“I was once speaking with a woman in the Jehovah’s Witnesses who said that she refused to believe in the Trinity because the concept was incomprehensible to her. I asked her if she believed that God was infinite. When she said that she did, I asked her to explain that infinitude in a way that …
He Has No Problem With It
“When we consider the relationship of the infinite Creator of the finite creature, we do have a problem understanding how true natural liberty can coexist with a sovereign God superintending all events in the universe. But the reconciliation of these two biblical truths is ultimately to be found in the mind of God. It is …
The Ground of Liberty
“The debate, then, is not between Christians who affirm the liberty and responsibility of creatures, and those who deny such liberty. Rather, it is between those who ground the liberty of creatures in the strength and power of God, and those who ground it in the strength and power of man” (Back to Basics, p. …
Free to Do What?
“Slavery to sin is true slavery (i.e. the opposite of moral liberty). But even sin does not negate natural liberty. The slave to sin is free from righteousness, but is still not free from his own desires. Sin’s slave loves sin, and consequently obeys his impulses. As a creature, the slave to sin is naturally …
Free Men, Not Free Will
“In light of what we have considered, we see that it is inaccurate to talk about free will, as though there were an autonomous thing inside of us, capable of acting in any direction, regardless of the motives of our hearts. If such a thing existed — a creature who made choices apart from the …
Gold or Gravel
“Our words and actions, therefore, are determined not by an autonomous will, but rather by our nature — whether good or bad . . . because our choices proceed from our hearts, our responsibility before God is not limited in the slightest. Our words are determined by our hearts, and we will be judged on …
The Deepest Will
“Christ teaches that choices come from the heart. The will does not command the heart; the heart commands the will” (Back to Basics, p. 20).
The Calvinist Beachhead in Every Christian Heart
“Scripture itself is a testimony that divine sovereignty does not destroy human responsibility. The sovereignty of God pervades every page of the Bible — in fact, every word. And yet, who wrote the book of Romans? Whose words are they? Whose personality stands out on every page? The answer, of course, is Paul (Rom. 1:1). …
No Tension Whatever
“When I was first struggling with this issue, Acts 4:27-28 was my undoing. ‘For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Piliate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.’ The most heinous …
Supersized Is Not Sovereignty
“God is not Zeus. He is not an oversized creature. He inhabits eternity; from everlasting to everlasting, He is God (Ps. 90:2). He is over all, in all, and through all. Nothing happens apart from His full knowledge and presence (Heb. 4:13). Nevertheless, God does not live in the same environment as we do, which …