A Primitive Baptist's look at John 3:16

James White has magnifciently answered Dave Hunt's embarrassingly poor attack on Calvinism in his "Open Letter to Dave Hunt" at www.aomin.org. Since there is not a link to the specific section of the letter on John 3:16, I reproduce it here:

 

An interlinear is really not the best source for word meanings. I'd really like to see it in something more authoritative than that. No source I have looked at uses that definition, and every single translation of scripture I have looked at uses either "ordained" or " appointed".

But lets assume for a second that "disposed" is a legitimate definition of the word, okay? You seem to be assuming that the definition of disposed is "to have a tendency toward" or something like that. But it also can mean "to set in place, to arrange", can it not? Since "to set in place, to arrange" is a definition I find for "tasso" in every source I look at, I would assume that that is more likely the definition intended.

Furthermore, being in the passive tense, the action of the verb is received by the object. Someone else has "disposed" or "arranged" them to eternal life--it is not something they do to themselves.

Of course!

You are right, this passage and this context deals only with the willfull choice on the rejection side of things.

But let's look at the belief side of things. Look at verse 48 again, and I'll even let you have "disposed" as the meaning for "tasso":

"and as many as had been disposed to eternal life believed."

Here are two conclusions we can draw from the grammar:

1. The disposing (or arranging or setting in place) is an action they receive--it is done to them by someone else, and it is done to them before they believe. (verb tense)

2. Every single one of those who had been disposed, believed. The number of those who had been disposed
determined the number who believed. The disposition (an action performed by someone else upon them) is the logical cause of the belief.

[ May 20, 2002, 11:49 AM: Message edited by: russell55 ]

 

Dr. James Strong in his "Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible also uses the definition also as to ‘having been disposed to eternal life,' along with other definitions. I have no problem with God saying that all who He ordained---believed. God from eternity past knew who His elect people would be, or otherwise, He becomes a God Who is not omnscient. This is the overview from God's perspective.

While reading Acts thirteen one has to understand the total context as to whole issue. In verse 39 the Word of God says that ‘ . . . by Him all who believe are justified from all things.' Salvation in order to be affected in human beings must be received by faith. The act of believing and having faith is the response of people who have been convicted of their sins and have acquiesced to His sovereignty. Let it be said strongly, that neither believing or trusting in Jesus --from our side of things creates salvation through our efforts. [Isaiah 42:8c] ‘My glory I will not give to another . . . ' The grace of God is what or Who saves lost people. [Ephesians 2:8] Believing, faith and or trust in Jesus is not a work in the sense that we count these three concepts as contributing to our salvation. [Isaiah 42:8c] Believing, faith and trust in Jesus is His claim on all lost people. [Acts 17:30; I Timothy 2:4 & 6]

Then in verse 46d the Word says that the Israelite people had rejected the opportunity to first of all save their own people, and secondly, to be the standard bearer of the Gospel. Notice, of their own free will ‘ . . . (they) put it from (themselves).' They had put the hope of the Gospel far from their reach as a nation of people. It was His will to make them the elect nation. [John 1:11] but He in His permissive will allowed them to turn away from His cherish wish for His own nationality. When they made known their intentions, God turned to the Apostle Paul as ‘ . . . a light to the Gentiles.' [vs. 47]

While God has perfect control of history and on into eternity, I recall that Satan is the ‘ . . . god of this world.' While the Holy Spirit is at work we also see the power that the Evil One is exhibiting in our present world especially through the unsaved of humanity. What I am saying is while it is His will that all would enjoy eternal life with Him, ‘wishing all people to be saved' [I Timothy 2:4] it will never happen. Therefore, in a real sense His will has been hampered because of the delegated, sovereign, dominion of Christ that has been wielded in our world through this fallen angel who has been named in Revelation 20:2. In this way humankind is being tested as to who they want to worship and where they desire to spend eternity.