Monday, September 29, 2008

Spiritual Journey

I have recently developed a working knowledge of predestination, one of the beliefs in Calvinism, or as Calvinists say- the gospel. However, I have had a hard time with the concept of God's election of a select few. It doesn't seem right for a loving God to only pick certain ones from the beginning of time; yet none of us deserve His grace and salvation.

Recently, I debated someone who has a false impression of what Calvinism is, so this is what I told her: "No sinner ever makes himself choose God and His holiness. It is God who chooses us. Calvinists believe God's election is unconditional and sovereign. John 15:16 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.' Here is an example of God's election; Romans 9:11-13: 'For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated;' and verse 16: 'So then, it is not of him that: willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.'
It is not the Calvinist viewpoint that we make no decisions or that we cannot accept Christ. Although, it is true that no one can accept Christ on our own, and even non-Calvinists believe that."


There are certain beliefs in Reformed theology that I hold to, most noteably that God is not only the author, but He is the finisher of our faith and that He will complete the good work He has started. This, of course, is based on Biblical passages that most Christians know well, but many still hold to the belief that after salvation, growth in Christ is dependent on them and not on the work of the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday, during a Bible study, I came across this passage in Ephesians 1: 3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."



The Bible is quite clear that predestination is very much indeed part of the Lord's holy plan. That being said; to think the call goes out to all hearts to be accepted or rejected is something that I can easily accept when people reject the Lord. Knowing that He chose me for no discernable reason from the foundations of the world but not everyone makes me sad for those He has not.

1 Comments:

Blogger MCO said...

Lanette, congratulations on your first post -- and on the ongoing growth of your theological understanding.

I have long thought that you were not far from the kingdom. :)

12:23 PM  

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