The idea that God predestines some to salvation and others to damnation—without regard for their response—has long stirred controversy. But to understand salvation properly, we must return to the roots: the ancient Brit Avot [Covenant of the Fathers], the Hebrew Scriptures, and the teachings of Messiah Yeshua Himself.
Salvation Before Yeshua: By Emunah [Faith], Not Force
Long before Yeshua’s earthly ministry, the Tanakh [Hebrew Bible] revealed a God who calls His people into covenant. Avraham [Abraham] “he’emin b’ יהוה, vayakhshevehah lo tzedakah” (“he believed in יהוה , and He counted it to him as righteousness,” Gen. 15:6). Avraham’s righteousness was by emunah [firm faith/trust], not by Torah observance or divine coercion.
This was not an isolated moment. The voice of the Nevi’im [Prophets] repeatedly urges, “Uvakharta ba’khayim” (“choose life,” Deut. 30:19). God’s salvation was always conditional upon response—never fatalistic or mechanical.
The Nevi’im [Prophets] Echo the Same Urgent Call: The voice of the prophets never wavers: Elohim’s salvation is always an open mikra [call/invitation], never a closed decree that overrides the heart. Yechezkel [Ezekiel] proclaims twice in the strongest possible language: “Ki lo echpotz b’mot ha’rasha, ki im b’shuv rasha midarko v’chayah” (“For I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live,” Yechezkel 18:23). And again: “Shuvu, shuvu mi-darkeikhem ha’ra’im; v’lamah tamutu, beit Yisrael?” (“Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” Yechezkel 33:11).
Yeshayahu [Isaiah] issues the same gracious summons: “Ho, kol tzamei, l’khu lamayim…” (“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters…” Yeshayahu 55:1), and “Dirshu יהוה be’himatzo, q’ra’uhu bihyoto karov” (“Seek יהוה while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near,” Yeshayahu 55:6).
These are not the words of a Sovereign who has already decided who lives and who dies apart from response. These are the words of a Father who longs for His children to turn and live. The condition is always the same: shuv [turn/repent] and he’emin [believe/trust]. Never coercion. Never fatalism.
Predestination in Light of Yedi‘ah Kodemet [Foreknowledge]
Passages like Romans 8:29 and Ephesians 1 speak of predestination—but within the context of yedi‘ah kodemet [foreknowledge]. Sha’ul [Paul the Apostle] says clearly: “those whom He foreknew, He therefore predestined” (Rom. 8:29). This echoes the pattern found throughout the Ketuvim [Writings]: God’s sovereign plan always anticipates human response but does not override it.
Election is in Messiah (Eph. 1:4)—that is, God predestines those who are united with Yeshua through faith, no one has faith before they exist. It is not an arbitrary cosmic selection before birth.
Mashal [Parable] and Invitation
Yeshua’s use of mishlim [parables] was not a mechanism to blind, but a test of the heart. While Isaiah 6 and Matthew 13 reference spiritual dullness, Yeshua concludes: “Blessed are your eyes because they see” (Matt. 13:16). His parables drew the humble closer, even as the proud turned away. Rejection was not due to divine exclusion—it was due to hardened hearts.
“Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim… how often I wanted to gather your children… but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37). God desires to save. People resist.
Faith as Response, Not Merit
Salvation is by khesed [compassion], through emunah [firm trust/faith]—not human merit. But that emunah is a response. “Everyone who calls on the Name of יהוה will be saved” (Rom. 10:13, citing Joel 3:5 [2:32]). The call is universal; the response personal. As Revelation 3:20 pictures Yeshua: “Hineini, omed al ha’dalet u’dofek” (“Behold, I stand at the door and knock”). The Sovereign One waits for a response—He does not bulldoze the door.
The Fruit of Calvin’s Theology
John Calvin’s deterministic theology produced bitter fruit. His Geneva became a theocratic police state:
- Michael Servetus, a Jewish physician and theologian who trusted in Messiah Yeshua, was burned alive in 1553 after being condemned by Calvin for anti-Trinitarian beliefs. He wanted to have the conversation with Calvin, and showed up at his ‘church’ to have that conversation, after having written him a friendly letter, in the bond of faith. And then John Calvin personally approved and justified his execution. [1]
- A 9-year-old girl was executed in Geneva for disobedience to her parents. She swatted at her mother’s hand in public. John Calvin had her beheaded. He approved of capital punishments for what today would be minor infractions. [2]
- Dozens were imprisoned, banished, or executed for theological nonconformity. Many were hung on a fence, falsely accused of witchcraft, for not agreeing with Calvin. Many of his adherents today have demonstrated that same arrogant, cruel spirit. [3]
This is not the Ruakh HaKodesh [Holy Spirit] at work. It is theological tyranny—justified by a distorted view of divine sovereignty.
Salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22)
Some today downplay the Jewish roots of our faith. But Sha’ul declares: “It is not you who support the root, but the root supports you” (Rom. 11:18). Gentiles are nitzmadim [grafted in] to Etz HaZayit [the Olive Tree] of Israel.
Yeshua is HaYehudi [the Jew]. His shlikhim [apostles] are Jews. Their Scriptures were the Tanakh. To “stop playing at being Jewish,” as one recent critic said, is to cut oneself off from the very foundation of Brit khadashah [Renewed Covenant] faith.
Conclusion: The Gracious Mikra [Call] of Elohim – Choose Life Today Salvation is not a cosmic lottery awarded to an arbitrarily chosen few before the foundation of the world. It is a divine mikra [call/invitation] extended to every heart. The Ro’eh Tov [Good Shepherd] still calls. He still knocks. He still waits.
“Hineini, omed al ha’dalet u’dofek” (“Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” Revelation 3:20). The Sovereign One does not break the door down. He waits for the latch to lift from the inside — because love that coerces is not love at all.
This is the consistent witness of the entire Tanakh, from Avraham’s emunah [firm trust] in Genesis 15:6, through the prophets’ passionate “Choose life!” (Devarim 30:19), to Yeshua’s tearful cry over Yerushalayim: “How often I wanted to gather your children… but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37).
The deterministic theology that produced the theocratic cruelties of Geneva — the burning of Servetus, the execution of a nine-year-old child, the banishment and death of dissenters — is not the fruit of the Ruakh HaKodesh. It is the fruit of a distorted view of sovereignty that turns the loving Father of the Brit Avot into a cosmic tyrant.
But the root still supports the branches (Rom. 11:18). Yeshua is HaYehudi [the Jew]. The Tanakh is still our Scripture. The Olive Tree is still Israel. To cut ourselves off from that living root and “stop playing at being Jewish” is to sever ourselves from the very covenant in which salvation was first offered by khesed [compassion] and received by emunah [faith].
Therefore hear the ancient call once more: “Uvakharta ba’chayim — Choose life!” (Devarim 30:19). “Shuvu v’chiyu — Turn and live!” (Yechezkel 18:32). “Kol asher yikra b’shem יהוה yivasha — Whoever calls on the Name of יהוה will be saved” (Yoel 3:5 / Rom. 10:13).
The door is still open. The Shepherd is still calling. Will you answer?
Footnotes
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Execution of Michael Servetus: Roland Bainton, Hunted Heretic: The Life and Death of Michael Servetus, Beacon Press, 1953.
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Child Executions and Harsh Discipline in Geneva: See Bruce Gordon, Calvin, Yale University Press, 2009, pp. 214–216.
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Calvin’s Theocratic Rule: Will Durant, The Reformation: A History of European Civilization from Wycliffe to Calvin, Simon & Schuster, 1957, pp. 498–500.