Justin Taylor: We Cannot Know With Certainty Who is Saved Until the Final Judgment
Justin Taylor answered some questions about Calvinism on a blog recently. Here is how he was introduced:
Justin Taylor is a popular blogger and leader in the modern Reformed movement. The vice president of book publishing and an associate publisher at Crossway, he has edited and contributed to several books and served as the managing editor for The ESV Study Bible. He blogs at Between Two Worlds.
As I have said before, Calvinism is a gospel where you are elected to run a race of faith alone. If you aren’t elected, you don’t even get on the racetrack. If you are elected to run the race, the race must be run by faith alone and we must persevere against a supposed constant temptation to implement our own efforts in the running by faith alone race. The race must be run the same way we were saved, by faith and repentance alone via “obedience of faith,” “deep repentance,” and “new obedience” being the result. Sure, we are elected and our salvation is past (already), but the “not yet” will determine if we finished the race by faith alone. This is often referred to as the already/not yet in Reformed circles.
It also necessitates a single, final judgment of all people that includes those not in the race (non-elect), those who were in the race but were disqualified for adding works to their faith (apostates), and those who finished the race by faith alone and receive the crown of life.
Hence, when the following question was asked,
What would you tell someone who has not been chosen by God to be saved?
Taylor answered this way:
Who is ultimately among the elect will only be known with certainty at the Day of Judgment. Now—in the already/not-yet, “between the times”—we must obey God’s revealed will, which is to preach the gospel indiscriminately. (For the distinction between God’s secret and revealed wills, see Deut. 29:29.)
So I would tell anyone to “believe in the risen Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9). I would encourage them to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). I would tell them that Jesus is calling them: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28)—even though in the previous verse Jesus had said that no one knows the Father expect those to whom the Son reveals him (v. 27).
This Reformed gospel construct runs afoul of much literal interpretation, but primary in regard to the clear statements in Scripture that posit more than one resurrection and judgment, and the clear teaching by the apostle John that we can know for certain that we are saved (1John 5:13).
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Reblogged this on Clearcreek Chapel Watch.
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This would explain why so many of my friends were constantly questioning their salvation. All of the confusion drove me crazy.
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JA,
But don’t forget, as they often imply, your chances are greatly increased if you are faithful to the church. The Reformed church that is. Part of the perpetual re-saving process is “deep repentance” and such is only effective where authority to forgive is found: in the Reformed church. So, if you are faithful and well-behaved, you have a shot at the judgement.
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Why would he bother to quote Acts 16:31 when believing by doctrinal definition is pointless? No…not even pointless, it is impossible. Believing, that is, effective belief, which is REAL belief is nullified by the doctrine of election. If you aren’t elect, your “belief” is merely an illusion; a lie you tell yourself. God hasn’t given it to you to believe, because the Bible says “believe and you will be saved”. So then, who is the liar? Either God is the liar when He commands people to believe and be saved, or man is lying by thinking he actually possesses the ability to believe APART from God. And isn’t that the definition of TD anyway? You can only do anything good if God does it for you. If you believe, AND are saved by that belief, then, according to the Calvinists, it could not have been you doing the believing at all. Either way, belief is rendered impossible to the human being. Are they arguing that God has commanded them to preach that people do something that is impossible for them to do? Are they declaring that God is as metaphysically and morally insane and criminal as they are?
Of course they are. Because they are Calvinists. And they are the very definition of philosophical rational larceny. Their doctrine is indefensible, which is why they always, and I mean ALWAYS resort to using their interpretive opinions as “proof” of their “sound” doctrine.
You see what this tyrant did? Automatically reads election and the subversion of man’s ability exist, to think, to realize, to choose, to believe as a real self-aware consciousness by AUTOMATICALLY and perfunctorily reading into Jesus saying “to whom the Son reveals Him” as proof of their interpretive premise: that Jesus MUST be talking about election. The most mundane, elementary, pedestrian and gnostic interpretation of that verse is naturally the one they assume is “truth”. Shocker.
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Argo,
“Are they arguing that God has commanded them to preach that people do something that it is impossible for them to do?” Yes. Reformed pastors have said exactly that to me more than once.
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One may also note “I would” rather than “I will” and the “even though” transition.
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It’s our job to get as many on the racetrack as we can so God can sort them out later.
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I think you folks are missing the point. It is not that we can’t have assurance of salvation, but that we don’t know who the elect are until the judgment. Jesus says many professed, but I will say to them IN THAT DAY, depart from me. I would that would be the day of judgment.
And is not that that the non elect have some sort of disability for which they bear no fault. They cannot come only because they don’t want to come. Where ever there is the light of revelation, sinners hate it and run from it. We preach the gosple to them anyway.
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Jimmy,
The point is that believers will not stand in any judgement that determines our just standing. It has already been determined.
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….and Jimmy, you have one more comment left here on PPT, so use it well.
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Paul,
Actually, I am not sure why I am even using my last comment. Apparently, you didn’t even understand the one I made above. Whether believers must be at the judgement or not is not even close to the issue. No one I know we have to wait until the judgment for our standing before God to be “determined.” My point was that we have no way of knowing who the elect are in this life. Thus, we must witness the gospel to everyone. As far as I can tell, no one has denied the possibility of a believer having assurance. The issue was, how we can preach the gospel if we don’t know who the elect are. The answer was, we can’t know who the elect are until the judgment. Only you could twist a statement like to try to make a point for your team. Learn to read and interpret people’s statements.
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Ok Jimmy. Bye bye now. Take care.
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Argo,
I think you are confused. I don’t think anyone believes when a sinner believes, God does it for him. Maybe you can share with us where someone who believes in Calvinism says sinners don’t actually believe when they come to Christ. Who that is a Calvinist says if you believe or do anything good “you could not have been the one doing it?”
Perhaps you haven’t read Matt. 11. The issue is not election but effectual calling which other passages tell us is according to God’s purpose. Taylor did not say a word about election relative to that verse. If you are going to try to argue against Calvinism, perhaps you would do well to first try to understand what Calvinists teach.
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“It is not that we can’t have assurance of salvation, but that we don’t know who the elect are until the judgment.”
Um, that doesn’t exactly engender much assurance. Typical Calvinist double-speak.
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Andy,
It is not doublespeak at all. Consider the context. The issue has nothing to do with assurance at all. The issue is to whom should we preach the gospel. We can’t preach the gospel only to the elect since we don’t know who the elect are until the judgment. You can be assured of your own salvation, but you can’t be sure of anyone else’s salvation.
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Marcos,
I’m getting pretty good at identifying trolls on this blog. Because I am a warm, lovable, fuzzy kind of guy, you have one more comment left on this blog. use it well.
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