Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ³  Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

 ⁴  Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?  He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

 ⁵  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

 ⁶  “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

 ⁷  “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

 ⁸  “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;  so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  John 3:1-8. 

God saves Whom He wills to save.  That is the essential meaning of Jesus’ statement:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

We read also earlier in the Book of John:  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  John 1:12-13.  (Emphasis added.)

Racial lineage (which is “blood”) does not save.  Works do not save.  “Free-will” (which is “will of the flesh”) does not save.  Nothing produced by the flesh of man saves.  Only God saves. 

^“For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:15-16.

Doesn’t this foregoing Romans 9:15-16 resound in truth with the following John 3:8.   “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;  so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  Like we can’t trace where the wind will blow, we can’t trace the works of man or the free-will of man to determine whom God will save.

This is “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP” which is the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of salvation.  There is no condition produced by man which motivates God to save him or her. 

Moreover, this is also logically consistent with “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”. 

If it is true (and it is true):                     

”as it is written,
“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”  Romans 3:10-11:

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,”  Ephesians 2:1,

then our only “chance” for salvation is to be “born of the Spirit” which is “Unconditional Election”.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:26-31.