Unfortunately, all I have this week to share with you are a few random thoughts that are rolling around my head with regard to Calvinism. Between work and my move, I’ve had very little time to do any studying. But, for what it’s worth, here’s what I have been thinking:
- I did steal a few minutes yesterday to poke at the book of Romans. I’m trying to both get a feel for the overall flow of the book, and understand how certain passages fit into that flow. In particular, I spent some time yesterday looking at Romans 9. The weight of what it seems to be saying certainly caught my attention. This one in particular raised my eyebrow: “So then [God's mercy] depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (vs.16, ESV).
- My brother-in-law sent me a link to this interesting article. Piper summarizes the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism this way: “God has chosen from before the foundation of the world whom he will save from sin. Since not all people are saved we must choose whether we believe (with the Arminians) that God’s will to save all people is restrained by his commitment to human self-determination or whether we believe (with the Calvinists) that God’s will to save all people is restrained by his commitment to the glorification of his sovereign grace“. An interesting definition when compared to the one I mentioned previously.
- It seems to me that Calvinism and Arminianism offer two different views of the relationship between God and man, which the above quote hints strongly at. In the Arminian view, God’s desire for the relationship is that we choose Him. The last thing He wants to do is to override our free will, because our free choice to serve Him is what sets us apart from animals or the rest of creation. However, in the Calvinistic view, He calls us with an irresistible grace, yet still finds glory in our choice to follow Him. The second still seems to be a contradiction to me, but I’m still pondering.
January 15, 2008 at 2:58 am
I wish you well in your studies… His ways are higher than ours… now we see through a glass, darkly… we’ll never understand completely on this earth, nor will we be able to deconstruct the apparent contradictions, but one day… face to face… we shall behold Him…
January 15, 2008 at 4:09 am
Hi Andrew,
I’m the author of the website you originally referred to (www.noble-minded.org). Thanks for letting me know your thoughts. Also, I’m glad someone referred you to Piper’s paper, because in my opinion he is one of the clearest thinkers around on this subject.
I’d also just suggest considering this topic in light of whether or not we have anything to boast about in regard to salvation. Of course, all true Christians, whether Calvinist or Arminian or anywhere in between, will correctly claim that we do not. But if the Arminian view is basically correct, it’s hard to see how this claim follows. For in their view, though Christ rightly deserves all the credit for making salvation possible, yet the question of whether or not individuals are actually saved still ultimately comes down to their choice alone, so that those who choose Christ can truthfully say I am saved because *I* was wise/tender-hearted/humble enough to make the choice to be so, whereas somebody else is not saved because he was not so wise/tender-hearted/humble as I. It’s hard for me anyway to see how this does not amount to a boast.
BTW, I think 1 Cor. 1:26-31 makes this very point. It is by God’s choice that there are “not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” who become saved, and the reason He has chosen it to be so (as I interpret the passage, anyway) is to remind us that we don’t come to choose Him by anything in and of ourselves, but only because He first chose us. If the passage was just about who is more likely to *happen* to choose Christ, as the Arminians understand things, then it’s hard to see what these verses have to do with anything, especially the conclusion that none of us have anything to boast of, since in that case it would seem that anyone who “beat the odds” and got saved in spite of being wise, mighty, or noble would have all the more to boast of. (Plus it would imply that if God really wanted to see more people saved, He ought to make them weaker in mind and body and birth, so that they would be more likely to choose Him.)
Well, enough for now. I’ll check back from time to time to see how it’s going.
In Christ,
Ed
April 26, 2008 at 11:40 pm
I would encourare you to look at some good Arminian material. One book from an Arminian point of view that is well known for presenting both sides fairly is *Grace, Faith, and Free Will: Contrasting Views of salvation: Calvinism and Arminianism* by Robert E. Picirilli. There are of course many more books, but that is a good basic one that is compelling for the Arminian position. I’d also suggets that you check out our website, where you can find links to many more internet resources for Arminian thought: http://evangelicalarminians.org/ .
BTW, I think you are right that Calvinism’s stance is contradictory.
May God bless you as you consider the issues.
April 27, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Andrew, have you read over the statement of faith on the evangelicalarminians.org website? What did you think of it?