Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

sovereignty of God

Predestination: An Introduction

by

In this new book, I invite you to hike up a mountain with me:

Predestination: An Introduction

Andrew David Naselli. Predestination: An Introduction. Short Studies in Systematic Theology. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, January 2024.

When you arduously hike up a mountain, it is satisfying to take in the breathtaking panoramic view at the top. God designed us so that we complete our joy by seeing God’s beauty, by savoring him, by praising him, and then by sharing our joy with others. In this new book, I invite you to let me share my joy with you. The hike is not easy, but it’s worth it because the view at the top is awe-inspiring. The more you know about God and his ways, the deeper and sweeter will be your praise.

Here’s how I define predestination:

God predetermined the destiny of certain individuals for salvation (election) and others for condemnation (reprobation).

Who is this book for?

This book’s target audience is thoughtful Christians—both pastors and laypeople—who want to study what the Bible teaches about predestination. I wrote it with several types of Christians in mind, including my students at Bethlehem College and Seminary, the members of my church (to whom I preached the gist of this book in four sermons), my wife (a homemaker and homeschooling mom), and my oldest daughter (who was thirteen when I drafted it). My main audience is not professional academics, but I attempt to be academically responsible. I aim to explain a complex topic simply but not simplistically. (pp. 1–2)

(See endorsements from Joel Beeke, Rosaria Butterfield, Steven Lee, Sam Storms, and Steve Wellum.)

Here are the book’s contents (15 chapters):

Introduction

PART 1: VESSELS OF MERCY
What Does the Bible Teach about Election?

1. What Is the Goal of Election?
2. When Did God Choose to Save Some Humans?
3. Did God Choose to Save Individuals?
4. Did God Choose to Save Individuals Based on Foreseen Faith?
5. Is Unconditional Election Unfair?
6. Do We Have Free Will?
7. Does Election Contradict God’s Desire That All Humans Be Saved?
8. How Does God Accomplish His Plan to Save Individuals?
9. How Do I Know If God Has Elected Me?
10. Did God Elect Babies Who Die?

PART 2: VESSELS OF WRATH
What Does the Bible Teach about Reprobation?

11. Who Ultimately Causes Reprobation?
12. How Does God Accomplish Reprobation?
13. What Is the Result of Reprobation?
14. What Is the Goal of Reprobation?
15. Who Deserves Blame for Reprobation?

Conclusion: Exult in God as You Take in the View

Here are four sermons I preached on predestination to my church in summer 2022 (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4):

Here’s an interactive two-hour talk I gave at my school’s Godward Life conference on September 29, 2023—“Do We Have Free Will?”:

Updates:

Matt Tully interview for the Crossway podcast: “Answering Hard Questions about Predestination and Free Will” (36:39 minutes, recorded 11/16/2022, released 1/29/2024).

“How Important Is It for Me to Affirm the Doctrine of Predestination?” (3:53 min. | transcript):

“2 Primary Goals of God’s Election of Sinners to Salvation” (3:33 min. | transcript)

“What Does Free Will Mean?” (4:10 min. | transcript)

“How Do the Arminian and Calvinist Views of Election Differ?” (2:42 min. | transcript)

“A Helpful Way to Understand Free Will” (5:19 min.)

“Getting Our Terms Right in the Predestination Discussion” (3:12 min.)

“How to Preach on Predestination” (1:00 min.)

“Predestination” talk at the “Theology for Everyone” Conference (15:56 min.) (4/5/2025)

 

Chosen, Born Again, and Believing: How Election, Regeneration, and Faith Relate to Each Other in the Gospel according to John

by

The next issue of The Master’s Seminary Journal just released. It’s on regeneration. I contributed this article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Chosen, Born Again, and Believing: How Election, Regeneration, and Faith Relate to Each Other in the Gospel according to John.” The Master’s Seminary Journal 32 (2021): 269–86.

Abstract:

  • This article inductively examines what key passages in the Gospel according to John say about election, regeneration, and faith (John 1:9–13; 3:3–8; 6:36–40, 44, 63–65; 8:45–47; 10:14–16, 26–29; 12:37–40; 13:18; 15:16, 19; 17:2, 6–9, 20, 24; 20:30–31).
  • Then it deductively synthesizes how the Gospel according to John contributes to a systematic theology of how election, regeneration, and faith relate to each other:
    • (1) Unconditional election logically and chronologically precedes faith. Faith is not the basis of election.
    • (2) Monergistic regeneration logically precedes and enables faith. Faith is not the basis of regeneration.
    • (3) God’s absolute sovereignty regarding election and regeneration is compatible with human responsibility regarding faith.
  • The article concludes with an observation, a warning, and an exhortation.

