I come from a Christian high school, where debating over theology was an everyday occurrence. Many times the debate of Calvinism versus Arminianism would come up, and no conclusion could ever be made. Will there ever be a unanimous decision in regards to God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? I do not believe that this will occur until Christ comes and explains this to us. However, I do believe that Norman Geisler’s book Chosen But Free is an excellent example of combining these two truths, and explaining them according to the Scriptures.
I agree with what Geisler says on page 140 of his book. He basically argues that love is not and cannot be irresistible. He states “God is love, and true love never forces itself on anyone, either externally or internally. Forced love is a contradiction in terms” (Geisler, 140). Go back to when God created the world. He created Adam and Eve to be free creatures, so that they could choose to worship God from their own accord. If these people did not have a free will, we would not have the story of the Bible. All men would be dolls in God’s play house. They would not have the image of God, they would not be given a job in the Garden, and they would not be given a choice to obey or disobey God. Therefore, to say that God uses his “irresistible love” to save his creatures appears to disagree with his nature.
Geisler made another important point that caught my eye. At high school, the students were known for being either Calvinists or Arminians. There was not an issue of Calvinists not loving Arminians or vice versa, but there was some sort of separation. However, the debate is not as clear cut as it seems. On page 158, Geisler states that God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are not in contradiction with one another. We may not completely understand how they relate, but they do not contradict. The only statement in direct opposition to God’s sovereignty is “God is not sovereign.” Likewise, the only statement in direct opposition to man’s responsibility is “Man is not responsible.” Neither one of the statements in quotes is from scripture. In fact, they are in direct opposition to scripture. Stating “man is responsible” is not in direct opposition to “God is sovereign.”
This brings me to the last point. As Geisler eloquently pointed out on page 158, we are arguing over a difference in perspectives. If we look from the perspective of God, he is completely sovereign. He sees what will happen and choses it to be so. From man’s perspective, man is completely free and choses to live howsoever he pleases. While this may not make complete sense, it may be better for the Christian to place it in the same category as some other points in the Bible. Take, for example, the presence of the Trinity. How can there be three persons in one God-head? Another theological point of confusion is the incarnation. How can Christ be completely God and completely man? In the same way, this too, while it does not make complete sense as to how it fits together, it does fit as it is presented in scripture.
Geisler, N.L., (2010). Chosen But Free (3rd edition). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers.
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