Question #1: I've been reading a lot lately about what John Piper calls Christian Hedonism. What are your thoughts? I've heard mixed reactions, most of the negative being from those holding to a more Arminian doctrine, and the positive coming from those holding to Calvinist doctrine. What do you think about Calvinism in general? I know those are awfully broad questions, but I'm interested to hear what you think. I think your site is great, by the way. Thanks a lot!
Response #1: Thanks for your
positive comments! I'm not familiar with Piper's work, but certainly
there are plenty of Christians who have become increasingly
uncomfortable with certain trends in what I call the "church visible",
that is to say, there can be a large gap between those who are Christ's
and those who belong to churches. The two sets overlap, to be sure, but
they are not identical by any means. I don't think this is so much a
doctrinal issue as it is a behavioral one. It is true that there are
(and have always been) those who excuse sinful behavior and attempt to
justify it scripturally (rather than just practicing it). In the first
century, we already have the "Nicolaitans" who are censured by the Lord
Himself in the book of Revelation (chapters 2 and 3). Today we hear
about the "prosperity gospel" and all sorts of other fringe and cult and
cult-like leaders and groups who make gross sinfulness of one sort or
another a part of their "faith and practice". I don't think one can
blame Arminius for this - what he actually says is not really that
different from what Calvin has to say, in my unique view of it, and
neither of their positions really makes much sense imported into the
modern day apart from the context of the crucible of the Reformation in
which they were formed. I personally believe that the Bible teaches both
free will (i.e., the opportunity to accept and follow God's will) AND
divine sovereignty (expressed in election, among other things).
Logically these two ideas have often been seen as contradictory, but
theologically I do not see them as such. I think that David F. Wells has
a point when he argues that "Evangelicalism" (sic) talks a good game
about the importance of the Bible and the importance of Bible teaching
and doctrine, but in practice has become completely disinterested in the
process of spiritual growth (my expansion of the thesis). And it really
should be no surprise that, where Christians are no longer serious about
scripture, faith and practice suffer mightily, and "worldliness", that
is, loving and enjoying the world rather than focusing on the Lord and
our mission here in the world to serve Him, becomes the rule rather than
the exception.
Here a few links that will get to more of the details of your question(s):
On sin etc.: Hamartiology: The Biblical
Study of Sin (BB 3B)
On Calvinism: "Once Saved,
Always Saved?"
"Is faith a
gift of God?
On the Church vs. the "church visible":
Coming Tribulation 2A: the 7 Churches
Hope this helps! Feel free to write me back.
In our Lord,
Bob L.
Question #2:
First, do you believe
God is absolutely sovereign? That's what Scripture seems to point to,
and I had never really questioned it before. However, the Bible is
pretty clear that God hates sin. Why, then, if He is sovereign, would He
create sin, which he hates? If God created and ruled the world in a
manner that was ultimately pleasing to Him, bringing Him more glory, why
sin? I remember reading something by Jonathan Edwards about this.
Edwards speaks of God having two wills, a will of decree and something
else.
Response #2:
In my opinion, this all
gets back to the issue of free will. Also, in my opinion again, this is
a "problem" which is far more simple in fact than in structured
theology. Yes indeed, God is sovereign, and completely so. If He were
unable to allow us to make a choice for or against Him, would He really
be sovereign? Certainly, He could have chosen to structure the moral
universe that way in His sovereignty, but He could also choose (and in
fact has chosen) to set things up so that every moral creature would
have to make a decision for or against Him. That doesn't deprive Him of
sovereignty. Quite to the contrary, He could hardly be called a true
sovereign if He were for some reason unable to allow this choice in His
overseeing of creature history. Even in New Testament times, there were
many unbelievers who played games with this principle as
is reflected by Paul's comments in Romans (cf. Rom.6:1-2; 6:15-16; 7:7):
Here
we see unbelievers claiming that they have no responsibility for
their actions because God is sovereign. Paul turns this argument around
and shows them that according to the logic of their position God's
sovereignty includes the right to make them not only responsible but to
judge them for their actions which He has ordained in His sovereignty.
We are left then with only one real question - did they have any real
choice? The answer permeates scripture. There is not a page in the Bible
(or Romans) where we are not earnestly entreated to good and godly
behavior while at the same time dissuaded from sinful and evil behavior.
