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about the topics. So, here we go

Calvinists hammer on the truth of the sovereignty of God, the belief that not only does nothing happen outside of the knowledge of God that nothing happens without the express ordination of God.; that everything is with the authority and under the rule of God. I don't think that many, if any, Christians would argue with the idea of the sovereignty of God, but may argue how God Himself puts that sovereignty into effect. So, for the Calvinist, not only does God know who will become Christians, but it is God that chooses who become Christians.

Romans 3:10b-11 says "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." Also in Romans, salvation is described as a gift of grace freely given by God. God gives the gift, we don't take it. However, if a gift is given, does that necessarily mean that we have to accept it? That would be the argument of the Arminian. However, human gifts and divine gifts are obviously not on the same level.

Still, this leads into the Arminian idea that man has free will in choosing his salvation, whether to say "I accept the atoning sacrifice of Christ" or "I choose not to believe." They may say that God didn't create robots. That would not be the action of a loving God. This continues on to the interpretation of "For God so loved the world" to mean the entire world, and that everyone has the opportunity for salvation. After all, wouldn't a loving God desire for all to be saved? And wouldn't an all sovereign God be able to ensure that this occurred?

But in this, if the choice is up to man, where is God's will in all of this? If God has determined that "all should come to repentance" than wouldn't God's absolute sovereignty insure that His will would be done? This idea would seem to insinuate that man's free will trumps the sovereignty of God. So, there is nothing that you or I could do, one way or another, that would sway God's choice. After all, no one will enter heaven unless they "are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev. 21:27)

We know that the clay has no right to complain to the potter, but human being are hardly inanimate objects. We are made in God's image and therefore have a certain dignity beyond that of a clay pot. Or maybe we're not and it's my pride that's causing me to think that I do.

This is the kind of stuff that can tend to make my head hurt. It's much easier to pick a side and just disregard what any opposing viewpoint might say. And then I meditate on what Paul asked, should we say "'I follow Paul,' or I follow Apollos,' or I follow Cephas,' or I follow Christ.'"? We are all followers of Christ, aren't we? Should we really be saying "I'm a Calvinist" or "I'm an Arminian?"

Learn more about this author, Matt Nord.
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