Calvinists And Arminians Put Away Your Swords

Oftentimes, we, who would describe our theological understanding of salvation in Calvinistic terms, feel duty bound to correct and even attack our more Arminian siblings at every turn.  Of course, the same can be said for some on the Arminian side of the family as well.  And far too often, our “in house” debate has failed to glorify God, promote understanding, manifest the fruit of the Spirit, let alone honor one another as fellow members of the body of Christ.  Besides all this, fighting over how God saves people has not really been a good use of time when it comes to sharing the gospel with unbelievers.

And just to clarify, both Calvinist and Arminian Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh to save sinners and that the saving work of Christ comes to the sinner by grace through faith.  I think we’d all agree then that this makes Calvinists and Arminians brothers in Christ who belong to God’s family.  This is not to say that there are not profound differences between the two camps when it comes to how and even why God saves sinners because there are.  Yet, this is still a family disagreement between family members who should argue the merits of their respective theological positions lovingly, respectfully, humbly, and thoughtfully, all-the-while affirming one another as fellow believers.  

Robust discussions on theological points to which we disagree are not bad.  In fact, they have the ability to deepen our understanding, sharpen our thinking, and hopefully de-weaponize our arguments.  We shouldn’t have to hide our positions under the banner of “let’s not be divisive” but neither should we throw them to the wind regardless of whom we hurt. 

One great example of how to find common ground with family members with whom we disagree on the Calvinist/Arminian debate or really any other family theological issue can be found in the English pastor, Charles Simeon (1758-1836) who while holding to a Calvinistic understanding of how God saves sinners did not wear it as a badge.  Simeon was a Christian, first and foremost, before he was ever a Calvinist.  His theological system did not define him—Christ did.

In a sermon he preached on Romans 9:16, he made this point.

“Many there are who cannot see these truths [the doctrines of God’s sovereignty], who yet are in a state of truly pleasing to God, yea many, at whose feet the best of us may be glad to be found in heaven.  It is a great evil, when these doctrines are made a ground of separation one from another, and when the advocates of different systems anathematize each other. . . . Mutual kindness and concession are far better than vehement argumentation and uncharitable discussion.”  (John Piper, Roots of Endurance. p. 306)

These were no mere words for Charles Simeon.  He practiced what he preached as can be seen in a conversation he had with John Wesley, an ardent Arminian and the founder of the Methodist Church.  Check it out and see if this is not a great way to engage a theological argument with a brother or sister in Christ.

[Simeon] Sir, I understand that you are called an Arminian; and I have been sometimes called a Calvinist; and therefore I suppose we are to draw daggers.  But before I consent to begin the combat, with your permission I will ask you a few questions.  Pray, Sir, do you feel yourself a depraved creature, so depraved that you would never have thought of turning to God, if God had not first put it into your heart?

[Wesley] Yes, I do indeed.

[Simeon] And do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to God by anything you can do; and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of Christ?

[Wesley] Yes, solely through Christ.

[Simeon] But, Sir, supposing you were at first saved by Christ, are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwards by your own works?

[Wesley] No, I must be saved by Christ from first to last.

[Simeon] Allowing, then, that you were first turned by the grace of God, are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power?

[Wesley] No.

[Simeon] What then, are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by God, as much as an infant in its mother’s arms?

[Wesley] Yes, altogether.

[Simeon] And is all your hope in the grace and mercy of God to preserve you unto His heavenly kingdom?

[Wesley] Yes, I have no hope but in Him.

[Simeon] Then, Sir, with your leave I will put up my dagger again; for this is all my Calvinism; this is my election my justification by faith, my final perseverance: it is in substance all that I hold, and as I hold it; and therefore, if you please, instead of searching out terms and phrases to be a ground of contention between us, we will cordially unite in those things where in we agree.  (John Piper, Roots of Endurance. p. 306)

Of course, the Wesley and Simeon story doesn’t mean Calvinism and Arminianism are the same.  They aren’t.  Not all Arminians would answer as Wesley did.  Not all Calvinists would ask the questions that Simeon asked.  But, can we not admire and follow the example of these two men, who rather than trying to argue each other into the ground--looked for common ground upon which both could stand together? 

