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Amazing Grace or Random Grace?
- 10/20/08
- 18
It was quite a while ago that I received an email from a father, concerned about the task of sharing the gospel with his children. While I answered the email then, I also filed it away for further thought. Today I want to answer it in a little bit more detail. Here is what this reader wrote to me:
I have such a hard time grasping this notion of election as a father. God made the very emotions in me (love, care, would lie down in front of an 18-wheeler for my children....he gave me that). But nothing can assure me that i can have an influence in whether their "number was called"?I would appreciate any thoughts you have on this as I'm really struggling with it. Also struggle with why so much of Bible addresses us as decision making/choice making creature, appealing to us to recognize something and depart from sin and accept Christ. If God is simply "zapping" us with irresistible Grace, then it seems rigged and the begging / pleading to turn away sin and accept Christ is really not genuine? I just haven't been able to reconcile these two paradoxes of Truth that seem to exist between Calvinisms viewpoint and choice.
I certainly understand the heart behind this question. I, too, am a father and one who is deeply concerned about the eternal welfare of my children. I love them so deeply and desire nothing greater than that they would turn to Christ in repentance and faith. Like this reader, I am sometimes tempted to express frustration with the way God has chosen to save a people for himself. But through it all I know that his ways are good; his ways are the best.
I will break my answer into three parts.
First, I think we need to have much greater confidence in God's sovereignty than in the ability of our children to choose God without his foreordaining grace. This is why Calvinistic theology begins with "T" for Total Depravity. This doctrine tells us that without God's grace, none of us could ever turn to him. We are so radically depraved that we are unable, totally unable, to follow God or to even want to follow God. Thus if we properly understand human nature, we will thank God that he has not left us ultimately responsible to choose whether or not we would want to be saved. The Bible tells us clearly that we would never make such a choice; we could never make such a choice. So we need to take refuge in God's sovereignty and not make it an occasion of fear or dread. Our hearts are so wholly polluted by sin that God's election is the only way that anyone could be saved, ever.
Second, I think it is helpful to see predestination as something that is of far greater concern to God than to us. While we see from Scripture that God has predestined his elect to eternal life, I'm not sure that it is helpful for us to think too much about who is among the elect and who is not. God has not seen fit to reveal that information to us. Charles Spurgeon once said something along these lines: "if a stripe were painted down the backs of the elect, then I'd go around lifting up coat-tails." But there is no such mark; we cannot know infallibly who is among the elect. Human experience tells us that some people who seem to have everything going for them--great natural ability, an early interest in the Christian faith, a childhood spent in a Christian home--turn away from Christ while others come from the most unusual and rebellious circumstances and are drawn to him. Some people we could have sworn were Christians have fallen away while some who were utter rebels have had their hearts turned to God. We just cannot know who is counted among the elect.
When it comes to the task of preaching the gospel, we sometimes make a false distinction between the means and the end, assuming that since God has ordained the end we ought to take little interest in the means. When we hear of hypercalvinists, we hear of people who do just this. These people insist that, since God has already ordained who will be saved, we need to have little involvement with calling people to turn to him in repentance and faith. They say that we have no business extending the free call of the gospel to those who are unregenerate. But nothing could be further from the truth. While God has, indeed, ordained who will be saved, he has not told us who he will save. And so we are called us to take the gospel message far and wide, preaching it to all men and allowing God to work the gift of faith into those whom he has chosen for life. Our task in evangelism is not ultimately to win people to Christ but to faithfully preach the gospel message. If we have preached that message, we have done what God calls us to. We then leave the results to him.
Third, we need to be careful in how we understand God's work of election. The Bible does not describe this work as "zapping" or "random" or anything of the sort. We know that God has chosen a people for Himself but he has not told us why or how. Scripture does not say that certain people "had their number called" and others did not. Instead, we read that God chose some because he had special love for them. There is nothing random about it. It is difficult to illustrate this, but I think we could turn to adoption as an example, albeit an imperfect one. When a couple sets out to adopt a child, they have a large number of potential children available to them. But somewhere in the process of adoption they set their heart on a particular child. It is not that they have chosen this child randomly and (hopefully!) they have not chosen this child for what he or she can do for them. Instead they have chosen to love this child, setting their affections upon him. I do not think many adoptive parents look at their selection of a child as random or arbitrary. Furthermore, their selection of a particular child is not unfair to the other children. One child was graciously selected for the special blessing of adoption while many others were not. Giving a gift to one person does not make it unfair to withhold a gift from another.
