Friday, May 19, 2006

The Road to Geneva

When I was in seminary I had a number of discussions with folks over the issue of God's sovereignty and our free will. There were some guys (Armininans) who said we had free will and that God had relinquished that aspect of the creation to our control. He allowed us to make up our own minds about things. There were also guys who claimed that God had predestined everything from the beginning of time (Calvinists). My opinion, which didn't fly very far with these guys, was that the Bible taught that both were occurring at the same time (cf. Gen. 50:20). It was an issue that bothered me for years. I bought a book by Donald Carson called God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility and it appeared to agree with me. Dr. Carson went through the Johannine writings and showed that God chooses and men choose in the same events at the same time. And on my own study I found that this was also true throughout the whole Bible. So theologically I was stuck. It seemed that the world was full of Arminians or Calvinists, but not much in between.

There were a number of other passages in the Bible that caused me concern. For example the passages about headship and the authority that the leaders of families and countries had over the people. This authority was not just the normal "I'm in charge" kind, but also when the leader did something, it affected everyone under his authority. For example the blessings that fathers gave their children came true for those children. And when the King took a census he wasn't supposed to, it affected the whole nation. This pattern was happening all over the Bible and it always bothered me that the world of the Bible worked this way, but not in my experience or teaching in the church.

Later, I realized that this was how I became a sinner: My leader (head) Adam sinned and thus I sinned. I was affected by his sin just as if I'd sinned myself. But the glorious part was that is how we are saved as well. Jesus our new leader (head) died and we died when he died. And thus the Father treats us just as he treated Jesus (raised him from the dead and gave him new life). It is a glorious truth and it is the only explanation of the death of Jesus that doesn't make God capricious or unjust.

But this is what, the theological world is called Covenant Theology. The world is made up of covenants and covenantal relationships and this goes down to the family where the husband is the head of his household and thus responsible for everything that occurs in his family. But I am digressing now.

Then when we were in Dexter, MO I ran out of good Christian books that were written by pastors or actual theologians. It seemed that everything was written by counselors or psychologists or women who were "sharing" their ignorance (I know that's a bit of an overstatement, but that was what I was feeling). So I started looking at older books. I thought if it is still around it must be a good book. So I started reading books by old dead guys (Calvin, Luther, church fathers, etc.) and they turned out to be saying things I already thought and more. So I started looking at newer books by guys like RC Sproul, JI Packer, Loraine Bettner, and especially my old friend Doug Wilson. I realized as I read that being a Calvinist didnt' mean that you threw out free will when you saw God's predestination, they both worked together. It was a straw man that it had to be either free will or sovereignty.

Then the problem was that all the Reformed guys I knew were arrogant snobs. I got on a list serve on the internet that was specifically Reformed and found that the guys were good at theology, but they didn't know their Bibles worth beans. So since I wasn't fully Reformed yet, I tied them up in knots asking them where in the bible it said what they espoused. But through my own study I realized that what they were saying was generally true, but I was proving it in the Bible, not by reading the Reformers.

When we first came back from the Islands a pastor friend told me that I was Reformed, I just didn't know it yet. Finally, after actually being Reformed for several years, I had enough ballast to admit it to everyone. I determined that I could be Reformed (Calvinist) without necessarily identifying with those guys I thought were really arrogant.

I don't know where you are theologically, but if you want to read some stuff that begins in the shallow end, I'd suggest Easy Chairs, Hard Words by Doug Wilson. Also, if you're interested in something you can read with France pertaining to marriage, his Reforming Marriage is really good. Eileen and I read it when we first got back to the States and it really helped to establish the direction of our family ever since. And it is a book written by a pastor, a man, a man who has grand children who love the Lord (cf. Heb 13:7).

I know you're a busy man, so I don't expect you to write back volumes. Just write when you can. Part of my job is to answer questions, so if you have them, ask away.

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