What I've Learned Anew Being The Pastor In The Pew

For the last year I have not been "the pastor" in the pulpit but rather a former pastor sitting in a pew.  After a couple decades of pulpit ministry preaching to and shepherding congregations of various sizes and make-ups as well as a decade overseas training pastors in some significantly challenging places, the past several months have been a sort of wilderness experience.  It hasn't been a wilderness experience because of a lack of preaching because, the fact is, I still do preach from time-to-time around the country.  No, the wilderness I've experienced this year has not been due to a lack of preaching as much as to a lack of having a church family to consistently, Sunday after Sunday, week in and week out--preach to, shepherd, pray for, love, and live life with.   

Wilderness or desert experiences are good for us and mine is no exception.  Trading the pulpit for a pew has been a good thing for me.  Its enabled me to gain a renewed perspective on pastoral ministry that I really don't think I could or would have gained any other way.  The pew has given me a vantage point that Bible college, seminary, and my 30 plus years in ministry weren't able to.  Being a parishioner rather than the pastor has aroused within me insights about pastoral work that I think have been well-worth sitting out a couple rounds.

So, what have I learned?  What's been so good about being the pastor in the pew this past year?  Well, I'm so glad you asked, so let me tell you just some of the things I have learned from the personal experience of sitting in the pew.  Let me share three things I found I needed and received listening to sermon after sermon each week at our church--Grace Baptist Church in Somerset, Kentucky.  As I do I hope it can help us who are pastors, whether preaching this Sunday or not, understand what the people in the pews need from us, their pastors in the pulpits, if their hearts are to be warmed, their minds instructed, their wills challenged, their sinfulness exposed, their spirits revived, and their doubts assured by our preaching.

1.  They need to hear God when we preach.  We must spare them the jokes, cute stories, pithy cliches and give our people a word from the Lord.  They desperately need to hear God when we preach.  As the writer of Hebrews puts it in Hebrews 13:7, pastors are those men who speak the Word of God to you.  Peter makes the same exact point in 1 Peter 4:11 when making the point that those who are gifted and tasked to preach and teach the Bible must do so as those who are speaking the very words of God.  There's simply no wiggle room here.  As a pastor our job each and every time we open the Book is to give our people a word from the Lord.  Of course, that takes some really hard work of poring over the Scriptures and pouring out our heart in prayer to God before ever getting to the point where we have a word from the Lord for anyone.  

2.  They need to see Jesus when we preach.  More than needing to see all the powerful points in our sermons, our people need to see Jesus.  Preaching that does not see and connect all of Scripture to Christ cannot be considered true New Testament preaching.  Jesus, Himself, made the point on several occasions that the Scriptures are about Him.  He and His gospel are their subject matter when correctly understood and thus, preached.  On his 7 mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, Jesus used the whole Old Testament to teach two unnamed disciples everything they needed to know about Himself and His work of redemption (Luke 24:27, 32, 44-47).  On another occasion, Jesus makes the point that people who were searching the Scriptures because they thought they would find eternal life in them were missing the whole point.  The Scriptures weren't the source of eternal life--Jesus was!  As Jesus says about the Scriptures, "it is these that testify about me" (John 5:39).  So, pastors, please we must show our people Jesus and His gospel work of redemption in our preaching.  Show them what Jesus has done for them, Who He is for them, and what He promises them.  Don't let them settle for less by preaching that is empty of Christ.

3.  They need the Holy Spirit to work when we preach.  Preaching is much more than the transmission of knowledge.  It is the creation of spiritual perseverance, patience, power, praise, joy, worship, repentance, obedience, humility, fruit, and productivity in a believer by the Holy Spirit of God when that believer is under the consistent and continual preaching of the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit of God must empower our preaching as He enlightens and empowers our hearers if there is to be God-glorifying results.  According to passages such as 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 and 1 Thessalonians 1:5, the Spirit of God is necessary to our preaching if it is to become an event where the God of the gospel and His life-transforming grace are encountered by the people of God. 

