how Nettleton obtained the omniscience to know the mind and accuse those who oppose his position of being void of this so-called peace! In other words, the great Bible teachers, preachers and Christians who oppose "Chosen to Salvation" will never experience the peace of those who endorse it. For one to make an accusation such as this is, to say the very least, unbelievable! I hardly think I would have taken the time to answer Mr. Nettleton's book if I did not have a peace in doing so.
One could incorporate Nettleton's philosophy and use it in reverse, i.e., we hope he will see his error in election and then he can experience the peace we enjoy!
Dr. Max D. Younce, Pastor
HERITAGE BAPTIST BIBLE CHURCH
P.O. Box 573
Walnut Grove, MN 56180
Telephone (507) 859-2519
Web: www.heritagebbc.com
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