Index of proof texts¶
Every text the casebook treats, with the Reformed claim and the one-line answer. Click through for the full file.
If a verse is missing, it is either handled inside another file (noted below) or on the list to be added — see ../_meta/PROGRESS.md. The second edition added John 8:47; John 17; Romans 5; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Acts 16:14; Acts 18:10; 2 Timothy 1:9; Revelation 13:8/17:8; a book-of-life collection; and a new-birth/calling collection.
Old Testament¶
| Text | Calvinist use | Short answer | File |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 50:20 | God ordains all events, including evil. | God overrules the brothers' evil for good; the text distinguishes their intention from God's. | sovereignty-texts.md |
| Deut 30:19 | — | "Choose life" presupposes genuine ability; 30:11-14 says the word is not too hard, and Paul applies it to the gospel (Rom 10:6-8). | deuteronomy-30-19.md |
| Prov 21:1 | God turns the king's heart. | Political providence over rulers, not the causal determination of every choice. | sovereignty-texts.md |
| Isa 46:10 | God declares the end from the beginning. | God's redemptive purpose for Israel and the nations is certain; not a decree of every event. | sovereignty-texts.md |
| Isa 55:1 | — | A free, universal summons; hearing and coming are commanded and possible. | isaiah-55-01.md |
| Ezek 36:26-27 | Regeneration precedes faith. | New-covenant restoration for Israel; teaches divine initiative, not an individual ordo salutis; 36:37 makes prayer a means. | ezekiel-36-26-27.md |
| Dan 4:35 | God does as he wills. | The confession of a humbled king about God's rule over nations; not a statement of causal determinism. | sovereignty-texts.md |
| Mal 1:2-3 | "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated" = individual election. | Quoted 1,500 years later about the nations descended from them (Gen 25:23); covenant preference, not eternal destiny. | romans-09-01-24.md |
Gospels¶
| Text | Calvinist use | Short answer | File |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt 11:28 | — | A universal, sincere invitation; the only condition is coming. | matthew-11-28.md |
| Matt 23:37 | — | Christ's genuine longing for Jerusalem, frustrated by their unwillingness; the judgment is grounded in "you were not willing." | matthew-23-37.md |
| John 1:12-13 | Regeneration is God's act, not human will. | v.13 excludes natural descent and privilege, not the act of receiving; the new birth is entered through receiving. | john-01-12-13.md |
| John 3:16 | "World" = the elect. | Kosmos is the world of humanity in rebellion; the giving grounds a universal offer; "whoever believes" states the condition. | john-03-16.md |
| John 5:40 | — | "You refuse to come" — the refusal is culpable, and life was genuinely available. | john-05-40.md |
| John 8:47 | "Not of God" = reprobate, unable to hear. | "Of God" is moral/relational in John; the "cannot" is culpable unwillingness; the chapter ends in invitation. | john-08-47.md |
| John 6:37 | The Father gives a definite number, who all come. | The "given" are defined by coming/believing (v.40); Judas was "given" and lost (17:12); "I will never cast out" is the point. | john-06-37.md |
| John 6:44 | Irresistible drawing of the elect. | The operative clause is "no one can come"; the drawing is the Father's teaching (v.45); the same verb draws all in 12:32. | john-06-44.md |
| John 6:45 | Effectual teaching. | The drawing is teaching; "everyone who has heard and learned" makes learning the condition. | john-06-45.md |
| John 6:65 | Coming requires a divine grant. | True — but "granted" is the same as "given," and the text does not say some are eternally denied. | john-06-65.md |
| John 10:26-29 | Not my sheep = not elect; sheep cannot be lost. | The sheep are defined by hearing (v.27); the "other sheep" widen the flock; "snatch" is external force, not self-abandonment. | john-10-26-29.md |
| John 12:32 | — | The same verb as 6:44 draws "all people"; if drawing is irresistible, universalism follows. | john-12-32.md |
| John 15:16 | "I chose you" = eternal election. | Apostolic appointment and fruit-bearing (cf. 6:70, Judas was chosen); mission language. | john-15-16.md |
| John 1:9; James 1:18; 1 Pet 1:3-5; 1 Thess 1:4; Rom 11:32; Rev 5:9 | New birth and calling prove irresistible grace and definite atonement. | These texts locate the means in the word, the scope in "all" and "every nation," and the evidence in the response of faith. | new-birth-and-calling-texts.md |
| John 17:1-26 | "I am not praying for the world" = limited atonement. | A present-tense petition for the disciples; it widens in v.20 and aims at the world's belief in v.21; intercession is not the extent of the sacrifice. | john-17-01-26.md |
Acts and Paul¶
| Text | Calvinist use | Short answer | File |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 2:23; 4:27-28 | God decrees all things, including the cross. | The cross is the revealed instance of God's purpose through human evil; the perpetrators remain responsible. | sovereignty-texts.md |
| Acts 13:48 | Eternal decree of individual election. | No agent and no time are named; v.46 supplies a self-judgment parallel; tassō can mean "dispose." | acts-13-48.md |