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit was given to glorify Christ by revealing Him and His gospel-saving and sanctifying work through His Word (John 16:13-15).  In Acts and the Epistles we find that the apostles were filled and empowered by the Spirit to proclaim their Christ-centered sermons. The result of this was that sinners were saved, and the people of God built up in the Faith.  Preachers today also need to be filled with the same Holy Spirit to achieve the same results. In this sense, Holy Spirit empowered preaching is the principal means of advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  This is God 's ordained way, so that He receives all the glory for the salvation and sanctification of sinners. None of this means that preachers are exempted from the hard work of sermon preparation. But, knowing that the effectiveness of our preaching rests in the empowering presence of the Spirit, should  perhaps, cause us to spend as much time on our knees in God-dependent, fervent prayer as we do at our desks studying His Word, preparing our sermons.

(A great resource for preachers is Arturo Azurdia's book, Spirit Empowered Preaching.  Here's a link: Spirit Empowered Preaching -- Arturo Azurdia III)

Tough Questions Series--"Do All Babies and Infants Go To Heaven When They Die?

One of the toughest questions I have ever been asked is about the eternal destiny of babies and infants who have either died or been aborted.  The hardest occasion for me was when a young couple, both new believers, in our church lost their nearly one year old baby to S.I.D.S (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).  Of course, one of the very first questions they asked me was where was their baby and was she safe?  My answer to them on that tragic and incredibly sad day is still my answer today.  I told them that I believed that based upon the character of God, the testimony of Scripture, and theological arguments made from the Bible that their baby was indeed safe in the arms of Jesus.  So, why did I tell them this?  Let me try to explain.

First, of all, I do not believe that babies and infants make up a separate "special" category of human beings who are unaffected by Adam's sin so as to not be "in Adam" and thus free from the eternal consequences of His fall as recorded in Genesis 3.  Romans 5:12-19 makes the point that all people are sons and daughters of Adam and thus, "in Adam", are conceived with a sin nature (original sin) and are considered guilty of Adam's sin (imputed sin), placing them under God's judgment.  Therefore, all people, including babies and infants, are deserving of eternal condemnation.  Not a single baby or infant who dies deserves to be in heaven simply because they died.  Nor are they deserving of heaven because they have never volitionally acted upon their sin nature inherited from Adam.  If babies and infants who die do go to heaven it is only and always because of God's grace.  And the fact is, I do believe the Bible teaches that, by and because of God's incredible grace, He does indeed spare all babies and infants who die.  Here are some of my reasons for believing this.

1.  God always does what is right.  In Genesis 18:25, Abraham, when praying for God to spare those people who may be righteous when He destroys Sodom and Gomorrah makes the point to God, Himself, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is right?"  The answer to Abraham's rhetorical question is, "Of course, God will do what is right!"  And this is the basis for my answer.  I am arguing that based upon God's character which is holy, just, righteous, good, and loving that He will always do what is right for those babies and infants who have died apart from having the ability to understand the gospel, let alone their need of it, so as to repent of their sinful condition and trust in Christ for salvation. 

2.  All babies and infants who die are innocent of intentional sin.  I think we can rightly conclude that while all babies and infants who die were conceived with a sin nature they did not have the opportunity to volitionally and purposely act upon and in accordance with that nature.  In this sense, while positionally guilty they are experientially innocent.  

God, when condemning the practice of child sacrifice to the idol Molech, referred to those newborn children who were killed as "innocent" (Jer. 19:4).  By this, God meant that they were not guilty of volitional, intentional, and purposeful sin against Him since because of their age they were incapable of such.  Whenever the Bible speaks of the temporal or final eternal punishment of people their punishment is for the evil deeds they have done.  In speaking about the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation 20:12-13, John states twice that the unbelieving dead will be judged according to their deeds.  The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel made the point in Ezekiel 18:20, when teaching that children are not responsible for their parents' sins, that it is the person who sins who will bear the consequences of that sin.  This is the promise of Christ Jesus Himself in Matthew 16:27, when in speaking about His coming and subsequent judgment of unbelievers, He states that He will "repay every man according to his deeds."  So, what will those babies and infants who have no evil sinful deeds be judged and condemned for?

