We all have heard differing philosophies spoken by Christian Leaders. The problem that I see is they create factions in the Body of Christ which is called to be One Body and to be God’s Messenger to this world. Church leaders seem to mirror politicians with each side stating their beliefs that they have formed using their filter of life and not coming together with one message: the Gospel of Christ.
These factions in the Church have opposing understanding of Scripture. From what I am able to understand most of them base their beliefs in Scripture. However, they seem to have differing definition of some principles. I have found that different definitions of terms lead people in differing directions throughout life.
Think about the definition of failure. Some people believe failure happens when you attempt a task and for whatever reason it does not work. They would say you failed at the task. I personally believe you have not failed until you stop trying to complete the task. The best example for me is Edison and the light bulb. He did not fail creating a light bulb, but he certainly did not succeed on multiple attempts at the task.
My point is, if I am talking to someone and I am going to use the word failure I need to ensure the person I am talking to understands my definition of the word. Language is complicated, but it is the tool God gave us to communicate with each other. Maybe working to understand each other is one of God’s ways to help us know each other better. Therefore, we must ensure our communication is understood. If not, we will have confusion and division.
Take these two opposing points of view on Scripture; “once saved, always saved” and “a person can walk away from their faith.”I can see truth in Scripture from both points of view. That leads me to ask, can they both be right? I believe they are because their beliefs are scriptural; however, they are locked into seeing their point through their own filters and therefore believing the other view is in error. If both points of view are based in Scripture, there must be truth that ties them both together.
The interesting thing to me is when people from both camps get down to discussing a particular individual they typically would agree. If they can see the “fruit” in that person’s life, they both believe the person is born again, a Child of God. Both groups would say that they can tell when a person is walking with God. However, if a long time “believer” changes their lifestyle, walks away from God, denies His Lordship, and lives worldly, one group would say they “walked away from their faith” and the other would say “they were never really saved from the beginning”: both groups explaining through their filters the lifestyles shown above. They disagree how the person got there but agree on the outcome. They both believe the person is lost. I find that interesting.
That makes me believe the problem is interpretation. Are we interested in philosophy or individual people? Is “being right” more important than harmony in the Body of Christ? Doesn’t it only matter if a person is a born again, a bond servant of the Living God? Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” Isn’t it really that simple?
Read Hebrews 6:1-12. Can a person “fall away;” must they be “diligent to the very end”?
Verses 4-6 says “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace”.
Verses 11-12 say, “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure”.
The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 clearly shows people excited about the truth, but eventually falling away under the cares of this world.
Matt 10:22, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Jesus discussing the “End of the Age” in Matt 9:10, “At that time many will turn away from their faith and will betray and hate each other.”
Now read the passage where Jesus describes himself as the Bread of Life, John 6:35-59. Can anyone “drawn by the Father” turn away?
Verse 37 says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away”.
Verse 39 says, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given Me”.
Verse 44 says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day”.
I believe they are both right because the scripture is clear. The only way I can see to explain how they can both be right is defining the timing of “born again”. Think about a person listening to an impassioned message and response to the alter call. They clearly heard God’s truth, but was the “Father drawing them” or did they have a human reaction to a good speaker? The only way to really know is the “fruit” in the rest of their life.
Can a person be raised in a Christian environment, go to church every Sunday, at some point react emotionally to a message they hear, say a prayer of repentance they have heard others pray and still not have actually been “born again” by being “drawn by the Father”? Again, I say only the “fruit” in the rest of their life will tell.
Scripture says in Matt 7:17-20, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but every bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
I believe we let our emotions and desires cloud the truth. We want our loved ones to go to heaven, so we look for “signs” that help us believe they are “safe.” They said a prayer one day. They stopped a bad habit. They are much nicer than they used to be. I have heard many people make these types of statements to give themselves peace, but did the Father actually draw their loved one or was it actually just human effort? Is the fruit of a changed life obvious?
