"Not
Willing That Any Should Perish"
A critical examination of the doctrine of Determinism as taught by
Augustine, Calvin, Luther et al., but particularly as set forth by Calvinism's
Five Points: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible
Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints.
by:
Allan Turner
John Calvin, the brilliant systematic theologian of the
Reformation, in explaining Predestination, said:
"Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which He has
determined in Himself, what would have to become of every individual of
mankind. For they are not all created with a similar destiny; but eternal life
is foreordained for some and eternal death for others. Every man, therefore, being
created for one or the other of these ends, we say he is predestinated either
to life or to death."1 According to Loraine Boettner,
the well-known interpreter of Calvinism, Martin Luther, the father of the
Reformation, "was as zealous for absolute predestination as was
Calvin."2 To prove his point, Boettner quotes Luther's commentary on Romans, where Luther
said: "All things whatever arise from, and depend on, the divine
appointment; whereby it was foreordained who should receive the word of life,
and who should disbelieve it; who should be delivered from their sins, and who
should be hardened in them; and who should be justified and who should be
condemned." To further make his point, Boettner even quotes Melanchthon, Calvin's student, who is
reported to have said: "All things turn out according to divine
predestination; not only the works we do outwardly, but even the thoughts we
think inwardly"; and again, "There is no such thing as chance, or
fortune; nor is there a readier way to gain the fear of God...than to be
thoroughly versed in the doctrine of Predestination." Furthermore,
Benjamin B. Warfield, who in the opinion of some Calvinists is the most
outstanding Reformed theologian since Calvin himself, makes his belief in
absolute predestination very clear. In an article entitled
"Predestination," Warfield said that Predestination was "broad
enough to embrace the whole universe of things, and minute enough to concern
itself with the smallest details, and actualizing itself with inevitable
certainty in every event that comes to pass."3
What Calvinists Teach Is Clear
Calvinists believe that absolutely nothing happens that God has not
foreordained or predestined to happen! If an individual goes to heaven, it is
because God predestined that he would, independent of anything this individual
would do of his own free will; on the other hand, if an individual goes to
hell, it is because God predestined that he would, independent of anything this
individual would do of his own free will. This point is
clearly stated in the Westminster Confession: "Those of mankind that are
predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid,
according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good
pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of His
mere grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or
perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as
conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto; and all to the praise of His
glorious grace."4 It is against such error that this
study is dedicated.
What I Believe The Bible Teaches
I believe the Bible teaches that Christ died for all people, for those who
perish no less than for those who are saved; that the election of the saints is
not an unconditional act of God; that saving grace is actually extended to
every man, which he may then receive or reject; that man may resist the Holy
Spirit's invitation to be saved, if he so chooses; that God's grace, once
accepted, can then be rejected, and is, therefore, not necessarily permanent,
but that those who are ransomed by the precious blood of Christ can, if they
are so disposed, throw away all God has so graciously given them and perish
eternally. This statement is not a
creed to be implemented in all the churches; it is,
instead, my own systematic theology. It is my conviction that all these things are taught in the Bible. I stand ready to give a reason for
the hope that is in me by citing book, chapter, and verse for what I believe. Actually,
the design of this study is to do exactly this! As I examine the cardinal
arguments of Calvinism, I will be refuting each argument the Calvinists make
with a "thus sayeth the Lord." This is only
as it should be, for the final authority by which any doctrine or theological
system is to be judged must always be God's word.
Put On Your Thinking Cap
When it comes to Calvinism, many Christians continue
to be "children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie
in wait to deceive."5 This is not because the Bible is somehow
unclear on the subject. The Bible clearly and emphatically denies Calvinism. If
God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance,"6 then Calvinism simply
cannot be true. The problem for many is that the Bible is not a book on
systematic theology. For example, the Bible teaches, but does not
systematically set forth, the doctrines of the triune nature of God, the deity
of Christ, the personality of the Holy Spirit, the reality of future rewards in
heaven and condemnation in hell, all of which are questioned
by some who claim to be Christians. The Bible is God's special revelation to
man. As such, it has a beginning and an end. When one has studied this
revelation from beginning to end, he then knows what it is God wants him to
know about the myriad subjects contained therein. Only then can one begin to
systematize these subjects. Although systematization is an essential process of
theology,7 it is at this very point that
men begin to go astray. This problem is dealt with by
the apostle Paul, who said, "Study to shew
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."8
God's word always accomplishes what He intends; in other words, it never
returns void.9 Therefore, how we interpret or "rightly
divide" the Scriptures is extremely important. It is at this point that
sheep begin to be separated from goats.10 There
is no excuse for getting caught up in the error of Calvinism, none except
ignorance of God's word! Unfortunately, ignorance is a major problem among
God's people today. Some are ignorant because they are still babes in Christ.
Others are ignorant because they lack someone to teach them. Still, other
Christians are ignorant through no fault but their own. They do not like to
study God's word. Studying is hard work. It requires one to think and, quite frankly, these folks just do not want to think.
However, if we are not ready to study the word of God, thinking it out and
thinking it through, then we will, quite naturally, wrest the Scriptures to our
own destruction.11 If you are not willing to "gird up the loins
of your mind,"12 then this study is not for you. Consequently,
your lot in this life is to be "tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to deceive."13 On the other hand, if you, like
a new born babe, "desire the pure milk of the
word, that you may grow thereby,"14 then I believe you will
appreciate this study.
Search The Scriptures
Remember, this study represents the thinking of the author, who has endeavored
to "speak as the oracles of God."15 He could be wrong!
Ultimately, it is your responsibility to "search the Scriptures" for yourself 16 to see whether these things are so.17
The author has cited passages he believes authenticate his arguments. As you engage
in this study, please read these passages for yourself. Make sure they are used correctly and not taken out of context. May God
richly bless you as you study His word.
Notes
1 Institutes, Book III, Chapter XXI, section 5.
2 The Reformed Doctrine Of
Predestination, page 15.
3 Biblical Doctrines, pages 13,22.
4 Chapter III, sections III-VII.
5 Ephesians 4:14.
6 2 Peter 3:9.
7 By theology we mean only the legitimate
study of God and His revelation.
8 2 Timothy 2:15, KJV.
9 Isaiah 55:11.
10 John 10:16,27; Revelation 3:20.
11 See 2 Peter 3:16.
12 1 Peter 1:13.
13 Ephesians 4:14, KJV.
14 2 Peter 2:2.
15 1 Peter 4:11.
16 John 5:39.
17 See Acts 17:11.
by:
Allan Turner
In an over-reaction to Calvinist extremes, many Christians
have shied away from a study of God's sovereignty. This is a serious mistake. The
sovereignty of God is a thoroughly biblical subject. Although the words
"sovereign" or "sovereignty" are not found in the KJV, one
or both of these words appear in the NKJV, ASV, NIV, and NRSV. Nevertheless,
the idea of God's sovereignty is clearly taught in
both the Old and New Testament. "Sovereignty,"
according to the American Heritage Dictionary, means, "Supremacy of
authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign." This idea is applied to God by such words as "dominion,"
"rule," "ruler," "Lord," "King," and
"Potentate." As Jack Cottrell points out in his outstanding book What
The Bible Says About God The Ruler, "The
sovereignty of God may be concisely summed up as absolute Lordship."
