The Tension Around Calvinism

I don’t doubt that a good number of believers will disagree with what I am about to say. I believe there is a tension around the nature of God and what Christians, and Calvinists, feel the nature of God is really like. Is God all powerful, prone to fits of anger, vindictive or is He loving, patient, kind and compassionate?

In the Old Testament the Israelite's knew God to be a someone who didn’t mess around and was to be feared. The Lord makes no bones about the consequences to people for disobeying Him. In Exodus Thirty Two we read of the consequences when Israel worshiped the calf that Aaron made for them while Moses was talking to God on the mountain. As soon as he returned, Moses called those still faithful to him and instructed them to strap on a sword. They were then to go back and forth from the gate of the camp and to slay their brother and their friend. This was a commandment from the Lord and three thousand men of Israel died that day

Another instance is described in Numbers Twenty One where the people of Israel were headed for Mount Hor in order to avoid Edom. They spoke against God and he sent snakes against them. He then instructed Moses to construct a bronze serpent and to attach it to a pole. Those who looked at it would be saved. God seemed to be both swifter to judge and to punish in the Old testament than we find in the New Testament
Now these are two well known instances and there are very many similar occurrences in the Old Testament. However, if we look at the people in the Old Testament of whom it says they were anointed of God and I assume it is fair to say they were filled with the Spirit of God. Their experience seems to more closely match that of the New Testament saints. People like Samson and Saul struggled even with their anointing but there are many Christians who struggle with their anointing as well. There are also Christians today like King David in the Old Testament who could relate to his descriptions of a benevolent creator who loves His children. A compassionate being who wants only the best for them. A God who is loving, patient, kind and compassionate.

In the New Testament we are under the New Covenant and are dealing for the most part with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The relationship the saints of the New Testament have through the Spirit and in Christ Jesus is much more loving and personal. As I mentioned before it much more closely matches the relationship that David presents to us in the Psalms or for that matter that many of the Old Testament saints, prophets and judges had with the Lord in that they were anointed and received the Spirit of God as do we.

So how does this relate to the tension between Calvinism and Arminianism. Calvinists believe that those who believe on Jesus Christ are predestined and everything that they do is also foreordained. This is also the Calvinist view of the wicked and the lost. That they are equally predestined to eternity in hell fire. How does this reconcile with the biblical view of a loving God who so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but will inherit eternal life?

Why do Calvinists have such a stern view of God despite the way He is portrayed in the New Testament? I tend to think it has much to do with a tendency of the Church to misunderstand the relationship with God under the Old Covenant in contrast with the complete reversal of fortunes through Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross and under the New Covenant. Under the Law man was constrained by an inability to abide by the Law in any state approaching perfection which was the standard that God required.

Whereas, Christ as the Son of Man completed a life that was perfectly without sin and became the sacrifice necessary as the only begotten Son of God to pay the price for all who would believe on Him. Thus the requirements of the Law are fulfilled in Christ Jesus and the price of the sins of mankind are paid by for those who attain salvation through Him.

Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one dot or one mark will pass from the law until all be fulfilled. MEV

The New Covenant as described in Jeremiah chapter Thirty One and restated in Hebrews Eight verses Eight through Twelve tells of the New Covenant that Jesus spoke of in Matthew Twenty Eight before He ascended. It tells of the relationship we have under Christ where the Holy Spirit indwells us and writes the Law on our hearts. In this way the Law is fulfilled in us as we by faith on Christ Jesus are justified and through the indwelling of the Spirit we are sanctified.

Jeremiah 31: 31-34 Surely, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, because they broke My covenant, although I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law within them and write it in their hearts and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.MEV

Now a point I would make here is that the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Israel. All the people of Israel not just those who are predestined. When Jeremiah prophesied this he believed God was speaking to all of Israel and those who heard this message of Israel down through the centuries have believed this message was for all of Israel not just some Israelites. Am I saying all Israelites will repent and be saved? No but all have the opportunity of salvation in Christ in the Gentile Church. All receive the message of the New Covenant through the Cross and grace is available to all. Will all repent and be saved? No, but all have the opportunity.

