Thoughts on the Doctrines of Grace: Chosen in Him or Choosing Him?

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Thoughts on the Doctrines of GracePastor Rob Wilkerson

Chosen by Him or Choosing Him?Balancing the Issue of Choice in Salvation

October 17, 2002

Introduction

I came to what is known as The Doctrines of Grace over a decade ago.Much has changed in my thinking since then. God is bigger now. His Word isdeeper now. His actions are more noticeable now. His purposes are clearernow. As a result, my confidence in life is greater now. But if there is anythingthat has changed since I became Reformed in my understanding of salvationit is my perception of others who call themselves Reformed.

I am particularly referring to those who, it seems to me, have so deeplydesired to fight the good fight of faith and preserve the glorious grace of God

that they have unwittingly obscured other truth about salvation in Scripture.What truth is that? The truth that teaches that man did in fact choose JesusChrist.

The Human Part of Salvation is Often Obscured

On the part of my Calvinistic brothers and sisters, it seems I hear sooften of the gracious regenerating power of God that the decision of theindividual is obscured almost completely. The desire is good, for those whoargue this way do so primarily out of their hatred of anything that obscuresGods glory. And salvation is certainly all of God. But the biblical fact of the

matter is that each person did make a choice to follow Jesus Christ. Again, Ithink that the desire to exalt the truth Gods grace in Scripture gives Him thehighest praise. But it often eclipses the other truth of mans decision inScripture.

Immediately I must say to my Reformed brothers and sisters, Dont gorunning to set up the stake and find the matches! If you do, youll missentirely the point I am seeking to make in this article. I want to see balance.How can you maintain a balance between the will of God in salvation and thewill of man? Are you crazy? Someone who will read this will eventually askme these questions. The answer is that I am not crazy, but I am crazy about

being faithful to the text of Gods Word. I find it humorous that the same Biblethat we as Calvinists see the doctrines of grace so clearly is also the sameBible that we do not see the fact of mans decision for Christ so clearly. It ishumorous to me because we say it is so clear yet see it dimly in somerespects, while ranting and raving against the Arminian that he doesnt seethe Bible clearly. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

The Calvinists Use of the Genetic Fallacy

Adult Bible Study Hour GraceCommunity Church

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As I see it, there seems to be a trend among Reformed folk that simplywill not allow them in any way, shape or form to concede to their Arminianacquaintances who maintain that man chose for Christ. Now, to be sure, I dobelieve that an Arminian by nature is one who ultimately (whether or

recognizes it or likes it or not) exalts the will of man over the will of God in thematter of salvation (and in just about every other area of life also, though Ipray now that I am not more critical than I should be). And conversely, theCalvinist is one who, by nature, exalts in the will of God over the will of man inevery matter of life. But I wish to maintain here that Calvinists must not findthemselves guilty of arguing and believing by genetic fallacy. This fallacy inlogic is committed when one disregards everything another might say becauseof who that person is. It is a virtual throwing-out-the baby-with-the-bathwatermentality.

Nathanael committed the genetic fallacy in John 1:46. In verse 45 we

read that, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him ofwhom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, theson of Joseph. Listen to Nathanaels response. Can anything good comeout of Nazareth? Of this verse, John Calvin noted that Nathanael was underthe influence of a preconceived opinion that no good thing could come out ofNazareth.1 He comments that such an opinion is a foolish judgment arisingfrom hatred or contempt of the place.2 In other words, the fact that Jesus wasfrom Nazareth, a place of such ill repute, could not possibly have allowed thatJesus be the Messiah. How could the Messiah come from such a place? And itwas this sort of reasoning, based on the genetic fallacy, which causedNathanael to illogically question whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. At

bottom, Nathanael made what amounted to a racial slur. It is much like theracial slurs that still abound in our culture today. Thus, any reasoning processwhich dismisses a host of verifiable information solely because of who aperson is, where they were born, where they live, what color their skin is, etc.is a genetic fallacy.

How then is the genetic fallacy being committed against Arminianismtoday? It is at this point I have raised here regarding mans responsibility anddecision in salvation. You see, when the Arminian cries out that man choseChrist, we Calvinists are immediately driven to reject that outcry. We usuallydo so on the basis that there is much more about salvation that he believes

and teaches that is unbiblical. Calvinists reason that because it is an Arminianwho is stating that man chooses Christ in salvation, the statement cannotpossibly be correct. After all, he is an Arminian. And can any good statementcome from the lips of an Arminian? Thus, as Calvinists we make a foolishjudgment regarding their beliefs that usually arises from hatred or contempt of

1 John Calvin, Calvins Commentaries, (Garland, TX: Galaxie Software) 1999.2

Ibid.


