(See my full series on “Calvinism’s ‘Reading Rainbow‘”)
John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” Does this teach the the doctrine of divine election? Albert Mohler says yes, but James White says no. Who is correct. Let’s discuss… (More at Election According to Jesus)
Here is the Calvinist/TULIP/Reformed reading
John 15:14–19 — The “Calvinized” Reading
What happens when we take Jesus’ words to His disciples and read them as though He were directly explaining the Calvinistic doctrine of unconditional individual election to a modern Reformed believer?
14 “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
[MODERN REFORMED BELIEVER]:
I am one of Christ’s elect, and my obedience demonstrates that I am truly regenerated and therefore one of His genuine believers.
15 “I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.”
[MODERN REFORMED BELIEVER]:
Jesus has revealed the truth to me because I am one of God’s elect. His saving revelation has been effectually given to me because God has chosen me.
16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain…”
[MODERN REFORMED BELIEVER]:
“I did not choose Christ. Christ unconditionally chose me for salvation before I was born. His sovereign choice preceded my faith, and His effectual calling ensured that I would believe.”
17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.”
[MODERN REFORMED BELIEVER]:
My obedience and love for other believers are evidence that I am genuinely elect. If I persevere in faith and obedience, I demonstrate that I was truly regenerated.
18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.”
[MODERN REFORMED BELIEVER]:
The world hates me because I am one of God’s elect and therefore belong to Christ rather than to the world.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.”
[MODERN REFORMED BELIEVER]:
“Jesus chose me out of the world because I am one of the individuals God unconditionally elected to salvation rather than one of those whom He passed over.”
Responding to the Calvinist Reading
The Calvinist reading of John 15:16 begins with something absolutely true: Jesus chose His disciples. The problem is what is then inferred from that statement. Jesus says,
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain.”
The Calvinist interpretation often moves from “I chose you” to “God unconditionally chose you for salvation,” and then from “I appointed you” to “God effectually called you.”
But those additional theological conclusions are not actually stated in the passage. The immediate context tells us what Jesus’ choice involved: He chose and appointed these disciples to go, bear fruit, remain faithful, love one another, and serve as His witnesses in the world. In fact, just three verses later Jesus explains this choice by saying, “because I have chosen you out of the world,” in the context of warning these same disciples that the world will hate and persecute them. The question is therefore not whether there is divine election in John 15:16—there clearly is—but what Jesus elected these people to do. A sound hermeneutic requires us to let the context answer that question before importing a systematic-theological definition of election into the text.
This is where hermeneutics becomes especially important. The principles of definition, usage, context, historical setting, logic, unity, and inference remind us that a conclusion may be true in a larger theological system without being the meaning of a particular verse. See my Five-Finger Life Punch that simply puts the matter thus:
biblical hermeneutics seeks to recover the meaning communicated to the original hearers, while exegesis draws meaning out of the text rather than reading our presuppositions into it.
John 15 is Jesus speaking to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion, preparing them for continued obedience, fruitfulness, persecution, and witness. John 17 continues this same distinction: Jesus specifically prays for those given to Him and entrusted with His word, and then distinguishes them from those who will subsequently believe through their message. The apostles have a unique role as Christ’s appointed witnesses.
Therefore, when a modern Reformed believer reads “You did not choose Me” as “you were unable to choose Christ,” “I chose you” as “I unconditionally elected you to salvation,” and “I appointed you” as “I effectually called you,” he has moved beyond what John 15:16 actually says.
The issue is not whether God chooses; the issue is whether we have allowed the text to define what His choosing means, or whether we have made the Calvinistic system define it for us.
That is precisely the difference between exegesis and eisegesis.
Exegesis – (Gk. explanation) Critical exposition or explanation of the meaning of a scriptural passage in the context of the whole Bible. The reader of Scripture studies the word meanings and grammar of the text to discern what… was communicated, drawing the meaning out of the text rather than reading what he wants into the text (eisegesis).
Eisegesis – is the process of interpreting a text or portion of text in such a way that it introduces one’s own presuppositions, agendas, and/or biases into and onto the text.
[….]
- Who was the writer?
- To whom were they writing?
- Is the choice of words, wording, or word order significant in this particular passage?
- What is the cultural, historical context?
- What was the author’s original intended meaning?
- How did the author’s contemporaries understand him?
- Why did he say it that way?
[….]
3) Rule of Context: Avoid using words out of context. Context must define terms and how words are used.
- Many a passage of Scripture will not be understood at all without the help afforded by the context; for many a sentence derives all its point and force from the connection in which it stands. (Biblical Hermeneutics, Terry. M. S.. p. 117. 1896.)
- [Bible words] must be understood according to the requirements of the context. (Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 97.)
- Every word you read must be understood in the light of the words that come before and after it. (How to Make Sense, Flesch, Rudolph, p. 51, Harper & Brothers. 1959.)
- [Bible words] when used out of context . . . can prove almost anything. [Some interpreters] twist them . . . from a natural to a non?natural sense. (Irenaeus, second century church father, quoted in Inspiration and Interpretation, p. 50, Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1957.)
- The meaning must be gathered from the context. (Encyclopedia Britannica, Interpretation of Documents. V. 8, p. 912. 1959.)
RPT: A Study On Ways To Approach Scripture That Create Sound Doctrine
This is a slightly truncated version of a Faith On Fire video. I am not always a fan of his style, or hyperbole… but this was good.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
RPT. “A Short Study on Ways to Approach Scripture That Create Sound Doctrine.” Religio-Political Talk. Accessed October 4, 2026. Religio-Political Talk
RPT. Five-Finger Life Punch. Religio-Political Talk, August 2023. Five-Finger Life Punch
“John 15:16 De-Calvinized.” YouTube video. YouTube
Myers, Jeremy. “John 15:16—‘You Did Not Choose Me, but I Chose You.’” Redeeming God. Redeeming God
“John 15:16—‘You Did Not Choose Me, but I Chose You.’” Answering Calvinism. Answering Calvinism
BIBLICAL PASSAGES REFERENCED
The argument also draws substantially on John 6:70; John 13:18; John 15:1–27; John 17:6–20; Acts 10:39–43; Romans 3:1–2; Ephesians 3:1–12; and Genesis 12:1–3.