Buttermilk said:
All of them, but especially about the so called "Elect"
Good. The main blunder with Calvinism starts at Ephesians 1:4 and Rom 8:29-30.
Ok let's start with Romans 8:29-30 and why they have misinterpreted that passage. Fair enough? First I will show you what this passage DOES mean. Then we can discuss why the Calvinist is in error.
Here is what Paul is saying in that passage:
"For those who God foreknew"
Paul is addressing Jews specifically. He is speaking about the Jews under the Law with whom God had a relationship before the present time (before the cross). He knew them beforehand, before the present advent of Christ. See Romans 11:1-2, God's people whom he foreknew are the Jews. God was not rejecting His people whom he foreknew, the Jews, by allowing the Gentiles to come in. The Jews are the ones God knew beforehand that Paul has in view, that is, before the present time of Paul's writing.
Also see Romans 2:17; 3:8-9; 4:1; 7:1; 8:3-4----> Addressing the Christian Jews in the Roman church who had been under the Law before they knew Christ
Romans 11:13 -----> Addresses the Gentiles of the Roman church
"he also predestined to be conformed to the image of God's Son."
Here Paul is saying those Jews under the law were destined for this purpose. Christ is the end of the Law. The ultimate purpose and end of the Law was for these Jews to be conformed to the iamge of Jesus in his death and resurrection.
For those God foreknew.... Jews
He also predestines... Jews were predestined by God for this purpose "first for the Jew"
He also justifies.... See Romans 3:20-26.
He also glorifies.... God promises he will do this. See preceding context at 8:17-25. It refers to the resurrection of the body.
The verbs are gnomic aorist active verbs. Not something we do in English. It is a verb usage which indicates God does these things without indicating when. We are not yet glorified as you can see from the preceding context in which Paul is speaking. God glorfies. He has not glorified anyone but his Son.
What the Calvinist does is read his notions of Ephesians 1:4 into this passage and not only so, his false notions of Ephesian 1:4. Romans 8:29-30 has nothing to do with God choosing and predestining certain people for salvation from before creation. Here Paul is saying these Jews God had foreknown before the cross, the covenant people of God, were predestined as a whole, to share in the death and resurrection of Jesus. And that is why God sent his Son to justify them for the sins committed under the first covenant (see Heb 9-10). And he will also glorify them in the resurrection.
That is what this passage is about.
JMW
