Van,
Your attempt to scream "fiddlesticks" at the plain text of Philippians 1:29 is a total white flag. You are forced to invent an entirely new definition of the Greek language, changing a word that explicitly means "to give graciously as a gift" into "passive permission," all to protect the idol of human free will.
1. Total Lexical Failure on Charizomai
You claim that "granted" is a vague term that only means "allowed." Van, the Greek word is
ἐχαρίσθη (echaristhē), derived directly from
χάρις (charis)—the word for
Grace. Every standard Greek lexicon on earth (BDAG, Thayer's, Vine's) defines
charizomai as
"to give freely, to bestow graciously, to grant as a gift."
Let's test your private definition against how Paul uses this exact word elsewhere:
- Romans 8:32: "He that spared not his own Son... how shall he not with him also freely give (charizomai) us all things?" Does God merely "allow" us to have all things?
- Ephesians 4:32: "...even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven (charizomai) you." Does God merely "permit" our sins to be forgiven?
Your redefinition turns the text into absolute nonsense. The passive voice indicates that the subject is the recipient of an action. Faith is not an autonomous human choice that God merely "tolerates"; it is an active gift graciously bestowed upon the soul.
2. The Ironclad Parallel of Appointed Suffering and Sovereign Faith
Paul hooks two distinct realities to the exact same verb (
echaristhē):
believing and
suffering. The text reads:
"For to you it has been granted... not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf."
Apply your theology here, Van. If "granted" only means "allowed," then you must argue that God merely
permits us to suffer, and that we must independently manufacture our own trials. It is completely absurd. Look at how Paul defines suffering in
1 Thessalonians 3:3: he commands that no man be moved by afflictions,
"for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." The word there is keimetha, meaning set, destined, or laid down by decree.
Look at the unyielding symmetry of Paul's theology. Sufferings are not passive accidents; they are actively
destined and appointed by God for His elect. Therefore, because the suffering is a fixed sovereign appointment,
the gift of believing on Christ's name is a correspondingly active, sovereign appointment. God authoritatively decrees the afflictions of His saints, and He graciously bestows the gift of faith.
And make no mistake—this gift is not merely given as a reactionary tool to match those trials. Paul puts the foundational weight on the act of faith itself: it is granted
to believe on His name. God sovereignly gives the primary gift of saving faith to unite the elect soul to Christ, and then correspondingly grants the secondary privilege of suffering for His sake. Both are corporate covenant gifts driven by His sovereign will, not human permission.
3. The Chronological Absurdity of "Faith Before Election"
You close with a massive theological blunder, claiming:
"we are chosen for salvation through faith, which requires we had some sort of faith BEFORE we were chosen. Full Stop."
Van, think about the timeline.
Ephesians 1:4 declares that God chose His elect in Christ before the foundation of the world. Humans did not exist. The cosmos did not exist.
How could a non-existent human creature manufacture "some sort of faith" in eternity past before God passed His sovereign decree of election?
You are completely reversing the scriptural order of salvation. Faith is not the cause of election; faith is the
Practical Phase fruit and evidence of an eternal election. As
1 Peter 1:2 explicitly states, we are elect
unto (eis) obedience. God didn't look down a calendar to find people who already had faith; He sovereignly chose a remnant, Christ legally redeemed them at the cross, the Spirit vitally quickened them, and
therefore they were granted the gift of faith to believe on His name and suffer for His sake. The text remains an unshakeable monument to absolute sovereign grace.