In addition, Deuteronomy 1:39, in talking about the little children of the disobedient Israelites who chose not to enter the land of Canaan under Moses' leadership makes the point that they, as little children,  had "no knowledge of good and evil" and were therefore not held responsible for their parents' sin.  So, here is a case when God specifically exempted from His judgment those who had no knowledge of good or evil because of their age.  In other words, their lack of knowing the difference between good and evil meant they lacked the capability to make morally informed choices and therefore were not accountable for choices they could not make.   

Furthermore, Paul makes the case in Romans 1:18-20 that those people who will be judged and condemned by God have no excuse for the simple reason that they can clearly see and understand God's general revelation as manifested in the Creation.  Their suppression of God's revelation about Himself in His creative handiwork is a volitional and intentional act, which renders them without excuse before God when condemned.  Verse 20, therefore implies that mankind would seem to have an excuse if they had not seen clearly in the Creation what God is like--"His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature".  Since babies and infants cannot process the Creation so as to make conclusions about God's existence, character, glory, and justice, it seems they would indeed have an excuse standing before God's judgment.  In this sense, babies and infants who die or are killed do not have the ability to clearly see or to understand God's revelation as revealed in Creation and are therefore, innocent of suppressing God's truth.

3.  King David's Hope of a Future Reunion With His Newborn Son Who Died.  In 2 Samuel 12:23 King David, upon hearing that Bathsheba's and his newborn son had died, stopped mourning and grieving for his son and began to go about his normal activities.  When his servants saw this they thought it odd that he would stop grieving after the baby died and so they asked him about his reaction.  David's reply was one of future hope and confidence that he would see his son again some day and be with him.  His exact words were: "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.  But now he has died. Why should I fast"  Can I bring him back again?  I will go to him, but he will not return to me.'"

David's hope does not seem to be that he will one day die and merely join his son in the grave.  Rather, what David appears to be saying is that he believes that he will one day, through death, be reunited with his son.  His statement seems to indicate that David has a hope of a future and happy reunion with his son.  Obviously, this would not be in hell but in heaven.

4.  Jesus' Words About Children.  In Mark 10:13-16, Jesus instructed his disciples, after they were not allowing little children to approach Him, that they should.  His words were,  "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  Then Jesus went on to do something He never did with unbelievers--"He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them."  Jesus also made the remark that ". . . whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."  These statements from our Savior would seem to be more indicative of the fact of God's acceptance of babies and infants who die rather than His rejection of them. 

5.  Heaven's Population Infers It.  We read in Revelation 5:9-10 as well as Revelation 7:9 that Heaven will be populated with people from throughout time from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  This seems only possible if some of these people are babies and infants who have died simply because the gospel has not in every era of time gone to every people group.  I tend to agree with John Macarthur, who says, that, "God has been gathering little ones from every tongue and tribe and nation from around the world throughout all of human history."

I am compelled by the above arguments to believe and teach that God ordains, for his own wise purposes, that at the judgment day all babies and infants who have died, either in the womb or out of it, will be among the elect and thus covered by the blood of Jesus.  I affirm this, though, neither because they are innocent nor because they have merited forgiveness, but solely because I believe God has sovereignly chosen them for eternal life, regenerated their souls, and applied the saving benefits of the blood of Christ to them apart from conscious faith which, at the age of their death they could not have possibly possessed.

Life Lived Together Will Improve Our Mileage!

Back when my family and I lived in Cameroon's Grand North, working with National believers to plant a small church in the Muslim majority city of Maroua I used to do a lot of running.  Over a few month period I logged over 500 miles.  My runs took me through small out of the way African villages where I was told some of the people had never seen a white man up close let alone seen one running through their village.  Sometimes I ran through Maroua where many stopped what they were doing to acknowledge my presence and encourage me by yelling, in Fulfulde or French, “Courage”, as I passed by.