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their doctrine. Is much of it contemptible? Without question. But do theyknow that? Of course not, else they would not hold it. What then is thesolution? Stop rejecting the Arminian but continue rejecting Arminianism. Itspossible, but also probable, that we end up driving them away from usbecause we have a knack for confusing them with their doctrine. And it shows

in the very point which we discuss now. For when they speak the biblical truththat man does choose Christ at salvation, we throw the Arminian baby outalong with his bathwater.

Frankly, I find this deplorable reasoning. The truth of God remains thetruth of God regardless of whose mouth says it. How dare we dismiss anotherbrother or sister altogether just because they are not of the same theologicalstripe as we. How awful that we Reformed brothers and sisters are not morequick to remember that Gods providence uses all persons and things toproclaim His truth and magnify His attributes. God uses Arminians to proclaimthe truth of His Word, just like He uses Calvinists. And when Arminians

proclaim that man must choose Christ, they are proclaiming the truth ofScripture. Now the Calvinists have a valid point here that this is only half thetruth. But I say that it is truth nonetheless and therefore may be preachedwith confidence. After all, lets be fair about the matter. How many Calvinistsproclaim all the parts of truth when they are preaching?

Perhaps it will take a fellow Calvinist or Reformed brother or sister tostate the same truth that the Arminian states in order for other Calvinists tobelieve. I find it hilariously contradictory when we reject (based on the geneticfallacy) what we hear from the lips of one person with whom we disagree, yetwarmly embrace the same truth when it comes from the lips of another with

whom we agree. So in order to help some of my fellow Calvinist and Reformedbrothers and sisters overcome the genetic fallacy, and in order to see thistrend abolished, I want to be the first, hopefully among many Calvinists andReformed people to come, lay forth the particular biblical truth that anArminian does believe and teach about this issue of choosing Christ atsalvation. I want to be the first among many more to come to reach out andembrace them in the love of Christ, thanking them for their proclamation ofthe truth of Scripture, and encouraging them to continue calling sinners tochoose this day whom you will serve (Josh. 24:15).

Asking the Right Questions

To begin with, let me say at the outset that I believe that the questionwe must be asking ourselves is not, Did I choose Christ? for that is obviousfrom Scripture. The plain truth of Scripture, as I will attempt to show below, isin fact that we did see and embrace Christ and His forgiveness. The realquestion I think we ought to be asking is, How did I come to choose Christ?And to be fair, this is just what Calvinists are asking. But let me be clear aboutwhat I am proposing. I am proposing that the Calvinist begin asking the first


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question, and that the Arminian ask the latter question. And since thosereading this article will primarily be of the Calvinist persuasion, my chief desireis to get us asking the first question again. It is here that we will find that theArminian does share common ground with us. The fact that they may not seeall of the surrounding acreage of their decision for Christ does not mean that

there is no common ground on which we stand. Again, the real question is notwhether or not man chose Christ. The Bible teaches clearly that he did!Rather, the real question is how did man come to choose Christ. And we mustbe careful that in answering the latter question biblically, we do notovershadow the former question.

Answering the Questions Rightly

There is a standard two-fold understanding in Reformed theologyregarding salvation and sanctification: Gods sovereignty and mansresponsibility. All I want to do is safeguard both truths. Yet the risk I run

among my precious Reformed friends is that I look to them as one who iseither heralding an unbalanced approach to salvation or else Im viewed asbeing on the slippery slope to Arminianism. But Im neither! Instead, Improclaiming the two-sided coin of salvation. On the one side there is thephrase, God loved me, while on the flip-side there is the phrase, I lovedHim! How they come together has already been answered for us in 1 John4:19. We love because he first loved us (ESV). But His loving me first doesnot do away with or stamp out the fact that I indeed made a decision to loveHim. Perhaps two more texts will clearly lay out this Divine-Human interplayin salvation and sanctification.