Sovereignty, then, is equal to lordship, lordship is equal to ownership, and
ownership is equal to control. It is precisely at this point that Calvinism
strays. We will have more to say about this farther along; but before
proceeding on, let us make sure we understand the ramifications of Sovereignty.
The Ramifications Of Sovereignty
If God is truly the Sovereign of the universe, then whatever happens, we are
told, is the will of God. A young baby dies of cancer or a young mother or
father is seriously injured in an automobile accident
and this is said to be God's will. We pray earnestly for a fellow Christian's
recovery from a serious illness and in closing our prayer we say, "Not our
will but Thine be done." But,
recovery does not take place and death occurs. Has God's will
really been done? Invariably, at funerals, if one listens to what is being said to the bereaved, one will be heard saying,
"It is God's will." Are these things truly God's will, and if so, in
what sense?
Repelled by the thought of a loving God being responsible
for the death of the innocent and those we love, many Christians have concluded
that God is not yet Sovereign Ruler of the universe. Unlike now, one day, they
say, God's will is to be done in all things. As
sympathetic as we are to their reasons for coming to this conclusion, we are
nevertheless convinced that those who hold such a position are terribly wrong.
From a biblical standpoint, the sovereignty of God is simply not open for
debate. If God is not sovereign, He is clearly not God! Therefore, when I
answer "yes" to the question, "Is it true that whatever happens
is the will of God?," I must make sure that those
who hear me understand that my answer is not an unqualified "yes."
Failing to do so would be theologically misleading and personally devastating.
My "yes" is qualified by
the fact that there are at least three different senses in which the "will
of God" is used in the Bible. When we understand the different ways in
which this phrase is used, then we can understand that God is not personally nor directly responsible for the many things people want to
either credit or discredit Him with, even though it remains true that
everything that happens ultimately falls within His sovereignty.
God's Decretive Will
There are things that God decrees to happen. He causes
these things to happen by His own omnipotence. These can be
described as God's decretive will. A biblical description of God's
decretive will is found in Psalm 33:11, which says: "The counsel of the
Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to
generation," and again in Isaiah 14:27, which says: "For the Lord of
hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand,
who can turn it back?"
It was God's decretive will that was at work in His scheme
to redeem mankind through His Son Jesus Christ.1
For the Bible believer, it is a given that whatever God purposes cannot be
thwarted. For example, in Romans 8:28-30, we learn that God
has decreed that He will justify, and one day glorify, certain foreknown
individuals (viz., "whosoever will") on the basis of a foreordained
Christ,2 a foreordained gospel plan,3 and a foreordained
life.4 With this fact firmly established, the apostle Paul joyously
affirms, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"5
In like manner, the doctrine of the resurrection rests firmly
on God's decretive will. In John 6:40, Jesus said, "And this is the will
of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have
everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Again,
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Whatever God proposes, and
Himself carries out, will, in fact, happen. This is
the reason why God can assert that He declares "the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times things that are not
yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My
pleasure.'"6 This is God's decretive will.
God's Preceptive Will
But there is a second way in which the "will of God" is used in the Bible. This has to do not with what God
purposed to do Himself, but with what He desires for man to do. This can be described as God's preceptive
will and is primarily concerned with man's obedience to His word or precepts.
The writer of Hebrews speaks of the "will of God" in this sense when
he writes, "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done
the will of God, you may receive the promise."7 It was in this
sense that the Lord used the expression in Matthew 7:21: "Not every who
says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father in heaven." When Jesus said "the will of My
Father," He was speaking of God's precepts, statutes, or commandments.
Consequently, it is in connection with God's preceptive
will, and not His decretive will, that man is commanded
to "work out [his] own salvation with fear and trembling."8
Furthermore, it is in connection with God's preceptive will that we understand that the Lord is
"longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance."9 Actually, God's desire (i.e., His
will) for the salvation of all men is reflected many places in His word,10 but such must be kept distinct from His
decretive will. A failure to make such a distinction will cause one to land
squarely within the Calvinist camp.
God's Permissive Will
There is a third sense in which the "will of God" is
used in the Scriptures. It can be described as
God's permissive will. Perhaps it is with God's permissive will that men have
the most trouble. In this category are to be found all those
things which God neither purposes nor desires, but which he allows man, in his
freedom, to bring about.11 That which makes this third category
different from the second is not the presence of God's permission, but the
absence of a stated desire on God's part that these events or circumstances
should happen. In this category are events God neither purposed nor
desired, but, nevertheless, permits, including some
things that are clearly contrary to His stated desire (will), such as man's
sins. Therefore, when, in Jeremiah 19:5, God said, "They have also built
the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to
Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into my mind," He
made it plain that it was not His will they were doing, whether decretive or preceptive. In other words, it was not the mind (will) of
God that they should do such a thing. Nevertheless, the Lord
permitted His people to exercise their free wills and do those things clearly
contrary to His counsel (will). Things such as this are within the
"will of God" only in the sense that He permits them to happen.12
God's permissive will allows both bad and good things to
occur. It is used by Paul in this latter sense in 1
Corinthians 16:7, when he writes: "For I do not wish to see you now on the
way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits." Again, he
uses it this way when, in Acts 18:21, he writes: "I must by all means keep
this coming feast in
Of course, sometimes the Lord does not will (permit)
something to happen that His creatures desire to happen. As Sovereign, He has
the perfect right to do so. For example, in Acts 16:7, Luke writes:
"After they had come to Mysia they tried to go
into
Control Not Causation
Calvinists have thought that the key to sovereignty is causation. They are
wrong. The key to sovereignty is ultimate control. Through His absolute foreknowledge
of every plan of man's heart, and through His absolute ability (omnipotence) to
either permit or prevent any particular plan man may have, God maintains
complete control (sovereignty) over His creation. The power to prevent means
that God ultimately has the final word in everything that happens. To deny this
is to deny the sovereignty of God!
It is true, then, that whatever happens is God's will.
Everything that transpires falls within the sovereign will of God in one sense
or another. However, it is absolutely crucial to
understand that there are three different senses in which this may be true: (1)
Sometimes a thing occurs because God decides it will happen, and then He makes
it happen. This we have called God's decretive will and it seems to be limited
mostly to His working out the "scheme of redemption." (2) Sometimes a thing occurs because God desires it and man
decides, of his own free will, to do what God desires. This we have identified
as God's preceptive will and has
to do with God's commandments or precepts. (3) Sometimes
a thing occurs because of the agency of an individual or group of individuals,
and God permits it to happen. We have called this God's permissive will.
Included in this category are sinful or careless acts like murder,
or the death of one caused by the actions of a drunken driver. Even tragedies
that occur through the natural processes would fit in this category. All three
of these categories can be classified as "God's
will," but only the first category is God's will in any causative sense. And even though God is Sovereign Ruler of the universe,
categories two and three remind us that we must allow the Sovereign Ruler to
respect the integrity of the freedom He has so graciously accorded His
creation. As His creatures, we must learn to trust God's wisdom in knowing what
good can be drawn from the tragic episodes He permits
to take place in category three.
Does God Have An Individual Will For Each Person's Life?