Providence

by

John Piper’s 751-page magnum opus is now available:

John Piper. Providence. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021.

The print book is available from Amazon, but the best deal is currently from Westminster Bookstore.

Crossway and Desiring God are generously making the entire book available for free as a PDF.

My endorsement: “John Piper helps us see and savor God’s purposeful sovereignty by inductively demonstrating what the whole Bible teaches about its ultimate goal, its nature, and its extent.”

My wife and I enjoyed watching Joe Rigney interview John Piper about the book in this 85-minute video:

For more DG resources on the sovereignty of God, see here.

Update on 5/7/2021: Mark Dever interviews John Piper in this hour-long video:

What about Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty

by

freeThis book releases next week:

Scott Christensen. What about Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2016.

My endorsement:

Many think that free will is the silver-bullet answer to some of theology’s most difficult questions. But do we have a free will?

Short answer: It depends on what you mean by free.

Long answer: Read this book. [Read more…] about What about Free Will? Reconciling Our Choices with God’s Sovereignty

Does God Desire All to Be Saved? Are There Two Wills in God?

by

I’ve probably read this essay slowly about a half-dozen times:

John Piper. “Are There Two Wills in God?” Pages 107–31 in Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace. Edited by Thomas R. Schreiner and Bruce A. Ware. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.

It’s an incredibly helpful guide.

I’ve even preached its essence a few times (e.g., in 2008: MP3 | outline).

Untitled-1So I’m delighted that Piper has expanded the essay into a short book: [Read more…] about Does God Desire All to Be Saved? Are There Two Wills in God?

Ben Witherington: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” is “not good theology”

by

“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b).

The daughters of two well-known theologians recently died, and both theologians publicly reflected on the tragic events. One is an Arminian, and one is a Calvinist:

  1. Ben Witherington (an Arminian), “What Good Grief Looks Like When a Daughter Dies: Walking the Way of Grace in the Midst of My Grief” (April 11, 2012)
  2. Fred Zaspel (a Calvinist), “Reflections on the Loss of Our Daughter” (November 13, 2013)

(HT: Tony Reinke)

Losing a daughter in the prime of her life must be unimaginably painful! But my jaw dropped when I read what Ben Witherington asserts about Job 1:21 (bullet points added):

[Read more…] about Ben Witherington: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” is “not good theology”

Don Carson on the Providence of God

by

tinkerD. A. Carson, “Foreword,” in Melvin Tinker, Intended for Good: The Providence of God (Nottingham, England: IVP, 2012), 9–10:

Fewer than two hundred years ago, a student writing an advanced paper in most history departments in British or American universities might well include some reflections on what his or her historical treatment implied about divine providence. Today it is unthinkable to include such reflection. At a more mundane level, reflections on divine providence continue to surface in trivial conversations. Not long ago I was flying home after speaking at a conference somewhere, and it appeared that our plane was going be delayed by an hour or two because of bad weather, or perhaps forced to land at another airport. Suddenly the pilot announced that there was a small break in the weather, and we were heading straight in with minimal delay. The passenger in the next seat smiled and muttered, ‘Someone up there loves me: I’ll make my connecting flight.’ I confess I smiled back and asked him, ‘If you missed your flight, would that constitute evidence that he doesn’t love you?’ [Read more…] about Don Carson on the Providence of God

A Pastorally Sensitive Book on God’s Sovereignty

by

chaseSam Storms calls this book “refreshingly honest, ruthlessly biblical, pastorally sensitive, and above all else, altogether persuasive”:

Mitchell Chase. Behold Our Sovereign God: All Things from Him, Through Him, and To Him. Brenham, TX: Lucid, 2012. [Kindle: $2.99]

It’s dedicated to John Piper and endorsed by Sam Storms, Tim Challies, Jim Hamilton, and Bruce Ware. [Read more…] about A Pastorally Sensitive Book on God’s Sovereignty