To make this point a little more explicit we can look at Moses bringing the Law to the people of Israel in Exodus Chapter Twenty. Now the whole nation were assembled waiting for Moses and Aaron while they went up the mountain to speak with God and to get the Law. They came back down to meet the priests and the people. The people asked for Moses to speak to them because they feared the Lord and what would happen to them if God spoke to them. We can see from this they were all earnestly attentive to God as one people. The Law was given to the people of Israel and applied to all of them. None were expected to disobey but all were expected to repent and obey as God instructed them through Moses.

So it is with all mankind today. We have the Word of God and it is expected that all will obey the Word. So it is intended for all men and women to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and to repent but grace is applied only to those who do repent. Provision is made for all but applied to the elect.

Another area of tension around Calvinism and Arminianism is the contention that God is Love. Being fairly conservative by nature many Christians and in particular males tend to be uncomfortable with the idea that God is Love. But the bible supports this notion and it tends to raise questions among those who prefer a more authoritarian stereo type for God.

1John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.MEV

1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.MEV

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.MEV

So, if God is Love and if we abide in love we abide in him. Is it not fair to say that God would allow His children some choice in the decision to follow Him and believe on His Son. In fact doesn’t it go hand in hand with the idea that Satan rebelled against God and led one third of the angels against God and from that time God has desired a people who love Him and seek to follow Him of their own volition. Such that, they believe the love that God has for us. They understand that God is love. And whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in Him. And also as the scripture says:

Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. NASB

Yet another concept that is an important one in the tension around Calvinism is found in Colossians 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Earlier in this article I mentioned that God is seen to be all powerful, prone to fits of anger, vindictive. This is particularly so in the Old Testament. Yet Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit are much more focused on love, forgiveness and compassion for the lost.

I wonder if perhaps that vengeful God of the Old Testament is based on the actions of God the Father who abhors sin and won’t tolerate it. But He so loved us that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but inherit eternal life. Such that, we have been baptized into the death of Christ Jesus and to sin and through Him into the resurrection and newness of life. Finally then hidden with Christ in God so when the Father looks upon us He sees the Son, Christ Jesus. Could that be the reason we no longer hear of a vengeful God but rather a loving Father who desires a people who will follow him of their own accord. Of free choice?

The Five Articles of the Remonstrance

 Attending a Reformed Presbyterian Church I am subject to a considerable amount of Calvinist dogma. While I accept the scriptures about Predestination I tend to have grave doubts about the way in which these scriptures are interpreted. I also have reservations about the implications of the Calvinist perspective on the individual believer’s relationship with God and perception of God’s attitude toward them.

I have even heard folk describe how when they first accepted Calvinism they wept. I assume that this is because where they had believed God to be a loving Father who rejoiced in the salvation of His children and delighted in their every interaction with Him. Apart from anything else this sounds like a conversion experience and if you are already converted to Christ Jesus who are you now having a conversion experience with?

In any case, it seems they now have to accept that God is fickle. He saves whom He chooses and condemns others to eternal fire on a whim. Even the rebellion of Lucifer and the war in heaven was scripted by God. Those angels including Lucifer who rebelled against Yahweh were mere puppets going through the motions of an existence apparently foreordained by God.

According to the proponents of Calvinism, from the book of Genesis on through to Revelation. T hose who are redeemed and those who will perish have no choice in their eternal destiny. God has decided this from the beginning of time. This is the Calvinist outlook. This is the perception of the nature of God that those adherents of Calvinism purport to the world. A view that has been endorsed with extreme prejudice on more that one occasion since the times of John Calvin and other Reformers.

Today with the advent of Social Media. Calvinism has made a strong re-emergence onto the stage of evangelical Christianity. Ultra Calvinists have even been known to threaten with violence those who would seek to debate the issues along the traditional lines of Calvinism versus Arminianism. Such is the fanaticism and strength of emotion held about subject.

