More on Sovereignty

I have decided to post this in response to a comment on Jae's post by GHL.

I agree very much with GHL's conclusion.  Paul was correct when he said that "we know in part" (Cor 13:9).

I will, for the sake of discussion, attempt to construct the debate as I see it but please keep in mind that I have neither a degree in philosophy or theology (both very helpful in this instance).  I am still working through the details.  I dont expect to be finished anytime soon, if ever.

When approaching this topic it is very important to remember that the study of the Doctrine of God's Providence, Election, and Predestination, is a systematic study.  We cannot simply point to one or two verses to make our case (although one or two verses can be very helpful) we must instead look at scripture as a whole.  It seems to me that scholars on both sides (all of which are Men/Women of God and who are in love with Christ) have conducted the same systematic study and yet draw entirely different conclusions.  I sympathize with both parties, they both make a compelling case.  

The following is a summary of the debate (from the perspective of an Arminian) (click image to view larger):

All Encompassing Sovereignty

It is not unthinkable, at least for me, to believe that God sovereignly choose those whom he willed to save.  Jae clearly has a problem with this and I understand why.  Keep in mind that I said it is not "unthinkable", this does not mean that I am content or pleased with this idea.  Something does however resonate when I consider God exercising such sovereignty over creation.  He is in fact God right?  How can the Creator not be sovereign over everything?  This is not an obsession with His sovereignty by the way. Scripture seems to support this level of sovereignty:

• Ps. 115:3 But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.

• Ps. 135:6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in seas and in all deeps.

• Ps. 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all.

• 1 Sam. 2:6-7 The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts.

• Heb. 2:8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing that is not subject to Him.

• Eph. 4:6 One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

• Pr. 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

These scriptures seem to clearly suggest that God is sovereign over all things including cast lots (tossed dice).  When the dice are rolled God determines the outcome.  This scripture tells us that even the most random of events are in fact ordained by God.

The problem here is that if God is truly sovereign over ALL things then he must be sovereign over things like rape, murder, the Holocaust, etc...  Is he passively sovereign (in that he doesn't act to prevent them) or actively sovereign in the sense that he intentionally plans and causes them to occur?  I am not willing to make the call here but I understand both views.

A Calvinist would say that while God caused these things he is not morally responsible.  An Arminian might argue that God has suspended his sovereignty and these acts are entirely of man.  Tough call here...  We must either embrace the idea of God causing (although not morally responsible for the evil) or we must admit that somehow God is not in control of the awful things that happen in this world.  Either way we have a dilemma. 

Sovereignty Over Out Hearts/Steps

There has been a bit of debate personally surrounding the sovereignty of God with respect to the human heart or path in life.  I have a hard time imagining God not being sovereign over all things including our hearts.  We imagine that we have a completely free will but I find little support for this in scripture and in fact find the opposite:

• Ps. 16:6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me

• Ps. 33:14,15 From His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.

• Pr. 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will be established.

• Pr. 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

• Pr. 20:24 Man's steps are ordained by the Lord; how then can man understand his way?

• Pr. 21:1 The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.

• Deut. 2:30 For the Lord your God hardened his [the king’s] spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today.

• Isaiah 10:5-7 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hands is My indignation. I send it against a godless nation....Yet it does not so intend nor does it plan so in its heart.

• Isaiah 63:17 Why, O Lord, dost Thou cause us to stray from Thy ways, and harden our heart from fearing Thee? Return for the sake of Thy servants, the tribes of Thy heritage.

• Acts 17:26-28 And He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation...for in Him we live and move and are.

• Jer. 10:23 I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

Scripture seems to suggest that God guides our hearts and steps and most Christians would not disagree.  Many times I have heard the phrase 'The Lord led me", "God put it on my heart", "God called us to".   In what capacity does God move on our hearts?  Is he sovereign?  Compatible? Cooperative?  I am not certain but I understand the Calvinist position.  Do remember that this question is only concerning salvation itself, not Sanctification.

God's Election/Predestination

Perhaps the most emotional topic of all is that of predestination and election.  Does God elect those whom he will save or offer it to all and give it to those who do not reject it?  Is there evidence in scripture that God choose certain people?  Has God sovereignly chosen before in a manner that man might view as unfair?  Here is a look at scripture concerning this:

• Ex. 33:19 And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion

• Deut. 7:6 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

• Neh. 9:7 Thou art the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name Abraham.

