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August 29
Someone started a discussion thread in one of the Christian forums
arguing that we, as Christians, should worship on the seventh day of
the week (the Sabbath as specified in the Old Testament) and not on the
first day of the week.
Here is my response.
The
Lord never said that we are to worship on the Sabbath (the seventh
day). The word Sabbath was transliterated from the Hebrew word meaning
intermission (period between doing things, rest). The Lord commanded
us to keep it holy (qadash) and not work on that day.
Exodus 20:8-11
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (qadash).
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall
not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your
manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your
gates.
11
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the
Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The Hebrew word in verse eight that was translated to the English phrase "keep holy" is "qadash".
Qadash simply means clean, purify, dedicate, set apart.
It does not convey any meaning which can be translated to worship.
In fact, the Lord gave us the Sabbath for our sake: so that we would have rest.
Mark 2:27
27 Then He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
The Lord also commanded us to rest on the seventh year.
Exodus 23:10-11
10 For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops,
11
but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then
the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals
may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive
grove.
Also,
the fiftieth year (after seven seven-year cycles), the year of jubilee
(battle cry), is set apart to be holy. In addition, bond servants are
set free and all property are to be returned to their original owners.
(Leviticus 25:8-17)
The
irony is that, for most American Christians, Saturday and Sunday are
the two busiest and most stressful days of week. We do most of our
shopping and catch up on our household chores on Saturday. And on
Sunday, we are up to our neck in church activities and after church
often there's work that are due on Monday. And we certainly do not
observe sabbatical year nor the jubilee year.
It
is insane that we should be debating whether to be ultra-busy with
church activities on Saturday or on Sunday. We need to rest!
So, when should we worship?
The
example set for us by the original church is to worship every day. The
original church met twice daily to worship: once in the temple courts
with everyone in the church to worship corporately and once in the
homes to worship in small groups.
Acts 2:46-47
46
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts,
47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Allow me to summarize what the Bible tells us should do:
- Worship corporately daily at the church building (temple).
- Worship in small groups daily in our homes.
- Rest on the sabbath (sun-down Friday to sun-down Saturday).
- Celebrate the risen Christ on Sunday (not just Easter)
- Rest on the seventh year
- On
the fiftieth year, rest, forgive debts (free bond servants - those who
can't pay their debt), and return properties to their original owners.
If you really want to debate the issue, you should be debating whether we are willing to sign on the doing all of these.
p.s.,
I'm assuming that we no longer have to celebrate passover since it is
for revealing who the Christ is and we already know who the Christ is.
It's Jesus!
p.p.s.,
I'm also assuming that we no longer have to celebrate any of the
atonement holidays since Jesus has already atone for all our sins
(past, present, and future).August 27 Of all the questions asked by seekers, probably the most asked is the question:
If God exists, why does he allow bad things to happen to "good" people?
Most often, I hear Christians answer it by saying that God will discipline us when we did something wrong.
Hard times are SOMETIMES due to the Lord disciplining us because we did something wrong.
However, not ALL hard times are due to the Lord disciplining us because we did something wrong.
- Sometimes,
it's because you've been faithful. For instance, Job was being faithful
when the Lord singled him out to Satan. In this case, God called Job as
a witness to testify that God is worthy of worship. Satan was allowed
to cross examine Job. However, it was not a verbal cross examination;
after all, people lie all the time. Satan was given the permission to
cross examine Job's heart with those trials.
- Sometimes,
we are called to be a witness to our neighbors through our hard time.
Most of my friends and neighbors know that I take care of my mother who
had a stroke and my brother who has numerous medical problems. Often,
people would come up to me and ask how I do it. And it would be a prime
opportunity for me to be a witness to testify that "I can do everything
through him who gives me strength. [Philippians 4:13]"
- Sometimes,
it's because God is just helping us to grow and it has nothing to do
with whether we did something wrong or not. "Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must
finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking
anything. [James 1:2-4]"
- Sometimes,
it's because of something going on in the spiritual realm that effects
what happens here in the physical realm and we would not know until we
are on the other side of eternity. For instance, God never told Job and
his three friends what actually caused Job's hardship.
One final note:
One of my mentors said the following which keeps me on course when the storm hits.
If doing the right thing guarantees protection from bad
stuffs and rewards of good stuffs then everybody would be doing the
right thing. It is precisely the fact that there is a price to pay for
doing the right thing in addition to the lack of guarantee of
protection and reward that prevent many from doing the right thing.