Those who ask this question assume an individual, specific will for every
person. They assume that God has an ideal, detailed blueprint already drawn up
for each person's life. They assume that for any decision we face there is a
specific choice (in the most restrictive sense) that God wants us to make. This
applies to the school we should attend, the occupation we should choose, and
the specific individual God wants us to marry. In his book, Knowing God's
Will, And Doing It!,
J. Grant Howard, Jr. expressed it this way: "Scripture teaches us that God
has a predetermined plan for every life. It is that which will happen. It is
inevitable, unconditional, immutable, irresistible, comprehensive, and
purposeful. It is also, for the most part, unpredictable. It includes
everything, even sin and suffering. It involves everything, even human
responsibility and human decisions."15 A good
summary of this view is given by Garry Friesen in his book Decision
Making & the Will of God: "God's individual will is that ideal,
detailed life-plan which God has uniquely designed for each believer. This
life-plan encompasses every decision we make and is the basis of God's daily
guidance. This guidance is given through the
indwelling Holy Spirit who progressively reveals God's life-plan to the heart
of the individual believer...."16
Although this view is very popular, we are convinced that
the idea of an individual, specific will of God for every detail of a person's
life is not taught in God's word. Calvinists and other
determinists argue that the Bible is filled with examples of individuals for
whom God had a specific plan, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John
the Baptist, Paul et al. But each of these examples
was highly unusual and was related to God's working out of His plan of
salvation for fallen mankind, that is, the Scheme of Redemption. Furthermore,
the specific plan that God had for each of these individuals was
revealed to them by special revelation and, therefore, cannot be seen as
normative for ordinary believers today.
Those who affirm God's individual will for each person
usually cite passages like Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5,6; Isaiah 30:20,21;
Colossians 1:9 and 4:12; Romans 12:1,2; Ephesians 2:10 and 5:15-17. But when these passages are considered in their context, a
much stronger case can be made for these passages in terms of God's preceptive or moral will (which we have already discussed
at some length) and not His decretive will.
Being Led By The Spirit
But someone will say, "How about being 'led by the Spirit?'" In
Romans 8:14, the Scriptures say, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God," and in Galatians 5:18, it says, "But
if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under law." The Calvinist thinks
the Holy Spirit influences him through some mysterious inward guidance. The
Bible does not teach such a doctrine, these two passages included, and we are
firmly convinced that when one begins to listen to some inner voice, he is headed for trouble. In fact, Romans 8:26,27 does not say anything about the Holy Spirit speaking to
us at all. What it says is: "...the Spirit
Himself makes intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of
the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the
will of God." Being led by the Spirit of God has to do with one's
obedience to God's word (i.e., God's preceptive or
moral will), which is, according to Ephesians 6:17, the "sword of the
Spirit." Being led by the Spirit in a direct way, like was promised to the
apostles,17 was never intended to be understood as being available
to all Christians. In other words, direct guidance by God's Holy Spirit was
promised specifically to the Lord's apostles, not Christians in general, and
was for the specific purpose of revealing the Bible, not for inner guidance for
all Christians.18
We find it ironic that those who are waiting to know God's
will for themselves through some inner guidance or miracle apart from the Word
are the very ones who miss God's will for their lives
by not obeying His preceptive or moral will. I have
personally taught the gospel to those caught up in this deceptive doctrine and
have had them tell me that if God wanted them to be baptized for the remission
of sins, He would have told them directly through a direct operation of the
Holy Spirit. As they erroneously wait for a direct revelation of God's
decretive will, they fail to obey His preceptive
will. As one can see, this is a most damnable doctrine!
But,
in rejecting such a doctrine, one must not jump to another equally extreme
position which says that knowing the will of God is irrelevant to daily
decision making. The will of God (particularly His preceptive
will as revealed in the Scriptures) is always applicable to our daily lives.
God's Word is to be the reference point for our decision
making. This means that the most sophisticated technique for knowing the
will of God in our lives is: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work."19 This means that whatever God
instructs us to do in His Word, either through commands or general principles,
is His will for our lives. In other words, if God wants us to do it, then it is
in the book! Thus, when the question is asked, "How can I know God's will
for my life?," we answer, "Read the
Bible."
Not As Many "Thou Shalts"
And "Thou Shalt Nots"
As You Might Think
Contrary to what a lot of people think, God's preceptive
will for man has very few "thou shalts" and
"thou shalt nots."
Most of what God would have us do is learned from
principles taught in His Word. This is why Bible study is so important. Unless
we are thoroughly familiar with God's Word, we will not know the principles
that allow us to make the right decisions in our lives. For example, when we
are familiar with the sanctity of life ethic taught throughout the Bible, we
are able to make the right decisions concerning the many pressing issues of our
day, namely, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, etc. In times past,
God's people perished because they were ignorant of His Word,20
and the same thing can happen to us today if we are not careful.
But,
and this is very important, many of the decisions we face every day are neither
required nor forbidden. The key to understanding this point is to be found in the idea that it is not our task to know if a
particular decision is God's will, but rather if it is within God's will. For
example, the inspired apostle wrote, "But if anyone does not provide for
his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and
is worse than an unbeliever."21 This is God's preceptive will and it requires, among other things, that a
parent provide nourishing food for his children. As long as this general
principle is met, the specific decision of whether to
have liver and onions or steak and green beans for dinner does not really
matter. Whether one eats in the kitchen or the dining room, or whether the
beans are fresh or frozen, or whether one has a hamburger for breakfast, lunch
or dinner, does not matter to God. Once again, as long as the general
requirements of this passage are being met, God is not really
concerned about the specific choices that are made. Understanding this
point can be liberating for those who have thought God wanted them to make a
specific choice in every decision.
To be pleasing to God, everything we do must fall within
His preceptive will,22
even those things that are not specifically required by it, such as matters of
opinion and indifference. For instance, we have the right
(i.e., it falls within God's will) either to eat or not eat meat; but, and this
is terribly important, we have no right to bind either of these on anyone else.23
Likewise, we have the right (i.e., it falls within the umbrella of God's preceptive will) to send our children to either a public or
private school; but we have no right to bind either of these on someone else.
Furthermore, we have the right (i.e., God grants permission) to marry within or
outside our own race; but we have no right to bind our personal convictions on
another person. There are, of course, many other things that could
be listed here, but you see the point, do you not?
God is not nearly as judgmental as some people think. When
someone insists on making his personal convictions the judge and jury of other
men's consciences, he becomes much more judgmental than God Himself. The Bible
teaches it is just as wrong to bind where God has not bound as it is to loose
where He has not loosed. The apostle Paul warned against the former when he
said, "Who are you to judge another man's servant?"24
Making Right Choices
Within the liberty we have in Christ, our desire is to make the best choice
among the many different options we have been given. Unfortunately, our
experiences tell us that we do not always make the best choices. After the
fact, we realize that the exercising of an alternative option would have been a
much better choice, although the choice we actually made was not sinful.
Nevertheless, having seen how our choice turned out, we now know it was not the best choice. As we are
often told, "Hindsight is better than foresight." What, then, is our
problem? In truth, ours is a lack of wisdom!
