Posts Tagged Free Will
Does God have a Plan B?
While having a shower today (my usual thinking place!), I remembered a conversation that happened a while back at my own church. The debate, of course, was on ‘free will’ well it ended up basically as an attack on Calvinism.
The premise of the argument against what I was saying was this: Man has the ability to choose God!..? (see my earlier post here). This is a ludicrous statement to make, to say that man who is dead, enslaved to sin can honestly make this sort of spiritual choice?
Anyhow, the point that came to my memory was the allegory that was used, it went something like this:-
“God looks down the tunnel of time and then see’s who will choose him”…!
Am I missing something here? I certainly agree that God knows the future, its the second half of the statement that confuses me ’He see’s who will choose Him’ then he affirms their choice!
I might be totally ignorant of some bigger picture, but what if that man whom God viewed down the tunnel of time, decided with his free will not to choose God, what if no one decided to choose God because maybe they loved the darkness they were in, maybe they were enslaved to the powers of the world? Or just simply decided they were fine the way they were?
If things were left to mans choice, would we have had the seed of Abraham, were in faith we are sons of God. Would we have had anyone like John,Paul,Barnabas……. You, me?
The reason why I ask all these questions is that the Arminian thought or theology is in grave error. What would happen to God’s redemptive purposes if we all said NO!, After all the Arminian says that we have the free will to reject God (This rejection is something that as fallen man we have already partaken in). Would God, look down the tunnel again and again and again and again until he found someone who would choose Him? I don’t think so, God’s sovereign purpose is always willed according to his foreknowledge. God elected (called) Abraham for a purpose, God foreknew you and me and those who would be born of the Spirit.
Another point, God does not just look forward in time as he is not in time. Eternity has no time, it always was and always will be. We as humans look forward as we are in ‘time’.
Take great comfort in knowing that God foreknew you and with His mercy and Grace chose you in Christ. He saved you (now that is ‘AMAZING GRACE!!’)
Revelation 13:8
…and all who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
Free will, we all have. Spiritual free will we don’t. The Arminian’s have a severely lacking understanding of the ‘Sovereignty of God’ and the ‘condition of man’. (erroneous would be better than , lacking understanding.)
At the end of the day, I was asking myself the question, that is, if Arminians are correct (which they certainly are not!), does God have a plan B? as we all just might say NO! Well now that I have ranted on for a few moments, time for a coffee….
Related posts : Who Chose who , Human Inability
What is Calvinism?
When talking about Calvinism, most would think of the acrostic T.U.L.I.P. However, they little realise that this is infact a response to the erroneous 5 articles of Remonstrance. It is sad to think people argue against Calvinism without actually knowing what it is, this is either through ignorance or arrogance, for to believe you are saved other than by God alone, is partial works salvation, perhaps semi – pelagianism or worse based on Palagianism!
Anyhow, below is a short video clip answering what is Calvinism.
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Human Inability
Posted by Phil in New Testament, Salvation on September 14, 2009
Below is a snippet from one of Spurgeons Sermons, March 7, 1858.
In Spurgeon’s ususal lucid and straight to the point manner, he show’s how man will never with his own will come to Christ.
Some Scripture on man’s disposition before reading Spurgeon’s sermon excerpt:
- Genesis 6:5
- Job 15:14-15
- Isaiah 64:7
- John 3:19
- 1 Corinthians 2:14
- Romans 3:9-12; 6:6
- Ephesians 2:1-3
- 2 Timothy 2:26
I. First, it lies in the obstinacy of the human will. “Oh!” saith the Arminian, “men may be saved if they will.” We reply, “My dear sir, we all believe that; but it is just the if they will that is the difficulty. We assert that no man will come to Christ unless he be drawn; nay, we do not assert it, but Christ himself declares it—”Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life;’ and as long as that “ye will not come’ stands on record in Holy Scripture, we shall not be brought to believe in any doctrine of the freedom of the human will.” It is strange how people, when talking about free-will, talk of things which they do not at all understand. “Now,” says one, “I believe men can be saved if they will.” My dear sir, that is not the question at all. The question is, are men ever found naturally willing to submit to the humbling terms of the gospel of Christ? We declare, upon Scriptural authority, that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, and so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful. supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained towards Christ. You reply, that men sometimes are willing, without the help of the Holy Spirit. I answer—Did you ever meet with any person who was? Scores and hundreds, nay, thousands of Christians have I conversed with, of different opinions, young and old, but it has never been my lot to meet with one who could affirm that he came to Christ of himself, without being drawn. The universal confession of all true believers is this—”I know that unless Jesus Christ had sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God, I would to this very hour have been wandering far from him, at a distance from him, and loving that distance well.” With common consent, all believers affirm the truth, that men will not come to Christ till the Father who hath sent Christ doth draw them.
the whole sermon can be read at http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0182.htm
Related post – who-chose-who
Who chose who?
I was on a forum that I use from time to time and I came across a thread which read: were you saved by a decision YOU made?
I replied with just a couple of paragraphs, and I thought I would add here also. remember that this is a reply to a forum.
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Hi,
If God had not chose me, I would not have chose him!
This topic has been argued and debated down through the centuries by far more knowledgeable men/women than us.
One thing we should all take note of is, that this should not divide the body of Christ (us) as we will be debating this until Christ comes and then it won’t matter in the slightest.
First and foremost, I am a child of God and an heir with Christ as are all those who are justified by Faith. I am a Calvinist, in the sense that I go along with the doctrines Calvin expounded.
I believe it is God’s initial act that changes your heart (regeneration, Titus 3:5) through the word of the gospel (God’s word is powerful, it created the universe!) He softens your hardened heart (Ezek 36) and it is this change that allows you to have faith and call out to God and repent, thus you are justified then sanctified and adopted into the family of God, and in a future time we will be glorified (I’m hoping for a long ways yet for me ..lol, God knows best though).
Thats the biblical stance I take, and it is the regeneration part that most people don’t understand, I am not sayin you have to believe it that way but when it comes to a reformed position, thats how it works. Albiet I have somewhat given a short take on the subject.
I believe God changed me first, and in Faith I called out to Him for forgiveness etc. so you see it is true that YOU have to ask God and call out to Him in repentance for salvation, but it is God who is the initiator.
So it is totally true that YOU need to call on the name of the Lord, but because of your condition ( read Romans 1:18-32; Ephesians 2:1-3) God needs to change something in you to turn to Him.
I hope i have said this in love to all on here an not in a polemic manner, the aim of the game is to Glorify God through Christ Jesus our Lord and saviour.
Phil