All we, who are doing the right thing, can do is to trust that the
reward that we receive in heaven is much greater than the pain we
suffer now. And that's why it's call faith.August 19
In my previous blog entry, about the woman at the well in Sychar, I was
using the second definition of the word "holy": "set apart".
Someone posted the following question:
What is living holy?
How do we walk the walk according to the Word of God. Scriptures please!!!!!!!!
Here's my response.
To be holy...
- (before salvation) You must be saved: redeemed through his blood and the forgiveness of sins.
Ephesians 1:3-8 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 4.]
3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in
Christ.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of Gods grace
8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Ephesians 5:25-27 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 27.]
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Colossians 1:22
22
But now he has reconciled you by Christs physical body through death to
present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation
- (after
salvation) You must abandon ignoble pursuits and pursue noble purposes
which includes abandoning sexual immorality and pursuing sexual purity.
2 Timothy 2:20-21 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 21.]
20
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but
also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
21
If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for
noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any
good work.
Romans 12:1-2 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 1.]
1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your
spiritual act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is-his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
Colossians 3:12-17 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 12.]
12
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish
one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever
you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Thessalonians 3:3-5 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 4.]
3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;
More
particularly, we are created to do good works that God has predestined
for us. These good work are the noble purposes and all other are
ignoble purposes.
Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Although
all believers will be saved from eternal damnation, there is a second
judgment in which our actions are weighed and our rewards are
determined.
2 Corinthians 5:10
10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each
one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert
builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be
careful how he builds.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13
his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to
light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the
quality of each mans work.
14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
To
be holy is to accept Jesus as both our SAVIOR AND LORD: get saved, do
good works that God has predestined for us, and abandon all other works.August 09
(Digging a Little Deeper into 1 Timothy 2:11-15)
For big picture ideas, a translated Bible is sufficient for a reader to comprehend the text. However, in many cases, seeing, the nuances in the Bible, requires knowing the text in the original language.
For example, in John 21:15-19, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?"; each time Peter answered, "You know I love you." If the reader doesn't know better, he'd think that Jesus went out of His mind. However, if you read the original Greek, you'd see that Jesus asked Peter, "Do you agape me?" And each time, Peter answered, "You know that I phileo you." Peter was not willing to commit to saying that he agape Jesus.
1 Timothy 2:11 is another instance in which one has to go to the original Greek text to get the nuances of what Paul was saying to Timothy.
So, I'd like to insert the original Greek word next to the important words in these verses.
1 Timothy 2:11-15
11 A woman (gune) should learn in quietness (hesuchia) and full submission (hupotage).
12 I do not permit (epitrepo) a woman (gune) to teach or to have authority (authenteo) over a man (aner); she must be silent (hesuchia).
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman (gune) who was deceived and became a sinner.
15 But women will be saved (the word "woman" is not in the original text only the third person singular form of saved) through childbearingif they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
Here are the definition of the Greek words.
gune - a woman; specifically a wife
aner - a man (properly as an individual male):fellow, husband, man, sir.
epitrepo - turn over, give leave , give permission
hesuchios - properly keeping ones seat
hesuchia - stillness (feminine version of hesuchios)
authenteo - act of oneself, usurp authority over
hupotasso - submit self unto
hupotage - derivative of hupotasso
I made several of observations about these verses.
- Although "gune" is translated to woman in 1 Timothy 2:11-15, in Ephesians 5:22-24, "gune" is translated to "wife"
Ephesians 5:22-24
22 Wives (gune), submit (hupotasso) to your husbands (aner) as to the Lord.
23 For the husband (aner) is the head of the wife (gune) as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives (gune) should submit to their husbands (aner) in everything.
So, while most people assume that 1 Timothy 2:11-15 is about women teaching in church, there is a possibility that the assumption is false. Paul may be talking about the wife usurping the husband's spiritual authority in the family. In fact, the bit about Adam and Eve really doesn't make much sense if it's an elderly woman teaching young men and women.
- If we search the Bible for the Greek word "epitrepo" (permit), we'd find that the word is used only when giving permission for the immediate situation. It is never used as an imperative for all situations.
Matthew 8:21
21 Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let (epitrepo) me go and bury my father."
Matthew 8:31
31 The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, permit (epitrepo) us to go into the herd of pigs."
John 9:38
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission (epitrepo), he came and took the body away.
