First off, I want to say I agree with Calvin, for the most part. One has to admit that as Calvin says, "God foreknew what end of man was to be before He made him and he foreknew it because He had ordained it by His decree," is indeed correct. Also that God's will is necessity and it is shameful of us to accuse God of injustice by 'unequally' distributing grace. Now, this is where I argue with Calvin. Does God actually unequally distribute grace? 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." God's will is not for some to perish... It says so right here. God is not wanting anyone to perish, He wants all to come to repentance. Though, God through His justice will allow man to make their own decisions, and they will have to decide between God's grace or death. When they choose death, God will give them what they chose.
Is predestination real? For sure, but maybe not in the way Calvin describes it. Any believer will have to admit that predestination exist in the life of a Christian, the Bible says it does.. But not so much where people cannot choose whether to be saved or not. Calvin would like to say that Salvation isn't a choice, instead God forces salvation upon you or denies it of you. Clearly, this is not how God operates. Take John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." If God forces salvation upon the Christian would it be belief or trust?
No matter if you believe in Calvin's Predestination or not, Calvin makes an excellent point. The Christian does not know who is an 'elect' in Christ, or who is predestined. So, the Christian's purpose does not change, he still has to spread the Gospel to all, because someone he speaks to could be predestined. We still have to preach to Gospel to Jerusalem, Samaria and the ends of the world.
The topic of predestination is very sticky to most believers. I absolutely agreed with you though, when you said, yes our paths are already known by God but we still have the power of choosing salvation or not. Although that's not something easily grasped, I think it's really important and think about!
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of discussion, let me speak in defense of predestination. It's important for us not to shy away from hard biblical questions.
ReplyDeleteFirst, John 3:16 is not the Bible verse that beats all Bible verses. You still have to deal with John 1, John 6, John 17, Ephesians 1/2, Romans 9, Acts 13:48, etc.--there has to be a full consideration of everything the Bible says on the subject. The "whosoever" in John 3:16 does not say "whosoever" in the Greek, but "pas ho pisteuewn" ("all the believing ones"). The grammar implies not that we save ourselves by strength of will, by making a choice, but that all who believe by God's grace alone are saved by Christ's atoning sacrifice. That's just the truth.
Second, what is faith? Is it something you do, or the gift of God? If something you do, then salvation is partially by works (synergism). If the gift of God, then salvation is all of grace (monergism). You have to understand predestination as an outgrowth of "grace alone." Monergism means God's in control of our salvation, not us.
Lastly, I used to be a Calvinist, but not anymore. I'm actually leaning towards confessional Lutheranism. We believe in election and predestination, though not the same as Calvinists. See our beliefs on election in the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article XI.
"If any man doth ascribe of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace" (Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will).