Election V. Free Will—Struggling to Find the Balance

“It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.” —Solomon

“So, Pastor Tom, what do you think about Reformed theology?”

Loaded questions like that generally reflect a bias toward an extreme position, making any answer rather defensive in nature. But my honest response usually leads to a puzzled, if not concerned look. “It’s not that Reformed theology is deficient. But a certain perspective can sabotage the conversation, and sometimes even the friendship.”

Usually, another question quickly follows.

“What do you mean by that?”

Okay, you asked (or at least I’ll assume you have). So, here goes. 

To say that church history is littered with controversy would be an understatement. We have always been tempted to attach a higher value to our opinions than to our redemptive purpose in the world. Which is ironic, in light of how Jesus elevated Christian unity as the best way to accomplish His Church’s collective mission.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21)

The implication could not be clearer. Unnecessary division among His followers would simply and predictably muddy the simple message of the Gospel. When you think about it, it would be silly to expect people to get excited about joining a family who argues all the time or, at the very least, leads to attitudes of superiority.

So, as devoted followers of Jesus, staunch advocates of the Gospel, and people who recognize that the world we’re called to reach is watching the way we conduct our internal affairs, we all need to be careful. Unnecessary division will always compromise our corporate mission.

Which brings me to arguably the biggest controversy of all: Election V. Free Will

Here’s the brief backstory. Calvinism (Reformed Theology) emphasizes divine sovereignty and predestination. It suggests that, before time began, God had already chosen who would be saved. John Calvin was a French theolog who clearly articulated that view in the 16th Century. Hence the term ‘Calvinist.’

What became the competing theological camp has come to be known as Arminianism, which is a reference to Jacob Arminius. He was a Dutch theolog who started out as a student of John Calvin, but rode the swinging pendulum to the other side. Contrary to Calvinism, Arminianism highlights human free will and the importance of individual choice in accepting or rejecting God's grace. 

Both John and Jacob loved Jesus and believed in the authority of the Bible, actually the very same version of the Bible. Both men, along with their respective followers, believed the Bible couldn’t be clearer about how right they each were. Now, half a millennium later, the same opinions have hardened and the same battle line has deepened. The saddest part of it all is that God’s Word couldn’t be clearer about whose view happened to be correct.

They were both right.

I don’t say that to imply, “C’mon everybody, the Bible can be confusing sometimes, so let’s just agree to disagree and hug it out!” I just tend to see everything through a simpler lens. (Although it may not seem that way for the next few minutes.)

For someone who believes in both the power and biblical veracity of the oikos principle, all of this becomes important. Because, if history has always been preprogrammed, then obedience to the Great Commission becomes nothing more than simple mechanics. For those who believe John Calvin was right about everything, becoming indifferent to reaching people for Jesus becomes easier to justify. Trust me, church-world is full of pastors who have become exactly that. But, for many of us, holding such an extreme position is clearly counter-intuitive to the Great Commission.

On the other hand, cutting the sovereignty of God out of any discipleship process creates serious problems as well, both theologically and pragmatically. 

So, what do we do? Well, I don’t know what you do with such a profound dilemma. But this is what I do. For one, I start with humility. Any time large numbers of committed Jesus-followers have a profound personal faith, yet hold a theological position that is different than mine, I have to take pause. It would perhaps be prudent for all of us to hold more gently our respective views on most everything. Then, as with any potentially divisive conversation, once a humble posture is firmly in place, I try to articulate a position that reflects biblical integrity and some level of balance (per Solomon’s warning).

Let me start at the beginning, actually, before the beginning. According to the Bible, God launched the Cosmos by establishing one of the most fundamental laws of Creation. He said, “Let there be light.” He didn’t create light first so He’d be able to see whatever He decided to do next. (I’ve always assumed that God can see in the dark.) But by introducing light, He built a frame, mathematical boundaries, inside of which the Universe would function. You could actually call the Universe a ‘light box,’ since light travels at 186,282 miles per second and everything God created subsequently travels slower than that!

