Untitled article by John Harvey Waggoner

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, July 16, 1867

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

By John Harvey Waggoner

The position of an individual justified by faith may be illustrated thus: A. owes B. a sum which he is not able to pay, and C. engages to take the responsibility of the debt on certain conditions; and in order to make it sure, C. deposits with B. sufficient to cover the amount. Now it is stipulated that if A. fulfills the conditions, B. shall cancel the debt from the deposit made by C. And so long as A. is faithfully fulfilling the conditions, so long is B. satisfied in regard to the debt; and of course he will not trouble A. for it, knowing it is secure. Thus A. is accounted just, in the sight of B., though not really just in himself because he fails to pay a just debt. He is considered as just, or justified through obedience to the conditions of C., who is his surety. But if A. neglects or refuses to fulfill the conditions, the deposit of C. no longer avails for him; he falls from the favor of B. which he had enjoyed through this arrangement, and the debt stands against him as fully as though C. had never engaged to pay it on any condition.

That this is a true representation of the position of the penitent, is evident from the declarations that “he that endureth unto the end”—he that is “faithful unto death,” shall be saved; while he that is justified by faith, may, by disobedience, lose that justification, and his righteousness will not be remembered. The blood of Jesus is the bounteous supply—the rich deposit where all may find a covering for their sins; but whether their sins are actually atoned for and removed by that blood, depends upon their acceptance of it, and their faithfulness to the conditions of acceptance.

This illustration supposes that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for all the world, and answers as a deposit from which the sinner may draw by faith that his sins may be canceled or “blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come;” that is, when the sanctuary shall be cleansed by our High Priest. Of course without faith and obedience this deposit will not avail. The debt of the unbeliever is never canceled; his sin is not blotted out; and this proves the truthfulness of the illustration. But to this the objection has been urged, that the debt is already paid; that God chose a certain part of mankind and predetermined that they should be saved, passing by, or reprobating, the remainder. But the scriptures say he “died for all;” 2 Cor. v, 14; that he is the propitiation “for the sins of the whole world;” 1 John ii, 2; and the objection conflicts with these scriptures. Did Christ shed his blood for these reprobated ones? Was their debt paid? If so, why are they lost? But if he did not die for them, what was done for them? and how can they be said to “neglect so great salvation,” (Heb. ii, 3,) if no salvation was provided them? or trample on divine grace, which was no grace to them? Though I was in the communion of a church for years which held the doctrine of this objection, it was ever dark and mysterious to me.

On account of the inherent repulsiveness of the doctrine known as “Calvinism,” we often find persons claiming to hold it in a modified form. But that is impossible; it cannot be modified. It is fixed and inflexibly rigid in every feature. It is a belief that God irrevocably decreed and determined all things; and the belief can no more be modified than a fixed decree of Deity can be modified. It may only be exchanged for something else, but in itself it admits of no degrees; for the moment a condition is incorporated into it, it is something else. Calvinism teaches unconditional personal election; and unconditional personal reprobation is its converse and necessary attendant.

The Scriptures clearly teach these things; namely, free grace; justification by faith; and the necessity of good works to salvation; and these are all in harmony.

It is not my purpose to examine at length the various texts quoted on this subject, but rather to notice the principles on which the true doctrine rests, and introduce texts sufficient to corroborate the principles.

The great question to be decided is this: In what respect is the gospel plan unconditional, and in what respect is it conditional? If there is anywhere such a distinction, and if we can clearly trace the line, the subject must be thereby relieved of much difficulty. Examining this, we find that the introduction of the gospel, or setting forth Christ as the way of salvation, was unconditional; but the application of the gospel to individual salvation is conditional. Thus, it is not said to the world, or to any part thereof, that if they would believe or do any certain thing Christ should die for them. But it is said that if they will believe and do certain things they shall be saved by his blood, so freely and unconditionally shed for the sins of the world. Eternal life through Christ was freely and unconditionally brought to man; Rom. vi, 23, et al.; but if they would not therefore perish they must repent and believe; Luke xiii, 3; Jno. iii, 16; and “lay hold on eternal life;” 1 Tim. vi, 19; which they can only obtain “by patient continuance in well-doing;” Rom. ii, 7; and so “work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.” Phil. ii, 12. I am constrained to believe that much of the confusion on this doctrine has arisen from misapplication of scripture, not discerning this distinction.

