John 3:18
John 3:18 (see also Romans 8:33)
“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.”
Adrian Rogers comments: “There are some people who will tell you that Jesus only died for the elect. But that’s not what the Gospel of John says. It says that the only reason men are not saved is not because Jesus did not die for them, but because they didn’t believe in Him.” (Faith: What it is and how to have it: Romans 10:17-21, emphasis mine)
So if you do not believe, you remain judged under the Law. However, according to Calvinism, the elect, even before they believed, were not judged, having their sins paid for and cleared, even before they were born, being reconciled, secretly, as elect unbelievers, and as unbelievers, are born again in Christ, preemptively, so that by a preemptive new birth, are able to believe.
John Calvin comments: “This means that there is no other way by which any human being can escape death. So in other words, everyone who rejects the life Christ offers remains in death, since life is nothing other than faith. The past tense, ‘stands condemned already,’ is used emphatically to express more strongly the idea that all unbelievers are completely ruined.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.79, emphasis mine)
Are all unbelievers “completely ruined,” as Calvin emphatically states? What about those of the alleged, eternal flock of the Father? Are they completely ruined before they come to faith in Christ? Arminians say yes, but what do the Calvinists say? Calvinism teaches that Regeneration precedes Faith, and thus a person cannot simultaneously be Born Again and be ruined. Who would ever say that a person who is Born Again is “completely ruined”? So there is a problem with Calvinist theology.
Calvinist, Erwin Lutzer, writes: “If it is true that Christ died to redeem a specific number of people, namely those whom the Father had given him, it follows that all believers were redeemed at the cross two thousand years ago. They were cleared of all charges then, for God accepted the ransom payment. The certificate of our canceled debt was then given to us when we trusted Christ.” (The Doctrines That Divide, p.185, emphasis mine)
So how were they “judged” before they became believers in Christ? Lutzer is saying that those of the alleged, eternal flock of the Father, Calvinism’s elect, were redeemed at the Cross, 2,000 years ago, before they ever believed in Christ. So how exactly were these unbeliever’s “completely ruined,” as John Calvin states, if they were born, secretly redeemed?
If a person does not become redeemed until he is in Christ, and if you do not become sealed in Christ until you first believe in the Gospel, then how can you be redeemed before you believe in the Gospel? Such a thought is not only inconsistent with Ephesians 1:13, but is also inconsistent with John 3:18 which says that unbelievers are not secretly redeemed, but openly condemned. Thus as Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” There is no secret path to the Father. Until you believe in Jesus, you remain condemned.
Question: Romans 8:1 states: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, can a person become “in Christ Jesus” without faith in Christ?
Answer: Ephesians 1:13 states: “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.” Therefore, you cannot become sealed in Christ apart from faith in Christ, and thus redemption is reserved only for believers.
Calvinism teaches the doctrine of Preemptive Regeneration, which says that those of the alleged, eternal flock of the Father, while as unbelievers, are preemptively, secretly, unconsciously, involuntarily and unilaterally, placed in Christ, in order to receive that which is in Christ, namely, regeneration and the new birth of being made Born Again. Calvinism teaches that a preemptive Regeneration is essential in order to overcome the fallen nature of Total Depravity and repent. However, since Regeneration is in Christ, it would result in having condemned unbelievers being in Christ, and yet according to Ephesians 1:13, the only way to become sealed in Christ is through faith.
Calvinism
Step 1) Regenerated in Christ
Step 2) Hears Gospel
Step 3) Believes in Gospel
Step 4) Sealed in Christ
Arminianism
Step 1) Condemned in Adam
Step 2) Hears Gospel
Step 3) Believes in Gospel
Step 4) Sealed in Christ (regenerated, made Born Again, receives the Indwelling, ect.)