The first is Philippians 2:12-13. For those not as familiar with the text asothers, I cite it here for you, beginning with the latter half of verse 12: work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work inyou, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (NASBU). Verse 12 issuesa call to human responsibility. We are the ones who must take it uponourselves to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. But on the divineside, we must know that as we are doing so, it is actually God who is workingin us, giving us the desire, ability and energy to please Him. In other words,the thought is the same as that in 1 John 4:19. I am working out my salvationbecause God is working in me. He is the first cause, but my responsibility androle is not delineated in any way.

The other text is found in Hebrews 13:20-21. I cite it here also. Nowthe God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of thesheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equipyou in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing inHis sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.The thought is parallel to that of Philippians 2:12-13. God equips us and worksin us that which is pleasing to Him. Then what? Well, although He is the


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cause and I am the instrument, the effect He causes is a responsibility that Imust fulfill, for it is I who does that which is pleasing in His sight. He gets allthe glory for none of it originated with me. But I still did itbut yet He did it.

An Illustration: The Doctrines of Inspiration and Christ

Perhaps a brief illustration will help. It centers on the inspiration of theBible. It is clear from the Bible itself that the Scriptures were written by fortydifferent authors over a period of 1,600 hundred years. Each author wrotesomething specific, for a specific reason, to a specific group of people, at aspecific point in time. Yet, the Holy Spirit superintended what they wrote. Theeffect is that, no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but menspoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 2:21,ESV). Did you catch the wording? The prophecy originated from God yet weare told that men spoke. It all originated with God, but men actedresponsibly with what God said. Texts such as these avoid the errors of the

doctrine of inspiration propagated by theologians in the past when theyattempted to make the Bible solely a product of man (at the expense of Godsdivine role resulting in an errant Bible) or the product of God (at the expenseof mans active role resulting in a mechanical-dictation view of inspiration).Thus, a sound doctrine of inspiration holds both to be true.

The second illustration reflects the tension even more. The modelpresented above with the issue of inspiration is the same type model in manyrespects that we would use to uphold a the truth that Jesus Christ was 100%man and 100% God at all times in His earthly ministry. Any doctrine orteaching that has explained Jesus as anything less than 100% in each area has

ended up being heretical and thankfully rejected by the early church councilsas such. But as with the illustration on inspiration, so also with the life of JesusChrist, the divine superintended the human so that Christ can say that He didnot come to do His own will (John 6:38, 39), and that He did not speak of Hisown initiative (John 5:30; 8:28, 42; 12:49; 14:10). That is much the pointbehind Pauls kenosis passage in Philippians 2:5 and following. Heaven mayhave been laid aside to become a servant, but while a servant His servitudewas subservient to the divine will which superintended every word, work andmiracle He said or performed.

The common denominator in both illustrations is that the divine always

superintended the human. Yet this superintendence was never done at theexpense of the human so that we could say that the human role wasunnecessary. It is no different at all in this matter of salvation. Gods electinggrace superintends each individuals decision to come to Christ. But wecannot say that the human role is unnecessary. Thus, back to my initial fearthat Calvinists many times treat the human part in salvation as an appendageof theology awaiting amputation. As with the doctrines of inspiration andChrist, to believe or preach one action in a way that obscures the other is to


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tend towards unbalanced, unhealthy, and unsound doctrine. And Ill betanything that this is why some Arminians (certainly not all) run from thedoctrines of grace. They see the truth out of balance and because they longfor balance, like we say we do, they run from what seems out of balance. Ijust desire to see the Reformed tendency counterbalanced.

I believe it was Spurgeon whom I heard of as describing a metaphoricalgate that stands in heaven. As we approach it, the words, Choose You ThisDay appear engraved over the entrance archway. As we enter through it, welook back at the gate only to see the words, Chosen Before the Foundation ofthe World engraved on the backside of the archway. Individuals chooseChrist because God chose them. But they still choose Christ, indeed they mustchoose Him, else they will suffer eternal punishment in heaven.