1 Corinthians 16:7
7 I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits (epitrepo).
Hebrew 6:3
3 And God permitting (epitrepo), we will do so.
So, Paul was only denying permission for these particular women (or wives) to teach at that particular time. In fact, we do know that Paul acknowledge women speaking with the inspiration of God.
1 Corinthians 11:5
5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her headit is just as though her head were shaved.
(Prophesizing is speaking with the inspiration of God and not necessarily predicting the future.)
So, why was Paul not willing to give permission for these particular women to teach? We know from history that at Ephesus, Timothy was dealing with Gnostics. In Ephesus a man named Cerinthus was a leader of this cult. There is a great possibility that the women to whom Paul is referring were being influenced by the Gnostics.
- Paul, however, does seem to make a distinction between teaching and leadership. When identifying the qualifications of spiritual leadership roles (elder, deacon, or overseer), Paul specified that the role be filled by a man with only one wife.
In his epistle to the Ephesians, after he specified that we are to submit to one another, he specified how the husband and wife are to submit to one another. Wives are to submit to the husband as the church to Christ. Husband are to love the wife as Christ loves the church. August 07 In my initial post, I asserted that because of predestination, we are saved before the creation.
Ephesians 1:4-5
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
Someone
asked, "Why would Paul write what he said to the Roman church in Romans
10:9-10? ... If they were already saved, Paul wouldn't have had to
tell them to confess or believe.
My response was:
It's
a matter of perspectives. Yes, the requirement is that one has to
believe and confess in order to be saved. You get no argument from me
on that. However, if God predestined the elect, an unilateral covenant,
he would fulfill it (as good as done). Just like Abraham was saved
before Jesus died on the cross.
To close this topic, someone posted the following:
While a cat is not saved until
the fireman climbs up and sets him free,
I have never seen a cat skeleton
in the branches of a tree. I received the following in response to "The woman at the well: scorned sinner or holy woman?"
Remember
brother that she was a Samaritan, the Samaritans no longer followed the
Law because they had integrated idolatry into Judaism. this was the
reason the Jews would walk around Samaria rather than risk any contact
with a Samaritan. the woman was an adulterer, but she did not know the
truth. she was waiting for the Messiah because He would teach her the
truth. Jesus had compassion on her because she didn't pretend to know
the truth, she was honest, and she desperately needed/wanted the truth.
she went to the well at noon time in order to avoid the scorn from the
other Samaritan women, none of them would go to get water in the heat
of noon. she was a sinner even by Samaritan standards, yet He used her
to reach the whole town. God reveals Himself to those who desperately
need His healing touch, and then because of their testimony countless
others are saved. if you look at the background of many powerful
preachers today, you wont see a born man of God, you will see a retch
who has been healed.
God bless you and your heart to know the Word :)
in His grip, sp.
He made two points.
- She was a sinner, thus not holy.
- She would not have been stoned for adultery since Samaritans do not obey Jewish laws
To
the first point, I agree that she is indeed a sinner; however, no more
than any Jew is a sinner nor any more than any of us is a sinner.
The
Gospel of John never accuses this poor woman of any sin except that she
lives with a man who is not her husband. And I have accounted for that
in my previous post. I have also accounted for the scorn of the other
women in my previous post.
Does her being a sinner mean that she is not holy? That's sort of a trick question.
If I were using the work "holy" to mean sacred, then I would agree that she can not be holy if she is a sinner.
However,
I was using the second definition of the word "holy": "set apart".
Thus, she can be a sinner and also be set apart by the Lord for a
special purpose.
To the second point, I disagree.
First a historical background:
When
the Assyrian Empire conquered ancient Israel, it deported the upper
classes of the Israelites to Assyria, replacing them with settlers from
other parts of the Assyrian Empire. The lower classes and the settlers
intermarried and merged into one community, the Samaritans. They
practice Samaritanism which is a religion based on the Torah. (See 2
Kings 17). Because God sent lions among them to kill them, the king of
the Assyrians sent one of the priests from Bethel to teach the new
settlers about God's ordinances. Currently there are about 700
Samaritans living in Israel and in the West Bank.
Now my response to the second point:
When
the exiled Jews returned they had to make a choice to either recognize
the Samaritans as Jews or not. There was a bit of
economic-social-political wrangling. The result is that the returning
Jewish exiles decided not to recognize them. The reason that was given
is that the Samaritans do not practice pure Judaism because they
sometimes refer to the native gods of the imported people groups.
