Reply to God is the Author of Evil

Original post HERE.

TW's comments in italics - my replies are numbered

When the philosophy that drives Calvinism is...
1) Calvinism or a Reformed understanding of the world isn't a philosophy - its a complete theological system that was developed after years and years of rigorious study of the Scriptures and the writings of the early church. To dismiss it as a "philosophy" undermines the rich heritage of this biblical view which was held by every major giant of the faith from 1600-1850.

God sovereignly controls Satan's every move. This makes God the author of everything evil, and the most wicked sinner of all.

2) There seems to be a fundamentally incorrect view of sovereignty throughout the essay. For God to have sovereign control does not mean that he is pulling the strings on a bunch of lifeless marionettes.

Some Calvinists actually admit this, and seek to defend it from Scripture.

3) What mainstream Calvinist defends the idea that God is the most wicked sinner of all?

Are Satan's actions of his own free will? If so, then God has obviously limited His sovereignty regarding Satan's activities. He allows Satan free will.

4) Yes, Satan has the ability to make his own decisions. The fact that God allows Satan to exercise volition does not contradict His sovereignty. His sovereignty is manifest in that he has the right to do what he will with his creation and that he is always in control of his creation - again, not in the sense of a puppet-master - rather like a parent who allows his child to stick themselves in the arm with a safety pin even though the parent could have moved in and stopped the activity. Why would the parent allow that is another question that will be answered later.

5) To argue that God isn't in control of his creation is very close to a view of open theisn which is a recognized heresy.

We must keep in mind that Satan's ultimate ambition is to usurp God's position...

6) Yes, Satan does try to dethrone God and his greatest attempt at this is the Arminian argument that teaches men that they are the ultimate deciders of their salvation and not God. When one rejects the Reformed view they embrace a low view of God's glory and power - thus, they knock God off his throne abit in their own life.

God's offers of salvation to "whosoever will" are insincere. God is not completely honest in Scripture.

7) God gives a sincere statement when he says that "whosoever wills" can have eternal life. The problem is that, apart from divine intervention, none will choose to serve God because of their depraved nature.

God offers to save the non-elect IF they will do what is utterly impossible. God taunts the damned.

8) Again, God states that those who have faith will be saved. The fact that none can do this of their own accord isn't taunting - its a simple reflection of the truth that God cannot allow unholiness into his presence.

God created most people for the purpose of torturing them forever. God is cruel and sadistic.

9) God is just and righteous. He created people, they chose to fall from him, that he gives most of them the justice that is required isn't cruel. In fact it is incredibly merciful of God that he would save any from the judgement due to them.

God CAN save all, and DESIRES to save all, but chooses to damn many for no apparent reason. God is insane.

10) God desires to show both his justice and his mercy, his righteousness and his love - to do so he must sentence mankind to the punishment they incurred upon themselves, yet he also steps in to rescue some that he might reveal all aspects of his nature to attain the most glory for himself.

God controls Satan's every move, and every wicked act of the most vile sinner. God is the source of all evil.

11) Again, the puppet-master issue. God does not control every one of Satan's moves - he allows them. Thus he is not the author of evil, he is one who allows things to occur which may seem evil or cruel to us, yet which he sees as an ultimate good in the macro-timeline...like a parent who allows the child to stick themselves with the safety pin so they will recognize the danger associated with such things on a visceral level.

...God is a lying, taunting, sadistic, insane, wicked, tyrant who demands our worship!

12) Throw out all of those other unsubstantiated adjectives...ask this: shouldn't God demand our worship? Isn't he the creator and us the creation. Isn't he the potter and us the clay? Isn't he God and us NOT!

For the fortunate few on whom Calvinism's God has arbitrarily decided to bestow every good thing, God is a pretty cool dude! They have their ticket, and no matter what they do, they are destined for eternal bliss. To hell with the rest of mankind.

13) The view mentioned here is a hyper-calvinist stance...it is a completely inaccurate view of how Calvinists have seen election and the Great Commission throughout the ages. Reformed believers have been huge in the areas of evangelism and missions - we believe that God has deemed us to be the instruments of his hands in bringing others to the gospel.

I strongly believe that Atheism thrives largely because of the Reformed - Calvinist model.

14) Atheism and nominal Christianity are rampant because people don't want to recognize the sovereignty of God in all of creation. They want to usurp God from his throne and place themselves up there instead. The Reformed model fights atheism by working to bring light to the majesty and authority of the Father.

And let's be frank. If the logical outcome of a particular philosophy is impossible, then the system is illogical.

15) This is kinda beside the point but "not so." An arguement can be valid and not sound.

The real mistake of Calvinists is elevating God's sovereignty at the expense of His holiness.

16) The real problem is trying to divorce the two. The sovereignty of God lays the foundation for his holiness. Because he is sovereign-whatever he decrees is holy. His holiness is a direct result of his sovereignty.

They have failed to see that sovereignty does NOT demand God's micromanaging all His creatures.