We are ever beckoned closer to God, and ever warned against turning our
backs on Him. If we have no true choice, this would seem to be pointless
encouragement and pointless admonition. In fact, everything we see in
the natural order of things shows us not only that there is a God who
will demand an account (Rom.1:18-32), but that what we do does matter,
and that we are responsible for what we do - civilization would collapse
if everyone could avoid any responsibility for anything they did, and
wherever particular civilizations shy away from personal responsibility,
decay inevitably follows. We know that we are responsible, ergo we
understand that we have free will, that is, that we are free to seek God
- or not. This will be made crystal clear on the day when God judges the
true thoughts and intents of the hearts of all mankind (Rom.2:16). The
fact that many choose to see themselves as "wise" and engage in various
exercises in highly sophistic argumentation only shows the truth of the
passage "Claiming to be wise, they became foolish" (Rom.1:22; cf.
1Cor.1:18-31).
In my humble view, good theology causes implosion (that is, a
crystallization of principles and verses into an integrated matrix of
perceptible, perspicuous and simple truth), but bad theology causes
explosion (that is, a spinning out of control in endless entropy of
theories and speculations which stray ever and ever farther from clear
biblical truth and things that are patently obvious). It seems to me
that we are more and more plagued with the latter while the former is
ever harder to find. I applaud your efforts to get your questions
answered, and am very pleased to do what I can to help.
In Him who is the way, the truth, and the light, our sovereign Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
Bob L.
Question #3:
Hello Bob,
I know you have had this question many times, but as always, I look
forward to the wisdom the Lord gives you for me! I know that all my sin
prior to accepting Christ is forgiven. How is the daily personal sin
covered. Do we have to own up to it and confess it as part of our
personal relationship, or is it just covered because there is now no
condemnation for those in Christ Jesus? Will these unconfessed sins be
brought before us as judgment?
Response #3:
I would imagine that
you are already aware of this, but - just in case - let me point out
that the newly posted study
"Hamartiology: the
Study of Sin" gives the details, the argumentation, the theology,
and the scriptural support for my much simplified answer below (see
especially
section V. "The Believer's Dealing with Sin").
No one will be judged for personal sins at the Last Judgment
(Matt.25:31ff.; Rev.20:11-15). There is, of course, one sin for which
Christ could not die, the so-called "unpardonable sin", namely, the
rejection of Himself. In order to get the benefit of the redemption in
His blood, an individual has to accept Him and His work on the cross,
the death He "died to sin" (Rom.6:10), and this may only be done through
faith. Everyone who dies in an unbelieving state has rejected Him and
His work, actively or passively, and so must stand instead on his or her
own works (a fact that Matt.25 and Rev.20 each express in their own
way). Unbelievers are indeed condemned, but are so because they have
"not believed in the Name (i.e., Person and work) of the One and only
Son of God" (Jn.3:18). Christ's work avails for the forgiveness of all
sin (other than the sin of rejecting Him and by definition the Father as
well) so that the atonement of the cross is "universal". As believers,
we have passed from death to life. In addition to being atoned for, we
have also received blanket forgiveness for all of our sins, past present
and future, from a positional point of view - and for this faith is
required (Acts 26:15-18). What we do not have is automatic experiential
forgiveness of sins we knowingly and willfully commit after salvation.
That is to say, our future sins do not in and of themselves affect our
status as believers, but they most definitely do affect the quality of
our relationship with the Lord. For one thing, they bring on divine
discipline, and that discipline can be both severe and long-lasting
(Heb.12). When we repent of our behavior and then confess our sins to
the Lord, we receive forgiveness and restoration of fellowship
(1Jn.1:9).
This concept of experiential versus positional forgiveness can be seen
in Jesus' use of foot-washing (experiential forgiveness in time) as
distinguished from the "bath" of salvation: "he who has had a bath only
has need to wash his feet, but otherwise he is completely clean"
(Jn.13:10). So the judgment of life vs. death is one now not based upon
sin at all, but upon the unbeliever's foolish claim, expressed and
understood or not, that his or her works are "good enough" to have
eternal life, and that he or she therefore does not need the sacrifice
of Jesus Christ (their condemnation is assured). We likewise have
nothing to fear in terms of eternal judgment from sin per se, since we
have already received the redemption and the cleansing that comes
through faith in Jesus Christ:
Sin is, however, quite a problem. In addition to divine discipline,
there is also the fact that sin has the potential to tear down
everything we have built up in our spiritual life, compromising not only
our spiritual growth, but also everything we have accomplished in
ministry and the rewards pertaining thereto (cf. 2Jn.1:8). The most
extreme case of this is apostasy, wherein the believer gives him or
herself so fully and completely up to sin and evil that faith is not
only eroded, but eventually quenched altogether, so that the end is
worse than the beginning (2Pet.2:20-22).
As I say, there is much much more on all these points in
Basics 3B,
"Hamartiology". But do please feel free to get back to me on any
aspects of this question which may still be bothering you.
Yours in the One who died for all of our sins that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him, our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Bob L.