The Bible says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him
ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him."25 If the lack of wisdom is what keeps us from
making the best choices, and it is, all we need to do is ask the Lord for
wisdom, He'll give it to us, and then we will always
make the best choices in life, it's as simple as this! Or
is it? Although this wisdom comes from God as a direct response to our prayer,
and is, therefore, something other than just a knowledge
of God's preceptive will, it must not be thought of
as either a magic formula or instant omniscience. Neither should we think of it
as something totally divorced from one's knowledge of the Scriptures. Yes, we
are assured that if we ask the Lord for wisdom, He will give it to us, but
Proverbs 4:5 commands us to "Get wisdom, get understanding," implying
that wisdom and understanding must be acquired, and,
consequently, not something to be received passively. Proverbs 4:5 qualifies
James 1:5, that is, it tells us that wisdom is not going to be
given without some effort on our part. Furthermore, wisdom has to do
with how we use the knowledge we already have. Within the context of Proverbs
4, wisdom, which is identified as the "principle thing,"26
is connected to "instruction," "doctrine,"
"commandments," and being "taught," and by application to
the subject at hand, a knowledge of God's word. In fact, even a casual reading
of the "Wisdom Literature" will demonstrate the connection between
instruction and wisdom. In addition, Moses, at the beginning of the Law, said:
"Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God
commanded me, that you should act according to them in
the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for
this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will
hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and
understanding people.'"27 Again, wisdom
and understanding are associated with God's instructions and commandments. In 2 Timothy 3:15, being "wise unto salvation" is
connected with "the holy scriptures." Therefore, a man who is not
studying to show himself approved,28 cannot
be asking for wisdom "in faith, nothing wavering," as James 1:6
requires, and will not, therefore, be receiving anything from the Lord!
Nevertheless, for those who desire and pray for wisdom, willingly cultivating
it with God's help, I have no doubt they will receive it.
In seeking wisdom, the following suggestions are offered:
Know as much about God as possible. Proverbs 1:7 teaches, "The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and
instruction." In Psalms 111:10, it is said, "The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all
those who do His commandments." Although the fear mentioned in these
passages is not totally unaware of the "terror of
the Lord,"29 contextually, the word indicates reverence for and
respectful awe of God's divine nature. What this means is that without
reverence for and awe of God we cannot know what we ought to know and, further,
we cannot ever hope to properly utilize the little
knowledge we do have. For as long as I can remember, my regard for God has
always moved me to think about His characteristics and attributes. Now, the
more I have learned about Him, the more I have stood in awe and veneration of
Him. In addition, the more I have learned about Him, the closer I have actually
felt to Him. My fear of God has not just allowed me to know more about Him, it
has actually allowed me to know Him, that is, to have an intimate, loving
relationship with Him. As a result, loving God with all my heart, mind, soul,
and strength has become the consuming passion of my life. I love Him more than my own wife, and I love her more than I do my own life.
Consequently, I have never known greater love than His love for me, and, as a
direct result of His great love for me, I have never loved more than I love
Him. Although it at first seems ironic, as my "fear of God" (i.e., my
reverence, veneration, and awe of God) has increased over the years, almost
without me realizing it, my "fear" of Him has actually disappeared.
How can this be? According to the apostle John: "There
is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves
torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."30
The relationship I now have with the heavenly Father, "in Christ," no
longer involves the fear of torment. In Christ, I no longer have an adversarial
relationship with God the Father. I am no longer antagonistic of His
commandments, but joyfully and enthusiastically keep them from a heart filled
with love.31 All this has produced in me a
careful "boldness."32 Without the
remission of my sins, which has been provided by the grace of God, and
accomplished as a result of my faith in the blood of Christ, I would be
absolutely terrified to go into the presence of the Lord.33 But now,
"in Christ," with the fear of His wrath having been taken away, I
possess a boldness and confidence to enter into the very presence of God.
I emphasize the idea of "careful boldness," because until I finish my
course in this life, I could, through moral neglect, lose34 that
which God's faithfulness guarantees.35 As I have had the opportunity
to preach and teach God Almighty over the years, I
have noticed this same effect produced in others. Truly, the fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. If, though, the only time we think
about God is when we ask Him for wisdom, we might as well not waste our time. I
remain confident that as we continue to learn more about God, our love for Him
will only increase.
Know as much about God's word as possible. Because
knowledge is a requirement for wisdom, we should pray for
wisdom while learning as much about God's word as possible. In other
words, praying for wisdom is not a substitute for Bible study!
Know as much about life as possible. This is a mighty big job, and one that, more often than not, comes
with experience. The Hebrew writer makes this point when he says, "But
solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason
of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."36
For example, if one did not know that most "birth control pills"
actually prevent a fertilized egg from implanting on the wall of the mother's
uterus, thereby receiving nourishment, it would be difficult to make a
biblically informed proper decision about what method of birth control one
might wish to use. Furthermore, unless one knew that in vitro fertilization
routinely involved the destruction of fertilized ova, it would be almost
impossible to make the right decision about this procedure. But,
knowing about life is more than the accumulation of facts, it is also the
cultivation of the knowledge of how these facts affect life. This is why respect for and consultation with our elders is so important
for one seeking wisdom.37 Quite simply, they have seen more of life than
we have and, therefore, should be wiser than we are.
Finally, know as much about wisdom as possible. As we
said previously, praying for wisdom does not result in instant omniscience. It
is unfortunate that when many are faced with a decision, they say a prayer for
wisdom; then, no matter what they decide, they assume that this
particular decision was supplied by God. But,
as we have indicated already, wisdom does not work this way. Wisdom is not
specific answers to specific problems. Rather, wisdom is the ability to discern
the best decision from those that are only better. We recognize that wisdom
applies general knowledge and understanding to specific situations with
excellent results. This means it is a skill! Consequently, as we pray for it,
we realize it grows and increases with not just study, but
the exercise of what we have studied and learned. Unfortunately, even a wise
person sometimes makes a poor or even a bad decision. Nevertheless, trusting
the Lord to give us wisdom, we continue to learn as much about God, His word,
life in general, and wisdom as we can. Only in this manner
will we become acquainted with and enlightened by true, worthwhile wisdom.
The Mistake Of Trying To Interpret
The Christian has the assurance of God's special providence. This assurance
compelled the apostle Paul to say, "And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purpose."38 And again, "If
God is for us, who can be against us?"39 With this said, is it
possible to know the will of God in and through circumstances that take place
in this life? I believe the answer to this question is an emphatic
"No!" When an event takes place, we have no way of knowing, short of
actual inspiration, whether it falls within the decretive or permissive will of
God. Previously, God's decretive will was described as that which God desires
and Himself makes happen, and His permissive will as
something which originates apart from His desire but that He permits because of
man's free will, etc. In other words, an event can happen because God wants it
to happen and causes it to happen, or it may happen for various other reasons.
Consequently, an event cannot communicate a message apart from special
revelation. Additionally, we have no way of knowing whether an event has taken
place because of God's general providence, which encompasses all creation, or as a result of His special providence, which is directed
toward the
As has already been noted, Calvinists erroneously believe
that everything that happens is God's decretive or purposive will. Others, some
of whom are Christians, believe they can actually interpret God's will (or
providence) by events that take place in their lives, or the lives of others.
For instance, a good man prospers and a bad man suffers hardship. Some are
convinced that God is blessing the good man and punishing the bad man. But is this really the case? What happens
when a good man suffers and a bad man prospers?