Too often, I think, we approach this subject from the point-of-view that every person deserves a chance to go to heaven. We see our sweet children and are unable to believe that they justly deserve an eternity of separation from God. And so we deem it unfair that they may not be among the elect and hence can never turn to Christ. But Scripture tells us that all men, even children, have turned away from Christ. All men have committed an act of cosmic treason and deserve to be punished for it. God chooses to extend grace to some, but not all. But the very fact that it is grace tells us that it is not deserved; it is a free gift.
I conclude by pointing again to the goodness (Psalm 107:1, James 1:17, Psalm 84:11) and sovereignty (1 Samuel 2:6-7, Psalm 135:5-6, Proverbs 16:9) of God. God is good and does only what is good. This is as true in election as in any other area. When the Lord calls us home and when we stand before him, we know that none of us will question God's wisdom; none of us will deem him unfair or unkind. We will rejoice in his goodness and will rejoice in his sovereign choice.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I write books and blogs for fun while doing web design and consulting for a living. I worship and serve at 
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Comments (18)
I think sometimes some of us who adhere to Calvinism forget that these truth pose a problem to some; there are some aspects to these doctrines that are incredibly difficult to grapple with. Tim, you've answered some of these challenges in a grace-filled way and I think you're right!
Something else helpful that Spurgeon once said when he was asked how he reconciled God's Sovereign grace and man's freedom and responsibility. He said, "I never try to reconcile friends." We must remember, as the pastor at my church keeps reminding me, that "The secret things belong unto God." We can only know what is revealed in Scripture and simply because there may be some things revealed that seem irreconcilable to us, that doesn't mean that they are; we may just never fully grasp them with our limited, finite minds. This is where faith and trust and submission to God's revealed truth comes in. Another way to think about irresistable grace is to call it overcoming grace(my pastor does), because grace is resisted all the time by radically depraved creatures. It is only when the grace of God overcomes the sinner's natural corrupt state and gives him a new heart that we are truly amazed by it. As far as our children are concerned, we must remember that God has ordained means to accomplish His salvific ends. We, as parents are one of those means. We give the gospel(because faith comes from hearing), we plead with God on behalf of our children(because prayer is a great means by which God accomplishes His purposes), and then we trust in Him to do the work.
Wow....how many times did I say 'some'?
Your adoption explanation does put a 'humane' face on God's sovereignty, and lets most people relate.
But by simply switching the word picture to a coach choosing which athletes make the team, we all can relate to the person who wants desperately to join in, whose heart is pure in submission to the coach, whose time and money were where their mouth was, and who gets the word - 'mmm... nope. That just doesn't work for me. Don't need your services, thank you.'
When the reasons for the rejection are not revealed, people invent their own explanations. A very common explanation is that the process is 'random' and arbitrary. From our ignorant point of view, it is. His ways are beyond finding out. There is essentially no way to predict this very important part of our eternal destiny. Nothing we can do one way or the other is going to affect the outcome.
The usual human response to this is some sort of fatalism - to give up on the issue and to ignore it. To quit trying to be picked.
Your position is based on Scripture, well thought out and logically consistent. I also think it is incomplete. I don't see this position being the source of Paul's passionate pleas to Festus and King Agrippa.
I remember struggling with the doctrines of grace years ago, and the man who discipled me pointed out this verse:
"Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (2 Tim. 2:10)
and of course Romans 1:14-16: "I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish, so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
and of course Isaiah 65:1-2: "I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.I said, “Here am I, here am I,”to a nation that was not called by my name. I spread out my hands all the dayto a rebellious people,who walk in a way that is not good,following their own devices;"
Piper, I forget what he was commenting on - but he once said something like this:
"This sovereign God loves your child far more than you do. Would you rather leave the salvation of your child to your child - or to your God?"
There is a peculiar trend among Calvinists to somehow gain assurance of salvation from some method of certifying that they were truly elected. The assurance process becomes entirely focused on whether "my number was called" or my name is written in the Book. Nowhere do we find this method of finding assurance in Scripture. Look at 1 John! Assurance comes from faith and obedience to Christ, grabbing on to his grace through faith.
In "Future Grace," John Piper talks about how God, in his sovereignty, will have people praying for and working for the salvation of His elect. This is a great comfort and a very practical encouragement to all who pray. He ordains both the salvation and the means God will use to bring that salvation about. This is why we ought always to pray and not lose heart.
This doesn't mean, of course, that as parents we may assume that our children will definitely be saved. That is in God's hands. We are making a request, but it is a strong request, with tears, and "the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16.)
