THE CALVINIST ELECT SHEEP

Calvinists seek to buffalo and bewilder their opposition with their
favorite word “elect,” which means CHOSEN in any context and is used in
various contexts of scripture for various reasons and with various
personages doing the election or choosing, including God, and various
recipients receiving the election, including Christ Himself, the saved,
Israel, and even lost Judas.


Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God
that justifieth.


Tit 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth
[of the elect] which is after godliness;


Eph 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and
sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had
our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of
wrath, even as others.


The consideration that requires serious attention is the Calvinist
contention that there exists elect folks before they ever believe,
repent, are regenerated, or are saved, the prospective elect.

In response to the question who can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect, I say
that I can lay a charge against any person that is lost or unsaved, elect
or no, since the scriptures tells me that they are by nature the children
of wrath and dead in trespasses and sins. Is there such a thing as the
unsaved elect? Absolutely not!


Romans 8:33 states that the elect have faith. To be one of the elect, you must have faith and acknowledge the truth. The non-elect or the so called prospective elect cannot do this.



The Sheep versus the Goats

Mat 25:32, 33 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the
left.


One need not be around TULIP Calvinists very long until he hears their
talking points in regard to the elect being called the sheep and the
non-elect being called the goats with this distinction before even the
sheep are saved, the goats not being able to be saved. The proof texts
that are used are passages from the end of the tribulation time frame and
the second coming in glory time frame.

It does not take a rocket scientist to know that the Calvinist is operating in the wrong
eschatological time frame in which the sheep and goat nations are being
discussed and not the elect sheep and non-elect goats in regard to
individual salvation. Of course, if the Calvinist is prepared to advocate
“cup of water” salvation, we may well bear with him.


The Sheep

Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.


Mat 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. John 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is
the shepherd of the sheep.


The whole house of Israel is referred to as LOST SHEEP. They are never
referred to as goats even though there are those among Israel that never
will be saved and will remain lost. Is there such a thing as being lost
sheep by virtue of being in the house of Israel sheepfold and being the
Lord’s saved sheep by virtue of believing?


The Distinction of the Lost Sheep of Israel versus My Sheep

John 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love
thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

John 10:3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 15, 16, 26, 27 To him the porter openeth; and
the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and
leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. . . .

Then said Jesus . . . I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All
that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not
hear them . . . I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep . . .

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep . . . And other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd . . . But ye
believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you . . . My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:


The Calvinist is face with a disturbing dilemma here.

Did Christ die for ALL the SHEEP of Israel or only HIS SHEEP, since the Calvinist contends
that Christ died only for the elect. The non-elect sheep must then be
goats and not sheep. Still, must the sheep enter through the door to be
sheep?

Certain of Israel were condemned as not being of the Lord’s sheep,
since they had not believed. So, can someone be the Lord’s sheep without
believing. I trow not! To compound the Calvinist dilemma, Peter is
instructed to feed “MY SHEEP.” Was Peter to feed lost sheep or saved
sheep?



Jesus Elected a Devil

John 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen [1586] you twelve, and
one of you is a devil?

John 13:18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen [1586]: but
that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath
lifted up his heel against me.


John 15:16 Ye have not chosen [elected 1586] me, but I have chosen
[elected 1586] you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of
the Father in my name, he may give it you.


John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but
because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen [1586] you out of the
world, therefore the world hateth you.


1 Cor 1:27, 28 But God hath chosen [1586] the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty; base things of the world,
and things which are despised, hath God chosen [1586] . . .


Did Jesus ELECT (CHOOSE) a devil?

Was Judas a sheep of the house of Israel?
Was Judas saved?
Was Judas one of the ELECT due to being elected by Jesus and then lost?

Where did the apostles’ election take place? In time or eternity? Before the world or out of the world? Did God ELECT the foolish and base things of the world or the foolish and base things of
eternity?


What about Being Chosen before the Foundation of the World?

According as he hath chosen [1586] us IN HIM before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. –
Eph. 1:4 -6


We understand that the Lord’s work was finished from the foundation of
the world and that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.
Still, you can’t be chosen unless you are chosen IN HIM and that is IN
TIME and not eternity.

Yes, chosen before the foundation of the world, because the WORD existed before the foundation of the world, but the elect did not exist then. The only way that we could be loved before the
foundation of the world is for Christ to be loved by the father before
the foundation of the world.

In Christ, we inherit these attributes and benefits but NOT UNTIL we are IN CHRIST. And we get IN CHRIST by repenting and believing. But let us take this Calvinist proof text a step
further. Why were we chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world?

To be saved? No!

Rather THAT WE CHOSEN SHOULD BE HOLY and WITHOUT BLAME
before Him. We are accepted ONLY IN the beloved. The Chosen in Christ are
predestined the adoption of children and to be conformed to His image.


– by Herb Evans