I think that many of our theological battles are needless
and sometimes hostile - possibly the result of our thinking too little of
Scripture and too highly of our ability to understand it so that it fits neatly
into our theologies.
Please understand that I am not at all against doing
theology and laboring to understand the Word. Instead, I think that there are
times when we must realize there are certain paradoxical teachings we must humbly
accept. The doctrine of the Trinity is a good example of this. I have to admit
that the Bible’s teaching about the Trinity is paradoxical. It is not amenable
to our understanding. It claims that God is One and yet God is Three.
Why then do we believe in the Trinity if we cannot
understand this doctrine? Simply for this reason – the Biblical evidence illuminates
the Trinity.
Our acceptance of this doctrine doesn’t represent a denial or
neglect of rationality and understanding. Instead, we are forced to acknowledge
that there are some Biblical teachings that we cannot wrap our minds around.
After the Trinity, the greatest source of confusion and
conflict revolves around the doctrine of Compatibility. This doctrine also
maintains something that is paradoxical – that human volition and
responsibility is somehow compatible with God’s sovereignty, providence, and
His plans for our lives.
This theological tension can be summarized by the question,
“Who causes what? Who’s responsible for the consequences of our lives – God or
us?” On this issue, Christians have gone to antagonistic extremes. Those on the
Arminian end of the spectrum say things like:
·
In order to be saved, we have to continue to
confess our sins, repent, seek holiness and live obediently. The Book of
Hebrews (12:14) warns: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness
without which no one will see the Lord.”
Meanwhile, Calvinists rightfully claim that Christ had paid
for all of our sins on the Cross and that we have been sealed by the Holy
Spirit. Consequently, He will “remember” our sins “no more”:
·
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember
their sins no more." (Hebrews 8:12 quoting Jeremiah 31:34)
Besides, Christ’s sacrifice has made us holy forever so that
we will never be condemned:
·
By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever
those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:14)
·
Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)
On top of this, our Savior has utterly removed our sins from
us:
·
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and
forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay
angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the
depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19)
If this is so, why then do we still need to confess our
sins? Arminians maintain that our salvation and forgiveness depend on a continual
confession of sins:
·
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)
·
And the prayer offered in faith will make the
sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so
that you may be healed. (James 5:15-16)
Consequently, if we don’t confess, we will not be forgiven. Even
more troubling to those who believe that our eternal destiny has been sealed is
Jesus’ teaching that our salvation depends upon our willingness to forgive
others:
·
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Hasn’t our Savior completely eradicated our sins and
promised to “remember” them “no more?” Why then the ongoing requirements to
confess and forgive? This seems to contradict the promise that salvation is a
free gift.
However, not only is confession necessary for healing, it is
also necessary for forgiveness (James 5:15-16)! But hasn’t forgiveness already
been accomplished? If so, why then do we need to continue to confess in order
to receive His forgiveness?
How can we reconcile these paradoxical teachings? Is it
possible that both the Arminians and the Calvinists have something important
and Biblical to say? Could it be that salvation and forgiveness represent the
gift of God but yet require our ongoing participation?
I think that these oppositional positions can be largely
harmonized (but not completely) once we grow in our appreciation of the majesty
and transcendence of Scripture and diminish in our own estimation of our
understanding.
This seems to be the most Biblical answer to this paradox:
God has entirely forgiven us and has irrevocably written our names in the “Lamb’s
Book of Life.” In God’s mind forgiveness/salvation is a done-deal (Phil. 1:6;
Romans 8:38-39; 11:29). However, He must work out this process through the
entirety of our lives, and this involves our responses. If God were to turn His
back on us, we would fall (John 15:4-5; 2 Cor. 3:5; 1 Cor. 10:12-13). However,
this doesn’t mean that we are now free to pursue sinful desires (Romans 8:6,
13). Instead, we have to exercise self-control lest we be “disqualified” (1
Cor. 9:27).
Martin Luther
affirmed the necessary and ongoing role of confession and forgiveness:
·
Unless
God constantly forgives, we are lost. Thus this petition really means
that God does not wish to regard our sins and punish us as we daily deserve but
to deal graciously with us, to forgive as he has promised, and thus to grant us
a joyful and cheerful conscience so that we may stand before him in prayer.
This agrees with my
own experience. When I confess my sins, I know that He has forgiven them and
feel unburdened and relieved, even if not immediately. But why should this be
if He has already resolved my sin
problem?