An Honest Look at the Whosoevers

It is at this point that the many whosoevers come into play. Here,those who oppose the Reformed understanding of salvation will quickly painttheir banners with whosoever verses, and proudly wave them high in the air(and seeing as how there are 110 occurrences of whosoever in 83 verses ofthe King James Version, the sky above us would be filled with these banners!).This is where I depart from their understanding and usage of these verses.True, the whosoever verses do declare to the reader that the reader mustmake a decision to repent and believe, and if they do not, then the versesdeclare the consequences. However, the but God type passages, declaringHim as the originator of our repentance and belief, must quickly andeventually be harmonized with mans decision.3

John 3

Lets take a few passages in John to start with. First, there is John 3.Verses 15 and 16 both contain the phrase, whoever believes in Him. Inverse 15 the one who believes will have eternal life. In verse 16 the one whobelieves will not perish, but will have eternal life. In verse 18, whoeverbelieves in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemnedalready, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.Finally, in verses 20 and 21, there is the contrast between everyone whodoes wicked things and whoever does what is true. Now for the question at

hand. Are there any Calvinists brothers or sisters out there who will disputethe fact that these verses teach that the responsibility of believing in Christand doing what is true rests on the shoulders of each individual? Of coursethere are not any out there, because any good Calvinist will recognize that thisis the pivotal point of the whole gospel.

3 Investigate the following passages to get a sense for the truth of the statement I justmade: Genesis 45:8; 50:20; Exodus 21:12-13; Acts 2:24; 13:30; Romans 1:5-8; 1 Corinthians3:6-7; Ephesians 2:1-4; Philippians 2:25-27.


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It is in fact on my shoulders and if I do not believe and repent I will go tohell. I will go to hell because I did not obey and act responsibly with the truth.Thats the whole point behind Romans 1-3. There is no excuse for oursuppression of the truth, disobedience of the truth, and rejection of the truth.But heres the catch. I cannot fulfill the responsibility that God requires of me

and that He holds me accountable for because I am naturally and spirituallyunable to be responsible with that truth. For goodness sake, He told me I amdead in my sins (Eph. 2:1). What else is there to do than to cry out to God,begging and pleading for mercy and for help to believe what is true and dowhat is right. Thats the whole gospel message right there. It is saying to thesinner, God requires you to believe His gospel and repent from your sin. Hewill hold you accountable for your rejection and disbelief. But you cannotbelieve and repent. So now what are you going to do?! Heres the goodnews! Get on your knees and then fall on your face pleading with the justJudge of all the earth to have mercy on your soul and maybe He will!

But wait a minute. The texts clearly state that if I believe I will haveeternal life. The texts also says that if I do not believe I am condemned.Finally, the verse says that I must do what is true if I want to come to the light.So wheres the falsehood when the Arminian states that the reason he knowshe has eternal life is because he believed in Christ? Wheres the lie when theArminian states that he is confident he will not be condemned because he hasbelieved in Jesus? There isnt anything wrong or erroneous with thesestatements because they are flat out true!

Now, I will go on from there and ask the Arminian to fit in the truth ofverses 5-8 with his statement. I will ask him the right question he needs to

ponder, namely, How it was that you came to believe and do what is true? Iwant to lead him to the Spirit of God as the ultimate cause of his believing andobeying. I want to lead him to the truth that just as he had nothing to do withhis first birth, he had nothing to do with his second birthexcept, just be born.And just as he had nothing to do with the timing of his first birth, he hadnothing to do with the timing of his regeneration. (This is probably the lasttime Ill balance things in my examination of texts like these, primarilybecause [1] I have before not wanted my fellow Calvinists to misunderstandme, and [2] I want to make my main point regarding common ground withArminians.)

John 4

Verse 13 is where we begin in John 4, for there Jesus is stating the plainfact that whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirstyforever (v. 14). Who is responsible to drink this water if they want their thirstquenched forever? And if their thirst has truly been quenched forever, is itwrong to say that it has been quenched because they followed Jesus truth anddrank?


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John 5

Consider verse 24. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my wordand believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into

judgment, but has passed from death to life. Who is that hears and believes?And if one knows that they have been rescued from judgment and havepassed from death to life and have eternal life, is it wrong for that one to saythat these things are so because they have heard and believed in Christ?

Move on to verses 37, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 and 47. All of these versesdisplay the opposite choice of man. They all speak of man not hearing orseeing (v. 37), not believing (vv. 38, 44, 46, 47), and even refusing to come sothat they might have eternal life (v. 40). It is here that the contradiction inCalvinists is most apparent. For they will, on this point, agree with theArminian that the lost person is condemned because he refused to come toChrist. But yet they will then disagree with the converse truth, that a person is

saved because they did come to Christ?

John 6

John 6 is probably the most important chapter in the gospel of Johnwhen attempting to understand the sovereign work of God in salvation. It isalmost entirely centered on the role of God in saving man. But even in thischapter we read that whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoeverbelieves in me shall never thirst (v. 35). Again, who it is that hungers andbelieves and thirsts?