Inside of that box, all of Creation has always functioned in four dimensions, three spatial dimensions (length, width, and height) and one linear time dimension. That’s why we use phrases like, “inside of time and space.” Theoretically, if someone or something ever could exceed the speed of light and break out of this Cosmic four-dimensional box we live in, science would have no idea where they would end up.

It might be important to mention here that every other creation model in every other religious holy book or collection of sacred writings describes time and space as eternal and absolute. The Bible is unique in stating that time and space are not eternal, but began at the same time that matter and energy began. In other words, physicists and astronomers around the world are at odds with the creation models presented by every single religion, with one exception, with those who believe the Bible. Hmmm.

But let’s get back to the point. If we could move faster than the speed of light, then we’d have the chance to step outside of the framework of the Universe. The confines of time and space would no longer limit our perspective of reality. And, without time, there would be no more past or present, like we’re stuck with insideof time.

Inside time and space, where you and I are living right now, we talk about what has already passed and what will come to pass, the past and the future. One physicist put it this way. “Now is a non-existent point that separates our past from our future.” You can’t even tell me what you’re thinking now, because to do that requires you to reflect on what you were thinking in the recent past. But if time could stop, the past and the future would lose their relevance. There would only be now. Outside of time, in the great beyond we call eternity, everything simply…is.

That thought is mind-blowing. But it also brings some clarity to certain passages of Scripture. For example, that’s how Jesus described His preincarnate existence. He used “eternity” words, not “time” words.

“I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)

Weird grammar but, evidently, good theology, aaand a very difficult perspective to adjust to. Hence the pushback by the Jewish leaders. In explaining to those guys that He predated Abraham, Jesus could have said, "Before Abraham was, I was!" They may not have agreed with even that, but it would have made more sense to them. But His intent went far beyond a mere claim to being really old. He was claiming to be the same eternal God who met Moses in the burning bush.

“This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ (Exodus 3:14)

By the way, that’s weird grammar as well.  

And in his letter to the Colossians, the brilliant Apostle Paul crossed grammatical lines once again, as he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

“He is before all things.” (Colossians 1:17)

Not, He was before all things, but He is before all things.

Each of those statements describe the collision between our temporal common sense and eternal reality. Christ is the transcending God Who pre-exists outside of any dimensions of time and space. But a little over 2,000 years ago, He joined our linear reality and became a human infant named Jesus. At that point, the time continuum predictably took over the narrative, and the verses that describe Jesus’ 33-year life on Earth switched to “time” words, to past and future words.

What does this have to do with the doctrines of election and free will? Actually, everything. Because outside of time, there is no particular order in which things follow each other. Questions like “the chicken and the egg” have no relevance. Did God choose us before we chose Him, or did He choose us because He knew we would eventually choose Him? Outside of linear time, it doesn’t seem to matter. Outside of time, from God’s eternal perspective, there is no ‘before’ and there is no ‘eventually.’

So, was it John Calvin’s view or Jacob Aminius’ view that was correct? Both would be, of course! They’re both well-represented in Scripture! The doctrine of election is as clearly an act of God as the Great Commission is the clear priority for Christ’s Church. So, let’s follow Solomon’s advice and “grasp the one without letting go of the other.”

The Bible often reads as if it was written by Someone who lives outside of the Cosmic box (Which He does). But we read the Bible as if we have only ever lived inside of it (which we have). So, let’s be careful. All of our opinions are framed by a perspective that, at best, is incomplete.

So, maybe we should get over ourselves and hug it out, take a deep breath and just be grateful that we were somehow chosen by a loving God? Maybe so grateful that we enthusiastically honor the only thing Jesus asked us to do between His Advents, and let Him use each one of us, as He continues to regularly turn self-followers into Jesus-followers.

“Father, I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22)