In the comments section of an earlier topic I was accused of having a:
“…theology of an impotent little god that can only wring his hands hoping some sinners might look towards what he hopes for them but cannot accomplish."
Compare this to the type of theology held by the accuser, of a God who can only obtain the glory He feels to be His due by condemning billions to an eternity in hell, for no reason other than they fulfilled the destiny He had predetermined for them.
A God who can only obtain a people by “stacking the deck” – forcing people to follow Him through exerting a mythical force known as “Irresistible grace”.
I am well and truly fed up of the pathetic “wisdom” and theologies of man – through which God is maligned and His ways perverted: all to satisfy man’s theological ego.
Do people think that God is so desperate for people to be saved that he would “wring his hands hoping some sinners might look towards what He hopes for them…” or that His need to see some saved was so strong that He would actively ensure that a specially chosen minority HAD to follow Him?
It is mans’ UNDERSTANDING of God and His gospel that is pathetic and impotent.
No, you worshipers of man’s theological “wisdom” – God is not impotent. He is not desperate. He is not a tyrant.
He is GENUINELY sovereign and has never needed any man to follow Him. Instead He has CHOSEN to demonstrate His love and His merciful nature by reaching out to mankind with the offer of an opportunity to enter a new creation.
His gospel is a result of His extravagant generosity; it is not a display of desperate need.
5 comments:
Well said!
Hi Onesimus!
I can see that you are a bit annoyed by some comments of some Calvinists, but take courage and fight the good fight of faith and the Lord Jesus will surely have a reward for you at the end.
I am not a Calvinist, even though many of my friends call me a Calvinist and neither am I an Arminianist.
Perhaps you might grant me a question on the sovereignty of God.
If a builder wants to build a house and he for whatever reason can not do it, would that builder be sovereign?
If God wants to save all His children whom He passionately loves and He for whatever reason can not do it, would that God be sovereign?
You said that God is not a tyrant.
A tyrant is another word for a despot, the God of the Bible does whatever He pleases and He seeks no counsel and has no guidelines, He rises up a nation and then He utterly destroys them, He creates a vessel for destruction and another for salvation, He has all power available for Him to do what ever He desires and no one holds Him back.
Onesimous; isn't that the picture of a despot, the God we serve and love? If He would not be like that, perhaps I would not fear the Lord like I do.
In Acts 4:24 the disciples called the Lord a despot ("Sovereign Lord" translated from despot.)
Lots of love Paul,
Paul said:
“You said that God is not a tyrant.
A tyrant is another word for a despot, the God of the Bible does whatever He pleases and He seeks no counsel and has no guidelines, He rises up a nation and then He utterly destroys them, He creates a vessel for destruction and another for salvation, He has all power available for Him to do what ever He desires and no one holds Him back.”
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Paul,
God is not arbitrary. His actions for and against mankind are not without purpose and are not unconditional.
You say “He creates a vessel for destruction and another for salvation” – I suggest you check scripture more closely on that. I think you will find that you’ve misinterpreted something.
In particular I suggest you look at Jeremiah 18 in which God teaches Jeremiah about the potter and the creations of “vessels”. In particular pay attention to God’s explanation of what He showed Jeremiah.
In scripture we are given a revelation of who God is, what He is like and how He relates to humanity. That revelation is given throughout the WHOLE of scripture and not through a few isolated “texts”.
Scripture reveals God’s CHARACTER, through receiving that revelation of His character we will grow to understand His intentions and His means of bringing those intentions into being.
Get to know God’s character and you will recognise and understand His ways.
Thanks Onesimus for your reply.
I am not writing to cause you distress, but for my own expansion and understanding of the Scripture and perhaps to provoke some thought.
Since both of us are not Calvinists or Arminianists I can safely say that I do not believe in unconditional election like the Calvinists do. They say that God elected some without a condition for salvation and the Arminianists say that God elected some on the condition that they believe and put there faith and trust in the Lord Jesus.
I think that is not entirely true either, but rather that the Lord Jesus elected only His children from before the foundation of the world on the CONDITION that they are His children and not Satan's children and not on the basis of doing something but on the basis of grace (the unmerited favor of the Lord).
You said, "the revelation is given throughout the WHOLE of Scripture and not through a few isolated texts."
I fully agree with you about that!
Concerning the gospel of salvation, for many years it has troubled me that most of the preachers today portray Jesus as a salvation provider and not as a mighty savior.
They say that Jesus has made a marvelous PROVISION, He has done it all and now it's up to you.
I call this a 'smorgasbord salvation', a salvation which He has placed on a table so that everyone can go and help themselves and after a while if it does not suit them, they throw it away.
For the Lord Jesus to have made a provision for salvation is not found throughout the whole of Scripture and not even in an isolated text.
I love you brother!
Paul
Paul,
I once did a count of the NT references to God being “saviour” and God being “Lord” – while the count may not be entirely accurate there was such a significant difference in the two totals that we would be foolish to ignore it.
I counted 24 references to God/Jesus as “saviour” and 576 references to God/Jesus as “Lord”.
Too much priority is placed on “salvation” (in particular salvation from hell).
Salvation comes as a consequence of relationship with God.
God has done everything necessary to bring mankind back into relationship with Him but there needs to be a response of faith from man. Relationships are a shared experience and therefore need more than one participant.
God does not force anyone to participate. Relationship with God is open to all of those who would stop trusting in themselves and come to Him in faith.
“Election” and “predestination” are not associated with the salvation of individuals. Some may quote their favoured proof texts to show otherwise, but those texts belong in their scriptural context and not in the theological context forced upon them by man’s traditions.
Scripture makes it CLEAR that God desires all to be saved. That fact is stated categorically with no room for misunderstanding. The belief that God has personally elected a minority to salvation demonstrates an ignorance of God’s clearly stated desire.
I would suggest a choice needs to be made – to believe in God and His word; or to believe in man’s theology and man’s traditions.
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