On verse 36 I argue the same point as I did in chapter 5. The lost are introuble because they do not believe. But when Jesus says in verse 47 thatwhoever believes has eternal life is He negating His own sovereign power?No, for Jesus presents a picture in John 6 of one who is lost in his unbeliefcoming to eternal life through belief. Granted, the rest of John 6 leaves noArminian any room at all for denying Gods sovereign power in making usbelieve. But portions of it do clearly reveal that we are the ones who mustbelieve if we are to have eternal life. That much is just as much true as theother truth. (See also verses 51, 53, 54, 56-58 for other whoever passages.)

John 8

John 8 is probably the second most important chapter in the gospel ofJohn when studying the sovereign work of God in salvation. And as with John6, so also in this chapter there is much that is attributed to mans activity.Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life(v. 12). Jesus seems to be saying that if I have the light of life, it seems to bebecause I followed Jesus. Further, the statement unless you believe that I amhe you will die in your sins (v. 24) seems to clearly state that if I die in my


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sins it is because I did not choose to believe in Jesus. If that is true then why isthe converse not true?

In verse 31 Jesus teaches that a person knows the truth and is set freeby that truth if he abides in His word. Clearly this is something each person

must do. In contrast, there are those who are of their father the devil becauseit is his works that they do. Interesting then, isnt it? If I am a child of thedevil because I do his works, can I not become a child of God by doing Hisworks? If this is not a major message in each of the gospels then I must beliving in another world!

Perhaps an intermission is needed here for my fellow Calvinists.Remember! I am not addressing the how. John is clear in chapter 6 that webelieve because God gave us the ability to believe. And without that ability wewould have never believed. And when He gives that ability it is only then thatindividuals come. And those to whom the ability has been given will always

come. And in chapter 8 John is clear that the reason the lost are lost isbecause they do not have the ability to believe in Jesus (vv. 43, 47). (Whew!Thanks to the rest of you for letting me put a cool rag on the steamingforeheads of some of my fellow Calvinists who were probably in need of it!)

Acts 2

In Peters first sermon, the hearers were cut to the heart, and said toPeter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? (v. 37,emphasis mine). Peter responded, Repent and be baptized every one of youin the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will

receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 38). The subject of the imperative verbsrepent and be baptized is the understood you. In other words, You mustrepent and be baptized, is the essence of what Peter is saying here. In theend, for those who did so, they had the confidence that their sins wereforgiven. And when they received the gift of the Holy Spirit they would knowthat it was because they obeyed Peters command by repenting and beingbaptized.

The balance (even though I said I wouldnt give one anymore!), is foundin the following verse which refers to the promised forgiveness and Holy Spiritas being foreveryone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself (v. 39).

They repented and were baptized because God first called them to Himself.But then we turn right around to our main point again in verse 41 by referringto the fact that the three thousand souls who were added to the church thatday were those who received his word, indicating again the part they playedin the matter.

Verses 42-47 continues referring to their role or responsibility insalvation. There we see Gods people devoting themselves (v. 42), and


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believing (v. 44), selling their possessions (v. 45a), distributing the proceeds tothe poor (v. 45b), attending the temple together, breaking bread in theirhomes, and receiving their food with glad and generous hearts (v. 46), as wellas praising God (v. 47). All of these are activities with man as the subject.Then the balance once again comes in at the end of verse 47 where we see

that all along it was the Lord who had been adding to their number day byday those who were being saved.

Acts 16

Okay, lets do just one more and then well wrap things up. When thePhilippian jailer saw the prison doors opened and everyones chains broken, hewas just about to kill himself when Paul stopped him. Now, well assume thatthere was a gospel presentation made, though there is not one mentioned asbeing presented specifically in the jail. But the jailer had no doubt heard themessage, if not through the gospel hymn sing that Paul and Silas were having

in jail that night! Then [the jailer] brought [Paul and Silas] out and said, Sirs,what must I do to be saved? (v. 30, emphasis mine). Paul and Silasresponded, [You must] Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (v.31). The main point of this article is seen ever so clearly in this statement.The jailer is the one who had to believe in Jesus. And when the jailer wassaved, he was speaking the truth when he rejoiced along with his entirehousehold that he had believed in God (v. 34). Now if that scene hadhappened today with that jailer having said what we read in verse 34, weCalvinists would secretly (and arrogantly) see him as an Arminian new bornChristian, and in need of immediate theological attention. But thats not whatPaul did! Did the Philippian jailer know the Greatest Cause of why he

believed? No! Did he know that just days before another sinner like himself,named Lydia, believed only because the Lord opened her heart to payattention to what was said by Paul (v. 14)? Probably not. But that didntchange the nature or the truth of his rejoicing that he had believed in God(v. 34).

