Saturday, January 5, 2013

Implications of Human Freedom and Predestination


Are we merely puppets in the hands of an angry God?
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 Is it true that Reformed Theology (historic Protestantism) teaches humanity are basically automatons as some like to portray?
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 Is there any truth in Richard Dawkins' caricature of God in his book, The God Delusion?-   “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

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Or, do we subscribe to the idea alluded to by A.W. Tozer when he said: How deeply do men err who conceive of God as subject to our human will, or as standing respectfully to wait upon our human pleasure"
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Do you follow the Kantian idea of absolute human sovereignty as philosopher Iris Murdoch correctly envisaged from Kant's Groundwork in Ethics?- "How recognizable, how familiar to us, is the man so beautifully portrayed in the Groundwork, who confronted even with Christ turns away to consider the judgment of his own conscience and to hear the voice of his own reason… This man is with us still, free, independent, lovely, powerful, rational, responsible, brave, the hero of so many novels and books of moral philosophy. The ‘raison d’etre’ ['reason to be'] of this attractive but misleading creature is not far to seek. He is the offspring of the age of science, confidently rational, and yet  increasingly aware of his alienation from the material universe which his discoveries reveal
his alienation is without cure...It is not such a long step from Kant to Nietzsche to existentialism, and the Anglo-Saxon ethical doctrines which in some ways closely resemble it… In fact, Kant’s man had already received a glorious incarnation nearly a century earlier in the work of Milton: his proper name is Lucifer."  "The Sovereignty of Good"
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 Do you have a mental picture of God standing, wringing his hands in despair while the floodtide of humanity, oblivious to an eternity without him, races to its fate?
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The views expressed above represent the polarized way people have historically perceived the relationship between human freewill and the will of God. This simple illustration of a glass of water by way of analogy will (God willing!) make this relationship clear.


As a believer who agrees with John Calvin as to how people are saved, and what the role of human will is in salvation, and how it works in relation to the eternal will of God, it is gratifying to hear this sermon by Steven Dilday which he presents in such a clear and forthright manner. Steve refers often to the work of Jonathon Edwards one of America's greatest preachers and theologians from three hundred years ago whose seminal work on the subject still is applicable today even in the light of "new" movements such as open theism.

Please sit yourself down in your favourite chair, remove all possible distractions and settle yourself to ponder thoughtfully what he has to say. Be prepared- this is an old style sermon which means it lasts for over an hour, so you may need to pause for a break because we are not used to staying focused for so long, however the rewards of doing so will far outweigh the inconvenience. Click below to begin:



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