So Also in Christ: Re-Viewing the Plan of Salvation

Rating:
Summary: The Calvinistic Tension is Still Unrelieved
Review: This review should be read in conjunction with my review of Punt's other two books, "Unconditional Good News" and "What's Good About the Good News?" Punt's new book, "So Also in Christ," is taller but slimmer than the other two and takes its title from 1 Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive". He states in his introduction that his new book is "intended for individual or small group study," therefore, each of the first nine chapters ends with discussion questions to encourage exploration and understanding of the concepts presented. Although the book is more streamlined and formatted differently than the other two, no significant building on the concepts already presented in the other books is attempted. As I've indicated in my other reviews, I think Punt's Calvinism will be an obstacle to the more perceptive Arminians and non-Calvinists who find Punt's view otherwise insightful (like myself) because his Calvinism implies an unconditional bad news or divine reprobation of those not unconditionally elect in Christ which militates against the positive aspects of his view. Although Punt calls his view "Biblical Universalism," he qualifies it to the point of reducing it to a Calvinistic generalism. Although I reject Punt's Calvinism, I've learned much from him and other Calvinists (so much so that I no longer consider myself an "Arminian," or a "Calvinist"). I consider him a significant contributor to the current debate among Arminians (A), Calvinists (C) and non-A/Cs, although he appears to be little known or ignored among the major contributors (Sproul, Corner, Geisler, White, Vance, Hunt, etc.).

For those unfamiliar with Biblical Universalism (BU), Punt offers the following: "BU is the teaching that all persons are elect in Christ except those who the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost, namely, those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them whether in nature/conscience or in gospel presentation. Biblical Universalism is based on three biblical facts: 1) the so-called `universalistic' texts speak of a certain-to-be-realized salvation as Calvinists have consistently maintained, and they do so in terms of all persons as Arminians have always affirmed. 2) All persons, except Jesus Christ, are liable for and polluted by the imputed sin of Adam (original sin). However, the Scriptures do not teach or imply that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam apart from actual, willful, and persistent sin on the part of the person so consigned. 3) We must accept the so-called `universalistic' texts as written. We may allow only those exceptions that are necessarily imposed upon these passages from the broader context of the Scriptures as a whole" (pg. 83).

Although Punt doesn't believe the Scriptures teach that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam, his Calvinism strongly implies that the "actual, willful, and persistent sin" of the one eternally damned is unavoidable and/or inevitable because, according to Punt, "no one conceived and born in sin has the capacity within himself or herself to choose the good" (pgs. 60 - 61). This means original sin (which is actual, not potential) will irresistibly cause the sin that damns those to hell who are not elect in Christ. Calling it "actual, willful, and persistent" sin doesn't relieve this cold, hard Calvinistic fact.

Rating:
Summary: The Calvinistic Tension is Still Unrelieved
Review: This review should be read in conjunction with my review of Punt's other two books, "Unconditional Good News" and "What's Good About the Good News?" Punt's new book, "So Also in Christ," is taller but slimmer than the other two and takes its title from 1 Corinthians 15:22: "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive". He states in his introduction that his new book is "intended for individual or small group study," therefore, each of the first nine chapters ends with discussion questions to encourage exploration and understanding of the concepts presented. Although the book is more streamlined and formatted differently than the other two, no significant building on the concepts already presented in the other books is attempted. As I've indicated in my other reviews, I think Punt's Calvinism will be an obstacle to the more perceptive Arminians and non-Calvinists who find Punt's view otherwise insightful (like myself) because his Calvinism implies an unconditional bad news or divine reprobation of those not unconditionally elect in Christ which militates against the positive aspects of his view. Although Punt calls his view "Biblical Universalism," he qualifies it to the point of reducing it to a Calvinistic generalism. Although I reject Punt's Calvinism, I've learned much from him and other Calvinists (so much so that I no longer consider myself an "Arminian," or a "Calvinist"). I consider him a significant contributor to the current debate among Arminians (A), Calvinists (C) and non-A/Cs, although he appears to be little known or ignored among the major contributors (Sproul, Corner, Geisler, White, Vance, Hunt, etc.).

For those unfamiliar with Biblical Universalism (BU), Punt offers the following: "BU is the teaching that all persons are elect in Christ except those who the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost, namely, those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them whether in nature/conscience or in gospel presentation. Biblical Universalism is based on three biblical facts: 1) the so-called 'universalistic' texts speak of a certain-to-be-realized salvation as Calvinists have consistently maintained, and they do so in terms of all persons as Arminians have always affirmed. 2) All persons, except Jesus Christ, are liable for and polluted by the imputed sin of Adam (original sin). However, the Scriptures do not teach or imply that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam apart from actual, willful, and persistent sin on the part of the person so consigned. 3) We must accept the so-called 'universalistic' texts as written. We may allow only those exceptions that are necessarily imposed upon these passages from the broader context of the Scriptures as a whole" (pg. 83).

Although Punt doesn't believe the Scriptures teach that anyone is consigned to eternal damnation solely on the basis of their sin in Adam, his Calvinism strongly implies that the "actual, willful, and persistent sin" of the one eternally damned is unavoidable and/or inevitable because, according to Punt, "no one conceived and born in sin has the capacity within himself or herself to choose the good" (pgs. 60 - 61). This means original sin (which is actual, not potential) will irresistibly cause the sin that damns those to hell who are not elect in Christ. Calling it "actual, willful, and persistent" sin doesn't relieve this cold, hard Calvinistic fact.