I found my excursions out of the city, along dry river beds on mostly deserted paths, more to my liking. Along these trails I often saw African farmers smiling, sweating, and laughing as they worked together on small plots of land, breaking up the hard, dry, and crusty ground with small hand tools. Close by were tiny mud brick houses with thatched roofs, no bigger than a 4x8 tool shed, where family members of all ages worked together to clean up from one meal only to begin preparing the next.  Outside, small children laughed while they searched for elusive firewood for their mother's cook fires.  No matter what the work, how hard, how mundane, or boring the people just seemed to enjoy each other’s company as though the task was just an excuse to do something together.

Besides enjoying each others company, these folks also seemed to enjoy my company as I ran through their neighborhoods.  No matter how busy they were there was always time to smile, greet me, acknowledge my presence, offer me water, or just ask me who I was, where I lived, and why in the world was I running.

This used to bother me.  I wasn't used to such interaction and I really never cared to become more than anonymous. But, I couldn't hold onto this kind of selfishness for long in Africa for the simple reason that life is hard, yes even on Americans who had come to help.  I came to learn that tough times and dry ground, whether physical or spiritual, do more than toughen us up—they also tend to soften us up so that we are able to recognize what most of these people had known and enjoyed all along—life lived together is more fun and valuable than a life lived alone.

We really do need each other if for nothing else than to make the often tedious, boring, sometimes hard, and once in awhile, just plain painful journey through life a little bit more fun, more doable, and far more interesting than living life on your own. The African trails I ran never seemed to end. They went on and on seemingly forever into this southern fringe of the largest desert on earth. And when I did see people on them they were rarely if ever alone.  For as they said, “If you want to travel fast go alone. If you want to travel far take others with you.”

Makes me wonder if I could have extended those 500 miles out some more if I had chosen to run with others rather than alone. Also gets me to thinking about how much further we could all be on our journey with Christ if we weren't so dead-set on walking alone. 

The Spiritual Necessity of Being In Need

If I could wish, for you and I, one thing that would bolster our faith and bring vitality to our Christian experience it would be a needy life. Now, of course, you are wondering why in the world I'd wish for that.  I mean, would it not be better to wish for a fulfilled and completely needless life? No, I don’t think so and let me tell you why. Without needs we would go nowhere in the Christian life. You see, our neediness is the impetus for our spiritual growth and maturity. Our needs cause us to turn away from ourselves and our own resources to Christ and His resources. Our problems produce stress, which results in the neediness that drives us away from our miniscule personal resources to Christ as our infinite and all-powerful resource.

Were it not for our needs, most of us would not search out, reach out and then appropriate by faith God’s promises. And if God’s promises are never appropriated we will not become partakers of God’s divine nature. This is what 2 Peter 1:4 teaches us.

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

God’s plan for our spiritual growth primarily utilizes our problems, struggles, and challenges to promote within us the sense of need that pushes us to search the Word of God for the promises of God. Once these promises are found and we by faith grab ahold of them and appropriate them spiritual growth occurs and presto, we find ourselves becoming more and more like Christ—who, by the way, all the promises of God find their fulfillment in (2 Corinthians 1:20).

God does not so much reveal Himself to us through philosophy and higher education as He does our needs. As J.N. Darby writes: “. . . necessity finds Him out. I doubt much if we have ever learned anything solidly except we have learnt it thus.” Therefore, perhaps it is not the most knowledgeable and articulate that make the greatest ambassadors for Christ—perhaps it is the most needy.

And while most of us equate happiness with having our needs met to the point that we have no more needs, the Bible begs to differ.   Jesus, Himself, said: “Blessed (happy) are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied.” In other words, the happiest people are not those whose belly is full but whose spiritual belly is always hungering and thirsting for God. You see, the need of spiritual hunger and thirst drives them to God and His promises, which satisfy them. However, this satisfaction is not an end in itself. No, it is the means to greater hunger and greater thirst and thus even greater satisfaction in God.

Thus, our need for God not only produces spiritual growth, it produces spiritual satisfaction and contentment for God, which in turn glorifies Him as nothing else can. As John Piper puts it so well, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.