These are the endnotes for “Chapter 14 – The Nature of Grace in Scripture”
[1] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, ed. Frederick W. Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “χάρις”, pp. 1080.
[2] Ibid. 1079 – 1081.
[3] James Montgomery Boice, Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? (Wheaton: Crossway, 2001), 122.
[4] Robert A. Peterson and Michael D. Williams, Why I Am Not An Arminian (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 17.
[5] What made God choose one person over another is a subsequent complex and troubling question for Calvinists. It cannot be cavalierly dismissed. I suggest that the reasons given by Calvinists, “the good pleasure of his will” or “to show his wrath,” etc., are insufficient and an improper application to this problem of these phrases found in Ephesians and Romans. These difficulties of divine morality and justice inherent within Calvinism are indeed grave, and I believe are insurmountable. I highly recommend the essay by Jerry L. Walls, “Divine Commands, Predestination and Moral Intuition” in The Grace of God, The Will of Man, ed. Clark H. Pinnock (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989). He does an excellent job assessing and communicating the importance of the moral issue raised here. See also David Baggett and Jerry L. Walls, Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011). Chapter 4 “A Reformed Tradition Not Quite Right” assesses the problem of the premature dismissal of “philosophy” (clear thinking) inherent in Reformed hermeneutics.
[6] J. I. Packer, “God,” New Bible Dictionary, 3rd. ed., (Downers Grove, InterVarsity, 1996), 424.
[7] R. A. Finlayson and P. F. Jensen, “God,” New Bible Dictionary, 3rd. ed., (Downers Grove, InterVarsity, 1996), 418-419.
[8] Walter C. Kaiser Jr., “Exodus,” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 2, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), 479.
[9] Walter Brueggemann, “The Book of Exodus,” The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, vol.1, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), 484.
[10] Ibid. 485.
[11] Ibid. 485.
[12] Herman N. Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 49.
[13] Ibid., 54.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid., 56
[16] Ibid.
[17] I do believe that the Calvinist would also claim this understanding of grace when they speak about how salvation was wrought for the elect in Christ. But “grace” in Calvinist theology is primarily used with reference to the decision of God to save some. Only within that framework do they additionally reference the person and work of Christ as “God’s grace.”
[18] Franklin Graham, Billy Graham in Quotes, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 160. From Billy Graham, Unto the Hills, (Waco TX: Word, 1986), 289.
[19] Franklin Graham, Billy Graham in Quotes, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 159. From Billy Graham, World Aflame, (New York: Doubleday, 1965), 263.
[20] Franklin Graham, Billy Graham in Quotes, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 160. From Billy Graham, Day by Day (Minneapolis, MN: World Wide, 1965), March 23.
[21] Vernon C. Grounds, “God’s Universal Salvific Grace,” in Grace Unlimited, ed. Clark H. Pinnock, (Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1975), 21, 22.
[22] Fritz Rienecker, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, ed. Cleon Rogers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), 654-655.
[23] Ibid., 655
[24] James Montgomery Boice, “Galatians,” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 10, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 426.
[25] Bruce, p. 123. Cf. Eph. 2:18; 3:12; I Pet 3:18; Xenophon, Cyr. 1.3.8; 7.5.4.
[26] C. E. B. Cranfield, International Critical Commentary: Romans, vol. 1. (London: T&T Clark, 1979), 259.
[27] As discussed previously another example of the Calvinist’s redefinition of terms is the use of the word “free” in the phrase “free grace.” In Calvinist thought “free” means “without external influence.” Nothing has influenced God’s decision to choose to save some and not others except that he himself willed it. Nothing outside of God himself contributes to what he decided with respect to any individual’s eternal destiny. So “free grace” means that one is saved by the uninfluenced choice of God to save them. If it is otherwise, even with respect to the necessity of faith, God and his decision would not be “free.” One cannot believe unless God works faith in them and this work of God only occurs in the elect. For the Calvinist, if believing were an ability the sinner retains via the exercise of the will, then they would be contributing something to their salvation. Their salvation would ultimately depend upon their ability and would be considered by the Calvinist to be a contributing “work” to their salvation. Man, as fallen and sinful, has no such ability within himself to believe.
In contrast, “free” in non-Calvinist contexts means “without cost.” That is, the salvation provided by God’s grace (in the non-Calvinist sense) comes to one freely, without any earthly, human merit or qualifications attached. It does not select or exclude any persons. It is of the nature of God and all things being equal with sinners as sinners his grace extends to all. It is “free” in that it need not, indeed it cannot, be earned in any way. In this sense also it comes to all men everywhere for them to receive and that simply and only by faith which is not considered a “work,” “meritorious” or a “contribution” to one’s salvation.
Therefore, ironically, it is Calvinism that binds God’s sovereign freedom by insisting God could not decree a salvation that depends upon the genuine response of faith from fallen sinners to his grace demonstrated in the work in Christ on their behalf.
[28] Again, certain commentator’s see this verse as applying only to the “standing” of the believer. They emphasize, for instance, that the imagery from the OT tabernacle and temple may be in Paul’s thinking here.
[29] In the ESV in Ephesians 1 the phrases “in Christ,” “in Christ Jesus,” “in the Beloved,” “through Jesus Christ,” or “in him” are found 12 times in the first 14 verses! In the Greek text we found these phrases 17 times in 13 verses! This is highly significant for understanding Paul’s primary emphasis in speaking about being “chosen” and “predestined.” Calvinists surely point out that their theology is certainly Christ-centered. But what they can only mean by this is that Christ implements the salvation of the elect. “In Christ” cannot refer to the personal dynamic that in the gospel message Jesus is a present reality being assuredly and genuinely offered to all sinners as the way of salvation for them individually and personally. I highly recommend reading the section “Is The Offer Of Salvation To All Persons Genuine” in Jerry L. Walls & Joseph R. Dongell, Why I am Not A Calvinist, (IVP: Downers Grove, 2004), 169-173.
[30] John Calvin, Institutes, 3.24.8
[31] I. Howard Marshall, Kept by the Power of God, 3rd. ed. (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 1995), 143.
[32] From Josh Moody, No Other Gospel: 31 Reasons from Galatians Why Justification by Faith Alone Is the Only Gospel, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2011), 189.
[33] Even if interpreted as “types of men,” all individuals are still included in some “type” or another.
[34] Vernon C. Grounds, “God’s Universal Salvific Grace” in Grace Unlimited, ed. Clark H. Pinnock (Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1975), 24.
The Truth of the Gospel 