Category Archives: Election

The Pope, the Salvation of the Jews, and Calvinism, Part 5 (further on “calling”)

“Call” in Romans 1 Paul begins Romans speaking of God’s calling. (Rom. 1:1-7 ESV)  Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,  2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets … Continue reading

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The Pope, the Salvation of the Jews, and Calvinism, Part 4 (OT background)

If around 20 AD you were to ask a typical First Century Jew whether the Exile is over, he would have said “No.” You might reply, “But you’re no longer in Babylonian Captivity. How can that be?” He would explain, … Continue reading

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The Pope, the Salvation of the Jews, and Calvinism, Part 3 (Historical background)

Romans in historical context Let’s start with a little history. Paul had never been to Rome, nor does he speak of any other apostle as having been there or founding that congregation. It appears likely to have been founded by … Continue reading

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The Pope, the Salvation of the Jews, and Calvinism, Part 2 (“Gifts”; “Calling”)

The meaning of “calling” in Paul’s writings The Vatican committee’s position paper bases it claim that Jews who do not believe in Jesus are nonetheless saved almost entirely on Rom 11:29, which is even quoted above the caption of the … Continue reading

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The Pope, the Salvation of the Jews, and Calvinism, Part 1 (“Mystery”; the Holocaust)

A few weeks ago, a high-level Vatican committee released a statement declaring that Jews do not have to believe in Jesus to be saved, captioned, “THE GIFTS AND THE CALLING OF GOD ARE IRREVOCABLE” (Rom 11:29) A REFLECTION ON THEOLOGICAL … Continue reading

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The Salvation of the Christians: Election, Part 4 (So what?)

So what? I mean, this whole Jew-Gentile thing has been over for nearly 2,000 years. Why should we spend Sunday school Bible class time studying how First Century Jews should get along with First Century Gentiles? And if this is … Continue reading

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The Salvation of the Christians: Election, Part 3 (Eph 2)

We need to skip ahead a bit. Paul follows the verses we just covered with a discussion of the greatness of Jesus the Messiah, and then he returns to the question of Jews and Gentiles. (Eph 2:11-12 ESV) Therefore remember … Continue reading

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The Salvation of the Christians: Election, Part 2

Let’s take another look at Eph 1 and consider what these verses meant in Paul’s context. Paul’s point is that the Gentile converts enjoy the same covenant promises as the Jews. Well, what are those  promises? Why does that matter? … Continue reading

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The Salvation of the Christians: Election, Part 1

Several posts ago, I mentioned my belief that the NT doctrine of election is the same as the OT doctrine of election — that is, “election” means that God has elected Israel as the chosen people. The Gentiles have been … Continue reading

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The Salvation of the Christians: The Cross, Part 4 (Baptism, Part 2)

Something old, something new … So having hopefully avoided some of the more tedious arguments, let’s talk about something new. Well, not “new” but old. Really old. Paul writes in Gal 3 and Rom 4 that we are saved by … Continue reading

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