From the first part of our proposition, namely, that salvation was provided, or that Christ was set forth as a Saviour, without any condition, there will be no dissent. Here all are agreed. On the second part, namely, that we avail ourselves of the blessings of God by compliance with conditions, a few scriptures will be noticed.

When the Lord sent Moses to the children of Israel, it was with this message: “Say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt; and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” Ex. iii, 16, 17. Again he said to them: “And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God which bringeth you out from under the burden of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for an heritage; I am the Lord.” Ex. vi, 7, 8. Yet, direct and positive as this promise was, the Lord did not bring them into that land, but destroyed them for their disobedience.

Again, it was said to Pharaoh: “Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my first-born. And I say unto thee, Let my son go that he may serve me; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy first-born.” Ex. iv, 22, 23. The first-born was the highly prized and beloved. Yet on the institution of the Passover they would have been destroyed with the first-born of Egypt if they had not remained in their houses and sprinkled the blood on their door-posts; and were afterward destroyed as noticed above. This teaches us that God’s chosen—his first-born, will continue to enjoy his favor only on condition of continual obedience. The conditional nature of his gracious promises is shown by his word through Jeremiah, wherein he commanded Israel to obey him, saying: “That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers.” Jer. xi, 3–5. And again, where he has shown the fixed principle upon which he fulfills his promises and threatenings: “At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy; if that nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them.” Jer. xviii, 7–10. And this is true, not only of nations, but of individuals. Thus the Lord said to Eli: “I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever; but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Sam. ii, 30.

It is argued that he that has an interest in the Saviour cannot or will not lose it. See what our Lord himself says: “I am the vine, ye are the branches. . . . If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered.” John xv, 5, 6; and in verse 2: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.” This completely overthrows that doctrine which affirms that if any one be in Christ he cannot be taken away. It is urged, and with truth, that none can pluck them out of his hand. But this supposes that they “bear fruit,” or continue faithful. He that endureth to the end shall be saved. As the Jews were rejected because of their unfaithfulness, so Paul says to the Gentile converts, who by faith were grafted into the good olive-tree, they must continue faithful or they should be cut off also. According to the unconditional, personal-election scheme, there could be no danger of it, and if so, the warning of the apostle was deceptive. He says also that they in whom the Spirit of God dwells, which can refer only to accepted believers, are the temple of God; and if they defile the temple of God, that is, themselves, or their own bodies, God shall destroy them.

It is said that we are chosen in him before the foundation of the world. But all must admit that there is a time when we become Christ’s—come into him, etc. “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” We are also said to receive Christ by faith. So it is evident that we are not “in Christ” before we have faith; before we have put him on. Prior to that event, we were “the children of wrath, even as others.” Eph. ii, 3. That we are personally and unconditionally elected before the foundation of the world, cannot, therefore, be the sense of that scripture. Jesus Christ was the one chosen—“the elect”—to be the author of salvation to all who believe and obey; and all who receive him and put him on, or are baptized into him, become one with him, members of his body, and of course are partakers of his privileges and his election. That the election was a prior event is admitted; but that we have any part in it before we become members of Christ’s body is denied. The choice is of Christ, and through him all that are “in him;” but personally, does not reach them that are out of him, children of wrath, as we are all by nature. With this view we see the reasonableness of Peter’s exhortation, to make our calling and election sure; 2 Pet. i, 10; but with the Calvinistic view, it cannot be made to appear reasonable. And so of all the exhortations and threatenings in the Bible; if man is not free to choose and refuse, to obtain through obedience or lose by disobedience, they cannot be what they purport to be.

The truth on this subject we chiefly rest on the difference between the death of Christ and the atonement, the argument on which, see.

J. H. WAGGONER.

Burlington, Mich.