Dedicated to the devotional, exegetical and philosophical study of theological paradox in Conservative, Thoroughly Biblical, Historically Orthodox, Essentially Reformed theology . . . to the glory of God alone!
"All of us are sinners. True Christians are repentant sinners. And God’s grace is mighty to save us and change us – every one of us and every part of us."
The words above remind me of this verse:
Acts 5:30-31 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
In Christ, God grants REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS OF SINS. Both are necessary, and all true believers are granted both. If we say our sins aren't really sinful, we can't be saved from them. We can try to remove sin with the slippery soap of our self-justifications, but it remains an insoluble offense to the Author of all good things and the Judge of all humanity. The only way to deal with sin is to have it washed away in the cleansing blood of Christ, and to submit to the sanctifying work of His Spirit within. There is forgiveness of sin, and there is repentance from sin, for all who believe.
God not only saves us from the penalty of sin by forgiving us, He also saves us from its power by granting repentance and sanctification. Ultimately, He promises to save us from its very presence by glorifying us in Him forever! That is great news, and the way to apply that news today is by continuing to repent and believe.
Paul Manata's "Aporetic Christianity" blog mysteriously disappeared awhile back, and I wasn't able to find him for a few months. But now, at last, I've tracked him down! He has been posting HERE since April.
I'm thankful for the work of Reformed philosophers like James Anderson and Paul Manata. Any Christian who is interested in logic and philosophy will find the work of these men to be an invaluable resource.
The video below is an old debate between Manata and atheist Dan Barker. It's both informative and fun to listen to.
I've been enjoying these and finding them very beneficial.
"In fine, give up all fondness for your puerile dilemma, for the Scriptures assure me of the secret will of God; asserting what I have learned from them I do speak of an ascertained truth; but because I do not reach so great a height, I reverently adore with fear and trembling what is too sublime for the angels themselves. Often therefore in my writings I admonish my readers, that on this subject nothing is better than a learned ignorance; for those rave like madmen who arrogate to know more about it than is fit."
And this one from Jonathan Edwards caught my attention:
"... all that own the being of a God own that he knows all things beforehand. Now, it is self-evident, that if he knows all things beforehand, he either doth approve of them, or he doth not approve of them; that is, he either is willing they should be, or he is not willing they should be. But to will that they should be, is to decree them."
Apparently Edwards never met an open theist! God alone knows if Edwards will ever meet one in the future (think about it).
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#2 A second "good read" is Paul Manata's Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Reformed Theology - A Contemporary Introduction. Lots of deep philosophical stuff here. Manata has a gift, and I am grateful that he uses it to advance good theology! He argues that Reformed Theology is, by definition, both deterministic and compatibilistic, and decidedly unaffirming of libertarian free will. It's all worth reading and considering, and well documented, too.
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#3 The third "good read" is David Ponter's response to James Anderson's attempt to reconcile the Free Offer of the Gospel with a provisionally Limited Atonement using Newcomb's Paradox (see here and here). It's a deeply complicated argument, but worth thinking about. To me, this is a little bit like Gandalf vs. Saruman (I won't say which one is which). Although James Anderson is a personal hero for expounding so brilliantly on theological paradox, in this case I concur with Ponter (also a personal hero for expounding brilliantly on historic Moderate Calvinism) in his closing remarks:"Anderson wants to argue that if a moderate Calvinist insists that limited atonement precludes a sincere offer, he must accept that election likewise precludes a sincere offer, for the same reasons. However, a proper rebuttal rejects the assumed univocal relationship between limited atonement and election in relation to the sincere offer, such that one can counter that limited atonement is incompatible with the free offer, while election is not. The only avenue Anderson can have, as I see it, is to attempt to claim that we should see election as equally incompatible with a sincere offer (given our assumptions?). But on what grounds could he suggest that? and does he really want to argue that in the first place? Perhaps Anderson might say both election and limited atonement bare a paradoxical relationship to the sincere offer. My reply would be limited atonement and the sincere free offer entail a contradiction (you cannot offer what you are not able to give), while election and the free offer entail a paradox (one offers, by revealed will, what one does not intend to give, by secret will). We would say we are warranted in rejecting the contradiction, while retaining the paradox. Anderson could only claim that one can indeed sincerely offer what one is not able to give."
The issues in these three "good reads" are tied together, and each of them has bearing on both hyper Calvinism and Arminianism (mind you, I'm not saying any of the people mentioned in this post are hyper Calvinists - far from it - only that the issues covered have direct bearing on refuting that error). To be balanced, I believe we must hold to the paradox of God's revealed and secret wills which are united perfectly in the glorious mystery of His eternal wisdom; we must hold to the paradox of compatibilism so that man is responsible for his actions under the total sovereignty of God; and we must hold to the Free Offer of the Gospel backed up by an infinitely powerful atonement, which, paradoxically, is not intended to save all people. Thank God it saves some!
THEOparadox recently passed the 3 year mark, and I want to take a moment to say a sincere "thank you" to the folks who read, comment, and link to this blog.
First, to all of you who read this blog, THANK YOU. It is an honor to have these articles and resources considered thoughtfully and used for the glory of our great God. Even if you read with skepticism or to disagree, I am grateful that God uses anything here for your good and blessing.
