Balance and Mystery

There is much talk in today’s Church about being balanced. While this is a healthy idea, there are many ways to understand balance. Do we mean balance in terms of giving room to both sides of Biblical teachings, or are we recommending some idea of doctrinal agnosticism?

It’s nearly impossible to get into any kind of meaningful conversation about doctrine today without hearing something like, “People have been arguing about these things for centuries. Who are we to think we’ve figured it out.”. Is God mysterious?

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever…” -Deuteronomy 29:29

While appealing to mystery is necessary when we talk about God and His ways (The secret things belong to God.), we have to be careful not to pull the mystery card prematurely. We have to look at all that the Bible tells us about a topic, so we’re sure we understand what’s being said (The things that are reveled belong to us). Then, where the Bible stops, we stop and worship the God who is beyond our comprehension.

Human Responsibility and God’s Sovereignty – the Seeming Paradox

The issue at hand is the idea that while God is sovereign, meaning that he orchestrates all events in time for His purposes, man is also held accountable for what he does or doesn’t do. This should strike us as paradoxical.

If God is making everything happen, how are we still doing anything? Or conversely, if our choices are real, and subject to God’s judgement, how can God be orchestrating those choices and events? The Bible seems to simply present both of these ideas, says they’re true, but doesn’t tell us how exactly they work together. So we’re left with an appeal to the mysterious power of God.

Human Responsibility and God’s Sovereignty in Salvation – The Misunderstanding

This correct doctrinal paradox of responsibility and sovereignty seems to have flowed over into categories today, that it was never intended for. And it appears, for the sake of political correctness, mystery is being appealed to in areas that the Bible is not mysterious.

Today’s ‘autonomous free will’ oriented Church has taken historic orthodox language and misused it to help it’s own faulty theology. A misrepresentation of the conversation is the result.

Today we find preachers teaching that since the Bible teaches that we have to come to Christ to be saved, this means that man has a free will, but the Bible also teaches that God is in control… and this is mysterious. They’ll produce verses that indicate a universal gospel call, commanding all men to come, using them as proof texts to demonstrate free will.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” -Matthew 11:28

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve…” -Joshua 24:15

“…And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” -Revelation 22:17

So, there is undoubtedly a free offer to all men to come to Christ. And they go on to demonstrate that God is also in control of these things:

“…having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” -Ephesians 1:11

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” -Romans 8:29

Some will rest here, simply saying “Man has free will, and God is sovereign… we just have to deal with it.”(which is admirable, especially when we consider the more common alternative).

Usually at this point the ‘free will’ preacher will redefine predestination and election, and teach that God simply foreknew who would believe, and elected them based on their choice. Sadly, they don’t realize that they’ve actually left their original argument at this point, they’ve rejected mystery, removed God’s choice and set up man’s choice as the sole deciding factor. No more paradox… just an unbiblical doctrine of foreknown decisional salvation.

Human Responsibility and God’s Sovereignty in Salvation – All the Biblical Data

We’ve already established the parts that modern free will Christianity has right:

1. Christ has made a free offer to all men to be saved, and man must come to be saved.

2. God is in control (to varying degrees, depending on tradition), and he is working all things to the council of his will.

But we can’t simply rest here and attribute to point 1 the idea that man is free to choose, until we’ve weighed all the data. Is man free to accept or reject this offer? Jesus says no.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” -John 6:44

“…no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” -Matthew 11:27

Paul supports this idea of man’s inability to obey God and come to Christ:

“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” -Romans 8:7-8

“…no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.” -1 Corinthians 12:3

The Bible’s ACTUAL teaching is that yes, a free offer is made, but no one CAN come unless they’re first chosen, enabled, drawn, and enlightened to truth of the gospel. An inward change, by God, is necessary. And until that change occurs man is unable to come.

Is man responsible for the choice he makes concerning Jesus? Yes.

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” -John 3:18

Is man able to actually choose Christ, apart from the electing, regenerating grace of God? No.

“This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” -John 6:65

“…but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.” -John 10:26

Conclusion

We need to clarify terms that seem to have been cross. Human responsibility to believe (clearly taught in scripture) is not the same as human ABILITY to believe (strictly taught negatively in scripture). So as far as free will… we have none. We make choices, but our will is bound to our sinful nature.