The Gamaliel Fallacy
If the book of Job teaches us anything, it is that circumstances or events,
apart from revelation, cannot convey God's decretive will. Job was not
suffering because he was an evil man, as his friends supposed; he was suffering
because he was, in fact, a good man. Job's friends, and even
Job himself, had fallen victim to what has come to be called the "Gamaliel fallacy," after the principle offered by the
great Jewish teacher Gamaliel, who said, "And
now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan
or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you
cannot overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God."40
Although what Gamaliel said is ultimately true,41 in actuality, it does not translate into very
practical advice. One must keep in mind that this is Gamaliel's
opinion and advice, not the Holy Spirit's. For instance, the Roman Catholic church, with its universal bishop (viz., the Pope or Papa
Father), is an apostate church that has existed basically in its present form
since A.D. 606. Does this mean that God is blessing Catholicism? Of course not! But, if you were to
apply Gamaliel's advice to the Catholic church, you
could not stand or fight against it spiritually. Likewise,
there are many other false religions that seem to be enjoying great success,
especially when measured by the world's standards. Does this mean that they, too, are being blessed by God? Again, the answer is
obvious. Worldly success is not necessarily a sign of God's blessings. John the
Baptist's ministry did not end in success according to the world's standards,
he ended up in prison and eventually had his head cut off. But
according to God's standards, he was completely successful. By man's standards,
the ministries of the apostles were miserable failures. However, we know they
were successful in God's sight. Therefore, from our limited and finite
perspectives, we must accept Gamaliel's pronouncement
as the fallacy it really is.
Is Private Speculation Necessarily Wrong?
Does this mean that it is inappropriate for a Christian to entertain his own
private speculation about God's providential care, along with the various
circumstances that seem to point in that direction? No, I do not believe this
is wrong. But I do believe that, even in one's own private speculation, one
must be very careful about thinking a certain event definitely means that God
has done this or that, or even that He desires this or that to be done. This kind of carefulness was exhibited by Mordecai, who said to
Esther, "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?"42 Mordecai's statement must not be
construed as a lack of faith in God's providential care for the Jews, for, in
the same verse, he advised Esther that if she did not help, "deliverance
will arise for the Jews from another place." It seemed to Mordecai that
Esther was in the right place at the right time, and that the hand of God might
be providentially involved in her being queen; but, without special revelation,
he could not know for sure. Let us all learn to be as wise and trusting as
Mordecai. Believing in the sovereignty of God, and based upon the promises God
had made to His people, Mordecai was willing to trust God for deliverance, and
so should we.
Undoubtedly, we can all recount the marvelous things that
have happened to us in our lifetimes which we believe were providential.
However, we should be careful not to cite these things as proof of God's
special providence. Our proof is found in the promises
contained in God's word. In the case of special providence, the apostle Paul
declared by inspiration, "We know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose."43
In other words, because of God's special providential care for us, every
circumstance or event that happens to us will have either a good purpose or a
good result, so long as we continue to love and obey Him. How do we know this?
The Bible, God's preceptive will, tells us so! Consequently, our faith in God, the Sovereign Ruler of all
creation, and His solemn promise that "all things work together for good
to them that love God," relieve us of the burden of trying to figure out
whether a particular event happened because of God's decretive or permissive
will, and directs us to a thorough study of His preceptive
will, which has been revealed to us in the Bible.
As we conclude this section on the sovereignty of God, let
us think of Him as "the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and
earth."44 Let us acknowledge that He
"has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over
all."45 With the psalmist, let us say:
"Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word,
heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers
of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of
His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"46
Notes
1 Acts 2:23; 4:28; Colossians 1:4.
2 Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:19, 20.
3 1 Corinthians 2:7.
4 Ephesians 2:10.
5 Romans 8:31.
6 Isaiah 46:10.
7 Hebrews 10:36.
8 Philippians 2:12.
9 2 Peter 3:9.
10 See I Timothy 2:4; Luke 7:30; Matthew
23:37.
11 There is a sense in which
this third category is related to the second, God's preceptive
will. With a strict use of the word "permissive," it can be seen that man's response to God's desire or preceptive will is not decreed or purposed by Him, and is,
therefore, permitted. In other words, God does not make someone obey His laws;
but, in the strictest sense, He simply permits one to do so.
12 See Acts 17:24-30; 14:16; Romans 1:18-32.
13 Hebrews 6:3.
14 See James 4:13-15.
15 Page 12.
16 Page 35.
17 John 16:12-14.
18 See Ephesians 3:3-5.
19 2 Timothy 3:16.
20 See Hosea 4:1.
21 Timothy 5:8.
22 See Colossians 3:17.
23 Romans 14:1-13.
24 Romans 14:4.
25 James 1:5.
26 Verse 7.
27 Deuteronomy 4:5-6.
28 2 Timothy 2:15.
29 See 2 Corinthians 5:11.
30 1 John 4:18.
31 cf. John 14:15.
32 See Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 10:19; 1
John 4:17.
33 See Hebrews 10:31; 2 Corinthians 5:11.
34 See Hebrews 3:6,14.
35 See Philippians 1:6.
36 Hebrews 5:14.
37 See Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs
16:31; 1 Peter 5:5.
38 Romans 8:28.
39 Romans 8:31.
40 Acts 5:38,39.
41 Ultimately, in the end, God's cause will
be vindicated.
42 Esther 4:14.
43 Romans 8:28.
44 Genesis 14:22.
45 Psalm 103:19.
46 Psalm 103:20-22.
by:
Allan Turner
Calvinists give lip-service
to man's free will, but they do not really believe in it. They say that man, in
order to have free will, needs only to voluntarily choose his acts in accord
with his own desires and motives; it matters not that God, as Sovereign, has
foreordained these desires and motives, along with the choices themselves. Now,
does this sound like free moral agency to you? According to Calvinists, a
person may have only one course of action open to him and still be free.
"For example," they say, "a man may be locked in a room, but not
want to get out. He therefore cannot get out (that is certain), but equally he
does not want to get out (he is not there against his will)."1
In other words, even though God has foreordained every single choice one makes,
every choice is still free because God has also foreordained that each choice
man makes will be made voluntarily. Carl F. H. Henry, the founding editor of Christianity
Today, noted theologian, educator, lecturer, and author of more than
twenty-five books, explains (?) it this way: "To be morally responsible
man needs only the capacity for choice, not the freedom of contrary choice....
Human beings voluntarily choose to do what they do. The fact that God has
foreordained human choices and that His decree renders human actions certain
does not therefore negate human choice."2 As the famed
Calvinist Loraine Boettner asserts, "God so controls
the thoughts and wills of men that they freely [?] and
willingly [?] do what He has planned for them to do."3 In an
attempt to bolster his flawed theology, Boettner
observes, "It is very noticeable, and in a sense it is reassuring to
observe the fact, that the materialistic...philosophers deny as completely as
do Calvinists this thing that is called free will."4 How anyone
who claims to believe in the Bible could feel reassured because materialistic
philosophers had come to the same conclusion as he is absolutely
shocking to me. It is apparent that although Calvinists are disposed to
citing their "free will" shibboleths, they do not,
for a moment, believe that man actually has free moral agency.
Man Possesses Free Will
There are myriad Bible passages that present the
reception of God's blessing or cursing as contingent upon human choice. This is epitomized in Deuteronomy 11:26-28, which says:
"Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if
you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and
the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn
aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you
have not known." When Joshua challenged the people to "choose
you this day whom you will serve,"5 he
was addressing individuals who were free to make a moral decision. This is no place made clearer than in Matthew 23:37, where Jesus
cried: "O Jerusalem,
God's Will Can Be Rejected
As the passages cited above teach, not only does man possess free will, but he
can actually exercise this free will in a way that defies God's will. In other
words, although God is Sovereign Ruler, He does not always get everything He
wants. To the Calvinists, such a statement is totally
unthinkable and completely contrary to their concept of God's sovereignty. Even
so, in Isaiah 65:12, God said, "Therefore I will number you for the sword,
and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; because, when I called, you did
not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear, but did evil before My eyes, and
chose that in which I do not delight." Again, in 2
Peter 3:9, it is plainly stated that God is "not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance." If, as the Calvinists
claim, God decrees everything that happens, and if, as the apostle Peter
claims, God is not willing that any should perish, then all
mankind will ultimately be saved. But even
Calvinists reject the idea of Universalism. What, then, is their solution?
