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Historic Christianity vs Calvinism  /  Lecture 9: The History and Dangers of Proof-texting  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Finny presses that John 5:40 and John’s purpose statement reverse the Calvinist order (“come/believe ? life,” not “life/regeneration ? believe”), and he claims unconditional election severs election from salvation-by-faith; how would you articulate (without proof texting) the actual sequence Scripture teaches, and what changes in your assurance, evangelism, and daily obedience if faith/faithfulness is truly tied to salvation in the way he describes?
Another way to ask: Finny says John presents the order as “believe/come, then get life,” not “get life first, then believe,” and that unconditional election disconnects salvation from faith. Without picking random proof verses, how would you explain the Bible’s order, and how would it change your assurance, evangelism, and daily obedience if faithfulness is truly tied to salvation?

Direct Answer Finny articulates the biblical sequence as: God offers grace and calls people to come and believe, and “by believing” they receive life—rather than being regenerated first and then believing. If salvation is genuinely tied to faith/faithfulness, it pushes assurance, evangelism, and obedience toward active trust and response, not passive reliance on an unconditional decree.

Support from Transcript:

  • John 5:40: “You refuse to come to me that you may have life.” Finny highlights the order: “You come… and then you get life.”
  • John’s purpose statement: “These are written so that you may believe… and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
  • Finny contrasts this with Calvinism’s order: regeneration first (“God raises you up…then you believe”).
  • He claims Scripture repeatedly ties salvation to “faith slash faithfulness,” noting the Greek word for faith carries both senses.
  • He challenges Calvinists: they say “salvation by faith,” but deny “election by faith,” which he says severs election from salvation.
  • He argues that in the Calvinist model, faith and works both “flow” after regeneration, which “undercuts even salvation by faith.”
Discussion Follow-ups Finny doesn’t fully map every step (grace, conviction, response), but he insists the Bible’s stated order matters. How would your prayers, calls to repentance, and view of perseverance change if “come/believe ? life” is the repeated New Testament pattern?

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