(While I am not going to call this assertion a lie, because I'm sure
the accusation must have been based on some shred of truth, I do
believe that this aspect of the Samaritans was overblown.) The
Samaritans, on the other hand, claim that their worship is the true
religion of the ancient Israelites, predating the Jewish Temple in
Jerusalem, but that claim has historically been rejected by normative
Judaism. Thus, started the rift between the two groups. Over the years,
the divide became so great that the two groups literally hated each
other.
The
Samaritans do believe that is one God, the same God recognized by the
Hebrew prophets. Their view of God is the same as the Jewish biblical
view of God. They believe that the Torah (their version) was dictated
by God to Moses.
The two religions are essentially the same.
Their
main Torah text differs slightly from the Jewish text (Masoretic Text).
Some differences are doctrinal: for example, their Torah explicitly
mentions that "the place that God chose to establish His name" is Mount Gerizim. Other
differences seem more or less accidental.
The
form of the letters in the manuscript copies of the Samaritan
Pentateuch, called the Samaritan alphabet, is different from that of
the Hebrew copies, and is probably the same as that which was in
general use before the Babylonian captivity. There are other
peculiarities in the writing.
There
are differences between the Hebrew and the Samaritan copies of the
Pentateuch in the readings of many sentences. In about two thousand
instances in which the Samaritan and the Jewish texts (Masoretic text)
differ, the Septuagint (LXX) agrees with the Samaritan. For example,
Exodus 12:40 in the Samaritan and the LXX reads, "Now the sojourning of
the children of Israel and of their fathers which they had dwelt in the
land of Canaan and in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years." In the
Masoretic text, however, the same passage reads, "Now the sojourning of
the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty
years." The New Testament, when quoting from the Old Testament, agrees
as a rule with the Samaritan text, where that differs from the Jewish
text (Masoretic text).
The
Samaritan version of the Ten Commandments commands to build the altar
on Mt. Gerizim, which would be the site at which all sacrifices should
be offered.
Although
the Samaritans adhere to the Torah (the first five books of the bible),
they reject the Halakha (Rabbinical Jewish law).
However, the laws concerning the putting to death of adulterers is found in the Torah.August 05 As
a single person, I'm constantly asked why I'm single. More often than
not, I'm asked it when I attend a new Christian fellowship (new for me
that is). What a ridiculous thing to ask! Do what kind of answer do
they expect? "Yes, I'm a wanker that women wouldn't want to wed!"
Hmm... It wouldn't be appropriate in mix company much less a Christian
fellowship.
Anyway, I finally came up with a more appropriate answer. It involves the story of Jesus' encounter with the woman an the well.
John 4:17-18
17 "I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, You are right when you say you have no husband.
18
The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is
not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
I have seen many commentaries jump on these verses and immediately pronounce that this woman is an adulteress. Their reasoning:
- All five of her husbands divorced her.
- The man, with whom she is living, is not her husband.
- She was probably scorned by the town since she had to get water from the well at high noon.
Here's my defense of this poor woman:
I
don't believe that these men divorced her because she committed
adultery. Do you remember what they do to adulterer at that time.
Remember when they brought the adulterer to Jesus and asked him what
they should do with her. That's right, they would stone adulterer.
Jesus had to answer, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
I can understand that she might get away with it once if her first
husband quietly divorced her. However, I'm doubtful that she would be
able to get away with it four more times.
Is
she intimate with the person she is currently living with? There is a
high probability that she may be. However, in those days, unlike our
own, women are dependent on men for protection and for provision. With
out a husband, she is forced to seek the protection of a man who is not
her husband. But does that make her an adulterer? I think we can safely
say that they have a common law marriage relationship.
I do agree that she was scorn by the town, but why? More particularly, why did her husbands divorced her?
If
you ever been anywhere in the middle east you would see one commonality
among married women. Wherever they go, their children are there.
This
woman did not have a single child with her when she went to fetch the
water. Let's assume that someone else is watching her children. She's a
scorned woman; who would watch her children? You may be thinking, what
about a relatives; if she has relatives, would she have been forced to
live with a man who is not her husband? I'm not saying it's impossible
but I am saying it's highly unlikely.
I believe that this woman was divorced and scorned because she was barren.
This
poor woman who couldn't have a child was passed from man to man until
the last guy isn't even willing to giver her his name.
Unfortunately,
at that time, children were considered blessings from God. So if you
have neither children nor wealth, the town would consider you as
someone from whom God had withheld His blessings. If so, they can
accuse her of doing something displeasing to God causing God to
withhold his blessings.
