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.

Tricked Out of Our Treat

I’ve noticed in the last few years that each time we get close to October 31st there’s a firestorm on the internet among Christians regarding the right or wrong of participating in that day’s popular activities.  I feel more strongly about the whole thing than I used to so I’m going to throw in my two cents.

Gov't

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.” - I Peter 2:13-14
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” - Acts 5:29

Sending in the Troops

I really enjoy observing different peoples’ reactions when I tell them my boys are homeschooled.  Maybe it’s just the people I’ve come across, or maybe it’s our society’s dread of offending others, but I can’t recall a single negative reaction.  The majority of people I’ve mentioned our homeschooling to have been unbelievers, and they’ve still had nothing but encouragement and good things to say about the practice.

Abdication and Usurpation

Although most of us Christians would (hopefully) be quick to affirm that the Bible is indeed the sole rule of our faith and practice, there seems to be a frustrating natural tendency to mold what we read in the Bible to fit our own pre-conceived ideas of what’s “normal” or “reasonable.”

Basic Training

The spiritual war on earth is going to last until the King Himself returns and personally vanquishes the enemy.  We can hope that day will be in the not-too-distant future, but it’s entirely possible that we’ve still got a looooong way to go.  Whichever is the case, just as wise soldiers in any kind of war have always done, we must prepare for the long haul even while we hope for victory relatively soon.

Eternity, Part V - Eternal Life

Lest you should become weary of my tendency to dwell on the unpleasant realities of sin, judgement, and eternal death (realities though they are), we’ll wrap up this look at eternity with a summary of the wonderful truths of God’s forgiveness and the life that awaits the forgiven!

Eternity, Part IV - The Eternal Savior

We've looked at the fall of our first parents and the resulting devastation.  We've looked at some of the promises that God made in the Old Testament era of a coming Savior.  Now let’s look at how the Lord worked His plan out perfectly in His time, in His way, through His Son.

Eternity, Part III - The Eternal Plan

If ever there was a hopeless situation, this is it.  However, although it is completely true that the Lord is a holy and terrifying God who will punish all sin without exception, He is also loving, merciful, compassionate, and full of grace.

Eternity, Part II - The Eternal Judge

Even among people who do admit to the self-evident reality of a Creator God, the vast majority are unwilling to see Him as a Holy and Righteous Judge to whom we must someday give full account.  However, God’s Word, the Bible, makes it very clear that He has indeed set a time when He will judge every person who has ever lived.

Eternity, Part I - The Eternal Creator

I thought I’d take a few posts to look at the gospel itself, first of all for the sake of anyone who may stumble across this blog and isn’t already familiar with the Good News, and secondly because I think it’s good for a person to write out the basics of their own beliefs to help them to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you,” as I Peter 3:15 commands.  So here we go....