If you read the Five Articles of the Remonstrance written by the followers of Jacob Arminius after his death in 1609. They really seem quite gentle and perfectly biblical. Nothing there to get worked up about. Yet the Synod of Dordrecht in 1618 rejected the Remonstrance, branding the articles as heresy and dismissing the Remonstrant ministers instructing them to desist from all forms of ministry and writing about the teachings of Arminius.

The question I would ask is what could there be that really would cause any issues in the Five Articles of the Remonstrance. Essentially they just expound a fairly accurate New Testament view of the mechanics of salvation through a loving savior and a gracious God. The worst that could happen is that the gospel would be preached and the lost would be found. I’ll leave it to you the reader to digest the five articles as they are represented below.

Five articles of Remonstrance

The Five articles of Remonstrance refers to the document drawn up in 1610 by the followers of Jacobus Arminius¹ (1560-1609). A "remonstrance" is literally "an expression of opposition or protest," which in this case was a protest against the Calvinist doctrine of predestination contained in the Belgic Confession. Consequently, those followers of Arminius who drafted this protest were given the name "Remonstrants."

This document was condemned as heresy by the reformed churches at the Synod of Dort, 1618-1619. [1]

Article 1

That God, by an eternal and unchangeable purpose in Jesus Christ his Son, before the foundation of the world, hath determined, out of the fallen, sinful race of men, to save in Christ, for Christ’s sake, and through Christ, those who, through the grace of the Holy Ghost, shall believe on this his son Jesus, and shall persevere in this faith and obedience of faith, through this grace, even to the end; and, on the other hand, to leave the incorrigible and unbelieving in sin and under wrath, and to condemn them as alienate from Christ, according to the word of the Gospel in John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him,” and according to other passages of Scripture also. [2]

Article 2

That agreeably thereunto, Jesus Christ the Savior of the world, died for all men and for every man, so that he has obtained for them all, by his death on the cross, redemption and the forgiveness of sins; yet that no one actually enjoys this forgiveness of sins except the believer, according to the word of the Gospel of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And in the First Epistle of 1 John 2:2: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” [3]

Article 3

That man has not saving grace of himself, nor of the energy of his free will, inasmuch as he, in the state of apostasy and sin, can of and by himself neither think, will, nor do any thing that is truly good (such as saving faith eminently is); but that it is needful that he be born again of God in Christ, through his Holy Spirit, and renewed in understanding, inclination, or will, and all his powers, in order that he may rightly understand, think, will, and effect what is truly good, according to the Word of Christ, John 15:5, “Without me ye can do nothing.” [4]

Article 4

That this grace of God is the beginning, continuance, and accomplishment of all good, even to this extent, that the regenerate man himself, without prevenient or assisting, awakening, following and cooperative grace, can nei­ther think, will, nor do good, nor withstand any temptations to evil; so that all good deeds or movements, that can be conceived, must be ascribed to the grace of God in Christ. but respects the mode of the operation of this grace, it is not irresistible; inas­much as it is written con­cerning many, that they have resisted the Holy Ghost. Acts 7, and else­where in many places. [5]

Article 5

That those who are in­corporated into Christ by true faith, and have thereby become partakers of his life-giving Spirit, have thereby full power to strive against Satan, sin, the world, and their own flesh, and to win the victory; it being well un­derstood that it is ever through the assisting grace of the Holy Ghost; and that Jesus Christ assists them through his Spirit in all temptations, extends to them his hand, and if only they are ready for the conflict, and desire his help, and are not inactive, keeps them from falling, so that they, by no craft or power of Satan, can be misled nor plucked out of Christ’s hands, according to the Word of Christ, John 10:28: “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” But whether they are capable, through negligence, of forsaking again the first beginning of their life in Christ, of again returning to this present evil world, of turning away from the holy doctrine which was deliv­ered them, of losing a good conscience, of be­coming devoid of grace, that must be more particularly determined out of the Holy Scripture, be­fore we ourselves can teach it with the full persuasion of our mind. [6]

Resources

• Phillip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, Volume 3, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI: 1996. Pages 545ff.