Do the Whosever Passages Speak of Ability or are They JustDeclarative?

Now to clean up a mess that I may have created in the mind of a fellowCalvinist or two. Being a Calvinist I can read their minds, and they are

thinking, Well these whosoever texts have nothing to do with ability, butthey are only declarative! The whosoever texts only declare what willhappen ifa person believes, but they dont say that the person has the abilityto believe! I slightly disagree. They can believe when God has enabledthem. And when God has enabled them, they do of their own will and choicebelieve, repent, and choose to follow Jesus. Therefore, the gospel hymn writerwho wrote I Have Decided to Follow Jesus was singing the truth of Scripture.For if we are saved it is because we have decided to follow Jesus. But the


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contemporary Christian songwriter and singer Wes King was also right whenhe wrote, I believe, I believe, cause He made me believe.

Applying it All

So, should a good Reformed, Calvinistic Christian stop singing songs likeI Have Decided to Follow Jesus? God forbid! It is not a lie to sing suchsongs. It does not speak any falsehood. And it doesnt steal any glory fromGod. The Calvinist only hears the words I have decided and rips that songout of the hymnbook. He doesnt hear the word Jesus! Thus, instead ofpreventing us from stealing Gods glory, I am afraid that they steal theArminians joy in following Jesus!

Songs like these truthfully and clearly speak of testimony, conviction,and commitment. The thoughts reflected in this article probably explain theinternal, mental discomfort I felt when the female trio singing in church the

other night changed the original words of the Point of Grace song Yes, IBelieve, from I will be faithful to the choice I have made, to He will befaithful to the choice He has made. I understood the motivation. It was toexalt God in His undeserved saving grace. But it seemed to denigrate thetruth of the original wording, as if it were somehow wrong. 192 times in thebook of Psalms, the language of the Psalmists is that of I will followed by acommitment or a decision made and the desire to be faithful to thatcommitment. Theres nothing wrong with this sort of talk. God desires it ofus. Nothing probably disappoints Him more than wimpy Christians who claimto follow Him but express it without grit and gut.

Its About the Joy!

When the Bible does speak of our commitment and dedication to Christ,it helps to bring our thinking back to proper biblical focus on the emphasis ofour part, or our response, in salvation. This in turn will produce true, zealousjoy for Christ. Please dont misunderstand. Im not saying that focusing onGods part doesnt produce joy, because it most certainly does. But in keepingwith the point of this article, I want to point you to the wonderful and properjoy that is there when we do exercise faith to believe in Christ and repent fromour sin. Remember what Jesus Himself said:

I tell you that in the same way, there will be morejoy inheaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-ninerighteous persons who need no repentance...In the same way, Itell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of Godover one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7, 10. Emphasis added).

Yes, we must do as Hannah did when her son Samuel was born. Withher we must say, I rejoice in Yoursalvation, referring to God as the Savior


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(1 Sam. 2:1). But we must also do what the Philippian jailer did: He rejoicedalong with his entire household that he had believed in God (Acts 16:34,emphasis added). I cant help but think that we denigrate both the newbelievers joy and our mutual joy with him/her in some way when we, in ourown little reformed brains, think out of balance about their salvation. The

divine initiative in salvation is cause for great rejoicing. But so is the humanresponse to that divine initiative. So lets think with the Bible rather thanagainst some perceived or actual Arminianism. In so doing we will learn toshare the joy of the new believers decision to come to Christ rather than be sobothered by their apparent lack of depth regarding the ordo salutis, or theirlapsarian position or some other soteriologically related proposition!

Distinguishing Between Worship and Testimony

With this in mind I close with a concept that the Lord has crystallized inmy mind this past weekend. My wife and I were privileged to be a part of a

small gathering at an elders house last Friday night where Dr. John Hannah,Distinguished Professor of Church History at Dallas Theological Seminary, waspresent to give his personal testimony. This was followed by a time ofquestion and answer. Now, I dont remember what the question was to whichDr. Hannah gave this particular answer in which I was so interested. But theanswer gave final shape to something I had been pondering for quite sometime.

