"...it may be said that the Bible certainly does not proceed on the assumption that the divine decree is inconsistent with the free agency of man. It clearly reveals that God has decreed the free acts of man, but also that the actors are none the less free and therefore responsible for their acts, Gen. 50:19, 20; Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28. It was determined that the Jews should bring about the crucifixion of Jesus; yet they were perfectly free in their wicked course of action, and were held responsible for this crime. There is not a single indication in Scripture that the inspired writers are conscious of a contradiction in connection with these matters. They never make an attempt to harmonize the two. This may well restrain us from assuming a contradiction here, even if we cannot reconcile both truths.
Moreover, it should be borne in mind that God has not decreed to effectuate by His own direct action whatsoever must come to pass. The divine decree only brings certainty into the events, but does not imply that God will actively effectuate them, so that the question really resolves itself into this, whether previous certainty is consistent with free agency."
Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 106
Calvinism is not determinism. Men are not robots. Once again, God brings together two seemingly discordant ideas and causes them to work in harmony together.
I'm becoming completely enamored of systematic theology. There are so many nuances but they all come together in such an elegant whole. In it we begin "to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge..." (Eph. 3:18-19)
No comments:
Post a Comment