BISHOP JACOB ONGALA ON FREE WILL AND ELECTION: Jacob Ongala Owiti : ‘’As a people, the gentile believers are given promise to enter the promise of eternal life. Indeed, we read this through the mind of Paul we see him teach the gentiles election of a community rather than individuals. In many places he stresses the use of the plural and collective terms such as “those,” “many,” etc. The same was with Israel. In fact, Israel itself is called, elect, and beloved of God (Rom. 11:28-29; Roman 11:2). In Rom. 11:26 Paul declares that all Israel will be saved and I believe that will happen in future. Nevertheless, in the present age many in Israel are falling away so they are not going to partake salvation experience (see Rom 11 and 1 Corinthians 10). In the verses, we see individuals and subgroups that part of the elect Jew community including gentiles can and will apostatize and be cut off from salvation (see Rom. 11:22).’’ RESPONSE COMMENTS BY CHARLES O. NDEGE You talk of lack of clarity and incoherency. The beloved bishop has fallen victim to the irrationalism that has infested the contemporary Church like a plague. We marvel that such stuff can be released for public consumption before evaluation for clarity and coherency. 1)’’As a people, the Gentile believers are given promise to enter the PROMISE of eternal life.’’-Bishop Ongala. Believers are not given promise to enter the promise of eternal life. They are given assurance that they already have eternal life. (1John 5:11-13). 2)‘’Indeed, we read this through the mind of Paul we see him teach the election of a community rather than individuals.’’- Bishop Ongala. Paul never taught ‘’ the Gentiles election of a community.’’ God only chose or elected Israel as a nation out of the other nations. In this dispensation he has done away with choice of nations and instead chooses individuals from all the nations of the earth. ‘’There is neither Jew nor Greek….’’(Galatians 3:28). 3)’’In many places he stresses the use of plural and collective terms such as ‘’those’’ and ‘’many’’ etc. –Bishop Ongala. First and foremost, Paul does not STRESS the use of plural. Instead he uses plural as the construction of his grammar demands. The use of ‘’ those’’ and ‘’many’’ can not only be used to describe plurality of communities or groups. That would be poor grammar. Collection of individuals can also be expressed in plurality. 4)’’The same was with Israel. In fact, Israel itself is called elect, and beloved of God.(Romans 11:28-29; Romans 11:2). –Bishop Ongala. No, it can not be true with Israel. Israel as a nation was elect. There were no more that one elect nation to warrant reference in plurality. That would be absurd. As one nation, Israel was the beloved of God. 5)’’In Romans 11:26 Paul declares that all Israel will be saved and I believe that will happen in future.’’-Bishop Ongala. But, in the above text, Paul meant all individual Israelites of the nation Israel will be saved. And this has nothing to do with present situation for it will happen in future. 6)’’Nevertheless, in the present age many in Israel are falling away so they are not going to partake salvation experience(see Romans 11 and 1Corinthians 10). Bishop Ongala. It is not true that many in Israel are falling away. They are instead blinded in part. If what they sought for they did not receive, how can they fall from what they had not partaken? 7)’’In the verses, we see individuals and subgroups that part of the elect community including the Gentiles can and will apostatize and be cut off from salvation (see Romans 11:22). I confess my inability to grasp logical conceptual meaning out of what the bishop tries to explain above. ‘’Individuals and subgroups that part of the elect Jew community including Gentiles’’ is ambiguous and doesn’t make sense to me. May the Lord grant to us more of his grace to enable us be sound in articulation of biblical concepts for edification of the Church. God is not the author of confusion. Charles O.Ndege.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 09:10:12 +0000
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