1James Arminius (Jacob Harmenszoon). Arminius was born in 1559 in Oudewater - a small city in the province of Holland.

A Tale of Two Blokes

Calvinism Versus Arminianism – A Brief Comparison

Gods Sovereignty

This debate that has ranged wide among Christians for the last five hundred years. Calvinism holds that a person contributes nothing to their individual salvation and that includes choice. In the opinion of Calvinists God chooses the believer and applies everything the believer needs to become a Christian. This includes the ability to decide to believe on Jesus Christ, to have faith and everything required to make that decision possible. This is based on the doctrine of Predestination which is underpinned in the teachings of the apostle Paul.1 They have an acronym called TULIP which states that a person has nothing that they can contribute because they are totally depraved and have nothing in themselves capable of even thinking about accepting Christ as their savior. They are unconditionally elected meaning the believer is chosen by God to be saved or to be lost and, has no choice. There is limited atonement meaning God’s grace in Christ Jesus is applied only to those who believe and become Christians. There is irresistible grace meaning that Grace in Jesus Christ cannot be resisted so that again there is no choice for the believer to make as grace is not able to be resisted. There is perseverance of the saints meaning you are chosen of God and cannot lose your salvation. You cannot choose to reject Christ Jesus at a later date.

Man’s Freedom of Choice

Arminianism holds that while there is much that only God can do to enable a person to believe on Jesus Christ that He leaves the ultimate decision to that person to make. 2A similar acronym to TULIP that some Arminian’s hold to is ROSES. This states that a person is radically depraved meaning that before God we are fallen but not completely wicked. That God’s grace is overcoming meaning that the grace in the form of the gospel is heard but can be resisted by person who chooses not to believe. That rather than unconditional election. Sovereign election is a better fit in that they see God foreknew those who would choose him and he then elected them to be Christians. Eternal life is used instead of perseverance of saints meaning that you can lose your salvation if you choose to reject God. Singular redemption is used instead of limited atonement meaning basically that Christ’s redemptive work on Cross was for everyone but is applied to those who choose to believe on Him. Thus Freedom of Choice is implicit in the gospel for the Salvation of those who believe on the Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Because, Yahweh Elohim has always sought a people who will follow Him of their own volition from the time of the beginning in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.

Is there Freedom of Choice - Genesis: Cain and Seth – The Good and Evil Lineage

In this vein it could be argued that right from the beginning of creation there have been those who when given the choice either believed in Yahweh Elohim and worshiped Him. Or, who rejected Yahweh Elohim and worshiped idols and either directly, or indirectly, Satan the devil.

The book of Genesis describes the Son’s of God and the Daughters of Men. There is much debate as to what the bible is saying here. Are Son’s of God fallen angels? Did they breed with the daughters of men and create a race of mighty warriors – The Nephilim? Are the Son’s of God a kingly race of warriors. Or, are the Son’s of God the descendants of Seth and the Daughter’s of Men the descendants of Cain. Or, are the Son’s of God merely men and the Daughters of Men simply women made of the rib of man?

In alignment with the doctrine of predestination I quite like the idea of the Son’s of God being descendants of Seth and the Daughters of Men being descendants of Cain. I feel myself that the Son’s of God ought to have married righteous women but saw the daughters of Cain’s descendants, that they were desirable and were tempted to make the wrong choice. In so doing they took on the worship of idols and essentially doomed mankind to judgment and the Great Flood.

How does this fit in with the great Calvinist and Arminian debate. Well I think it fits rather nicely and probably supports the idea of God allowing man freedom of choice. Seth loved God and was obedient to him whereas Cain rebelled against God and hated him. When the Sons of God took the Daughters of Men as their wives they also compromised their faith and obedience to God. They chose to turn away from God and that caused them and their descendants to die in their sins. Noah and his family were the only ones left on Earth who worshiped God and God chose Noah as a type of Christ to deliver the human race. Freedom of Choice has been a theme throughout scripture. 

