Robin Tomlinson

Playing devil’s advocate here, but all Christians should be sharp in rightly dividing the Word. My son, who was a fact-checker for his law school’s journal has taught me to be very discriminating with Scripture as well. John 5:25 only demonstrates that by an act of God’s speaking to a human heart, some will live. It technically does not say if any other necessary element takes place; that is, it does not specify how or why a person hears with acceptance. I think even Calvinists would agree that God originally must speak, so I don’t see this as an exclusive Arminian verse. If you look at the verse just before, it says “he who hears My word and believes… has everlasting life. The Greek for “has” means “already holds, or possesses.” Plus, the very next phrase reiterates that by emphasizing again that this person who hears and believes “has passed” (Greek, has already passed) from death into life. So, can verse 25 actually be properly used to confirm that some act of God (let’s play rough here… some “effectual” apparatus) isn’t also in play here? In addition, verse 25 says those who hear will live. Thayer’s cites John 5:25 as an example of how life in this text means in the Messianic sense to enjoy life, to live life to its full, eternally. In other words, it doesn’t specifically refer to the theological act of regeneration or rebirth. The bare facts that we can glean from John 5:25 are: there are spiritually dead people, some of which hear God and experience eternal life. What the verse specifically does not teach is: how many people are spiritually dead, how many spiritually dead people hear God, how it comes about that they hear God, or how it is that they are born again spiritually. If anything, Calvinists could perhaps use this verse to demonstrate there is a limited number of people who effectively hear God! I say all this to say, let’s be careful how we use Scripture. There may be other verses to support the idea that spiritually dead people are able to hear God – but this is not one of them, in my humble opinion (just a housewife who enjoys studying). About how we treat Calvinists, my sister said it very well; she said the reason she can “put up” with Calvinists is because she knows they hold their opinions because they believe they are upholding the glory and sovereignty of God. You can call me a sympathizer if you want… But I’d also like to point out that God has gifted his church with pastors and teachers down through the centuries, and among the godliest theologians there is a lengthy list of Calvinists. My daughter had AP Euro in high school this year, which tracks Renaissance and Reformation history. I spent half my life helping her study for that class, and I learned a thing or two. We should all graciously keep in mind that God used many Calvinists to put Scripture into the hands of the common people, and these great men of God paid for it by blood, sweat and tears, literally. Let’s please be kind. Calvinists are not to be equated to Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons, for pity’s sake. My two cents.