17) No one in the Reformed camp argues that God micromanages his creatures. Again the flawed puppet-master view comes into effect. The author of the essay should do an exhaustive study of what the Reformed view of Gods sovereignty really is before tries to address it. His entire paper has been a big "straw man" fallacy. He has built up a Calvinist position that really isn't our position and then he has torn it down. If we believed what he says we believed then he would be correct in his conclusions, however he fundamentally misunderstands Reformed theology.

But, His purpose in creation would not be realized if He did so. Free will and allowing natural consequences to follow human choices is a major component of what God is accomplishing with His creation.

18) I guess we simply disagree on Gods purpose in creation. Reformed people would not say that free-will decision making ability for humans  was God's ultimate purpose in the redemptive narrative. We would say that God made all things, allowed the fall, redeemed the elect, and comes to make all things new again for one reason...the reason that Satan and the fallen angels and many men don't want to hear...FOR HIS OWN GLORY AND NOT FOR US.

God is the Author of Evil

Check out this interesting article by Tim Warner. He tries to use logic to equate Gods sovereignty with an authorship of evil. I think he is seriously flawed in this view because he fails to address so many specific theological nuiansces. Read and tell me what you think.
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When the philosophy that drives Calvinism is projected to its logical conclusion, even Satan's activity is an extension of God's sovereignty. God sovereignly controls Satan's every move. This makes God the author of everything evil, and the most wicked sinner of all. Some Calvinists actually admit this, and seek to defend it from Scripture. If ultimately God sovereignly is in control of everything, and if free will of man, angels, or even Satan, is ultimately under the control of God, then the responsibility for all wickedness and evil must be placed at the feet of God Himself. Are Satan's actions of his own free will? If so, then God has obviously limited His sovereignty regarding Satan's activities. He allows Satan free will. If Satan's actions are ultimately under the control of God, then Satan is merely God's puppet, or "dark side."
The God of the Bible does not resemble this kind of god.

I John 1
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

James 1
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

We must keep in mind that Satan's ultimate ambition is to usurp God's position, (Isaiah 14:13-15, 2 Thes. 2:3,4). Satan cannot make himself holy, but, he can make God appear to be unholy, closing the gap between man's perception of God and Satan. Satan simply assumes the dark side of God. This philosophical merging of God and Satan in effect fulfills Satan's ultimate aspiration.

The danger for Christians, however, is that only one baby step separates the Calvinism, taught in mainstream Evangelical churches, from the logical philosophical conclusion, that God is both good and evil. Ultimately, God is Satan and Satan is God. In the last days this philosophy will facilitate Christians worshipping the Beast.

I am very troubled by the logical implications that the Calvinist philosophy forces Christians to embrace. And also the image of the Christian "God" presented to the world.

Calvinism, when consistently taken to its logical conclusions, implies all of the following:

1. God's offers of salvation to "whosoever will" are insincere. God is not completely honest in Scripture.
2. God offers to save the non-elect IF they will do what is utterly impossible. God taunts the damned.
3. God created most people for the purpose of torturing them forever. God is cruel and sadistic.
4. God CAN save all, and DESIRES to save all, but chooses to damn many for no apparent reason. God is insane.
5. God controls Satan's every move, and every wicked act of the most vile sinner. God is the source of all evil.

The bottom line is that Calvinism, when carried to its logical conclusions, implies that God is a lying, taunting, sadistic, insane, wicked, tyrant who demands our worship! One could substitute the word "Satan" instead of "God" in most of the above 5 statements, giving a more accurate portrayal of Bible doctrine. For the fortunate few on whom Calvinism's God has arbitrarily decided to bestow every good thing, God is a pretty cool dude! They have their ticket, and no matter what they do, they are destined for eternal bliss. To hell with the rest of mankind. Calvinism seems pretty attractive to those with an elitist mentality. But, what kind of God are Calvinists presenting to the rest of mankind? I strongly believe that Atheism thrives largely because of the Reformed - Calvinist model. That is, Calvinism's portrayal of God is one of the major reasons that many thinking people reject God. They are rejecting the Calvinist's God. While I do not agree with all of Dave Hunts' points in his book, "What Love is This?", I think his title is far too tame!

I have received a fair amount of "hate mail" from Calvinists because my expressing the concerns in this article. Usually they accuse me of equating Calvinism with the Occult. But, that is not what I have written. Unfortunately, in most cases, they have misunderstood my point. I am NOT saying that Calvinists actually teach God is wicked, or a sinner, or even directly responsible for sin. Most Calvinists stop short of drawing those conclusions. I am saying that this is the logical outcome when you project Calvinism's philosophy to its logical conclusions. And let's be frank. If the logical outcome of a particular philosophy is impossible, then the system is illogical.

The real mistake of Calvinists is elevating God's sovereignty at the expense of His holiness. They have failed to see that sovereignty does NOT demand God's micromanaging all His creatures. That God has the power to control everything is without question. But, His purpose in creation would not be realized if He did so. Free will and allowing natural consequences to follow human choices is a major component of what God is accomplishing with His creation.
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I am going to post a reply on here in short order with my answer to Mr. Warner's thoughts.