Just as an added note, I find comfort in the promises of God. Even though it is not a "guarantee" God does promise his faithfulness to those who love him to the thousand generations. If as parents we are obedient to teach, train, and exemplify a love for Christ in our lives, though as I said not a guarantee, it is a comfort to know that God is faithful and rewards obedience. If we truly beileve in the sovereignty of God and place him in correct position, why would we fear that he would do anything other than what is perfect?
Here's my obligatory plug for Arminianism. Or, at least, my own version of it:
Pray for your kids. Tell them what God is like. With your life, give them a model of what it means to love God. Not just a model of obedience and devotion, but one of genuine love and affection. Prepare your children to be receptive to the things of God. By that I'm not suggesting you endlessly hammer them with the truths of God; rather, seek to mold their character in ways that echo the template of Jesus. Raise them to be humble, kind, self-sacrificing, inquisitive, forgiving and justice-seeking.
Pray that God will bring your children to a place where they are capable of accepting the gift of grace He offers. Have confidence that he will do so. Finally, pray that your children will respond appropriately.
J.P.H., I'm scratching my head. You said you were an Arminian (or at least a form of it). Yet you said, "pray that God will bring your children to a place..." Not wanting to nitpick, but all the Arminians I know would argue that God doesn't intrude on a person's will or decisions. While I think your prayer is both right and biblical, I'm not certain it qualifies as Arminian.
J.P.H., as a convinced Calvinist, let me say that I don't have a single problem with what you suggest. As a father, that's my goal.
Tim Robinson - Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the point you're making with the coach/athlete analogy, but I'm not sure I'm in agreement. The impression I get from the analogy is that it doesn't matter if a sinner is receptive to the things of God and has a pure heart toward him - if he's not chosen, he won't be finally saved. The problem I have with this is that the very way we are assured of our election is if we respond to the Gospel in faith and obedience. God doesn't tell us who is elect, but if I respond to God with obedience and faith and walk in purity before him, it's evidence of God's electing grace in my life. If I'm understanding your analogy correctly, I should spend the rest of my mortal life in fear, wondering whether my faith and obedience to the Gospel is really enough, or if my "number wasn't called."
Back to your original question, you said...
I have such a hard time grasping this notion of election as a father. God made the very emotions in me (love, care, would lie down in front of an 18-wheeler for my children....he gave me that). But nothing can assure me that I can have an influence in whether their "number was called"?
Yes, you’re right. There are no guarantees that God has chosen our loved ones.
I also have three children. Many, many, times I have prayed to God for their salvation. Nothing in this world would bring greater joy to my heart than to know that they were saved. I would hope that I could say as John Piper does in his sermon, How does a Sovereign God Love, ..." I am not ignorant that God may not have chosen my children for his children. And, though I think I would give my life for their salvation, if they should be lost to me, I would not rail against the Almighty. He is God. I am but a man. The potter has absolute rights over the clay. Mine is to bow before his unimpeachable character and believe that the Judge of all the earth always will do right."One thing I can be assured of is that God is not unjust and as Piper rightly says "there will be no one in hell who does not deserve to be there and there will be know one in heaven, except Jesus, who deserves to be there."
Note: Praise God. All three of my children have made professions of faith. They are all in their twenties now but I still worry sometimes, do they all have a possession of faith.
I highly recommend you listen to the audio by John Piper called Holding on to Your Faith in the Midst of Suffering: Q&A July 16, 2000 at The Cove, in Asheville, NC. where he talks about his anguish over one of his children who is not walking with Christ.
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByDate/2000/2942_Holding_on_to_Your_Faith_in_the_Midst_of_Suffering_QandA/
Since we're quoting Spurgeon. Here's my favourite on the subject:
“Many persons want to know their election before they look to Christ, but they cannot learn it thus, it is only to be discovered by ‘looking unto Jesus.’ If you desire to ascertain your own election; after the following manner shall you assure your heart before God. Do you feel yourself to be a lost, guilty sinner? Go straightway to the cross of Christ and tell Jesus so, and tell Him that you have read in the Bible, ‘Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.’ Tell Him that He has said, ‘This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ Look to Jesus and believe on Him, and you shall make proof of your election directly, for so surely as thou believest, thou art elect. If you will give yourself wholly up to Christ and trust Him, then you are one of God’s chosen ones; but if you stop and say, ‘I want to know first whether I am elect’, you ask what you do not know. Go to Jesus, be you never so guilty, just as you are. Leave all curious inquiry about election alone. Go straight to Christ and hide in His wounds, and you shall know your election. The assurance of the Holy Spirit shall be given to you, so that you shall be able to say, ‘I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him.’ Christ was at the everlasting council: He can tell you whether you were chosen or not; but you cannot find it out any other way. Go and put your trust in Him and His answer will be - ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.’ There will be no doubt about His having chosen you, when you have chosen Him.”