Simply this: They must come to understand that Calvinism is not just
anti-scriptural, which is certainly bad enough, but is anti-God as well.
Calvin's god (with a little 'g') is not the God (with a big 'G') who has revealed
Himself in the Bible. Calvin's god, apart from anything the creature may or may
not do, predestines some to eternal life and others to eternal damnation.
However, the God who has revealed Himself in the Bible actually pleads with His
creatures to obey His preceptive will so they can be saved. This God, as opposed to Calvin's god,
"desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth."6
Why Does God Permit Men To Reject His Will?
When men begin to say that God can force a man to freely do
His will, they are talking meaningless nonsense. Citing a passage that says,
"with God all things are possible,"7
does not provide these folks any help. The "all things" that are
possible with God are actually qualified by other scriptures and the law of non-contradiction.
For example, the Bible says God cannot lie!8
Therefore, it is not possible for God to lie. This means that the "all
things" that are possible with God must be those things consistent with
His divine nature. Further, God cannot make 2 + 2 = 5. He cannot make it to be
raining and not raining in the same place at the same time. He cannot give a
hydrogen atom and a helium atom the same atomic structure. Finally, even God
could not make man free and not free at the same time in the same way. In order
for man to be free, God had to give him the opportunity to rebel.
But
there is much more to this story. In Psalm 32:1, David says, "Blessed is
he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." In verse 5, he
continues: "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my
iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the
Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin."
In verses 8-9, the Lord replies: "I will instruct you and teach you in the
way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do
not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must
be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."
Why did God allow David to sin? Why did He not simply stop
David from sinning in the first place? The answer seems obvious: God did not
want his servants to serve Him because they are forced
to do so. He wants those who will serve Him to do so freely, willingly
accepting His instructions and counsel. He wants a relationship with His
creatures based on mutual affection and love, and not because of some kind of
force. The Almighty God, if He so desired, certainly had the power to bridle
His creatures, forcefully manipulating their minds and hearts and turning them
into robots (or mules), so that they are forced to do His will. But if He did this, He would not be able to achieve His
purpose of developing free relationships, like the one He desired with David,
with His creatures. He wants all men to repent and enter a free
love-relationship with Himself. If He forced them to
do this, as Calvinists allege, their allegiance could not be
freely given, that is, they would no longer be men but mules. God, who
made man in His own image, wants him to be conformed to the image of His Son.9
Unless man is a free moral agent, this simply cannot
be done!
What Man's Freedom Cost God
Man's free moral agency is a unique gift from God Almighty.
Without it, we could not be what and who we are. No other earthly creature has been given this special freedom. Furthermore, it should
almost go without saying that only God could have made
a creature with free moral agency. Therefore, man's free will is a constant
reminder of God's omnipotence. But for many, and this
includes Calvinists, the opposite is true. As the secular philosopher J. L.
Mackie says, "There is a fundamental difficulty in the notion of an
omnipotent God creating men with free will, for if men's wills are really free
this must mean that even God cannot control them, that is, that God is no
longer omnipotent."10 In his book, The Inexhaustible God,
Royce Gruenler says that man's free will, which
necessitates a future that is open and indefinite, is "logically
incompatible with the doctrine of a sovereign God."11 In other
words, Calvinists believe that if man has free will, then God is actually
impotent. The fallacy in all this will be more completely
exposed in the section to follow on foreknowledge.
At
this point, suffice it to say that it is God's foreknowledge which permits Him
to maintain complete control of His world in spite of man's free will, because
foreknowledge gives God the option of either permitting or preventing man's
planned, free will choices, and as we pointed out in our previous discussion on
God's permissive will, prevention is really the ultimate in control.
Therefore, man's free will does not
render God impotent. Nevertheless, it does, in fact,
limit Him. But if God is really limited, then
how can He continue to be omnipotent? Are not these two concepts mutually
exclusive? Only in the mind of the determinists! As we
have already pointed out, the "all things" that are possible with God
are qualified by both Scripture and the law of non-contradiction. God can do
all things consistent with His nature and that are not, in
and of themselves, illogical. Therefore, if God, of His own free will,
chooses to create creatures with free moral agency, and in order to do so, He
must limit Himself, such self-limitations are not a denigration of His
omnipotence, as the determinists think, but are, instead, a powerful
demonstration of it, which is exactly the point I made at the beginning of this
subsection.
In order to insure man's autonomy, God, of His own free
will, was willing to pay a tremendous price. Although He did not have to do so,
the Almighty God was willing to limit Himself in relation to His creation. This
gives us some idea of just how important man is to God. Furthermore, and this
ought to humble us greatly, the final measure of God's concern for man is to be
found in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Praise God, the Sovereign
Ruler, for His willingness to give us our freedom, even though it ultimately
cost Him the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!"12
Notes
1 D.A. Carson, Divine Sovereignty And
Human Responsibility, page 207.
2 God, Revelation And Authority, VI:84-85.
3 Op cit., page 222.
4 Ibid.
5 Joshua 24:15.
6 1 Timothy 2:4.
7 Matthew 19:26.
8 Titus 1:2.
9 See Romans 8:29.
10 "Evil and Omnipotence," God
and Evil: Readings in the Theological Problem of Evil, ed. Nelson Pike,
page 57.
11 Pages 43-44.
12 Revelation 19:6.
by:
Allan Turner
Psalm 147:5 says that God's understanding is infinite.
Infinite in this verse is the Hebrew micpar
and means the same thing as it does in English, that
is, "having no boundaries or limits." Now, if God's understanding has
no boundaries or limits, and understanding is predicated
on knowledge, then it follows necessarily that God's knowledge has no
boundaries or limitations. Such knowledge would be "unsearchable" by
mere finite creatures, and this is exactly what the Bible says.1 In
other words, the Bible teaches that God "knows all things."2
This kind of knowledge is what the theologians call "omniscience." By
definition, omniscience or "all-knowingness" encompasses the present,
the past, and the future, and undoubtedly includes genuine foreknowledge.3
This is proved by many Bible passages. In the space
that follows, we will notice a few of these.
Just before he died, Moses was told by God of the coming
apostasy of the Israelites.4 In doing so, God was not just declaring
what He planned to do in the future, He was making it clear that He knew what
human beings would be doing in the future of their own free wills. In Acts
2:23, the apostle Peter taught that Jesus was delivered
up "by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God." He went on
to say to the Jews, "...you have taken [Jesus] by lawless hands, have
crucified [Him], and put [Him] to death." This clearly teaches that God's
plan to deliver up His Son was made in view of what He foreknew the Jews and
Romans would do, that is, He knew that given the right circumstances, they
would cause Jesus to be crucified. Again, in Romans 8:28-30 and 1 Peter 1:1-2,
we are told that God foreknew certain individuals, of their own free wills,
would obey the gospel and be conformed to the image of His Son, that they would
become the "elect" in their connection with Jesus Christ. This means
that God's foreknowledge of those who would be conformed to the image of His
Son predates their election and predestination. Since God chose them "in
Christ" before the creation of the world,5
it seems clear that they and their free will actions were foreknown by God
before the world began. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for the Bible
believer to ever doubt God's genuine foreknowledge of
the future, contingent, free will choices of His creatures.
