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How do Lutherans, Calvinists and other protestants that believe in monergism respond to biblical passages that seem to support synergism such as these? For example:

  • "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48

  • "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19:17

  • "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Revelation 3:20

  • The parable of the goats and sheep Matthew 25:31-46

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

Dan
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  • Is it not enough that I provide the link to them? – Dan Nov 08 '17 at 14:02
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    Huzzah, that adds some meat on the bone. I am looking forward to seeing the answers. – KorvinStarmast Nov 08 '17 at 14:24
  • Could you define 'monergism'? As I understand it, that regeneration is the work of the Spirit without human input or cooperation, these verses do not contradict monergism. The passages in Revelation and Galatians would be understood as being addressed to the regenerate. The sheep and goats don't have any input into whether they are sheep or goats. – bradimus Nov 08 '17 at 18:00
  • @bradimus I guess you are right. yes that would be the definition, nothing fancy . So I may need to change the verses. I guess I'm just really over my head with the subject and I have a million questions. How does monergism relate to predestination for example – Dan Nov 08 '17 at 20:26
  • @bradimus The sheep and goats are more complex I think, since God accuses the goats that they did not feed him, visit him... So monergism is sort of tied to the free will/predestination polemic – Dan Nov 08 '17 at 21:20
  • Monergists see no free will in the sheep and goats. The monergist would point out that the sheep do only good and the goats never do good. Obviously, to them, this is not how humans behave. Rather, this describes how God views the elect and reprobate. – bradimus Nov 08 '17 at 22:50
  • To the monergist, the sheep are elect. They are viewed through the sacrifice of Christ. The times they failed to feed, visit, etc are not visible, but the works done through the Spirit are pleasing to God. The goats are reprobate. They stand without the benefit of Christ, and a Holy God can not ignore their sins. Indeed even those times they did feed, visit, etc are but filthy rags. Each is judged accordingly, but neither had a choice to be a sheep or goat. – bradimus Nov 08 '17 at 22:52
  • You might also include the verses listed by John Cassian in Chapter IX of his 13th Conference – guest37 Nov 11 '17 at 00:55
  • I don't think the verses you have quoted have got anything to do with monergism/synergism. I would at lease change the question to "that seem to support the doctrine of synergism". But better still, add to the question what you think is the problem with monergism. What logical/Biblical difficulties do u see with Mon.? Give a couple of simple sentences explaining what you see as a problem. Are you asking "Why ask unbelievers to repent and believe the gospel when they do not yet have the Holy Spirit?" or similar? – Andrew Shanks Dec 15 '20 at 23:22
  • @AndrewShanks I think that is a separate (and worthwhile) question. – Mike Borden Dec 19 '20 at 14:04
  • @MikeBorden - According to this page monergism and synergism have reference only to the area of regeneration :- https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/qna/monergism.html - the scriptures referred, I cannot see how they have anything to do with regeneration. Can you explain, or the OP or anyone else, please? – Andrew Shanks Dec 19 '20 at 23:22
  • @MikeBorden - In 3 of the passages the ones being addressed are believers already. The other, about keeping the commandments, is intended to bring the young man to see he is a sinner with the next question - give away all and come follow me. If anyone keeps the commandments perfectly they will enter life (provided they have always kept them). Our Lord knows no one can possibly keep them.. the rich young ruler thinks he is v close to keeping them. The passage is nothing to do with what the unregenerate can do, its about what they cannot do. – Andrew Shanks Dec 19 '20 at 23:33
  • @AndrewShanks Although I am not the OP and I agree that the verses referenced seem less than direct refutations of mongerism... perhaps OP is conflating regeneration and conversion. You might answer this well. – Mike Borden Dec 20 '20 at 15:01

2 Answers2

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A monergist response to your verses would, I think, be along the lines of:

"Be perfect". We can have fellowship through Jesus taking our sins. In Christ we have His perfection. Who will be in Christ? Those that the Father has given Him. John 17:2 - " He should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him." "have given Him" It's a done deal.

"commandments". When God gives a command He either does or does not give the grace for that command to be obeyed. If His will is that someone obeys that command He gives them the grace to obey. If His will is that they do not obey He does not give the grace for that command to be obeyed. Only in this way can He be preeminent in all things. see Colossians 1: 18 "that in all things He may have the preeminence".

Rev 3:20. We choose to open or to leave shut. But, why do we choose one thing or another? We choose on the basis of who we are. Who are we? That depends upon how we were made.

We choose on the basis of how we were made. Judgement is having to live with the consequences of how we were made. Goats and sheep don't make themselves. Goats and sheep are separated on the basis of what they are, i.e. how God made them.

"Freedom". Gal 5:13. Freedom here is freedom from the Law, Old Testament Law, not freedom from some philosophic system of "free will".

[Our wills are not free of how and why God made them].

At one level monergism and synergism are about how people are saved but these spill over into wider issues about ultimate responsibility for evil. Synergism I suggest tries to protect God from the accusation that He is ultimately responsible for evil by saying something He created is autonomous from Him and this created evil. But synergism attacks God's uniqueness because by saying something other than God created evil it means that something other than God can create.

Monergists believe that at the start of every causal chain is one starting point, the Alpha of Rev 21:6. When God, who is light, created darkness [Isaiah 45:7] He had a holy motive for doing so. There is a single purpose behind everything in creation-"all things were created through Him and for Him", Col 1:16.

C. Stroud
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  • 1 Timothy 2:3-4 God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth...but...He withholds the ability from some of them. – Mike Borden Dec 16 '20 at 13:03
  • @Mike Borden "all men" or all [types] of men? 1 Tim 2:1-2 Prayers for even kings and others in authority i.e. not just fishermen and carpenters. – C. Stroud Dec 16 '20 at 13:35
  • All men, regardless of "type". 1 Tim 2:5 One mediator between God and (individual) men not types of men. – Mike Borden Dec 17 '20 at 13:56
  • @Mike Borden Could there being One mediator reference back to the need and importance of prayers being made to the One God, that men [the elect are men of all types] might be saved? For God predestines the means and the ends. – C. Stroud Dec 17 '20 at 18:36
  • Primarily the call here to pray for kings and authorities has to do with chapter 1 explanation of the right use of the law. That's why chapter 2 starts with "First of all then" and the reason for the praying is so that believers may live peaceful, godly lives which further enable their witness and pleases the God who desires all men to be saved. Predestination in Scripture is not all encompassing. Paul (Romans 8) specifically assigns it to to those (the foreknown elect) who are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Election is according to foreknowledge not predestination. – Mike Borden Dec 18 '20 at 12:58
  • The part that is predestined begins at the new birth. – Mike Borden Dec 18 '20 at 13:00
  • @Mike Borden The headline question is "How do monergists respond...". I think I am right in how I describe the monergist response to Bible verses mentioned. Whether monergists are right to have their views is another question. R.C. Sproul expands on their position in his book "Almighty over all". – C. Stroud Dec 18 '20 at 14:30
  • Yup. Point taken. – Mike Borden Dec 19 '20 at 14:05
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As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44-45)

When Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect," he is speaking as the Word that does not return void. God's commands are powerful. They accomplish what they command in the elect.

Paul Chernoch
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