Let’s Talk About Calvinism Again

“Not the free-will, Calvinist debate again.  Give it a break.”  Many times I have heard people say this with a fluster.  I still hear it at times.  The fact is these people in the church have a vested interested to keep human free will and keep God’s will contingent (dependent & grouped) around human will.  In the past a heretical system of doctrine called socinianism held to this.  So did Arminianism; actually the two errors developed somewhat together.

I want to highlight 2 things that Socinianism said…

1.         God knows things as certain only as they happen in time.

We know we had supper last night because it happened.  We do not know for sure we will have supper tonight because it has not happened yet.  This is the kind of thing Socinians foisted onto God’s person.  This is a denial of God’s omniscience.  Imagine a God who does not know what will really happen tomorrow!  Imagine God not knowing that “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28 ESV). 

Much of evangelicalism is double minded on this point.  One the one hand they defend free will, and say we decide our destiny and that God cannot do anything until we let him do it.  In other words, God does not really know if we will make it in the Christian life.  But then on the other hand when tragedy strikes or a great trial comes into their lives they affirm God is in complete control.  But how can he be if he does not know for certain what you will do in the trial?!  God is as anxious as you are – maybe even more.

Socinians also said...      

    

2.         God only knows future possibilities.  He recognizes that in the future some things cannot     happened while others either may or may not happen.

They said Satan cannot win and conquer God.  Modern evangelicals say that too.  They said God cannot destroy himself.  The church today says this too.  However, whether a person is saved, or overcomes personal sin, or remains faithful to Christ and so on; well, that may or may not happen.  It all depends on man’s choice.  Many in the evangelical church say this too. 

Of course this makes man the maker of his own destiny.  God is not our Saviour by his grace alone.  Yes, he will save us, but only if we make the choice. 

So, should we stop talking about free-will and God's sovereignty?  No.  The church must listen to what she is saying about God and about humans.  Then she must read the Bible to see if what she is saying matches with God’s Word.  To assert the two things mentioned above is to believe heresy.  Scripture is very clear…God is absolutely sovereign.  He knows for certain all that will happen in this world because he has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.  Check these passages out, and then talk about them.   (Eph 1:11; Rom 11:33; Heb 6:17; Rom 9:15-18; Acts 15:18; 1 Sam 23:11-12; Matt 11:21, 23; Prov 16:4; Rom 8:30; Dan 4:34-35; Ps 136:6; Acts 17:25-26; Job 38).