He stated that the churches of today are too often filled with songs thatsing about us rather than God. The music of the modern church coupled withthe sermons preached today are far too man-centered. This was without a

doubt in my mind the purest motivation behind the change of words in thesong I mentioned earlier. Dr. Hannah then expressed that songs, which sing ofour love for Christ and our commitment to follow Him, are biblically true, butthat these are songs oftestimony. He continued, stating that as Christiansthese songs are important for us to sing. Then he offered the thought thatwhen believers gather corporately, however, it should be to praise and honorGod for what He has done. Thus we should sing songs ofworship, honoringHim for His grace and mercy.

This is a good paradigm to adopt in our thinking on this issue ofsalvation. There is a worship side to salvation. This is the side that Calvinists

have mastered over the years. This is the part I love and cherish. It is thepart I will die for. Since it is all of God I want all of Him. With John the Baptist Icry out every Sunday in my heart, He must increase, but I must decrease(John 3:30)!

But there is also a testimony side to salvation. This is the side thatArminians have mastered over the years. This is a part to which I have calledmyself to return and give attention. Testimony speaks of what I have done for


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Christ and what I will, by His grace, continue to do for Him. This too is truthand surely honors the Lord and is very pleasing in His sight.

Now if Calvinists and Arminians are ever to get together on this thing,they would see that they truly need each other to achieve the balance of

Scripture on this particular point. The Arminians need to learn from theCalvinist masters the biblical art of true worship. And likewise, the Calvinistsneed to learn from the Arminian masters the biblical truth of testimony andcommitment and dedication. (Yes, my Calvinists friends! There is much tolearn from our Arminian brothers on this point, even amid the troublingrededications and recommitments at altar calls!)

The Calvinist should not emphasize the perseverance of the saints to theexpense of personal responsibility. Yes God will cause us to persevere in theend. Yes, He will preserve us all the way. But I must obey. I must follow. Imust do what is righteous. I must be zealous for good works. And the

Arminian should not emphasize the decision of man to choose for Christ at theexpense of declaring the truth of his own inability to do so. He must alsopreach the rest of the gospel, proclaiming that the very thing God requires ofman is the very thing man is unable to do. The Arminian must declare thatsalvation has always been about God doing for man what man cannot do forhimself. Yes, man must choose Jesus Christ today. Yes, man will perish if hedoes not believe. But the Spirit of God moves to regenerate that sinner whenand where He pleases (John 3:8). The Father must grant choosing ability tothe sinner (John 6:65). Listen to wise Spurgeons words on this matter.

I believe that many brethren who preach human responsibility

deliver themselves in so legal a manner as to disgust all thosewho love the doctrines of grace. On the other hand, I fear thatmany have preached the sovereignty of God in such a way as todrive all persons who believe in mans free agency entirely awayfrom the Calvinistic side. We should not hide truth for a moment,but we should have wisdom so to preach it that there shall be noneedless jarring or offending, but a gradual enlightenment ofthose who cannot see it at all, and a leading of weaker brethreninto the full circle of gospel doctrine.4

In the end, I want to be a pastor who is about striving to maintain

balance. In the Star Wars series a right use of the Force depended entirelyupon achieving and maintaining balance in the Force. To be out of balancewas to give way to emotions and feelings, which, in the words of Jedi MasterYoda, was always a sure path to the dark side. Thats how Darth Vader gothis start in the series of movies. He didnt maintain that balance in the force!And the only way we are going to see Calvinists and Arminians stop treatingeach other as Darth Vader or the dark side is to go back to Scripture and

4 Lectures to My Students, Second Series (1894 edition), page 7.


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achieve the balance that it gives there. Each truth must be maintained whenit comes to issues involving the human and the divine. Theyre both there inthe text, in black and white. Yes, they are hard to reconcile, but thats not myjob. My job is, however, to make sure that one truth is not proclaimed to theexpense of the other. Because when this happens, it is usually because our

feelings are out of balance. And then there is a disturbance in the Force, asYoda would say. Feelings take control. Emotions begin to rule. And if Yodawere a master pastor (and I can hear that very peculiar voice saying it now),he would tell us, Control. Balance. The way of the Biblical Christian this is.Hmmm?


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Thoughts on the Doctrines of Grace: Chosen in Him or Choosing Him?