Meritocracy – Does Our Decision to Accept or Reject God Impact Society

Government in Western Democracies is seen as being, for the most part a Benevolent Meritocracy. We are encouraged to believe that we have freedom of choice providing we don’t impinge on the freedoms of other citizens.

Most citizens would agree that despite the best efforts of government and the citizenry. Daily life equates to more of a benign meritocracy than a benevolent one. It doesn’t seem to matter how hard we all try, despite our best work we can’t meet the needs of everyone in society.

In fact, life in our society seems to be pointed downhill and with gathering speed is becoming a Malevolent Meritocracy. Where only those with wealth can afford a good life and the rest of society are becoming increasingly disenfranchised and, impoverished.

Where does this fit in with Calvinism and Arminianism? Well the closer a society is to God generally the closer they are to a benevolent meritocracy. If we look at the nation of Israel God actually told them that when they followed Him he would bless them and when they turned away He would deliver them into the hands of their enemies3. So if Israel chose to follow God they had blessing and if they turned away they were punished and delivered into the hands of their enemies.

While there is no doubt about God’s sovereignty. God’s blessing would seem to be contingent on man exercising the choice to accept Him and not to reject Him. So in believing on Jesus Christ in our era we are blessed with a benevolent meritocracy but when a society rejects the Son of Man in favor of idols and worldly pleasures. That society rapidly begins to feel the spiritual burn that rejecting God can produce. It would also seem that the decision is allowed to us by God.

 
Did God Build Freedom of Choice into Creation for a Reason

It is my belief that God made the Angels a perfect race. Each one created without blemish or any sign of imperfection. However, it seems that even so, Lucifer was able to become corrupted by the sin of jealousy over the position of God himself. Seeking to elevate himself above the Lord of all Creation.

Now here is a puzzle. God is without doubt the Sovereign Lord, Yahweh Elohim. But if we postulate that everything that happens is designed by Yahweh. Are we saying he designed Lucifer to fall into temptation and to rebel against Him becoming Satan in the process. Not only that but leading one third of the other angels in a revolution against the Creator as well. It doesn’t seem likely that God would do that and rather, it seems much more likely that Lucifer had the free will to make the choice to rebel against God himself.

In fact, it seems much more likely that the whole theme of the bible is to show how much Yahweh Elohim loves His creations. So much so that He wants them to have the choice to follow Him. To take it a step further Yahweh has always insisted on Free Will. Adam and Eve were given Free Will to decide to accept Yahweh or to reject Him. They decided to reject Him by disobeying a direct instruction not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. Mankind before the flood had the choice to follow Yahweh or to reject Him. In the end only Noah and his family decided to follow Him.

Abraham had the choice to obey God and leave Ur or to stay there. He obeyed God and also was obedient to the point of giving God his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. So it was with Jacob, Joseph and Moses. All followed and obeyed God and this resulted in the deliverance of the descendants of Abraham and the formation of the nation of Israel. A people called by Yahweh to follow Him of their own Free Will.

Joshua led Israel into Canaan of his own free will. This after the people murmured and complained against God of their own Free Will. That generation never saw the promised land except for Joshua and Caleb. God gave Israel judges and blessed Israel when they repented and followed Him and gave them into the hands of their enemies when they chose to disobey. Samuel judged Israel righteously all of his days, of his own free will, and brought them Saul and David as their kings. God allowed Israel to choose for themselves a king of their own Free Will.

God gave His only Son, Jesus Christ of His Free Will and as sacrifice for all sins. Just as Abraham had been prepared to give Isaac, his only son and a type of Christ, as a sacrifice for sin and in obedience to Yahweh. There is a constant theme in the Holy Bible of Freedom of Choice. This freedom is given by God because He desires a people of His own possession who love, obey and follow Him of their own Free Will.

And so it is with the Church Age. Yes it is true our Lord and God, Yahweh Elohim, is the Sovereign Lord. There is no doubt but it is also true that he gives man the right to freewill when it comes to following Him. It is our choice to accept or reject Jesus Christ. Yahweh does not desire a people who follow him but not of their own freewill. Freedom of Choice is essential with Yahweh and the single most important difference between resurrected man and the angels will be that resurrected man will have chosen to follow God of his own freewill.

1 Romans 8:29

2 Five articles of Remonstrance | Theopedia

3 Deuteronomy 28:1-67

Nary a Soul

 

I’ve been a Christian since I heard the gospel as a child. I was walking down a tanker track with my Dad and my brother Douglas listening to them talk about the gospel and other doctrines in the bible. It wasn’t the first time but I asked my father if he believed in Jesus? He said that he did and I answered “I do too.”

Events took a real turn as I grew up. Within three years of that moment Dad was taken with a heart attack, two of my brothers became Christians, my sister went to boarding school and Mum remarried. After that, we moved into town for year, I didn’t get on well with the step father and I was sent off to boarding school for two years at age nine. One of the best things that happened to me by the way.

The Principal was an Anglican Canon and one of the strongest Christian men I have ever met. We had chapel six days a week, had chores to perform and got a lot of character developed. I was there for two years and though I didn’t realize it then. I received a lot of training in a basic bible based faith where the gospel was central. A living faith where sharing Christ was part and parcel of daily life.

Had I stayed at boarding school for four years I would probably have insisted on going to secondary school as a boarder as well. Who knows but God, I could have ended up running the country but that was not His plan. I was at boarding for two years and then Mum’s second marriage ended so I returned to the family.

The family rather rapidly became Christian and some of my brothers and my sister attended Capernwray Bible College and started their walk with Christ in fairly formal way. Another brother became a Christian in the early seventies while the last one held out until around 1978. There were seven Gibbs children and we all achieved salvation in Christ Jesus

Sadly, the Charismatic Movement divided the family to some extent but as the years rolled by things settled down and, some tolerance of others views developed. There were other challenges. The King James Bible fanaticism swept through at one point. Some of us were devout End Times Apocalypse proponents focused on the New World Order and conspiracy theory. Not that any of that is particularly wrong. It just tends to distract from the real focus that a Christian should hold.

The Great Commission of Matthew 28 verse 19-20 says “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

It is only my opinion but I feel it to be true to say, that you can’t win souls to Christ by preaching a gospel other than that “Jesus Christ bore our sins on the Cross, died and was raised on the third day.”

For instance, sharing that the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York was a conspiracy and perpetrated by the New World Order. While it may be true, will not necessarily draw a soul nearer to Jesus Christ. Railing against the great moral issues of our time, again, may be important but won’t win a single soul to Christ.

So what am I proposing here? That we say nothing of the great sin of our nation. By no means! We should point out the sins of the nation and oppose them at the highest level. But please realize that fighting with secular New Zealand on Social Media will win nary a soul to the Lord. If you aim to promote revival then you will achieve that from your knees before the Almighty in fervent prayer.

Pray then, that God will raise great men and women from the younger generation to lead our people into repentance and back to the Father in Christ Jesus. That he will pour out our Lord the Holy Spirit upon our nation that they might repent and He will heal the land. Do this yourself and lead as many other Christians as you can to live their faith in Christ Jesus. To lead other saints to fall to their knees and in prayer cause this country to turn back to the Lord our God in Christ Jesus.

Epiphany

I was sitting in Church last Sunday and had a minor epiphany. I realised that I now know and love these people. Such that it doesn’t matter about our theological differences we are family. Just as my brothers and sister are always my family regardless of thought and deed. So, it is now with my Church family.

I think many believers go to Church with a bible in one hand a metaphorical loaded pistol in their pocket. If the Pastor or the Church body start become theologically different from themselves. They cock the hammer on the pistol. If things get worse, they pull out their imaginary gun and start waving it around wildly hoping to get their own way. Stressing the metaphorical element of this whole scenario here but the next step is walking out the door never to return.

