Opus 2026-315: Who Decides?

The debate over the conflicting concepts of God’s sovereignty and man’s free will continue on many fronts.  People who believe in free will also believe in God’s sovereignty.  The other side claims that man is still responsible, which to me implies free will.  Some of the disagreement is over semantics.  Some is foundational.

All would agree that God makes provision for our salvation.  This involves grace.  If you are a Calvinist you may have the understanding that Arminians don’t believe in grace or the fact that we are saved by grace.  All Christians do.  I have even approached Roman Catholics and they have not problem with that.  God is the one who extends saving grace.  That is not the question.  The question is, “Why does He extend saving grace?”  The Calvinist believes that it is an arbitrary decision by God and the input of the sinner is determined by God.  Arminians believe that God, again through His grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, gives sinners the ability to chose to believe and desire to live as God wants them to.

I am responsible for the initiation of my salvation.  I am the one who must decide to believe.  I am the one who must continue to belief and live in obedience.  If God just plugs a faith chip into my brain and it takes over from there the results are the same that God could have gotten by having me be born in heaven without the mess of life.  In fact you could take four of the five Solas and put them back on the shelf.  If I don’t have to make a decision then let grace do the whole thing.

God is reliable for the implementation of my salvation.  He started it by creating the world and Adam in His image.  When Adam brought sin into the world God kept introducing steps that would lead men back to God.  For a long time the sacrifices in the temple were said to bring atonement.  I feel that was just a type as a shadow of Jesus shed blood on the cross.  God provided the perfect sacrifice.  He provides the indwelling Holy Spirit.  He has seen to it that we have the written word.  God is willing to take every step with us but we must be willing to take those steps. 

I am sure the debate will continue.  Ultimately it doesn’t matter if I am right or wrong as long as I am trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus to be adequate for purging my sins and understand that His resurrection was the promise of mine.

homo unius libri