The question of how God and man work together in salvation is not a paradox. ALL of salvation is God’s doing, as man is incapable of contributing. Every part of our responsibility being fulfilled is a gift from God to His people. Man and God DO NOT work together in salvation. Man is a passive recipient of God’s free gift, then man exercises the faith he’s been gifted.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” -Ephesians 2:8-9

The paradoxical discussion of mans’ responsibility and God’s sovereignty was never about ‘free-will’. it’s about how we can keep from being puppets, when God is the orchestrator of everything. How are we accountable, when God makes everything happen? When we correctly understand the argument we ask the obvious (Biblical) question:

“You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” -Romans 9:19

The question is profound… but the answer is heavy and glorious, and should press the unbiblical concept of free will in salvation out of us, as we’re humbled like the creatures we are.

“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” -Romans 9:20-21

Here, my friends, is where we rest. In God’s right to do what He wants with what’s His. Mysterious as it all may be.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” -Ephesians 2:8-9

The idea that in order to become born again, we must first express faith in the gospel, is a popular one. Most Churches today teach that you must choose Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will come in and make some changes in you.

I would like to take a moment to think through this process logically, and see if it is a Biblical concept, or one that simply helps support certain traditions. I invite comments and further discussion, as I feel it’s an incredibly important topic.

Here are a few of the limitations of man in His natural, unregenerate state. Before we are born again:

• we can not submit to God, or do anything pleasing to Him.

“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” -Romans 8:7-8

• the gospel is foolishness to us.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing…” -1 Corinthians 1:18

• we do not seek for God

“no one understands; no one seeks for God.” -Romans 3:11

With these concepts in mind. Let’s think through what it would look like for a man to believe in Jesus for his salvation, before the Holy Spirit is indwelling that man.

The Scenario

There you are. A sinner, that suppresses the obvious truths of God around you (Romans 1:19-20). Someone comes to you and shares the gospel. They tell you a story about God becoming a man, and dying for anyone who will believe in Him, then coming back to life and ascending into Heaven. Unless you are some exception to the human race, you aren’t interested in seeking this God (Romans 3:11), and this story is sheer nonsense to you (1 Corinthians 1:18).

At the very most, you’ve received information about a religion. You need to make a decision between the Christian religion, the Jewish one, the Muslim one, the Buddhist one, and the secular worldview that everyone else believes. Your gospel-preaching friend shares some historic facts about Jesus, which are nice, but he’s obviously biased. There is no real supernatural help (other than any help God already gives to everyone equally) until you make your profession, so you’re on your own to weigh the facts. Now, let’s say your friend is a good salesman, and is rather persuasive.

Now he commands you to repent and believe the gospel. He’s asking you to do something very strange. You’ve heard what is no more than a fairy tale to you, and in reality, you don’t really believe it. You need to take an absolutely blind leap into darkness and place your trust in something that your mind is convinced is not actually there. You need to lie to yourself, to your kind friend who brought you the message, and indeed to Jesus Himself, and say you believe that Jesus died for you, and rose again.

So you accept the superstition and decide to try it. You recite what is really no more than a God-ordained magical incantation. THEN the Holy Spirit comes in. He basically turns the magical spell into a true statement, and now you REALLY believe Jesus because of your born again experience and all the other applied work of the Holy Spirit.

Is this really how we think it works? Is salvation initiated by a hokus-pokus prayer or confession that gets God to do something? Or is the order that the modern Church has come to embrace actually reversed? Is it actually God who opens your eyes first, followed by your true confession of faith?

What Does Scripture Have to Say About It?

“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.” -1 Corinthians 12:3

Scripture tells us that until we are indwelled with the Holy Sprit, it’s impossible for us to make a true confession of faith. We are not told to blindly profess a lie, but that once God has given us His Spirit, we, without exception say “Jesus is Lord”.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” -John 6:44

Again we see that we are incapable of coming to Jesus without God’s doing the work.

“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” -John 3:3

Once again we see the absolute limitation. We “cannot see the kingdom of God”, until we are born again.

We are so spritiually deaf, blind and indeed dead (Ephesians 2:5) that we need to be brought to spiritual life BEFORE we are able to believe, and be saved.

“everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.” -1 John 5:1

Even for a moment old believer, they have been “born of God” – past tense.

No Spritual Limbo

One easy misunderstanding that may come from this kind of language is that there is actually some amount of time that a person is regenerated, and hasn’t expressed faith in Christ yet – sort of in between stage. This is not the case.

Regeneration and the subsequent faith are instantaneous in time. Scripture never puts any time in between the two, because they are a package deal

Here’s a helpful way to think about it: Regeneration and faith are like a light switch and a light bulb. God is the one who proactively flips the switch on, and you, the bulb then produce the light of faith. So when I say ‘regeneration precedes faith’ I don’t mean in a temporal sense, but I mean that God makes you spiritually alive first… and a ’spiritually alive’ person necessarily has faith.