Second, to those who take the time to comment, THANK YOU. It is always encouraging to know that a post has edified a brother, or sparked further thought. It is even encouraging to be corrected and challenged. Commenting requires real thought, and your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated.
Third, to those who link here . . . THANK YOU! THEOparadox receives many visits from search engines, and your links are part of the reason for that. My hope and prayer is that God will use the site to help spread the knowledge of Christ, and to encourage solid Biblical theology, inspiring deeper delight in Christ and stronger service for Christ.
Here is a quick sampling of some sites that link here:
Ma's Blog - the musings of a child of God by His Sovereign Grace, wife, homemaker, homeschooler, and mother of six
Pericope de Adultera - defending the canonicity of John 8:1-11
Many others could be added. However, I don't think I've previously mentioned any of the sites listed above.
All of the thanksgiving and praise ultimately go to God alone. How immeasurable is His grace! How unfailing are His mercies! Soli Deo Gloria.
". . . The great irony is that the door through which we experience the profundity of God’s love is the complete humiliation and abasement of ourselves at the foot of the cross. . . . The blessing of knowing God in the fullness of his love comes to us to the degree that we become poor in spirit. This glorious spiritual destitution belongs to those who hear what the cross teaches us about man and his nature."
William P. Farley, Outrageous Mercy, pp. 70-71
This book is a wonderful admonition toward a Cross-Centered and Gospel-Grounded worldview. Highly recommended reading.
This is a bonus video for my fellow Charismatic Calvinists and Reformed continuationists. Paul Washer advises openness with regard to the demonstrative work of the Holy Spirit, and also warns against the charismatic "circus" that has become so prevalent in the modern day charismatic apostasy. He presents a beautiful balance of a Biblically grounded desire for the Spirit's ongoing work . . . if you can receive it.
NOTE: I don't think the words written on the screen, "Paul Washer believes in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Contrary to most denominations in this nation," are warranted by the words recorded here. Paul Washer doesn't mention the "baptism" in the Holy Spirit. That phrase means different things to different people. I recommend listening to Washer's own worlds without paying attention to what has been added to the screen by the maker of the video.
One of my favorite Paul Washer videos, with a moving testimony of grace and forgiveness. Tomorrow I will post a bonus video, which you might find REALLY SHOCKING.
"The problem today . . . is not a lack of zeal for missions . . . the problem is much greater: a lack of zeal for God and for the glory of God."
Each day next week, a short but shocking Paul Washer sermon jam will be posted. It's Gospel "defibrillation" to help awaken our hearts from the hardening and stupefying effects of this dark, compromising age.
Rise up, saints! Put on your armor! The ends of the ages are upon us, and we must be found faithful for our Savior's sake! Shake off your sins! Look to the cross! Clothe yourselves with Christ and get ready for the fight!
May God help us to awaken, arise, and endure for His great Name and His great glory!
The following THEOparadoxical thoughts are excerpted from John MacArthur's article, "Is Your Salvation Secure?"
"Contemporary Christianity has a shallow view of salvation. Many people don't understand the security of the believer. God, in eternity past, chose us to believe in the truth (2 Thess. 2:13 ). Now we have to show a response. I don't fully understand how those two come together. Some people think that the people who go to hell go there because God rejected them. But the Bible says that people go to hell because they reject the gospel (John 3:18 ). That may not make sense to us, but it shouldn't matter. God is smarter than us. Would you want a God who is our equal? I wouldn't!
The paradox regarding God's choice and man's responsibility isn't the only paradox in Scripture. For example, who wrote the book of Romans? Paul did, but so did God. Did they take turns writing verses? On the one hand, every word is pure and from the mind of God. Yet, every word also came from Paul's heart and his vocabulary. How could Romans have been fully written by both God and Paul? We know it was, but we can't explain it fully.
Is Jesus God or man? He was both. Christ was not a blend of God and man. He was 100 percent Himself. He was fully God and fully man. We can't figure that out.
How about this: Who lives your Christian life? Paul said, "I discipline my body and make it my slave" (1 Cor. 9:27 ). He also said, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20 ). Which is the right answer? Both you and Christ live your life.
Most major doctrines in the Bible have an aspect that we cannot fully explain. When we try to bring God down to our level, there is still much we won't understand. We simply can't resolve everything in our minds. So the reason anyone goes to hell is because he rejected Christ and is completely responsible. But when a person comes to Christ, it's because he was chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4)."
Dr. Gary Parker will speak at Lakeside Community Church on July 24, 2011. At 9:30am, he will teach an age-integrated Sunday School class covering the controversial phrase, "He descended into Hades" from the Apostles' Creed. He will speak on Biblical and scientific creation at the 10:45am service.
His Answers In Genesis bio can be read HERE.
"Indeed, experience shows that it is only the mature Christian man who can begin to see the "size" of his Father. He may previously have thought that the comparison of the relationship between the toddler and his grown-up father with his own relationship toward God was rather an exaggeration of the gulf, in intelligence at least. But in his growing maturity he is likely to see that Christ, in His kindness of heart, has certainly not exaggerated the awe-inspiring disparity between man and God."
J.B. Phillips, Your God is Too Small