(‘Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.’ Morning and Evening, July 17. 1 Thess 1:4.)
I think I'll just add that although I am, as I said in my last comment, a convinced Calvinist (have been for nearly ten years), the possibility of my children not being among the elect is the most difficult issue, emotionally, that I have regarding the doctrines of grace. If anything in the world would make me "rail against the Almighty" (per the Piper quote above), this would be it. The answer seems to be simple, but it sure isn't easy.
I too have searched among these same scriptures that many of you have quoted, though I hesitate to simply quote a preacher or minister, as if that lent some sort of validity to the Calvinistic ideology of salvation. There are aspects of Calvin's view of salvation that are, well, not wrong; but rather off just a bit. I'd ask you to turn to Amos the 4th chapter. Though this is not an example of salvation, it does demonstrate a vastly different God than the one of Calvin's description. In this we see God actively working to change the direction of His people. Mind you, this is a tiny microcosom of an example, from a much larger source. All of which would be moot if He had already made His decisions regarding them.There are many such examples of this same effort on His part to bring us into line with Him. The question that we should really be asking is, is us as humans having a choice reducing His sovereignty? In Acts 2, we see that God's word was the enabling factor. Those who heard the Word and accepted it, were saved. The world was spoken into being by God's word, and His word carries power - to divide soul and spirit, and by His word we are saved. Yes, yes...there are many other factors and things thrown into the mix. Faith, repentence, baptism, obedience and so on. Though there are many who simply skip various scriptures that have the Spirit being given after salvation, or portraying 'grace' as a thing God does to us, instead of a thing that He does for us..(yes there is an important distinction.), most simply iignore these things. I remember something Tim wrote not too long ago concerning how we come to scripture with an adgenda, a preconceived notion and we seek to use scripture to support that idea, rather than letting God tell us what He wants us to know. This is true of Calvinism, Armininism, Reformed and any other denominational title you care to name. The idea that two diametrically opposed ideas of salvation, such as Calvinism and Armininism have no grey area and are simply reading what they want, rather than what is there, is almost a certianty. Its unfortunate that it is so hard to come together in this kind of forum. There is more here than is often said. God bless.
Not wanting to nitpick, but all the Arminians I know would argue that God doesn’t intrude on a person’s will or decisions.
I guess I'm Arminian in that I believe that God brings everyone to a place where he or she is at least capable of accepting grace. Or, if not everyone, then those who approach with a spirit of openness. So, the original poster needn't worry about whether his kids are among the chosen few. If they but knock then the door will be opened.
This is mostly based on my own conversion experience. After some intellectual discussion, I got to the point where I could admit that it would be a great thing if all this God stuff were true. But I couldn't "make" myself believe, because I didn't see any real basis for it. At some point, however, God invested me with the ability to believe. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I looked around at the believers I knew, and at the fruit in their lives, and somehow "knew" (in a profoundly irrational way) that it was all true. It was like someone flipped a switch.
The doctrines of grace ought not confuse us about our salvation or concern us about the election of others... but make it ever so much more clear. It is a mis-understanding of election NOT BIBLICAL that causes the question and concern about, "AM I ELECT?" Wrong question. The question is WILL I REPENT?
The gospel is REPENT and Beleive and you will be SAVED. And if we do so or are imparted the grace to desire to do so, and so plead before the Lord for the capacity to do it... He WILL grant us that desire... Then it is none other than the Lord drawing us! My salvation is assured and I can rejoice that the Lord has elect me before the foundations of the world. If I begin to grow weary and my faith dull... I have good reason to fear... but should not be ashamed once again to entreat the Lord for His grace.. and again my assurance is there!
Though if I wake up someday in the pig pen and love it there... with no desire to return to the Lord. Then my assurance is gone and I was nothing more than a tare.
Want to know if your child is elect? You ask the wrong question. The bible is clear what you must do: Pray for him and share the gospel with him.... AND NEVER STOP until he repent from his sin and believe in the Lord.
Thank you, Jeri, for the quote you included. It addressed one of those questions that I have lingering about this topic.
I am convinced by Scripture that salvation is a gift of God to those whom He has chosen. The only sticking point I had was regarding prayer. If God has already chosen who will be saved, do our prayers for the salvation of our lost friends and loved ones do any good? I believe that God answers prayer, so that posed a bit of a problem. I will have to get a copy of Future Grace and read what Piper has to say about it.