Calvinists assert that God's foreknowledge and man's free
will are completely irreconcilable. Again, they are wrong! The Bible teaches
that God has foreknowledge (and we will look at some biblical examples of these
momentarily), therefore, God's foreknowledge is a
fact. Likewise, the Bible teaches that man has free will (and we have already
examined some of these passages), therefore, man's free moral agency is a fact.
Consequently, Calvinists, or anyone else, who claim that God's foreknowledge
and man's free will are incompatible are teaching that which is contrary to
God's word.
A Little Simple Logic
Notwithstanding, Calvinists and other determinists attempt to vindicate their
position by arguing as follows:
Necessarily, whatever God
foreknows comes to pass
and
God foreknew that x would come to pass,
therefore, it follows that
Necessarily, x will come to pass.
And so, the determinists argue, if Gods foreknows the future,
then all things come to pass necessarily, and this means that man's free moral
agency and true contingency are eliminated, and were never more than a
non-determinist's illusion. But, and this seems
difficult for some, the above reasoning embraces a logical fallacy. According
to the rules of logic, the conclusion of an argument can be necessary only if
both of the premises are necessary. But in the above
argument, only the major premise is a necessary truth. The minor premise is not
a necessary truth because it is not necessary that God know x. He could
have known y instead. Consequently, the proper conclusion to the above
syllogism is:
Therefore, x will come to pass.
Now, from the fact that God foreknows that x will
occur, we may be sure that x will, in fact, occur; but, and this is my
point, it is not necessary that x occur. It is, indeed, possible
(because man is a free moral agent) that x might not occur. This having
been said, we do know, according to the above syllogism, that x will
actually occur because God foreknew it would occur.6 The fact that
God knows I will act a certain way does not mean His knowledge causes me to act
this way. If, as a free moral agent, I chose to behave differently, God's
knowledge about this behavior would also be different. In other words, if God
foreknew that I should do x, then I will do x. But,
as a free moral agent, I have the power not to do x, and if I were not
to do x, then God would not have known that I will do x. This
means that although God's foreknowledge is chronologically prior to my action,
my action is logically prior to His foreknowledge. What this all means is that
the future, contingent, free will choices of men and women are not settled by
God's foreknowledge; instead, God's foreknowledge is settled by the reality of
the future events themselves. The fact that God, from His viewpoint in
eternity, sees them "ahead of time" does not mean these events will
happen because God sees them; rather, they are going to happen because of the
genuine free moral agency of those involved. Again, the fact that God sees them
ahead of time does not make them happen in any causative sense.
I want you to notice that the Bible does not say that God
has the capacity to know all things, which He certainly does; instead, the
argument is that God actually "knows all things." Now, if God knows
all things, what is it that He does not know? Remember, the Great Intelligence
of the universe is writing to His intelligent creatures. Consequently, not only
does He teach us through direct statements and approved examples, but He also
expects us to come to necessary conclusions about what He has written. By
direct statement, the Bible teaches that God "knows all things."7
By direct statement, the Bible teaches that God's understanding is without
boundaries or limits.8 Therefore, if God's understanding is
infinite, and understanding is established through
knowledge, then it follows necessarily that God's knowledge is also infinite.
In other words, based on the direct statements of Scripture, the only
conclusion one can arrive at is that there is nothing God
does not know and this encompasses the then, the now, and the not yet!
Some Claim God Cannot Know The
Future
Calvin's starting point was that God's foreknowledge and man's free will are mutually
exclusive. Calvin opted for God's foreknowledge at the expense of man's free
will. Others, while rejecting Calvin's false system, have believed his premise.
Consequently, they have opted for man's free will at the expense of God's
foreknowledge. Presently, there are New Testament Christians who are taking
this position. Giving lip-service to the omniscience of God,9
they claim that because the future does not yet exist, God cannot know what
does not yet exist, unless He, by His decretive will, intends to bring these
events to pass. They claim that passages that depict God as knowing the end
from the beginning10 are really examples of God's omnipotence, not
His foreknowledge. God, they claim, simply cannot know the future, contingent,
free will choices of men and women. These brethren are just as wrong as the
Calvinists they condemn. All the Bible passages that show God foreknowing the
future, contingent, free will choices of individuals and groups (and we have
mentioned some of these earlier) testify to the error these brethren espouse.
On the other hand, there are brethren who believe that God
has the capacity to know all things, but for reasons known only to Him, He
chooses not to know some things. Unlike those who say God cannot know, this group does not take their position for philosophical
reasons. Instead, they take their position because the Bible does seem to be
saying there are things God does (did) not know,11
and as they are wont to say, "We all know the Bible does not contradict
itself." True, the Bible does not contradict itself. Therefore, if the
Bible teaches that God knows all things, then passages like Genesis 18 and 22 must be interpreted in light of this truth. In fact, a
fundamental rule of Bible interpretation says that we must understand Scripture
in its normal sense unless a literal interpretation contradicts other clear
teaching found in God's Word. Not doing this, in my opinion, is the error one
makes in thinking these passages negate the all-knowingness of God.12
Mixing Apples And Oranges
In their defense, many who take the above position argue that just as God being
all-powerful does not mean He has to be doing everything He has the capacity to
do, being all-knowing does not mean that God must actually know everything He
has the capacity to know. What to many seems like
iron-clad logic is, in fact, a non sequitur, that is, it is simply an argument
that does not logically follow the premise or evidence. Therefore, comparing
omniscience with omnipotence is like confusing apples and oranges. Yes, it is
true that being all-powerful, definitionally, does
not mean one has to be engaged in doing all things. On the other hand, by
definition, knowing all things means knowing all things. Being all-powerful
infers ability only, while being all-knowing infers
not just ability but the actual knowledge itself, which, in the case of God, is
universal in scope. In other words, God is not claiming that He could know all
things; He's claiming He does know all things! Those
who wrongly believe Genesis 18 and 22 to be teaching that God has chosen not to
know some things are explaining away, by their literal interpretation of these
passages, the plain teaching of those scriptures I have cited which clearly
teach the all-knowingness of God. Evidently, they must think the passages I
have cited mean something other than what they literally say. But, whether one agrees with me or not, the task before us
is to harmonize two seemingly contradictory teachings—God knows all things; God
does not know some things—and do it in a way that does no harm to the integrity
of either set of scriptures.
Resolving An Apparent Dilemma
Here is how I resolve what otherwise appears to be a dilemma. In Genesis 18:21,
we are dealing with an unusual circumstance. God, who is omnipresent, which
means He is equally present to all of space simultaneously, has, on occasion,
entered space at specific points and become present in it for a specific
purpose. The theologians call these occurrences "theophanies."
This seems to be the case in Genesis 18:21. In verse 1 of the chapter, it says,
"Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth
trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in
the heat of the day." In verse 2, it mentions "three men."
