Saturday, July 9, 2011

Bible Truth #24 - Acts 10:34

Acts 10:34
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.

Romans 2:11
For there is no respect of persons with God

The context of the passage in Acts is when God saved Cornelius, a Gentile. Peter said God is not a respecter of persons because He has saved the Gentile, Cornelius. The first thing we need to establish is what is meant by “favoritism” in general, or respecter of persons.

Favoritism is defined as giving preference to one person over another based on someTHING when there are no other acceptable discriminating factors.

An example: You’re the head of a human resources department of a large corporation tasked with hiring someone to fill a vacancy within the corporation. The discriminating factor is whoever scores highest on a test will be hired. If two people scored the same but you picked a black man over a white man, that would be showing favoritism. You picked him because his skin was black, or because he was a friend, or because he was taller, or because he was a believer in Jesus Christ and the other was not, or for whatever reason other than by flipping a coin. Another acceptable discriminating factor should have been established to determine who would be chosen because the applicants were equal after the first test. Without another qualifier, you showed favoritism by picking one over the other (and it would have been the same had you picked the white man - which one you picked is irrelevant).

Now about the Scripture.... This one should be obvious but the only thing that’s obvious is that most can’t see it. God is not a respecter of persons, and with what Arminians believe, God IS a respecter of persons. The Arminian says, “God saves only those who choose to believe, God does NOT save those who do NOT believe.”

THAT is a respecter of persons, i.e. God responds to something, or chooses a person, based on what that person DOES (i.e. believe) to merit getting saved. Please let that sink in - God is responding to what the creature does before He saves. He chooses one person over another based on what the person does. THAT’S FAVORITISM! It is also works, something man does “in the flesh” before God saves - and that also contradicts Scripture. Jesus said the flesh counts for nothing (John 6:63).

The Arminian says that God is not a respecter of persons, He will save anyone who accepts Jesus as their Savior. Apply that principle to my example above. The head of a human resources department says, I will not show favoritism! I will hire anyone who is black!

I know what the Arminian is thinking. (How do I know what the Arminian is thinking? I used to be one!) “No, that’s showing favoritism TOWARD blacks.” To that I agree, just as the Arminian belief is showing favoritism TOWARD believers. The Arminian might say, “Waitaminnit, believing is a choice one makes, a man can’t help it if his skin is black or white.” I agree to the latter but the former is also an impossibility (Mark 10:27). It is impossible for a lost man to do anything but evil continually (Genesis 6:5), it is impossible for a lost man to do good (Jeremiah 13:23), it is impossible for a lost man to make a decision for salvation (John 1:13), it is impossible for a lost man to come into the Light because he hates the Light (John 3:20), it is impossible for a lost man to hear Jesus’ words (John 8:43), it is impossible for an enemy of God (Romans 8:7), i.e. a lost man, to please God (Romans 8:8), and it is impossible for a lost man to understand anything from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). Any single one of these Scriptures, by itself, should tell you a lost man will never believe or repent. But as a whole it condemns the heretical, man-centered, Satan derived, Arminian view of Salvation.

Reformed Theology (or Calvinism) believes, and the Bible states in many passages, God chose some from among both the Jew and Gentile, i.e. the world, irrespective of ANYTHING they have done. Just as God chose Jacob over Esau BEFORE they were born and BEFORE they had done anything good (believe God) or bad (reject God) - so that God’s purpose in Election would stand (Romans 9:11). Regardless of WHO the person is, God chose some from every “group” man can devise - He does not show favoritism. He simply looked through the sea of humanity He was going to create (before the foundation of the world) and chose those He wanted, not showing favoritism. Not choosing one over another for any reason other than according to the good pleasure of his will (Ephesians 1:5). At a point in time that He chooses, in the lives of those He chose (who were ALL enemies of His - Romans 8:7), He quickens a man's DEAD spirit through faith, the faith that God gives him (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 12:3) as a gift. God then gives him belief (John 6:29, Philippians 1:29), repentance (2 Timothy 2:25), and understanding (Luke 24:45, 1 Corinthians 2:14, 2 Timothy 2:7).

If God “chose” only those who believe, He would be showing favoritism. God would “favor” those who believe over those who don’t believe.

God is NOT a respecter of persons - THUS SAITH THE LORD.


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