Controversial Conversations

"For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him." - 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Recently I have had a couple of different conversations with people regarding predestination vs. free will. Now I have to tell you, the first time I ever heard of this controversy, I was in my late twenties living in Northern Virginia. I was attending a Bible Study for the single young adults, and we came across Romans 8:29-30. As I read these verses, they struck me for the first time. I asked someone sitting at my table, "Wait, does that mean God predestined us to be saved?" My friend laughed not at my question, but at the controversial can of worms I was about to open.

Afterwards, the Calvinist vs. Armenian debate was explained to me for the first time. I was shocked at this new viewpoint and didn't know what to think. How could God choose some for salvation and some for destruction? Isn't salvation a free gift we can either choose or reject? I spent the next months studying Scripture, trying to find a definitive answer to these questions.

Now for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, let me briefly explain. The Calvinist view, named after the theologian John Calvin, believes that because man is totally depraved, he is unable to choose God, and therefore God chooses some to be saved, but not all. (For we know not all are saved). There is much more to it than that, but that is the basic gist of it. The Armenian viewpoint believes that God knew before He even created us whether or not we would choose Him, therefore He "predestines" us based on our free-will choice. Again, there is much more to it, but that is the basic tenet.

Apparently, this controversial topic is discussed in churches everywhere. I'm fairly certain that my church in VA held the Calvinist view, and I know for a fact that my pastor here in Honduras holds the Calvinist view. So what did my personal studies show? Well, based on the influences I was receiving, I leaned more heavily towards the Calvinist view - God chooses us in His sovereignty. Even the verse above says that God appointed us to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. But there are also Scriptures that support the opposing view. So what do I think? I believe our finite minds cannot possibly truly know the mind of God. We can have theories and ideas, but all fall within the limits of our knowledge. I believe that somehow, and I have no idea how, God's sovereignty and man's responsibility come together in unity.

So why am I sharing this? Last week, I somehow got into this conversation with my coworker, Amanda. She had never heard the Calvinist view before, and so I shared with her the Scriptures that are frequently used to support that view. I also assured her that my purpose was not to confuse her, only to encourage her to search the Scriptures. Any time we spend more time in God's Word, we draw closer to Him, and that's what it is really about anyways. Then tonight in my girls' Bible Study, the girls that attend a Sunday School class at the church shared that their teachers, who obviously hold the Armenian view, told my girls that the Calvinist view was wrong, and the Scriptures do not support that view. I was not happy that these teachers told the girls they were wrong. I would prefer they shared their view and why, and then cncouraged the kids to search the Scriptures themselves. When it comes down to it, really only God knows His ways. "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" - Isaiah 55:8-9.

It seems funny to me how this conversation seems to cycle in my life about every year or so. This week has been the time for it again. I love it not because it is controversial, but because it causes us to reflect on Christ and our salvation in Him. Any conversation that points us to Christ, is a conversation worth having, no matter how controversial.