This research paper by Matthew B. McFarling, submitted to Dr. Robert J. Cara for NT520 – Pauline Epistles at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte, investigates the perceived tension between God’s love and the Reformed doctrine of predestination. McFarling argues that Paul’s theology resolves this supposed contradiction by showing that love is both the motive and the goal of divine election. Rather than conflicting concepts, love and predestination are inseparably linked in the apostle’s thought.
Drawing from key passages such as 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Romans 8–9, and Ephesians 1, McFarling demonstrates that election originates in God’s eternal love and culminates in the believer’s responsive love toward Him. He analyzes the participial form of “beloved” (ēgapēmenoi) in 1 Thessalonians 1:4 and 2 Thessalonians 2:13 to show that election proceeds from a completed act of divine love with enduring effects. He further examines Paul’s use of “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Rom. 9:13), concluding that God’s sovereign prerogative in election does not negate His goodness but displays a higher, effectual form of love unique to divine grace.
In Ephesians 1:3–6, McFarling explores how believers are chosen “in love,” linking divine election with human sanctification and affection for God. He concludes with Romans 8:28–30, where the believer’s love for God is presented as the fruit of being foreknown and predestined by Him. McFarling’s synthesis portrays predestination as the doctrine of how a sovereign God loves—unconditionally, graciously, and for His own glory—producing in the elect a transformative love that mirrors His own.
Course and semester: NT520 Pauline Epistles — Spring 2019