Understanding God’s election
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Recently I wrote a post on the doctrine of Compatibilism. And I'm very confident every true Christian out there can relate to what I'm about to say from an existential perspective. How many of us have acted out of a strong sense that God's hand was in what we decided or were doing? Here's an example from my personal life.
Up until about 8 years or so ago, I actually had little interest in actively supporting missionary work. (And I say this to my shame!) Even though a few times a year my previous church (which was big on missionary support) would give the Sunday School venue to a visiting missionary so that the congregation would be kept abreast of what is going on with the MTW organization that sponsors missionaries. But then one Sunday at Sunday School that all turned around for me! A husband and wife team visited our church to talk about their particular calling to plant churches in South America, Central America and Cuba. After they were all done, I was so moved by their stories and their zeal and love for Christ and for people, generally that the first thing I said to my wife, who was not in attendance because she was in the sanctuary rehearsing with the worship team, is that I found some really neat missionaries that I want to support. Just like that! After all the years I spent virtually ignoring missionary work, I now had a burning desire to support the couple I had just spent about an hour listening to.
And they were just the beginning. Once God put this particular couple in my heart, I shortly started supporting other missionary endeavors. And I certainly did (and still do) all this joyfully and willingly. But at the same time, I know in my heart of hearts that God moved me to get involved with missionaries. No doubt about it. And I praised God for causing me to act in accordance with his perfect, holy will and for the great privilege of supporting and partnering with evangelistic efforts all over the world.
I have to think many of you have very similar stories....whereby you KNOW God's hand was in your decision or actions.
Up until about 8 years or so ago, I actually had little interest in actively supporting missionary work. (And I say this to my shame!) Even though a few times a year my previous church (which was big on missionary support) would give the Sunday School venue to a visiting missionary so that the congregation would be kept abreast of what is going on with the MTW organization that sponsors missionaries. But then one Sunday at Sunday School that all turned around for me! A husband and wife team visited our church to talk about their particular calling to plant churches in South America, Central America and Cuba. After they were all done, I was so moved by their stories and their zeal and love for Christ and for people, generally that the first thing I said to my wife, who was not in attendance because she was in the sanctuary rehearsing with the worship team, is that I found some really neat missionaries that I want to support. Just like that! After all the years I spent virtually ignoring missionary work, I now had a burning desire to support the couple I had just spent about an hour listening to.
And they were just the beginning. Once God put this particular couple in my heart, I shortly started supporting other missionary endeavors. And I certainly did (and still do) all this joyfully and willingly. But at the same time, I know in my heart of hearts that God moved me to get involved with missionaries. No doubt about it. And I praised God for causing me to act in accordance with his perfect, holy will and for the great privilege of supporting and partnering with evangelistic efforts all over the world.
I have to think many of you have very similar stories....whereby you KNOW God's hand was in your decision or actions.
PaulThomson said:
Where does scripture say that all those drawn by God become believers? wher does scripture say that there is anyone who has not been at any time drawn by God toward Christ? Where does scripture say that God's drawing must be efficacious? Where does scripture say that God's purpose in drawing is to make sure the person being drawn believes in Christ?
Find out what the negative inference fallacy is, and realise that you are falling into that fallacy here.
No one can do Y unless someone else does X to them, does not necessitate that all those that someone else did Y must have done X.
e.g. No one can __Y___ unless _____ does ___X____ to them.
No one can ride a bike home from this store unless the business sells it to them. However, not everyone who the business sells a bike to has to end up riding the bike home from the store.
No one can win America's Got Talent (AGT) unless they first successfully pass an audition. However, not everyone who passes an audition on ends up winning AGT.
Spend a few months studing logical fallacies and then come back to John 6 and read it logically.
Where does scripture say that all those drawn by God become believers? wher does scripture say that there is anyone who has not been at any time drawn by God toward Christ? Where does scripture say that God's drawing must be efficacious? Where does scripture say that God's purpose in drawing is to make sure the person being drawn believes in Christ?
Find out what the negative inference fallacy is, and realise that you are falling into that fallacy here.
No one can do Y unless someone else does X to them, does not necessitate that all those that someone else did Y must have done X.
e.g. No one can __Y___ unless _____ does ___X____ to them.
No one can ride a bike home from this store unless the business sells it to them. However, not everyone who the business sells a bike to has to end up riding the bike home from the store.
No one can win America's Got Talent (AGT) unless they first successfully pass an audition. However, not everyone who passes an audition on ends up winning AGT.
Spend a few months studing logical fallacies and then come back to John 6 and read it logically.
Yes, there is election. But it is election to specific roles of service, not to salvation. Cyrus was chosen to reign and release the Jews from exile.
There is no biblical doctrine of compatibilism. And the theory of combatibilism does not reconcile the tension between God's sovereign decrees and the choices His free moral agents make. It simply asserts that both contradictory claims are mysteriously true.
There is no biblical doctrine of compatibilism. And the theory of combatibilism does not reconcile the tension between God's sovereign decrees and the choices His free moral agents make. It simply asserts that both contradictory claims are mysteriously true.