The Story of I am Not

Calvinism Revisited, Part 1

Calvinism is back on the scene and getting a lot of attention within the Southern Baptist Convention and the Church as whole.  Many Christians do not have a clear understanding of this theological view.  I took a Theology Classes in Seminary, but I had forgotten the details of Calvinism.  In this article, I will look at the basic views of Calvinism and cover the first two tenants of this particular view.

TULIP is an acronym for the five points of Calvinism—total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints.  This theological view is making a resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention.  Many people think that this issue is secondary and should have little effect on the day-to-day operations of our churches, but I disagree.  Johnny Hunt, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, stated, "What you believe determines how you behave".  So I am going try to give you a brief overview of some of the issues of the Calvinist Resurgence that trouble many within the convention and need to be addressed within our churches.  As a church, Crestview needs to determine where we stand on these issues.  I hope to shed some light on this subject in this article.

John 3:16 is a verse that describes the gospel in a nutshell. The verse indicates God's love is global, sacrificial, personal and eternal.  Jerry Vines states,  "We will never exhaust the content and the meaning of John 3:16.”  Here is a simple verse that tells us of the mind of God, the heart of God and the will of God.  The Greek word for "whosoever," which occurs more than a thousand times in the New Testament, carries the idea of "anyone, anywhere, anytime”. Now lets look at each of the issues within Calvinism and see what the Bible has to say about this Theological View.

T -- TOTAL DEPRAVITY - The issue of total depravity from Romans means no one is right with God.  Any good deed done is tainted with sinfulness, and there is no fear of God or ultimate peace in a person's heart. All of mankind fell in Adam and are affected by his sin.  Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Seminary asks, "Does that mean we are born guilty before God?"  Patterson states, "I do not think that can be demonstrated from Scripture.  We are born with a 'sin sickness,' a disease that makes it certain that we will sin and rebel against God."  The Bible says people are condemned for their own sins.  Ephesians 2:1 says "... You were dead in your trespasses and sin.  Calvinism holds to the fact that if you are dead, then you can't do anything to respond to God.  Many Calvinists even believe that you must be regenerated before you can even have the faith to believe in Christ.  They believe that regeneration must come before faith.  I do not see that in Scripture.  You always see that faith and belief come before salvation, not the other ay around.  If you look at verses 2-3, which says, "You walked according to the course of this world ... you once conducted yourself in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and mind...."  This is analogy, you are dead in trespasses and sin, and pressed too far, you will make it say more than it says.  The atonement of Christ is God's way of saving the whole race, if the race would receive Him as Savior.  Although sinners are unable to help themselves, lost men are able to call out to God who can save them.  Calvinist even believe that people who are lost can not even hear the voice of God unless that are regenerated first, but that is contrary to Scripture.  We see in the Garden of Eden that even in their fallen state, God still communicated with Adam and Eve.  It is important to understand that we are all born into to sin, but are out of God’s reach.  He can use people, The Bible, the Holy Spirit, and even circumstances to draw us to him.  We are not so depraved that God can not speak to us in the depths of our souls.


U -- UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION - A historical overview of Baptist beliefs on the topic is consistent with the free agency of man; the question is how election is defined.  It is important for us to differentiate between God's corporate election of Israel and individual election, which is intertwined with and connected to God's foreknowledge.  In 1 Timothy 2:3-4, "... God our savior, who will have all men to be saved," The Greek word for "will" is an earnest desire.  Some Reformed commentaries state that "all" can't really mean "all men" because if God willed something it would have to happen.  Richard Land states, "I believe in a God who is so sovereign and so omniscient that He can break out of Calvin's box ... and He can choose to limit Himself and He can convict us and He can seek to bring us to conviction ... but He will not force us."  Understanding God's perspective of time and recognizing that He lives in what C.S. Lewis termed "the eternal now" should help Christians reconcile theological tensions.  All events are in the present for God. The idea of election or predestination is one that has been debated for years, and I do not think can be resolved with our feeble human minds.  As far as what Scripture says it clearly points to the fact that we are born with Free Will and can choose to reject or accept his gift of salvation.  If we are confused about this issue, it will greatly affect how we approach evangelism.  If we believe that God chooses only to save some and condemn the others, then will not be as passionate about sharing the gospel.  We will only share a watered down gospel that has no power.  The Great Commission demands that we share the “Whole Gospel” which is that Christ died for all who would receive Him not just a select few.  Which leads to the next issue which Limited Atonement that I will cover next month.

As a church, what we believe, will directly affect the way we do ministry.  Take some time this month and search the Scripture and see what the Bible actually says about these key theological ideas.  These issues will never be resolved this side of heaven, but as believers we are expected to know what we believe and why. In 1 Peter 3:15, we are encouraged to be ready to give an answer (or more literally “a defense”) for the hope that is within us.  The best way to do that is to be armed with knowledge.  Next month, I will look at the remaining three issues of Calvinism through the lens of Scripture.  Have a great month and may God truly bless you and your family.

