Free From...? (Part 2)

In the previous post we started to look at the question of whether or not the Bible supports the belief commonly held among today’s Christians that all people, prior to being saved, possess a God-given “free will.”  Before we could have a hope of answering that question, we had to ask, “What exactly could the will be free from?”  Our options were narrowed down to our sinful nature, the devil with his demonic host, and finally God.  We then found that God’s Word tells us that we, unregenerate wills and all, were most definitely not free from the corrupting, controlling influence of either our own sinful inclinations or Satan.  Scripture clearly reveals us to be slaves to both cruel masters, able to be set free only if and when God should grant us repentance and faith.

Free from...? (Part 1)

“FREEEEEDOOOM!”  Those of us who made it through Mel Gibson’s “historical” (hehe) film Braveheart will likely never forget that final one-word public speech delivered (and with amazing volume, I might add) by a dying William Wallace.  Do you know what gave that one word its ability to stir the hearts of his listeners to patriotic fervor?  Their first-hand knowledge of that burden they wished to be freed from–tyranny.  It just wouldn’t have fit with the drama of it all to have William cry out “FREEEDOOOM FROM TYRANNYYYY!”  But that’s what his audience understood when they heard it.  The term “freedom” has no real meaning apart from an understanding of what the freed person or thing is to be freed from.  Obvious, right?  We talk about free lunches, free thinkers, drawing freehand,  freedom of speech, free will....

The Bad News Always Comes First

Few Christians outright argue against the doctrine of the depravity of man – the biblical concept of man’s inherent sinfulness and tendency towards rebellion against God.  A glance at Jeremiah 17:9 (“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”) or Romans 3:10-11 (“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.’”) is sufficient to establish the truth of the matter for a Bible-believer.

Triumph of the Human Spirit

“A powerful testament to the power of the human spirit!”  “A moving tribute to the resilience of the human spirit!”  “It will restore your faith in the human spirit!”  If it’s from Hollywood, and it’s meant to inspire (and especially if it’s a based on a true story),  chances are it’ll have some variation of those words endorsing it.

Guilty by Association

Even after we’ve successfully struggled past the first two-thirds of the word “Calvinism,” often we’ll find a second red herring swimming amongst those last three letters.  I’m referring to the common practice of equating of Calvinism with the humanistic philosophies of fatalism and/or determinism.

Convicted Prior to Trial

If we’re looking for examples of misguided argumentation in the soteriology debate previously introduced, we need search no deeper than the very names by which these theological positions have been identified.  Even on this most basic, easily understood level, straw men are propped up and blown away.  Let’s look at the first of two common red herrings that do nothing but distract from the real issues at hand.

Shootin' Up Tulips

Although controversies in any area of theology can degenerate into the kind of misdirected argumentation mentioned in the last post, it seems, at least in my experience and observation, that one area is subject to more confusion and misrepresentation than several others put together.  This would be the area of soteriology–the study of doctrines pertaining to salvation.

Friendly Fire

Canada’s into a federal election year.  This means that we Canadians will be subjected to a more-than-tolerable amount of political character assassinations and governmental villainizing from every direction.  What makes it so time consuming to get to the truth of any candidate’s actual and fuller views on a given issue, however, is each party’s shameless tactic of mis-representing their opponent’s positions to make themselves look like White Knights by comparison.  Shady, frustrating, but unfortunately not shocking.

Controversial History

Last post was a brief look at the day-to-day life-size value of becoming familiar with the various theological controversies that have arisen throughout the church’s 2,000 year history.  In looking into any given controversy, it’s valuable to see not just where the positions or arguments are now, but where they started.

Experiencing Truth

My enjoyment of “theological non-fiction” has been growing steadily for the past several years.  I love reading the truths that minds much bigger and wiser than my own have been able to extract from the Scriptures.  God’s Word just seems to get deeper and deeper all the time; new-to-me insights into verses that I’ve read many times before never cease to make my heart rate climb.