The answer is
mysterious and paradoxical. He has resolved it, but He continues to apply His forgiveness as we confess! He will remember
our sins “no more” because the Holy Spirit is constantly at work applying what Christ has accomplished at the
Cross to our stained lives.
It is also because
our Lord is continually at work in
our lives that we continue to exercise faith and confession unto salvation. In
God’s mind, all of these blessings are already accomplished and part of His
free gift of faith and salvation, which includes our participation.
Do we have to
continue in faith, repentance, and confession? Yes! We have to remain faithful
to the end:
·
“All men
will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be
saved.” (Matthew 10:22)
·
But now
he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you
holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- if you
continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held
out in the gospel. (Col. 1:22-23)
·
We have
come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we
had at first. (Hebrews 3:14)
Some reject this simple and direct teaching because
it seems like it requires our good works, which contradicts salvation-as-a-gift
and will enable us to boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, continuing in faith,
repentance, and confession is part of
the guaranteed gift of God. The gift of faith is an ever-flowing fountain bringing
us to eternal life (John 4:14; 1 Peter 1:5). However, even though salvation is
a gift, we too have our role to play (which exemplifies Compatibilism):
· Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always
obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue
to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God
who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians
2:12-13)
Paul claimed that even though salvation is
fundamentally God’s doing, it also involves our obedience; however, God gets
the credit for even our obedience:
· But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his
grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet
not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)
Paul credited God for even his strenuous labors.
Why? Weren’t these labors a matter of Paul’s
initiative and effort? Yes and no! They did represent Paul’s efforts, but Paul
recognized that God was responsible for His efforts and initiative. So He gets
all the glory. It’s all the fruit of His Spirit.
Do we completely understand this? I don’t! We have
a fancy theological name we attach to it – Compatibilism. Somehow, our voluntary contributions are compatible with God’s plan and sovereign workings in our lives. How???
Although I don’t understand this, the compatibility
of God’s sovereign work with our freewill and responsibilities is mirrored throughout Scripture. For example, we
have been saved, but we are being saved as
we cooperate with God (Hebrews 4:11; 6:10-11; 1 Tim. 4:16). This paradox is
something we just need to accept and not take it captive to our own limited
understanding. We make responsible, free, and weighty choices, but God is even
sovereign over our sinful choices and uses them for His glorious purposes.
Let’s now apply all of this to the issue at hand –
confession and forgiveness. Must we confess our sins? Definitely! Nevertheless,
our forgiveness is assured (Jeremiah 31:34)! How? God has assured it:
· No one who is born of God will continue to sin [and
also to not confess], because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on
sinning [purposely], because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9; 5:18)
Our Savior will not allow us to go in the wrong
direction for long. He will lead us into confession so that He can complete His
work of forgiving our sins and cleansing us, as He has promised (Phil. 1:6;
Romans 8:28). However, confess we must!
Let’s bring this lesson back to Jesus’ teaching on
forgiveness:
· For if you forgive men when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their
sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Here’s what is clear about this teaching:
1.
Our
forgiving others is inseparable from God forgiving us.
2.
Our
refusal to continue to forgive others means that God will not forgive us.
Must we forgive others to be saved? Yes! This is
related to the issue of whether we must continue in faith. We must! But is our
salvation uncertain? No! It is guaranteed by the God who promised to keep us.
But how? Our Savior will work in our heart to produce the necessary
requirements, including forgiveness (Phil. 2:12-13; Eph. 2:10). This too is
part of His free gift.
How can our
obedience be part of God’s free gift? Here is my meager understanding - a
living faith will produce obedience. If I trust in my doctor, I will take the
pills she prescribes. If I trust in God, I will do, by His grace, what He tells
me to do.
Faith and obedience
are therefore inseparable. We demonstrate our faith through obedience. This is
why James could say:
·
But
someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. (James 2:18)
A real faith will
lead to obedience and the forgiveness of others. If we refuse to forgive, it
means that we refuse to trust our Lord. It also means that we have failed to
grasp the Gospel and to realize how badly we need forgiveness.
Scripture informs
us that God not only guarantees our salvation but also guarantees that He will
keep us through the entire process:
·
Being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
Nevertheless, God’s role does not cancel out our
responsibilities. Somehow, there is a glorious overlap between God’s work and
ours – Compatibilism. This can be illustrated when we look at the doctrine of
Scripture.