Needs-Based Evangelism

    Evangelism is not often thought of as a discipline, possibly because evangelism is often left to those who are called to the ministry. Many lay people believe that one must have a particular spiritual gift in order to share their faith. Evangelism is in deed a spiritual discipline. Discipline is extremely necessary if evangelism is to be effective and consistently practiced. If prayer is the hardest discipline to maintain, then evangelism is certainly the hardest discipline to begin. Probably no other discipline creates such terror in the Christian as that of evangelism. 

    There are several things I was reminded of as I read this book.. First, evangelism is expected. All Christians are not expected to use the same methods of evangelism, but all Christians are expected to evangelize. Also, evangelism is empowered. The power of evangelism is not ourselves, but is the Holy Spirit. 

    Christians fear failure in evangelism, which to most means rejection of the Gospel. But that is not failure; not faithfully sharing Christ is true failure. We are not called to save, we are called to share the Gospel. Conviction and conversion is the work of the Spirit. Success is measured by how faithfully we share the Gospel, not by how many notches we put on our evangelical gun belt. Evangelism should be a natural flow of the Christian life. 

    It is important for us to get a fresh glimpse of what it means to be a follower of Christ. In today’s society, we have lost our since of identity. The early church knew who they were, what they believed, and why they believed it. In order to really see Christianity in a new light, we must reexamine the salvation process. The Postmodern view of salvation is one that tends to shift from the long held modern view of God’s redemptive power of the Cross and a believers response to that sacrifice. Postmoderns view salvation as universal. By Christ’s death on the cross, we all are assured salvation. This view comes from the religiously pluralistic society in which we live. It is hard for most postmoderns to believe that an all-loving and all-powerful God could send someone to hell for not adopting a certain belief system.

     As a result, postmodern evangelicals have adopted new approaches to evangelism. One way is the approach of discipiling a person before they come to Christ. This approach allows a person to ask questions and get to know more about God and His love for them and does not pressure them to hurry up and say a prayer. Postmodern evangelicals realize that salvation is a process of transformation that begins with putting one’s trust in Christ. Also once a person comes to Christ, they are put in an environment to facilitate growth and spiritual maturity. They learn what it means to follow Christ by being immersed within a community of believers to aid in this process. 

    The main weakness I see is that it could be easy for a person to value the process more than the decision. In reality, it all comes down to a personal decision to accept or reject Christ gift of salvation. The process is good in helping people come to realize their need for Christ, but it should be viewed as a way to help someone through the decision making process. We also need to help people develop a new thirst and hunger to hear and relate to the story of God. 

    Narrative theology is a term that refers to the theology that can be learned and applied to one’s life when you look at the narrative stories in the Bible. It is a view of theology that finds meaning in the story itself. We can learn about the nature and character of God. The Bible is a relational book. We can see through these narrative stories God’s relationship to man, man’s relationship to God, and man’s relationship to man. The Bible stories are there to teach us truth of who God is, and then we have to apply these lessons to our lives. We are supposed to interpret and apply these stories according to the original intentions of the authors of Scripture and not by our own criteria. 

    I believe the narrative theology really communicates to the postmodern mind. We cannot assume that the people we minister to every week have any biblical knowledge at all. The narrative approach helps draw them into the great, and grand story of God. It is up to us to help them see that God has a part for them to play in that story. We have to be careful when using this approach because we do not want to open the door for people to interject their own interpretation of the story. We have to convey the absolute truth contained in those stories without compromising the integrity of the message itself. We need to be the church of the market place. The Church needs to get back to a holistic approach as it reaches out to the community in which it finds itself. We need to be able to explain the narratives of the Bible and use them to shine light on universal truth. We need to also tell our own narrative of how God has changed our lives. Our testimony can really help illustrate that God is still in the business of changing lives. The churches that are making the most impact in their communities have achieved a balance between a narrative theology and relational apologetics. This how we are going to help turn the tide of relativism and apathy with the church and the world.

Coming Into Focus

Have you ever felt like you were spinning your wheels?  Do you feel like you are just going through the motions of life and not getting anywhere?  I have been there many times.  One of the main reasons we feel that way is because we get side tracked by the daily grind and lose track of our life’s mission.  If you had to come up with a Mission Statement for your life, what would it be?

One thing that we can learn from the life of Christ is that He never lost sight of his mission.  Jesus had spent almost 3 years with his disciples, and they were about to embark on the most important journey that they had ever taken together.  Even though those 12 men had spent so much time with Jesus, they still did not have a clue about what was going to take place.  It would have been easy for them to get side tracked with all the miracles, teaching, and healing that they had observed, but Jesus never lost His focus.  In John 18:23, we see this in its truest form.  In this passage, Jesus told his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to complete His mission.  He told him that he would be going there to die.   This was the plan that was set in place before the foundation of the world.  It was the plan that God would use to redeem mankind.  It was now about to be completed.

