Bible Question:
Hey Guys! Can I muddy the waters? I've already stated elsewhere that I know nothing of Calvinism and Armenism (or however it is spelled), but here's what I think. Of course, my opinion is always subject to 1) being wrong 2) being right 3) being corrected by those who know more than I and 4) being ridiculed by those who know it all. :) Here goes: I hardly know anything of the Sovereignty/Free Will debate. But I do believe that God is both sovereign and that we have free will. I don't think that they are mutually exclusive. I think that Philippians 2:6-8 gives us a small glimpse of that. Here we see that although Jesus was completely God, He chose to set aside His divine right (sovereignty, complete control), as God, and become a servant (a man with free will). He was, I believe, completely God and completely human. He had both God's Spirit in Him and a human spirit. He had a soul. And He had a will that He chose to submitted to His Father's will (not only in the garden but throughout His earthly ministry. He did only what His Father told Him to do). I know this may sound crazy (not my first time), but I think that God, being sovereign, can chose to set aside exercising that sovereignty in order to permit human chosing. What do you think? How far off the bubble am I? In Christ, Bill Mc |
Bible Answer: Greetings Bill Mc! Well said! The only point I would add to is that I don't think that God has to set aside His sovereignty in order for us to have free will. Here's why! Nowhere in Scripture is sovereignty defined as "making every choice" or "being responsible for every thing". He is Lord. What He says ultimately goes, but we can also exercise choice in our limited sense. If I freely choose a Big Mac over a cheeseburger, God dosen't suddenly stop being God. But, I am also aware that our "free will" is very limited. There are a lot of things over which we have no choice at all, other than how we respond to them. Overall, I think you are right on! If you want an excellent book that views things the way you do, check out A. W. Tozer's, "The Pursuit of God". It is one of the best explanations of God's sovereignty I have ever read. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |