The Bible is full of strange stuff. No, I'm not talking about miracles and such. There are just a lot of strange things written in there that, frankly, run counter to what we know ... or what we think we know.
Take the verse in Acts. Paul made an impassioned speech in the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia, giving them the Gospel from Egypt to Christ (Acts 13:15-41). The Jews were outraged. So he took his message to the Gentiles. There we read, "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). Now, hang on, Luke. "As many as were appointed to eternal life believed"? I thought we decided if we'd believe. The text carries a two-edged message. First, believing is a matter of prior appointment, and, second, everyone who is appointed will believe.
Jesus had an odd one in one of His discussions with the Jews. They, of course, weren't believing, and Jesus told them, "You do not believe because you are not among My sheep" (John 10:26). Isn't that backward? Don't we become His sheep by believing? Jesus put it backwards, didn't He?
I just read about Lydia in Philippi. Paul talked to some women by the river. One was Lydia, who was a worshiper of God. The text says, "The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul" (Act 16:14). Isn't that a bit ... invasive? Does God actually open people's hearts? I thought we came to believe under our own power.
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 139. In that psalm, David makes a strong declaration of the humanity of the unborn (Psa 139:13-16). That last verse is stunning. "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Psa 139:16). Now, ask anyone. They will tell you that we determine our own future, that we make our choices. In fact, savvy philosophers will tell you if it is true that every day is written in His book before I was born, then I have no free will. Clearly, someone is confused here.
We humans, Christian or not, have a lot of ideas that we cling to from tradition or being taught or whatever that are not, as it turns out, accurate. It would be wise of us to be on the lookout for that rather than assuming we've got it right while we hold onto false ideas. Some of them can be harmful.
It is cool how once you come to understand the doctrines of grace, you end up finding them all over the place in the Bible.
ReplyDeleteI believe you have highlighted some important ideas here (and I have been hoping lately that you would address the TULIP “petals” more individually). (I would say I’m glad to see you break “St John, the Calvinist” into easier-to-digest bite-sized pieces, but that would be cannibalistic! :).
ReplyDeleteThis is the aspect of “Reformed theology” that has given me the most pause. When I was saved in the 1970s, it was in response to the charge, “Repent and believe!” At the time, it certainly seemed like a personal decision, an intentional choice, a willful compliance--i.e. very much my doing. It was only during years of subsequent Bible study through the New Testament books (primarily) that I encountered those many verses that make it clear that it was all initiated by God and not me. In retrospect, I can understand this better--especially when I consider that when I turned to faith at age 20, I was not even seeking God or thinking about spiritual things or eternity at all. It all came “out of the blue”--clearly an act of God.
Interestingly, a main focus of my personal discernment and doctrinal studies for the past 40+ years has been the topic of conversion--i.e. what exactly is “the new birth.” This is part of my quest to know the difference between religiosity and a biblical faith (what I often summarize as “false hope vs. true faith”). When I consider all the books on my personal library shelves on this topic (not to mention the numerous articles I have read over the decades), I can’t say offhand if they all present “reformed” doctrine, but I have learned what the Bible teaches--and that’s what must form my understanding. I believe you are right to urge us to be wise in this area.
Excellent point regarding the sheep issue. Too many people take the sheep/goats parable to mean that doing the good works will make us into sheep or goats, when it seems clear that the division comes before the good works, and that the good works come out of the nature of the sheep. To see Jesus use this in a non parable setting certainly helps us understand the parable better.
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