We can learn a lot from this passage.  In today’s society, it is very easy for us to get busy and side tracked from the very things that God would have us do.  His voice is lost in the noise of the world around us.  So what do we do?  How do we stay focused in the hectic rat race that we are running in everyday?  First, spend time with God daily.  Get to know who He is.  When we begin to know who God is, then we will understand who we are.  Second, what is your life’s mission?  What did God put you on earth for?  What are you to do with the life you were given?  Spend time asking God to reveal this to you.  Over time the more in tune you are with Christ, the easier it will be for you know what He wants you to do.  Third, once you have that mission STAY FOCUSED.  Keep your eyes on the prize.  Do not lose sight of the mission that you are called to complete.  Just think if we were all on task completing the mission that we were given, what an impact that would have on the world.  Have a great rest of the week…

And get out there and transform you world…

Be Real...

Have you ever had a moment when a conversation transported you back in time?  That happened to me yesterday.  As I was coming home from picking up my 13 year old daughter, she and her best friend were talking about their day and the attitudes of some of their friends.  Suddenly I was transported back to my time in the seventh grade.  It was a time when I really was trying to figure out this thing called life.  I experimented with clothing styles.  One day, I would dress like the preppy Alex Keaton from Family Ties (I know I am dating myself).  The next I would put on my Cowboy Hat and Boots.  I was trying to fit in.  What I did not realize until many years later, is that it is ok to be me.  I do not need to fit into some box or wear what my friends are wearing.  I need to be who God created me to be.  If we are to make a difference in the next generation, we must help students live a life of authenticity.

In order to be who God created us to, we must understand the importance of authenticity.  We need see the authenticity of who Jesus really is.  We each need to realized that Jesus is more than just a person to call on in times of trouble.  He is God in the flesh.  He is a person who understands us.  We can truly say that Jesus “gets me”.  He knows my thoughts, my needs, and my dreams.  He is not just a problem solver.  When we understand this concept, then we can see the power of the cross revealed.  We see a God who came in the flesh to show us how to live, how to die to our sins, and how to be raised to walk in His righteousness. We all want to be understood.  We are looking for a place to belong.  We want someone to understand us and identify with our struggles.  Christ is that person.  If we become an extension of Christ’s life, we can impact this our friends and the world in a mighty way.  By investing our lives in students, just as Christ invested in the disciples, we will see much change.

We need to strive to be real and authentic.  Jesus was able to do this very well.  His disciples saw Him in His full glory on the Mount of Transfiguration and in His brokenness in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Authenticity is really at the heart of the Christianity.  When Jesus was baptized and the Father spoke his affirmation over his son by saying “in whom I am well pleased”, we see who Jesus really was.  His divine nature and human nature were transparent for all to see.  All we have to do is look.  His miracles testified to his deity while his sorrow and brokenness in the Garden displayed His humanity. Authentic Living is what every believer is called to.  We are the body of Christ.  We are an extension of His saving grace.

I just got an email last week about my 20 year High School Reunion.  I know that sounds like a long time, but it seems like only yesterday to me.  It will be neat to go back and see if the people I knew are anything like they were back then.  What will they look like?  How have they changed?  There will be many still trying to keep up their High School image, and there will be some who are totally different.  It will be a neat experience. 

I want to leave you with two questions.  Do you know who you really are?  As you reach out to your friends, do they see a phony or an authentic person who loves and cares for them?  Take some time this week and discover the real you.  Just remember God didn’t call us to be like everyone else, but to serve Him out of our uniqueness. 

So get out there and transform your world…

True Identity

Each day that goes by, I begin to see how we are all part of a bigger story, and we each play such a small part in it.  These moments of insight usually come from my children.  Today I picked up our kids from school, and my youngest daughter looked a little down.  If you knew her, you would know that this is not typical.  I asked her what was wrong, but she told me it was nothing.  Sometime later we were alone in the car, and she began to open up.  She began to tell me how some kids her class were calling her names and making fun of her hair cut.  She was really saddened by this incident.  She is in the 4^th grade, and is really for the first time realizing that we each have an identity that describes who we are.  Not every one is going to like who we are.  I began to encourage her, and tell her the wonderful things that I liked about her.  She began to smile.  I shared with her that our true identity comes from Christ, and no one can change that.  I think that each of us must take a hard look in the mirror and truly come to grips with our true identity.

True identity comes when we truly know who we are.  Our identity is composed of many different aspects.  One of which is our false self.  The false self is rooted in the messages that the world gives us.  We feel as if we need to fit into the world’s mold.  We must not conform.  We need to release the false self.

In my life, I have begun to release my false self by getting closer to God.  The more I get to know Him, the more in touch I get with the real me.  I am beginning to see how He has wired me.  He has a great plan for me.  The more I come to understand His love and acceptance then all the falseness passes away.  My identity comes from Christ.  I am no longer mine.  I have been brought with a price.  Because of this, I am making an effort to spend more time with Him.  I am praying more and studying His word more.  By doing this I am beginning to see who I am.  It blows my mind that God called my name and wants me to serve Him.

God wants me to be me.  He wants me to serve Him out of my giftedness and my uniqueness.  He does not want me to serve Him like everyone else.

He has a niche in which I am to serve.  I can only do this if I put away the false self and be me.  If the real "me" is good enough for God, then it is good enough for me.

So how about you?  Do you know who you really are?  Take some time this week to discover who God made you to be and send the false self that has been weighing you down packing.  Just remember God didn’t call us to a life of ease and comfort, but to a life of transformation. 

So get out there and transform your world…