On the contrary from making us robots, Calvinism states that God so loved us that He came to us when we were enemies, enslaved, and dead, or you might say we were lifeless, our choices were enslaved to sin, and we were in some ways “robotic” in our nature. God came to us in this state and gave us life making a new creature, through His spoken word. Someone who is alive. So on the contrary of making us “robotic”, God has taken the believer from death into an abundant, joyous life, that is fully animated, and full of intense love and desire and choice to be together. A true Calvinist is not a stoic, but a diehard romantic.

I can say this my choice for God was real, and it is freer than the choices made as an unbeliever.

“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Some have said that Christianity is exclusive. I don’t believe this. . .

Christ asked for another way. Jesus asked God, “if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me”. Christ was in agony as he prayed, so much so that He sweated blood. If there was another way, he wanted it. And if it were possible, it would have been done, for Christ’s prayer would have been answered, by a Father who loved his Son. Christ went to the cross and experienced God’s wrath because it was the only way to bring about our salvation. There was no other option. Our salvation was bought at a great price. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God loved us and did what it took to save us by paying a high price, the only price, He gave His Son, so that whoever believes in Christ should not perish but have eternal life.

Yes, Christianity does say that only those who are in Christ will be saved and those outside of Christ will experience everlasting torment. But this is not exclusive. The calling is not exclusive, it is for everyone who comes. What should be said is that it is the only way and the greatest way for the salvation of mankind. and instead of being exclusive, it is God making a way for anyone and everyone who believes in Christ. His arms are open wide and He calls out, “Come”. And anyone who hears His voice and does come is accepted.

One day a farmer came
He took one of the trees
So withered, sprangly, and dearth.
Which one I don’t know
For they all looked the same.
And so He took the plant gently away
Delivering it from its woe
And brought it to a meadow
And placed it near a stream
It was a place of beauty,
Where the sun would beam,
And sweetly down, the rain would come.
In this place, this little tree,
Though withered, sprangly, and dearth,
Grew roots that went deep and deep into the earth.
It grew and grew,
And was not little any more.
And season after season much fruit did it bore.

This little tree became strong,
And though it was once withered
Its leaf withered no more.

And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ” Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” – Revelation 4:9-11

This is a beautiful picture. The scripture talks about us being given crowns. Here we see the twenty-four elders casting their crowns before the throne and saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” They cast their crowns before the Lord, because only He gets the glory. They understand what 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 says, “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.’” Don’t miss this, they cast their crowns because they know those crowns are the work of Christ and He alone gets the glory for them. But Christ has also given them the crowns and Christ declares them to be kings and priest and this is very real as well. By His grace and by His word, this who they are. Those crowns are not just for show, they are real, and they really belong to the twenty-four elders.

When the day comes, and I am before the throne, I will be overwhelmed by how God has lavished His love on me. I will be clothed with the righteousness and honor of Christ. I will fall down before the throne and cry out, “Oh God you have lavished your love on us. How can I deserve all this, What have I done to deserve even the smallest of your favors? There is nothing good that I can bring to you. Oh to you be the glory, and honor, and power!” And He will say, “My beloved, my good and faithful servant, the one in whom I delight. You have been faithful. . .. This is yours.” How great is our God!

Additional readings:

And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him ” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” – Zechariah 3:1-4

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“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.’” – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

In ancient culture, when a covenant was made between two men, animals were split in two and both men would walk in-between the animals signifying that if they did not keep covenant with the other person that they should be torn in two as the animals. In Romans 4 and Galatians 3:7-9, Paul refers to Genesis 15, where God makes a covenant with Abraham through faith. In Genesis 15, the animals were prepared and cut in two, but instead of both parties walking through the covenant, only God walks through the split animals. “As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him . . . When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram . . ..” Abraham was not capable of keeping covenant with God, so God was saying that He alone would keep the covenant both His part and Abraham’s part. God here was also saying that if He does not keep His part as well as Abraham’s part, “Let me be torn asunder”.
We have a God who in His love has made a covenant with us. Jeremiah 34:10 says, “’I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of Me in their hearts, that they may not turn from Me.’” (also read Hebrews 8:8-12). The Scripture says in Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” So now we look to Jesus who alone bore the cross and who alone tore the veil and who alone upholds the covenant of Grace. He is not only the author, but He is also the perfecter of our faith. He alone secures the covenant of the Gospel. We are dependent on work that Christ has done, both on His behalf and on ours.

What did the Psalmists mean when they called God their shelter and stronghold?

Additional readings: Hebrews 8:6-10; Hebrews 6:13-20; Ezekiel 11:17-20; Ezekiel 36:25-27; 1 Corinthians 1; Romans 9:16; Jude 24,25; Philippians 1:6; Luke 4:18,19; Galatians 3:7-9; Romans 4

Next . . .

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And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.” What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”

Paul associates this verse and concept with God’s name. Paul refers to Exodus 33:19 which says, “And He said, ‘I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion’.” Whatever we think about this verse, when Paul associates this with God’s name, it forces us to take this scripture seriously. I hear more people saying what they think or feel, instead of taking this scripture seriously and trying to come to grips with what it is saying. We can’t shy away from it because we are afraid. Paul won’t let us. Maybe you can show me, through the scriptures that it means something different than what I think, but you can’t come to this scripture and tell me that you do not believe it because of how you feel or what you think. And one of the things we surely cannot do is accuse God of being unjust or “making robots”. Paul is very clear about that. Paul writes, “19You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?’ 20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it?”

We can ignore scripture, or we can face it like men, believing and trusting God like a child, knowing that what He has to say is good for us. And His purposes in this passage are kind, gentle and good. Read with me, Ephesians 1:3-8;

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight”

My concern here is not to convince us of a doctrine, but to urge us to have trust in God’s word which is faithful. Instead of running from these scriptures or avoiding it because we do not like it, we must become like children who are not afraid to come close and hear the heart of God. Let the scriptures challenge you and reveal who God is and believe.

I have heard this verse in so many prayers, sermons, and comments. But rarely have I heard it in scope of what this verse is crying out to us. Most of the time I hear it separated from the context and a powerful truth is missed. Paul has asked “that God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Paul is asking that we would be near our God and to know His love and this exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. This is more powerful than any other interpretation that might be given these verses.

“I have no hope at all but in thy great mercy. Grant what thou commandest and command what thou dost desire.” –Augustine