The obvious question would be: Why did God withhold children from this woman.
The answer: So that she would be there at the well when Jesus arrives and she can lead the town to Christ.
This woman was made holy (set apart) for this purpose.
Why am I single? Because I was made holy (set apart) for God's purpose.August 03 I
used to lead Christian discipleship groups. Usually, when the group is
first formed, I would ask everyone to assess how they are doing
spiritually. I would try to do it in a fun way. One fun way is when I
would ask everyone the following:
If
your walk with Christ is a trip from one end of the country to the
other, what kind of transportation would best describe how you are
currently moving and where would you be (geographically) right now? Why
did you choose that form of transportation and why did you choose that
geographic location to describe how you are doing spiritually.
I
would get a lot of very fun but very poignant answers and everyone has
a lot of fun, not only coming up with his/her answers but also hearing
others.
Yesterday, I started a discussion thread asking that question. And, to be fair, I posted my answer first.
Here is my answer:
I'm a tractor trailer rig currently refueling at the Iowa 80 truck stop.
Why a tractor trailer rig?
Because I've been carrying a heavy load for a while.
My
dad had a stroke that left him an invalid. My brother developed
chemical imbalance illnesses: hypothyroid, diabetes, and a plethora of
others. Through all this, I continued to fulfill my ministry
responsibilities while working full time at my day job. Then, my dad
had a heart attack and passed away, after which my mom had a stroke
that left her an invalid. Then my cat, Amelia, developed kidney
disease, high blood pressure, a heart murmur, and degenerative joint
disease all of which require special daily attention.
Why at the Iowa 80?
Because it is in the middle of the country and it is the world largest truck stop.
Although I've come a long way in my walk with the Lord, I know that I've still got a long way to go.
I've
completed my ministry responsibilities and about the same time paid off
my house which allowed me to work three days a week at my day job, a
thoroughly needed break. Last week, the Lord finally allowed my cat to
rest in peace.
Although I've been running on empty, the Lord is currently refueling me.
All this came just in time because I think I would break if I wasn't given the respite.
Praise God that he gives me all that I need when I need them.
Mathew 6:31-
31 So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them
33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own.
As I had mentioned before I believe that there is both free will and
predestination. Most, of the responses, question how both can be
possible and how a just God could pick one person to be saved while
allowing another to perish when all have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. Because the number of responses expressing these two
concerns are so overwhelming that I am forced to address them.
To
answer both concerns, we would have to examine the mechanics of God's
predestination and how it interacts with our free will. I broke it
down in the the following three principles.
- Although
God commands us to repent and receive Christ, it does not necessary
mean that we are capable to do so in our fallen state. Calvin's
argument is that without God's intervention, we do not have the ability
to see the choices. Without the ability to see the choices, one can
not exercise free will.
The power of sin is like when a strung
out junkie needs a fix. He needs to be brought down to a state in
which the interventionist can converse rationally with him before the
junkie can see that there are choices available to him. It is at that
point in which he can choose rehab or to go back on drugs. While in
the strung out state, he is unable to exercise free will.
Thus, without God's intervention via the Holy Spirit, we, in our fallen state, do not have free will.
- When
God intervenes to save the sinner, He does not overpower the sinner and
force the sinner to submit unwillingly nor does he eliminate the
sinner's choices. All of the sinner's choices are still there. The
difference is that the Holy Spirit would demonstrate how much better is
the choice, of salvation through Jesus Christ, than any of the other
choices.
It's like if you've been eating two week old stale
bread for all you life and is presented with freshly baked cheese
Danish rolls topped with strawberry jam. Would you have to be forced
to take the cheese Danish rolls?
Calvin argues that even if the
sinner initially refuses, God would continue to entice the sinner until
the sinner finds it desirable enough the accept.
- Why
would God entice some sinners into the Kingdom and allow others to
perish? Contrary to popular belief, there are things that God is
incapable of doing! (I can hear the gasps.) That's true. God can not
do anything that is counter to His good and perfect character. Here
are some examples:
- God can not do evil.
- God can not love evil.
- God can not contradict Himself.
- God can not break any of his promises.
There are more, of course; but you get the idea.
Since
we know that God does not desire for anyone to perish, we can conclude
that the only ones, that God would allow to perish, are those whom He
is incapable of saving. Since the only things, that God is incapable
of doing, are those which would violate his character, we can conclude
that in order for God to entice the sinner, that is not predestined,
into accepting Christ, God would have to do things that would require
God to violate his character.
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