Whether these three men are manifestations of the triune nature of God, or
whether the other two were angels, is not clear. What seems clear is that this
is, in fact, a theophany. In entering the time/space
continuum, God, who is infinite in His being, willingly, and somehow, without
ceasing to be who He is, allowed Himself to be subject
to the finite. It's mind-boggling, I know.
Nevertheless, this appears to be the clear import of Scripture. Let us now look
at the Genesis 18:21 with my interpretation interjected in brackets:
I, [who have
somehow subjected Myself to the time/space continuum] will go down [not from
heaven, but down the way geographically] now [not in eternity, but right now at
this moment, subject to time and space] and see [i.e., learn experientially in
time and space] whether they have done [and, more importantly, continue to do
"now"] altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to
Me [in eternity, not limited by time and space]; and if not [i.e., if they are
no longer doing what I knew they were doing before I allowed Myself to be
subject to time and space], I [God subject to time and space] will know
[experientially].
Notice that I have emphasized the word "now" by
putting it in bold letters. This is because I believe this word to be
the key to understanding this passage. God, who knows the past, present, and
future, confines His knowing to the "now" of the time/space
continuum. Are we supposed to think that the self-existent, eternal, infinite
Spirit who is God did not really know everything that had been happening in
I now call your attention to what I consider to be the more difficult passage. In Genesis 22:12, the
angel of the Lord says to Abraham, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do
anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld
your son, your only son, from Me." Although the "angel of the
Lord," who some think may be the pre-incarnate Christ, is involved in this
episode, the unusual circumstances associated with a theophany
are not a part of the context. Even so, as has already been pointed out, the
Bible teaches that the self-existent, eternal, and infinite Spirit who is God
"knows all things." So, once again, citing a
fundamental principle of Bible interpretation, the current passage cannot be
interpreted in a way that would negate clear and unequivocal passages which
teach that God knows all things.
As we think about this situation, it is interesting to note
what the self-existent, eternal, infinite Spirit who is God knew about Abraham
before He ever "tested" him. In Genesis 18:18-19, the Lord said: "...since Abraham shall surely become a great and
mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I
have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household
after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice,
that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." In other
words, God knew that Abraham would pass the "tests" of faith, which
included the one mentioned in this passage. To disregard this information, as
well as the truth about God's "all-knowingness," is to make a serious
mistake when trying to understand this passage. Yes, taken literally, the
passage does appear to be teaching that God learned something about Abraham
that He had not previously known. But, if God really
does know all things, and if He therefore knew Abraham would pass all
"tests," then Genesis 22:12 cannot be teaching what it seems to be
teaching. I admit to feeling just a little bit uncomfortable making this kind
of statement. Nevertheless, I am confident this is the correct way to view this
passage. Paul was not the only inspired writer who wrote things difficult to
understand, which, if we are not careful, can be twisted to teach something
completely contrary to truth.13 Our responsibility is to "Be
diligent to present [ourselves] approved to God, [as workers] who [do not] need
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."14
This is not always easy, but if we work hard at it, then we, too, will pass the
"test."
I believe the key to understanding Genesis 22:12 is to be
found in places like Deuteronomy 29-30, where God promises to give life or
death and blessings or cursings, depending upon one's
obedience to His Word. Do what is right and one is blessed; do what is wrong
and one is cursed. This is a principle taught many places in the Bible, and
although we do not expect to hear the voice of the "angel of the
Lord" today, nevertheless, if we serve the Lord faithfully, He will bless
us; if we disobey Him, He will curse us.
God is all-knowing. However, He
has graciously agreed to deal with us in the time/space continuum. In Genesis
22:12, I have once again emphasized the word "now." This is because I
believe the key to understanding this passage, like the key to understanding
Genesis 18:21, is the "now" context. In the now of Abraham's time and
space, the voice of the angel of the Lord could be heard
audibly, and God is acknowledging His blessing on or appreciation of Abraham at
a very critical time and place in his "walk of faith." In fact, the
word "know" in this passage is sometimes translated
"to recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess, declare, or tell." So, in
harmony with the rest of Scripture, and without doing any violence to the words
of this passage, Genesis 22:12 is not teaching that
the all-knowing God of the universe did not really know whether Abraham would
pass this critical test. He is, instead, acknowledging
His appreciation of Abraham's faithfulness to Him. In other words, He is
declaring, "Abraham, I have been testing you...and you have passed the
test!"
As has been demonstrated, there is
nothing in God's word that limits His knowledge, not even the free moral agency
of man. Therefore, with the apostle
Paul, we say: "Now to the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen."15
Notes
1 See Romans 11:33.
2 1 John 3:20.
3 By genuine, I mean that God actually has the ability to foreknow
the future, contingent, free will choices of men and women.
4 Deuteronomy 31:16-21.
5 Ephesians 1:4.
6 It is extremely unfortunate that when we begin to talk about logic
some people's eyes begin to glaze over. Many seem convinced that logic is very
difficult, but it is really not as hard as they think.
Without the rules of logic, we could not understand anything. Without logic,
God would be unable to communicate His will to us. Even if He were to directly inspire us, we would still need to follow the
rules of logic in order to understand and apply His words.
7 1 John 3:20.
8 See Psalm 147:5.
9 They acknowledge that God knows the past and present perfectly.
10 See Isaiah 46:10; Romans 4:17.
11 For example, Genesis 18:21
and 22:12.
12 If you disagree with me, I would be very interested to know what
you think Psalm 147:5; Romans 11:33; and 1 John 3:20
are saying about God's omniscience.
13 See 2 Peter 3:16.
14 2 Timothy 2:15.
15 1 Timothy 1:17.
See
The Five Points Of Calvinism Examined
by:
Allan Turner
In this section, we are going to look at some Calvinistic
"sugar-sticks" or proof texts. Admittedly, some of these passages are
a little difficult for a non-determinist. Trying to deal with these passages
without having a thorough biblical understanding as to why determinism is wrong
could make one feel compelled to make a misapplication of these scriptures.
Nevertheless, these so-called "sugar-sticks" can be
satisfactorily interpreted from a non-determinist point of view. This
list appears at the end of this study so that with a clear understanding as to
why Calvinism is anti-biblical, we can together give these passages a more
thorough treatment. Therefore, if you have not already read what has been written in this study, you need to do so. Having
said that, let us now proceed to an examination of these Calvinistic
"sugar-sticks."
Romans 5:12,
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (KJV). In the
Latin translation of this passage, the Greek phrase eph'
ho is rendered "in him," so that the last part of the passage
reads, "for in him all men sinned."
Therefore, in making his argument for "Original Sin," Augustine, who,
as has already been pointed out, was the father of this doctrine, repeatedly
made reference to this verse in his many writings, thinking it to be clear and
unequivocal. Even so, in their Commentary on Romans, which is recognized
as one of the great modern textual authorities on the book of Romans, Sanday and Headlam wrote,
"Although this expression (eph' ho)
has been much fought over, there can now be little doubt that the true
rendering is 'because.'"1 According to them, the Greek
classical writers used this phrase to mean "on
condition that." In their consideration of the idea that the apostle meant
to imply, "because all sinned in Adam," they wrote:
"The objection is that the words supplied are far too important to be left
to be understood. If
Consequently, Romans 5:12 neither says nor implies that all sinned in Adam, as Augustine and, later, Luther and Calvin thought and taught. Nevertheless, this passage and its context is not easy to understand. First of all, what kind of death is under consideration in this passage? Was Paul writing ab