The Implications of a Right Understanding

Why does it matter which comes first? The answer is very simple. If we understand who produced the faith in us, then the right person gets the glory for it.

If YOU, in your spiritual sensitivity and wisdom, saw that this gospel business made sense, when all the rest of the world reject it, you deserve some commendation. At least in part, your whole time in Heaven is based on that smart decision you made to choose Jesus. Some of the glory God demands in salvation would go to you.

If, as the Bible tells us, GOD chose to have mercy on you, open your eyes to Him, and give you the gift of faith… then all the glory goes to it’s rightful place. Let’s not attempt to share in God’s glory. Let’s praise God for opening our eyes by grace alone, and not by our own doing or willing (Romans 9:15-16).

Let’s praise God for his Sovereign regenerating work, and not see it as a threat. Because without it, none of us would ever come to Him.

“And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”" -John 6:65

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17

Christianity involves moral reform. As God works in our hearts, our attitude toward sin changes and we seem to “sin less” than we used to. This is one of the evidences of God working in a life. But don’t other religions offer the same kind of moral change? Doesn’t any religion make you a better, more moral person? What’s the difference between Buddhist morality and Christian repentance?

Repentance is a change of mind. It’s when the entire direction of a life is turned away from the selfish, worldy direction it naturally moves in, and the heart and mind does a 180 and turns to God. A person goes from unbelief to belief, he goes from hating God to loving God, and goes from loving sin to hating sin.

Can people change on their own? sure.

Behavior modification is a hard thing. Just ask anyone who’s tried to quit smoking or go on a diet. But if we really apply ourselves, and abstain from our desires, and create habits we can make changes in our lives. This can be true in a religious sense too. But that isn’t repentance.

The Buddhist meditates, and abstains, and works hard, and pushes themselves, and changes. They become more moral, or study harder, or get healthier based on their fleshly strength. Their still desire the things they give up, but they fight against those desires, until a habit is formed.

But the Bible says “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” -John 6:63. Christian repentance is a work of the Spirit in us. God changes our desires, instead of us fighting against them (that’s not to say we don’t still have sinful desires, but God becomes our central desire). So through a supernatural work, the Christian turns, believes, trusts, and desires holiness.

Instead of the flesh fighting against a man’s will to change, the Holy Spirit is in the believer, fighting against our flesh for us. I’m tempted to say it’s easier than self-improvement. Perhaps more accurately: It’s no longer our work, but God’s. That’s Christianity.

“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” -Colossians 2:20-23

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” -John 15:16

Most people in the modern Church assume that man’s free will is taught in scripture. It is often used as the foundation to build doctrines and entire theologies. It seems logical. If God made us robots, then love isn’t love, it’s just programming, right?

The Will of Man

God made the first man, Adam, neutral as far as sin goes. Adam was perfectly capable of obedience, and also able to disobey by eating of the single tree he was commanded not to. Adam, for all intents and purposes, had free will. He could choose to do good in God’s eyes, or to do evil. And he chose, in a very real way, to disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit. In that moment all of creation fell under the curse of sin.

Adam was our representative in the Garden. In a spiritual sense we were in him. When he fell, we fell with him (Romans 5:12). We all now share in his fallen, sinful, carnal nature. what does that carnal nature look like?

“The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” -Romans 8:7

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” -Genesis 6:5

The fallen nature of man can not obey God’s law. The fallen heart of man is completely and only evil. Fallen man has lost all ability to do good in God’s eyes. We can do good as it compares to others, but nothing we do is actually obedient to God. Obedience to God would require perfect love toward Him in everything we do, and we are sinful at heart. No matter how hard a man tries, he can only, in the end, do evil. We are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Isaiah says even the good things we do are like filthy rags that we offer to God.

“We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment…” -Isaiah 64:6

So we have wills… evil wills. And we are free to do as little or as much evil as we want. If this is what is meant by “free will”, then the Bible is on board. But the bottom line is, since the fall, we can not do good.

The Greatest Good

God’s commandment to sinful man throughout scripture is to turn back to Him and believe in Him. The entire Bible is an account of the unfaithfulness of man to do that, and God’s loving patience with the disobedient human race. The New Testament sets up the greatest good a man can accomplish: trusting in Christ for his salvation. We also see a universal call to repentance and an invitation to come.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” -Matthew 11:28

The Bible is clear that anyone who wants God can come to Him and be restored. But if we are only capable of evil, and all our desires are emnity against God… who wants to come to Him?