• Ps. 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

• Ps. 75:7 But God is the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another

• Jer. 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.

• Jer. 24:7 And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

It seems clear that God has sovereignly "chosen" some and not others in his history with mankind.  Given such a history it is not unthinkable that the same process may play out with regard to salvation.  Choosing the nation of Israel, choosing certain men to be prophets etc...  It is hard to argue that God has not sovereignly chosen people before.

So what about salvation through Christ?  What does scripture say about this?  Both Calvinists and Arminians would agree that man is totally depraved, meaning we cannot turn to him in our current state.  We require a mesure of grace from God.  Calvinists define that grace as being distributed according to God's secret will (to the elect) and it is irresistible  (meaning that those who are called will turn their hearts to God). Arminians reject this idea of grace and instead propose Prevenient Grace.  This grace is also a gift from God but is given to everyone.  This grace, like irresistible grace, awakens our spirit and allows us to seek God.  Unlike irresistible grace however prevenient grace may be rejected or ignored.  In experience I can say that God's grace felt irresistible.  I never understood and asked several times, why am I pursuing God?  Why dont others in my life pursue the same way?  What in me causes me to do this?  I felt irresistibly drawn.  I also however know people who seem to have been given every opportunity to turn their hearts and lives Christward but have instead chosen to remain as they are, in sin.

In scripture we find very thought provoking statements:

• Mt. 11:25-27 And no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him

• Mt. 13:11 To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

• Mt. 19:11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it has been given.

• Mt. 20:23 This is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.

• Mt. 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

• Mk. 13:20 But for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened the days.

• Jn. 5:21 The Son also gives life to whom He wills.

• Jn. 6:37 All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me.

• Jn. 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.

• Jn. 6:65 For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.

• Jn. 13:18 I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen.

• You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain.

• Acts 13:48 And as many as had been appointed [ordained] to eternal life believed.

• Acts 15:7 In the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth [Peter’s] the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

• Rom. 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren;

• Rom. 8:33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies.

• Rom. 9:16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

• Rom. 9:18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

• Rom. 9:23 In order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory...

• Rom. 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

• Cor. 4:7 For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive?

• Cor. 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

• Eph. 1:5-6 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace....

• Eph. 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.

• Eph. 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [faith] not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast

• 2 Thess. 2:13 God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

• Peter 1:1 Peter...to those...who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father....

• 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

• 1 Peter 3:9 For you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing

Does God sovereignly choose us for salvation or does he offer it to all?  Some say that a view such as this (that God elects) impunes God's love.  While I do not espouse fully the view that God elects, I must say that I do not believe that it impunes Gods love.  One might argue that the Arminian view impunes Gods love.  In this instance God only loves and saves those who love him in return.  This is the opposite of Christ's message to "love your enemy".  Are we not "enemies of God"(Colossians 1:21).

The scriptures concerning election are overwhelming in number and often in clarity but again we are left with conflict.  As a Calvinist one might worry about the reprobate (the unelect).  What about the poor souls not chosen for salvation?  What chance do they have?  Similarly what chance do they deserve?  In the opposite we are faced with the concern of our unsaved brothers.  If our salvation is completely our decision then how can we pray for others salvation?  Can we rely on the Holy Spirit to move our friends to faith in Christ?  Would that be interference with their free will?  The mind bogles.

Summary

Obviously I have more questions than answers.  I struggle even now writing this post because I haven't said everything I wanted to say.  I haven't (and honestly couldn't) address all of the tangents of this topic.  I realize that my summary is likely incomplete and amateur.  Either way I want to post it to keep the dialogue going.  I have not made up my mind either way but I can say this:

I am confident that when I stand before God, if I am given the opportunity to understand fully, I will say "you are just, you are love, you are perfect".  As a sinful human I cannot possibly understand the ways of God.  In any event, I love him and will never stop pursing him.

We can likely debate and investigate this topic for the balance of our lives, and it is certainly a topic worth discussing, but even more important is our task of spreading the Gospel.  We are called to be the light of the world and to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  If you are a Calvinist, you are called to participate in the process of salvation and through the Gospel Call take the message of salvation to the elect (to those who have been given ears to hear).  If you are Arminian then you are compelled by the weight of each individual decision to ensure that as many people as possible hear the gospel and experience the life changing love of Christ.

Either way we have all been shown immeasurable grace through salvation and in light of that and regardless of His methods I can say:

"To God be the Kindgom, the Power, and the Glory forever."  Amen.