| Acts 16:14 | Regeneration precedes faith; grace irresistible. | "Opened her heart to pay attention"; Lydia was already a God-fearer; "opening" is perceptual enablement. | acts-16-14.md |
| Acts 18:10 | "Many people" = the elect, chosen before conversion. | Laos is covenant language; the vision is for Paul's protection and mission; the verse names no decree. | acts-18-10.md |
| Rom 5:12-21 | The second "all" = the elect; definite atonement. | The parallel is Adam/Christ; the gift is received by faith (5:17); "many" is a Semitic inclusive. | romans-05-12-21.md |
| Rom 8:28-30 | The golden chain of unconditional election. | Proegnō is relational foreknowledge; the chain's goal is conformity to Christ; no reprobation. | romans-08-28-30.md |
| Rom 9:1-24 | Unconditional individual election and reprobation. | The chapter concerns national Israel and the Gentiles; the quotations are corporate; Romans 11 leaves the hardened room to return. | romans-09-01-24.md |
| Rom 9:16 | "Not of him who wills" = no human response. | Exodus 33:19 in the golden-calf crisis; mercy versus law-righteousness (9:30-32), not mercy versus believing. | romans-09-16.md |
| Rom 9:17-18 | Pharaoh = reprobation. | Judicial hardening after self-hardening; "raised up" = preserved/displayed; the vessels of wrath have no stated agent. | romans-09-17-18.md |
| Rom 11:7-10 | The elect obtained it, the rest hardened. | National Israel; the hardening is temporary and reversible (11:11, 23). | romans-11-07-10.md |
| 1 Cor 1:26-31 | God chose the foolish = unconditional individual election. | The point is the kind of people God calls; "not many" leaves exceptions; the context is boasting and status. | 1-corinthians-01-26-31.md |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | The natural person cannot understand. | About the wisdom of the cross as folly to the unspiritual; Paul still persuades (2 Cor 5:11). | 1-corinthians-02-14.md |
| 2 Cor 5:14-15 | "All" = the elect. | The same "all" in both clauses; v.19 "world"; v.20 universal appeal. | 2-corinthians-05-14-15.md |
| Eph 1:3-14 | Individual unconditional election. | "In Christ" is the controlling phrase; the purpose is holiness; the audience is the faithful in Christ. | ephesians-01-03-14.md |
| Eph 2:1-10 | Regeneration precedes faith. | Teaches divine initiative and salvation by grace through faith; "dead" is alienation; "through faith" is instrumental. | ephesians-02-01-10.md |
| Phil 1:29 | Faith is an irresistible gift. | Charizomai = freely grant; the same verb governs suffering; the verse does not say faith is infused. | philippians-01-29.md |
| 2 Thess 2:13 | Election from the beginning. | The means are stated (sanctification and belief in the truth); "from the beginning," not "before the foundation." | 2-thessalonians-02-13.md |
| 1 Tim 2:4 | "All" = all kinds. | The "all kinds" reading reverses vv.1-2; the same "all" governs prayer for individuals and the ransom of v.6. | 1-timothy-02-04.md |
| 2 Tim 1:9 | Grace given to the elect before time. | The grace is "in Christ"; the contrast is works vs. grace; the calling is the gospel call, "through the gospel." | 2-timothy-01-09.md |
| Titus 3:5 | Regeneration precedes faith. | Works versus mercy, not faith versus regeneration; no ordo stated; 3:7 justification by grace. | titus-03-05.md |
| Heb 2:9 | "Everyone" = every son. | Unrestricted "everyone"; grounded in the incarnation and the defeat of death. | hebrews-02-09.md |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | "Any" = any of the elect. | "Any" and "all" are parallel and unqualified; the delay is for repentance; 2:1 says apostates were "bought." | 2-peter-03-09.md |
| 1 Pet 1:1-2 | Elect according to an unconditional decree. | Election is "according to foreknowledge," Trinitarian and purposive. | 1-peter-01-01-02.md |
| 1 John 2:2 | "Whole world" = the elect from all nations. | Contrast is "our sins" versus "the whole world"; 5:19 uses the same phrase of the unbelieving world. | 1-john-02-2.md |
Revelation¶
| Text | Calvinist use | Short answer | File |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev 13:8; 17:8 | Names written before creation = eternal election. | The phrase may modify "written" or "slain"; the book is the Lamb's; Revelation itself speaks of blotting out. | revelation-13-08-and-17-08.md |
| Rev 22:17 | — | The canon's final universal invitation; the only condition is desire. | revelation-22-17.md |
Texts handled inside other files¶
- John 17:6, 9, 12 — the "given" and the high-priestly prayer: john-17-01-26.md, john-06-37.md, ../03-atonement/04-sheep-and-other-sheep.md.
- John 6:39-40, 47 — the chapter's own conditions: john-06-37.md.
- Exod 32:32-33; Ps 69:28; Dan 12:1 — the book of life in the Old Testament: book-of-life-texts.md.
- Ezek 18:23, 32; 33:11 — God's unwillingness that any perish: ../02-proof-texts/2-peter-03-09.md, ../05-consistency/06-the-love-of-god-for-the-non-elect.md.
- Matt 26:28; Mark 10:45 — "for many": ../03-atonement/03-the-meaning-of-all.md.
- Acts 17:30 — the universal command: ../03-atonement/03-the-meaning-of-all.md.
- Rev 3:5; 20:12-15; 22:19 — the book of life, blotting out, and the moral judgment: book-of-life-texts.md.
See also¶
- ../10-reference/02-scripture-index.md — the same material in canonical order.
- ../00-start-here/05-a-one-page-summary.md — the five key texts in one page.
- ../07-answers/ — the standard objections.
- ../03-atonement/ — the extent of the atonement.