It was my sin that held Him there...

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
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Those lyrics come from the 1995 Stuart Townsend song "How Depp the Father's Love for Us"


We sang it in church this morning.


As we were singing I thought of Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ."  We have all seen that movie and I imagine that most of us watched the flogging and crucifixion scene and thought "...oh, thats so horrible that he had to go through all of that...those horrible Pharisees and Romans..."


Heres an idea...


What was really going on that day was far worse than the physical beating that Jesus took.  All of our sin was being placed on Christ's shoulders and he DIDN'T deserve any of it.


He took all of our sin and payed our penalty so that we could enter into eternity with the Father.


Yes, I said "our"...thats what hit me this morning because of the Townsend song...it wasn't the Pharisees and the Romans that I should be so angry at - its myself.  He suffered for me, for everytime I envy and lust, for every malicious word that comes from my mouth, for every failure of mine to uphold God's righteous law.


I put Jesus on that cross...


But then again, in a way I didn't...he submitted himself to that cross for me.  Thats the beauty of the cross - when I look at the events of Good Friday I see a God who loved me so much he died for MY sins...not just sin in the abstract.


When we think of it that way we can achieve a far greater appreciation for our Saviour and hopefully a greater sense of worship and relationship with Christ.

Reprobate

So my Muslim friend at work and I start having a conversation today.  It starts because he has a question regarding the term "reprobate."  He wants to know what that means in Christian theology.

I tell him that it means "foreordained to damnation."  Of course, I follow up by clarifying that the real question is WHO foreordains a reprobate person to hell.  Since I am not a hyper-calvinist I want to be clear with him that I don't think its God.

I tell him that we foreordain ourselves in light of the natural state of sin in which we come into this world.  I explained that we are all actively at odds with God, giving him the bird so to speak, in one way or another...from paganism to athieism.  Thus, I said, we are destined by who were are in our hearts for the pit of fire.

He jumped in to ask how that can be since we have free will.  I tried to use my ice cream illustration (actually Greg Koukl's illustration) about the interaction of our nature and our free-will.  In summary, our will can only act in accordance with our nature.  I told my friend that we will never freely choose God as long as our nature is set against him, in the same way a person who loves vanilla and hates chocolate will never choose chocolate if the choice is laid before them.

My friend didn't like the idea that we don't have libertarian free will.  I tried then to steer the conversation towards the idea that God is incredibly merciful to rescue any of us from ourselves given that all rebel aganist him and deserve eternal death.  My friend agreed with me and said that he could see how that was merciful indeed.

Then, he changed the subject and pondered why God wouldn't just create a world in which everyone was saved...why does anyone have to go to hell.  I told him that I didn't know the answer to that one.  God certainly COULD have done that - yet, he chose not to.  I don't know why, but I trust him in the way that a child must trust a parent even if they don't understand.

I did formulate one guess to that question.  I said that it could be argued from Scripture that God is both love and wrath.,,he is both merciful and righteous.  In that case he may have chosen to create this world because it is the best way to display both aspects of his character.

In any case, I suggested that we needed to throw away our modern and conventional ideas about "free-will" and "God is love" because the Bible doesn't explain those things the same way that our culture does.

At this point my friend had to head back to his task and we didn't get to talk anymore.  Bummer.  I used to get to interact with folks at work more often about these important topics.  My newest projects have largely kept me from those conversations.  Maybe opportunities will reopen soon.

The Human Heart

FromJosh Gelatt - go HERE

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9)
Over the years we've tried our hand at raising a few backyard animals---(chickens, geese, etc). One of my customs is to save food scraps in a few 5-gallon buckets. I use these to feed the scraps to the animals, or to store them to eventually throw on the compost pile.
Yet for the past several months I've also been busy finishing off our basement. I've accumulated a lot more buckets---paint, drywall mud, primer. Somehow, in the confusion of all these projects, one of the food buckets ended up in the contstruction supplies. All was well and good--at least until I opened it in the house. The smell of that bucket--now containing several months worth of rotted food--immediately filled the house.
That food bucket is something like the human heart. All might look well and good on the outside, but on the inside it is horribly rotten. C.H. Spurgeon captured the true condition of our hearts when he wrote the following:

"There is nothing one half so worthy of abhorrence as the human heart. God spares all eyes but His own that awful sight, a human heart; and could you and I but see our heart, we should be driven mad, so horrible would be the sight."

Jeremiah 17:9 isn't just talking about our evil deeds. It is highlighting the general condition of our heart apart from Christ. Of course, this does mean that we are prone towards evil thoughts and deeds. But it also means that even the "good" things we do are considered evil in the eyes of the Lord. Isaiah 64:6 tells us "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags". Everything is rotten, down to our very core.
The Christian does not stand before God because he or she has achieved some degree of righteousness by having lived a good life. The true Christian, instead, is one who recognizes he or she is a rebel and villian--but one who has been redeemed and changed by Christ. With David, we cry out "create in me a pure heart, O God" (Psalm 51:10).