1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see but a poor reflection in a mirror; then we shall see face to face”. I simply recognize that I do not yet have the complete understanding. To me it comes down to Lordship. Is Jesus the Lord of my life? Does He control it all? Am I His bondservant? I believe the answers to these questions bring both points together. Both positions would agree with this “fruit.” Both would agree a life that is not surrendered, where Jesus is not the Lord of all, is not “right with God.”
Another of those differences of opinion is over the Sovereignty of God versus Man’s Free Will. I watch people struggle with God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. When we think about it, obviously God, as the Creator and Sustainer of everything, is sovereign over all. However, we have been given the ability to choose right and wrong, as Adam and Eve did in the Garden. We know that did not surprise God. He sees everything from the beginning to the end. We know He was not sitting in Heaven thinking, “Now what am I going to do?” So, why are we confused?
I believe the problem is our need for everything to be black or white. Everything must be “fair” to all, in our eyes. When that seems not to be true, we pick a side and say the other option is wrong; God is either sovereign or man has a free will. I genuinely believe if we would get our minds out of theory and focus on the facts of reality, we would soon find these seeming contradictions are not contradictory at all.
Let us look at some Biblical references of Paul’s life to make my point.
1. Acts chapter 7 describes Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin. As he spoke, they became increasingly upset until Acts 7:57, “At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” Verse 8:1 concludes the story, “And Saul was there giving approval to his death.”
Saul (soon to be Paul) was acting in his free will, however, God’s sovereign plan was unfolding.
2. Acts 8:3, “But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” (Saul’s free will) The church was scattered. Acts 8:4, “Those who had been scattered preached the Word everywhere they went.” (God’s sovereign plan)
Saul was acting in his free will, but God was using Saul’s free will to accomplish His sovereign plan to spread the Gospel. Remember He said to “preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth.” However, the church was stuck in Jerusalem. Saul’s free will scattered the church, God’s sovereignty.
3. Acts 9:1-9 describes how Saul, the zealot Pharisee, became Paul, God’s Evangelist. Acts 9:1, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so he could find out there who belonged to the Way.”
Saul’s free will was to continue to wipe out the church. However, God’s sovereignty overruled his free will. Saul’s plan was halted on the Damascus road. God changed his direction in life; he became Paul, God’s Evangelist.
In another example, we see in Romans that Paul’s free will was to visit Rome, but he was prevented multiple times, until God opened the door of opportunity.
4. Romans 1:10 “I pray that now at last by God’s will the way be opened for me to come to you”. 1:13, “I do not want you to be unaware brothers that I planned many times to come to you but have been prevented from doing so until now.” (God’s sovereignty stopping Paul’s free will)
The list goes on and on. Obviously, there are times when God’s plan (sovereignty) supersedes man’s free will. However, most of the time God seems to allow us to stumble through life, even sinning, to learn the things He needs us to know.
In my own life, I can describe multiple times that I was not permitted to do things I wanted to do. I also can point to times when I was allowed to do the same type of thing without being stopped. As I look back, the times I was stopped had divine intervention, although at the time, not being a Christian, they just seemed like weirdly unnatural occurrences. I assume others have had those experiences also.
Therefore, my conclusion is we have free will, unless it interferes with God’s plan. I describe it like I am driving down the highway of life. It is a wide road, but there are guard rails on each side. I am allowed to wander all over the road in my travel, but I am not allowed to go past the guard rails, which represent God’s sovereign will. We are allowed to stumble and fall, but we cannot change God’s plan that was created before time began.
I wish Godly men would give each other grace rather than causing division in the Body of Christ; that they would listen to each other and find common ground. If we look no different to the world than the Republicans and Democrats do, arguing their “positions,” how can we hope to be “salt and light” to this world? Maybe we should watch for the “fruit” in someone’s life rather than having them “say a prayer” one day and calling them “saved”. Maybe the discussion should be about individuals’ true spiritual growth, not philosophy.
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