Posts Tagged regeneration
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
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