On the one hand, Scripture is the product of human endeavor.
When we examine the writings of Paul, we learn that his Epistles reflect his
style and vocabulary. The Psalms bring out this fact even more dramatically.
They often reflect human tortured expressions and even accusations against God.
Yet, so many verses assure us that Scripture, including the Psalms, is entirely
God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 4:4; 5:16-18) and totally the product
of the Spirit (1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
Jesus affirmed the Divinity of Scripture in many instances.
When He appeared to His fearful disciples after His resurrection:
·
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I
spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in
the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:44-45)
Jesus regarded even the very human Psalms as inspired. Some
try wrongly to resolve this mystery claiming that part is inspired and part
isn’t; part is of man and is fallible, and part is of God and is infallible.
However, this is not the testimony of Scripture or of Jesus:
·
But he [Jesus] answered [Satan], “It is written,
‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from
the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
Jesus regarded every
word as inspired! Scripture, according to its own testimony is both human and God-breathed out -- Compatibilism.
This is both a mystery and a tribute to God who can work infallibly through our
freewill decisions and efforts.
In order to correctly understand Scripture, we must apply
this mysterious understanding to all aspects of our lives. First of all, God is
in control – Sovereignty of God:
·
Lord, You will establish peace for us, for You
have also done all our works in us. (Isaiah 26:12)
- The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. (Psalm 37:23)
·
“And He
has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the
earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their
dwellings.” (Acts 17:26)
God’s sovereignty is all-encompassing. Although we are
responsible for our lives, He has His plans, and these plans never change – Compatibilism:
· The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all
generations. Blessed is the nation whose
God is the LORD, the people He has chose as His own inheritance. (Psalm
33:11-12)
· There are many plans in a man’s heart. Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel –
that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21)
What then can our prayers accomplish if God’s mind has been
made up since the beginning? Some claim that prayer accomplishes nothing more
than some minimal attitudinal changes. Others would say that prayer can
accomplish anything. This brings us back to the original question – How can free
human actions and choices coincide with God’s sovereignty and His changeless
plan? It would seem that we must either degrade our humanity or God’s changeless
plan to make them fit together, and this is what we tend to do. However,
Scripture suggests that we should do neither. Instead, both extremes are true -
Compatibilism.
On the one hand, Scripture teaches that our prayers bring results:
On the one hand, Scripture teaches that our prayers bring results:
·
You desire and do not have, so you murder. You
covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because
you do not ask. (James 4:2)
·
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and
pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person
has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)
But how do we reconcile these verses with the well-attested
Scriptural fact that God’s plan (and mind) cannot be changed? First of all,
both sets of truths work together. James had used Elijah as an example of how
the fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish miracles (James 5:17).
However, the miracles that his prayers accomplished on Mt.
Carmel, before and thereafter, were according to the will and directions of
God. God had directed Elijah to challenge the priests of Baal to a contest to
establish the identity of the true God:
·
And at the time of the offering of the oblation,
Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your
servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. (1 Kings
18:36)
Elijah’s prayers had been effectual because they were
accomplished according to the Word and plan of God. Both human and Divine causation
are true, even though God’s role is primary – Compatibilism. Therefore, we must
not compromise or diminish either God’s plan or our prayers.
Here is what I want to say in conclusion:
1.
God’s Word is to be marveled at. Ask God to open
our eyes to its wonders. In some regards, we cannot contain it within our
narrow understanding.
2.
We only see in part (Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Cor.
13). Therefore, before we dispute the position that our brethren take, we must
try to understand it and appreciate its value, knowing that we too are somewhat
blind or limited. They may have a perspective that we need to embrace.
3.
Let us therefore pray for wisdom (James 1:5).
4.
We have to strive to maintain the unity of the
Body of Christ our different interpretations of Scripture (Ephesians 4:1-5).
We shouldn’t despair because aspects of Scripture seem to
elude our understanding. Science is also very limited in understanding.
Although it has led to great technological advancement, it has also been unable
to even answer the simplest questions, like “what is space, time, matter, or
light?” Do we reject science because of this? Of course not! However, we have
to admit that scientific understanding will only take us so far.
Likewise, we must not reject Scripture because of its
paradoxical elements, with which we will continue to grapple until His return.
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