“No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”" -Romans 3:9-12

How many people seek for God? Not one. How many people do good? Not one. So how many people will take advantage of God’s offer of salvation, the greatest good we could do? Man’s hatred toward God and complete lack of desire to come to Him, renders us completely incapable. So even though a universal call is made, no one can come… don’t believe me? Jesus says:

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” -John 6:44

and again

“And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”" -John 6:65

Do we have a free will in salvation? sure. The offer is made, and every single person on the planet makes their choice: it is a unanimous NO.

The Creator is Free

Man has spoken, and based on their choice, every person who ever lived is running as fast as they can straight to Hell. What hope do we have? According to the average American pastor, this kind of situation is hopeless, as God must respect our wills. Thankfully God disagrees. The Creator of wills, can change our hearts as he sees fit.

The salvation of a man begins, at least from our perspective, with God sovereignly changing that man’s heart. The process of regeneration, or being born again, is when God changes the sinful nature of man. The greatest good, the impossible feat, is then possible as we are made into new creatures.

“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” -John 3:3

The Holy Spirit takes up residence in us, and without the Spirit, it is impossible to believe.

“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.” -1 Cor 12:3

You see, until God initiates salvation in a man, we can not come to him, because we will not come to him. God sovereignly moves upon the men and women of His choice. If God were to leave it up to us, as He does in some, we would continue to sin, and end up receiving the wrath owed to us. But Christ’s sacrificial death is applied to people who never asked for it.

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” -Romans 10:20

“So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” -Romans 9:18

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”" -Luke 10:22

Does our will play any part?

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” -John 1:12-13

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” -John 6:63

“For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” -Romans 9:15-16

Prior to regeneration man is incapable of, and unwilling to believe. We are altogether depraved. But God, in His mercy, saves His chosen people. He changes their hearts, justifies them, sanctifies them, and raises them to glory, all against their natural will. Are they dragged kicking and screaming? Not at all, because he replaces our unwilling hearts with willing ones.

Salvation is of the Lord, my friends. Is there free will in salvation? Yes, and it is entirely God’s.

Ten Pirates invade a King’s ship. They beat and rape the King’s entire family, and begin pillaging all the goods.

The King arrives in his rowboat, and from the water can see what’s going on. He shouts to the pirates, “Stop now, and I will be merciful to you, and forgive you!” (desire for all to repent, and not to die in sins).

The Pirates bring out his family and rape and murder them on the deck, while laughing at the King. As they get drunk on the wine from the ship they do even more perverse things with the bodies all while the King watches in horror, and rage. They yell insults and taunts at the King and light the sails on fire. The ship begins to go up in flames.

In their drunkenness they pass out, fall overboard into the water and begin to drown. The King yells to their unconscious bodies “Climb into my boat, if you want to live!” (universal call to spiritually dead people who can’t and won’t respond [dead in sins and tresspasses]).

The King is moved in his love and decides, in order to show how merciful he is, to save three of the pirates. He could have saved all ten, but rightfully decrees that the others will die for their sins. He pulls the chosen three from the water, moments before they die, and gives them CPR. All three are revived (regeneration).

When the pirates come to, the King commands them to repent and bow before him as Lord (Inward call to the elect). All three wretchedly guilty pirates realize what they’ve done, and how the King saved them, and they begin to weep. They wail with tears and express how sorry they are, and how they now know what a great King he is. They then request to become his slaves (faith and repentance). He forgives them completely, takes the boat to his castle, adopts the pirates, and makes them all princes. They are forever changed by his mercy, and from that day forward they rule with him in righteousness.

When you see the severity of man’s sinfulness you can no longer ask “Why didn’t the King save all ten pirates?”.

When you see men for what they truly are, that question is completely eclipsed by “How could a righteous, angry King give such amazing grace to the three?”.

“There was a pear tree close to our own vineyard, heavily laden with fruit, which was not tempting either for its color or for its flavor. Late one night–having prolonged our games in the streets until then, as our bad habit was–a group of young scoundrels, and I among them, went to shake and rob this tree. We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this pleased us all the more because it was forbidden. Such was my heart, O God, such was my heart–which thou didst pity even in that bottomless pit. Behold, now let my heart confess to thee what it was seeking there, when I was being gratuitously wanton, having no inducement to evil but the evil itself. It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own undoing. I loved my error–not that for which I erred but the error itself. A depraved soul, falling away from security in thee to destruction in itself, seeking nothing from the shameful deed but shame itself.”

Taken from St. Augustine’s Confessions – Book 2, Chapter 4