Critical Response to The Traditionalist Statement: Part 7 (Article 6)

By Mark W. Christy, PhD

This article is the seventh in a series designed to carefully consider the theological position against Calvinism taken by those who have signed what is called A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation (released in 2012). In short form, this document is commonly known as the Traditionalist Statement (TS) among Southern Baptists. Presently, comments will be made in response to Article 6 of the TS:

Article Six: The Election to Salvation

We affirm that, in reference to salvation, election speaks of God’s eternal, gracious, and certain plan in Christ to have a people who are His by repentance and faith.

We deny that election means that, from eternity, God predestined certain people for salvation and others for condemnation.

Genesis 1:26-28; 12:1-3; Exodus 19:6; Jeremiah 31:31-33; Matthew 24:31; 25:34; John 6:70; 15:16; Romans 8:29- 30, 33;9:6-8; 11:7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; Ephesians 1:4-6; 2:11-22; 3:1-11; 4:4-13; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 1 Peter 1:1-2; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 7:9-10

At first, the affirmative portion of TS Article 6 seems to hold tightly to the biblical teaching on the doctrine of election by saying that Scripture declares God’s plan is “eternal, gracious, and certain.” Paul certainly covers these descriptors in Ephesians 1:3-6 when he says,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”[i]

According to the passage, God’s election of those who are saved is eternal because it occurred even before time began. It is gracious because God overlooks our sin in favor of Christ alone. Finally, it is certain because it is based on the kind will of God. While the framers of TS agree with these descriptors (but probably not with the additional content coming from this passage among others which undergirds and clarifies these descriptors), they wish to make God’s election contingent upon freewill response.

In support of the framers’ contention, some have suggested that God merely elected a salvation plan before creation began. This, however, does not seem to align with Paul’s words when he says that God personally “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4). From this, it would seem that God’s plan together with its many players were already chosen before the plan even was enacted. Should one still contend that only God’s salvation plan is eternal despite Paul’s discussion, one would have to return to the assertion by the TS drafters which posits God’s plan to be eternal. The eternality and certainty of God’s plan should be constrained in some way because the beneficiaries have yet to make a freewill response. Indeed, one could rightly ask what certainty did God’s plan have when God has no control over humanity’s freewill response. Theoretically at least, the plan would have the potential to go totally awry.

[i]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995.