I have to say that before I came to this Church I asked God to guide me to the Church He wanted me to become a member of and make it that He wouldn’t allow me to leave. For a number of reasons that is the Church I am a member of now.

For a start, the Pastor is now a close friend and he wouldn’t let me leave without a good reason which he would pursue me to obtain. The Church is quite theologically diverse and although the theology is Reformed individuality seems quite acceptable. I have challenged this premise continually and the Church community continues to accept my opinions with much love and patience. I have come to know the congregation and they are now my friends such that it would be difficult to turn my back on them and to walk away.

Another reason that keeps me with them more than any other is that my disabled son has been with this Church since it was planted and these people have loved and supported him. All the while accepting his different ways. Now, you might say “And so they should!” And yet many people Christian and otherwise are far from accepting of disability. Talking the talk and walking the walk are two completely different issues in this case. 

I can assure you. This is the one thing that of every doubt I have had that God wants me here with this Church. I come back to. That I owe them much on my sons behalf. And a while ago when I first was with them I would have left but that my son pleaded with me to stay.

And so. God has answered my prayer. I asked him to guide me to a Church that He wanted me to join and not allow me to leave and I have to say that He has done that. From where I stand I actually have skin in the game now. I now care deeply for these people and have patience and tolerance for their differing opinions. Even though I may disagree and believe the issues to be important.

So the greatest take home for me is that I’ve always looked for a Church that was a theological match to my beliefs. Whereas now, I see that the quality of the person is much more important than their theological standpoint. I think there will be many who believed on Jesus for their salvation in the Kingdom of Heaven who didn’t agree theologically with each other. Perhaps this is the beginning of wisdom for me?

Replacing God: The Strength Within

It always interests me that those of secular society. Humanists and the like hate the very idea of a moral and powerful creator God. It seems to fan the flames of internal rebellion in their somewhat hardened hearts. They rail at the very idea of a divinely guided creation and simply can’t understand how anyone could challenge the concept of evolution over millions or billions of years powered by competition and survival of the fittest. 

 

Yet, it always intrigues me as a reader of science fiction how these people never miss a chance to attack God, religion and Christians. Usually in that order but are only too happy to envisage humanity, ancient aliens and the like that have through science obtained virtually super natural powers. God like abilities which can create new creatures, such as, robots that are virtually indestructible and have quantum computer artificial intelligence. Then, there are the actual quantum AI computers powerful enough to benevolently control planets and empires. While building enormously powerful space ships the size of moons also controlled by the same types of computer. Not to mention encasing Sun’s in Dyson Spheres and shifting planets to other solar systems. Developing nano technology that can heal, repair and even engineer all manner of other technology. All, nothing short of miraculous and definitely God like. 

Yet humanists will not brook the idea of Jehovah God doing the same things in relation to Earth and the universe we live in this actual reality? But the fact that they can imagine themselves as Gods is pertinent from a Christian perspective. In the book of Genesis at chapter three we read starting at verse 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it (the tree of knowledge), your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan has encouraged mankind to attain to Godhood from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. The devil has always used perspective to deceive mankind and convince them of his various lies starting with what he said to Eve in the Garden. 

In our time, the New Age Movement has strongly evangelized among non-Christians and liberal Christianity alike. That they need to forsake Jehovah and look inward to find enlightenment. In that way they can rise to be Gods themselves. There is much of this concept modeled in modern science fiction as characters there, use technology to raise their cognitive abilities and to become as God’s. This is not all there is to this idea because as they attain God like intelligence, they also reject morality believing that their knowledge is superior and they are now beyond mere humanity. 

 

Because there is no morality then if millions die as a result of the heinous things they create. Wars, plagues and misbegotten nano technology for instance and it eventually turns out that aids and Covid 19 are human creations? I’m not saying that they are but, if they were? Then that would be an example of the type of Godless immorality at the hands of supposedly superior elites and exactly what I am talking about here. 

