Imagine a world where you had to choose between two truths that seem equally valid but seemed utterly contradictory. In the realm of the Christian faith, this isn’t just a hypothetical scenario but a daily reality? The Bible presents us with such a paradox: free will and human responsibility on one hand, and meticulous divine determination on the other. One of the most debated and divisive concepts in all theology. Yet both are taught with unwavering clarity, while our finite minds struggle to reconcile them.
To claim that it is either free will and human responsibility OR meticulous divine determination is to choose which passages of the Bible you will prioritize. The Bible teaches both. In fact, if you were to search the Bible and catalog the number of times it teaches or implies one or the other, the tally would add up to about 1500 each! This indicates that both concepts are deeply embedded in Scripture and should not be dismissed or downplayed.
Sure, here’s an enhanced version of that paragraph:
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Choosing one over the other and reinterpreting the other to fit our preferred doctrine is like trying to explain a three-dimensional sphere in a two-dimensional world. Imagine two flat, paper-like characters drawn on a piece of paper. They can only perceive their two-dimensional existence and are completely baffled when a three-dimensional sphere intersects their world. To them, the sphere appears as a series of changing circles that make no sense within their flat reality. We are like these flat characters, confined to our limited perspective, unable to fully grasp the three-dimensional truths that God operates within. But God exists and works in all dimensions. What does not seem to make any sense to us makes perfect sense to Him. If we trust that He exists beyond time, space, and matter (as He must), we should expect things that we cannot reconcile.
Indeed, we have these multi-dimensional realities taught to us in the Bible. When our solution is to flatten the three-dimensional into two, we are not trusting God with what He has revealed and what He can do. This reductionist approach limits our understanding and diminishes the richness of God’s revelation, leading us away from a fuller grasp of His nature and works.
This is exactly what we find in Scripture. Many things seem like they can only exist in a dimension that we do not live in, from a perspective we do not have. Consider the doctrine of the Trinity: God being one in essence yet three in persons. This concept defies our finite understanding, yet it is a foundational truth of the Christian faith. Similarly, the idea of creation ex nihilo, creation out of nothing, challenges our comprehension of existence and causality.
The incarnation of Christ is another profound mystery. How can Jesus be fully God and fully man, two natures united in one person? This union is beyond our complete grasp, yet it is central to the gospel message. Furthermore, the interplay between human responsibility and divine sovereignty presents a complex reality. The Bible affirms both our accountability for choices and God’s meticulous orchestration of events.
The best thing for us to do in all of these cases is not only to trust but to expect that these are the types of things we will find with our God. Trusting God means embracing the mysteries He has revealed, acknowledging that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Expecting mystery is part of faith, recognizing that God operates beyond our limited perspective.
In essence, we must approach these doctrines with humility, accepting that our finite minds cannot fully comprehend the infinite. We should marvel at the mysteries of our faith, knowing that God’s wisdom surpasses human understanding. By doing so, we honor God’s transcendence and deepen our trust in His divine plan. This approach not only aligns with the teachings of Scripture but also enriches our spiritual journey, allowing us to rest in the knowledge that God is sovereign, good, and far beyond our comprehension. In this way, we embrace the depth and beauty of the Christian faith, celebrating the mystery and wonders of our God.
1 Response to "Reconciling Free Will and Divine Sovereignty: A Three-Dimensional View from a Two-Dimensional World"
You’ve heard the term “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile…IN CHRIST”.
I put caps on “IN CHRIST” because that is the most missed two words in that statement.
But when you consider Deu 29:4/Romans 11:8 contrasted with Romans 15:21, you see that there is a HUGE difference between Jew and Gentile.
Deu 29:4
4 Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
Romans 11:8
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
NOTE: The pronouns, “them”, and “they”, indicates JEWS ONLY
Now…The Gentiles:
Romans 15:21
21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.
That’s Gentiles.
Here is another:
Romans 15:8 (PAUL SPEAKING ABOUT JESUS)
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
NOTE:
Matthew 15:24
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Contrasted with:
Romans 15:16 (PAUL SPEAKING ABOUT HIMSELF)
16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
And that leaves Peter, John, and James…
Galatians 2:9
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
It is the JEWS that are blind as a bat, and therefore, THEIR salvation DIFFERS than our salvation. Our salvation THOUGHT JESUS is based on our own faith, not an imputed faith.
It is the Jews that DON’T have faith, because they are under the law of Moses, and therefore, until they are HEALED of their blindness, they can’t come to Jesus like we can.
For the Jews only:
Romans 11:5
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
As opposed to the law of Moses (works).
Romans 9-11 seems to be a HUGE stumbling block for the CALVINIST/REFORM people.
They spend several weeks preaching that segment, but understand it not.
The Jews OF THE FLESH have NO CHOICE in the matter of WHEN they are saved, but the promise is that they will be saved, nonetheless. Mercy. The law will find them guilty, but their salvation is based on MERCY, as Romans 11 states.
Example:
Is God a respector of persons? NO.
Did Paul seek out Jesus, or did Jesus seek out Paul?
1 Timothy 1:13
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Ignorantly in unbelief. How are the rest of the Jews any different?
Romans 11:31
Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Romans 11:32
For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
All Jews, that is. JEWS OF THE FLESH.
You see, blind Jews only think that their inheritance is a small piece of real estate in the middle east. And it is, but that also translates to something SPIRITUAL, as well. That small piece of real estate is THE PROMISED LAND. It’s a TYPE/SHADOW of Heaven, just like Isaac is an actual PROMISED SINGULAR SEED, but Isaac is a TYPE/SHADOW of Jesus.
And because that promise was BEFORE THE LAW, that means that the promise is not dependent on the law. It’s not dependent on the behavior of the Jews at all.
But the law keeps them in BONDAGE to the law of sin and death. And they can’t come to Jesus until Jesus unblinds them, just like God had to open the heart of the Jewish Lydia.
The Jews are USED by God as a prop for numerous reasons. The Pharaoh was also used as a prop.
Moses represented Jesus
The Pharoah represented Satan
Egypt represented BONDAGE TO SIN
Canaan represented HEAVEN
Wandering the desert represented the CHRISTIAN WALK, where some TURN BACK to go back to Egypt, because life in sin was so much better for them.
How many times is the word “MERCY” used in Romans 9?
Some accuse the Jews of being APOSTATE. Well, guess what? They get MERCY.
John 9:39-41
39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
Blind Jews have no sin! Did you read that? There is MUCH PROPHESY that still has to happen that involve blind Jews, and so, NOT EVERY JEW can come to Jesus…YET. But they will be saved.
Gentiles is a completely different conversation to have. Therefore, it is my contention that John 6:44 is for Jews only, transitioning from being God followers under the law of Moses, to being God followers under the law of Christ.
It is also my contention that the word “Elect” is for the Jews only. It is also my contention that the word “regeneration” is for the Jews only.
But many will continue to cling to “for there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, fogetting the additional words, “IN CHRIST”.
But they do want to remind you of the difference between male and female! I always find that one interesting.
Saved Gentiles are not the elect, but “as the elect”. Blind Jews need regeneration, Gentiles don’t.