This post is part of a series based on chapters from the new Church of God book by Jerry Hickson, Are You Sure You're Right? (For more information see my review).
Moving from the previous chapter on inerrancy, Jerry Hickson heads into safer territory in chapter 2: "Does the Sovereignty of God Preclude Our Free Will?". Because of our Wesleyan-Arminian roots the battle against Calvinism has been a long standing tradition within the Church of God. We have consistently rejected Calvinistic doctrines of predestination and eternal security, and this has set us apart from a large number of Evangelicals.
Hickson is right in simplifying this debate down to the issue of determinism (p. 15), and in reminding us that the "Church of God stands among those who find the answer to theodicy in the reality of human free will" (p. 17). The bulk of this chapter is devoted to explain the differences between the Calvinstic and Arminiam perspectives, and includes a survey of the main biblical teachings including some of the more troublesome ones.
There is significant value in what Dr. Hickson is doing here. I am convinced that the vast majority of Church of God constituents do not understand these theological underpinings or their implications. This chapter should enable them to deal with these issues with greater clarity, although there are points where the argument gets a little tedious.
In truth, however, Calvinism rarely exists in its full-blown form. While logical, most people have trouble reconciling it with the realities and practice of life. As a result, many Evangelicals are "soft" Calvinists, further blurring the lines of distinction with Arminians. And, it doesn't help that few within the Church of God have articulated a comprehensive free-will theology, often leaving the average person in the pew to pick and choose elements from both schools to fit their own presuppositions and reality.
A deterministic worldview can have serious implications for how we understand and live our faith. Unfortunately, though, it tends to creep into our theology and affect the way we treat such basic matters as prayer, understanding pain and suffering, and seeking God's will. I believe we should be addresssing this more in our congregations.
3 comments:
I'm so glad Hickson brought that up. I have found a lot of people that don't want to go all the way Calvinist. Actually most of my friends that are "Calvinists" are that way. Those same friends opperated as though they beleived in free will, and if something bad or otherwise their plan they said I guess it wasn't God's will. Instead of the fact that maybe they just have bad credit, weren't the best canidate for the job or were beaten by the better team.
I that we don't teach ChOG beliefs and values because we don't know who we are. We are a church omeba. Formaless except a thin membrane obsorbing things that come across our path. If we sit down and define ourselves that will eleveate some of this problems.
I would put the question the other way around: Does our freewill preclude God's sovereignty?
I find that if one has to take power away from God to assert his or her position, then that is not a good position to hold or affirm. Can God be God and I believe in freewill? Absolutely! The problem really arises when we try to make God live in our time-space. God existed and does exist outside of His creation. He created time-space on the first day. He is not bound to a sequential, day-by-day life that we live. I believe He lives in all time-space at exactly the same moment. I call this, as others have I am not the first, the "God of the Eternal Now." Can God know my choice before I make it? Absolutely! If not, He would be forced to live according to our whims. Just because He knows what our choice will be does not mean He causes our choice (foreknowledge is not equal to cause).
Perhaps it is not so much an issue of Arminianism vs. Calvinism, but rather 'what sayeth the scripture'? Issac Newton discovered the principles of gravity, yet we do not call gravity 'Newtonism".:-) Perhaps the terms of of Arminiam or Calvinist fall short of the bigger scriptural issue.
We never seem to have an issue with God having a chosen people (the Jews) in the OT, or in His ordaining of Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations (Jer 1:5-7), or sovereignly hardening Pharao's heart (Ex 4:21). Then why do have issue with verses such as Eph 1:4, 2 Thess 2:13, James 1:18, Jn 1:13, among others, which clearly show the sovereign work of God in the calling and quickening of the believers.
I always wished that Acts 13:48 (And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed) was worded 'and as many as believed were ordained...." but it doesn't say that at all. I also struggled with Romans 8:29, to which most rebuttals are in the general reply of something like 'well, God knew what decision you would make'. But the verse doesn't say WHAT God forknew (proginosko), but rather WHOM He foreknew. Big difference.
Besides all that, I never see a sinner's prayer for salvation in scripture (no, Romans 10:9 is not a sinner's prayer in the greek text, but rather the assurance of salvation, verse 10 is the method of salvation), nor do I see really any debate about God electing His flock. The apostles seem perfectly content with God drawing and quickening whoever He desired. I also never see any term such as 'free will' in scripture, only self-willed (Titus 1:7, 2 Pet 2:10).
It is a great subject indeed, and I have learned to not look to Calvin or Armenius to construct a theology. The word of God is sufficient enough if we only look at the bigger context of scripture. Now about those vessels of wrath in Rom. 9....:-)Thanks for letting me post brothers in the Lord.
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