In conclusion, I would simply ask that if we can conceive of mankind eventually rising in technological capability and capacity to perform and achieve the miraculous. Then why can’t we accept that there is a God called Jehovah who already has that technological capability and capacity to have designed and created not only Earth but the very heavens themselves. As the bible says in Psalm nineteen verse one “...The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.”  

Depravity Compared

Interestingly, the old Calvinist – Arminian question of God’s Sovereignty versus Freedom of Choice is rearing its ugly head again in my life. Not least in this argument is the idea of Total Depravity. I was thinking about that and thought of people I knew of that showed a clear difference in their level of depravity.


So, when looking at the concept of total depravity I thought some of the extreme secular socialists of history like Lenin, Stalin and Mao. When thinking of people who behaved more like Christians but who weren’t I could name a large number who lived around the area that I grew up. Namely, Te Poi, Eastern Waikato in the North Island of New Zealand.

Generally speaking, our neighbors were of the same generation as my parents. Those my parents grew up with and who were brought up in a quasi-Christian environment. Who may have attended Church but in many cases didn’t and who might have been said to have, “Adhered in a form of Godliness but denied the power?” There were definitely genuine Christians among them but certainly not all of them by any means.

Now, looking at the three communist dictators. Lenin was responsible for the deaths of eight to twelve million people and started the Russian Civil War. Numerous others perished subsequent to his establishment of Soviet Union. Lenin and his comrades were obviously brutal dictators. Stalin succeeded Lenin and was responsible for the death of in excess of forty million people Most of those opposed communism and were sent to the gulag (work camps) where they worked as slaves and eventually died of exhaustion. Mao was the Chinese leader who defeated the nationalists in 1949. He then founded the Peoples Republic of China.

Through communist policies he killed as many as eighty million people. He killed intellectual dissidents, put people in labor camps and condoned beating them and stoning them in struggle sessions. His great leap forward campaign in the late 1950’s led to between fifteen and forty-five million people dying of starvation.

These leaders believed in secular humanism and that as there is no God and no morality. They believed the “End always justifies the means.” This ethos holds that. humanity and all of the species on the Earth and in the Galaxy / Universe are developed over millions / billions of years through a process of genetic mutation and a process of competition through predation of the vulnerable and survival of the fittest. Those who hold to this philosophy believe there is no sin, no righteousness and no consequences. Therefore, to kill millions of humans is nothing in the greater scheme of the evolution of species. There is no right and wrong and nothing to stop you doing whatever you want providing you have the power to do so. Might has right. In other words, these men were verifiably Totally Depraved.

By comparison, the people who were contemporaries of my mother and father were exceptionally moral. In the way that you would expect of people who were Christians to be. They were kind, caring, loving and capable of resisting sin themselves while encouraging others to resist sin at the same time.

The time in which they lived was by comparison to today a very safe, peaceful and moral time. Children were brought up to be disciplined, respectful and to care about other people. To be quite honest these people were by no means totally depraved and quite often behaved in a manner that was exemplary and even exceeded the behavior of many Christians in that era of New Zealand in the 1960’s.

Now I know that the first thing many Christian’s would say is that salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ and by God’s grace alone. So, righteous good works are as filthy rags before the Lord. Only the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins and I would agree with them but this is not what I am discussing in this article. What I’m saying here is that there is a discernable difference between the behavior of individuals and that some are definitely more depraved than others.

Therefore, each man’s level of depravity depends on the behavior of the man concerned. Hence, the idea that a person is incapable of choosing to follow Jesus due to total depravity is at the very least a moot point.

So, is it to be total depravity of Calvinism or radical depravity of Arminianism? Are we completely depraved in God’s sight or not completely depraved but actually badly damaged by sin, though still able to choose Christ Jesus by ourselves? Perhaps it doesn’t really matter and one way or another. Perhaps God sees to it that those who would follow him in Christ Jesus find the way whether by his enabling or their choice. Depending on the circumstances Hmmm, sounds a bit like Molinism?