“You must necessarily correspond to the seed from which you sprang—if indeed it is true that the originator of our race and our sin, Adam, WILLED THE SIN which he committed.” (Tertullian, c.212, W, 4.51; from “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs,” by David W. Bercot, editor. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008, page 288).
It’s been a common belief in society that animals, people, insects, etc., are identical to their kind. Horses have a very similar anatomy (although they are different kinds); people have identical anatomy, even if they are of different ethnicity, height, hair color, eye color, broad-shouldered or thin-framed.
Tertullian uses that same reasoning here: that, since all of humanity descends from Adam, the first human, we all have been given free will like Adam. I’ll set up a syllogism here:
I. Adam was the first human.
II. Adam had free will.
III. Humanity descends from Adam.
IV. Therefore, humanity also has free will.
However, this is not believed by the Calvinists. I’ve been reading the book “Perspectives on the Doctrine of God,” and I’ve noticed that our free will (according to the Calvinists) is either “compatible” to God’s causation (God being the determiner of my will) or else I only have what Bruce Ware calls “the freedom of inclination,” where I can only CHOOSE that which my nature desires to do (in other words, I can only CHOOSE TO SIN—don’t understand that one)…
We see here, though, in Tertullian’s analysis, that free will was not DESTROYED by the fall. Some time back, I talked with a friend, and her dad believes that our will still exists, but it isn’t free. To which I responded, “well, if we have a will and it isn’t free, then what is it?” It can’t be a will if it isn’t free. To will something means to “decide” on something, to choose something. If our will isn’t free, then my friend’s dad shares the view of Bruce Ware: our freedom is only a “freedom of inclination,” which means that our “free” will is “imprisoned” to sin. And if humanity is born with an imprisoned will, then we can’t be responsible for any of the choices we’ve made. As I’ve stated in earlier posts, to be “responsible” for something means that, in any situation, the person was the primary cause or mover. If the person is responsible for a choice made, then the will was free to decide in either direction. If the decision of the will was already made BEFORE the person made the decision, then that person was FORCED to make a choice; and there is no force in freedom.
According to Tertullian, we are “free by birth.” And that is indeed the case: every man, woman, boy, and girl is born with a free will, a will that can choose right from wrong, the true from the false, the godly from the ungodly. And with the Lord’s presence in our lives, we have all we need to stand against “the wiles of the devil.”
Showing posts with label The Church Fathers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Church Fathers. Show all posts
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Origin of Sin
As I often do, I’m back to give another quote from the church fathers. Tonight’s quote will come from Clement of Alexandria:
“Neither praises nor censures, neither rewards nor punishments, are right IF THE SOUL DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER OF INCLINATION AND DISINCLINATION AND IF EVIL IS INVOLUNTARY…IN NO RESPECT IS GOD THE AUTHOR OF EVIL. But since FREE CHOICE AND INCLINATION ORIGINATE SINS…punishments are justly inflicted” (Clement of Alexandria, c.195, E, 2.319; from “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs” by David W. Bercot, Editor. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008, page 287).
Clement makes some interesting statements regarding the free will of man. First, he says that the soul has “the power of inclination and DISINCLINATION”—here, Clement tells us that not only does the soul have the power to CHOOSE ITS OWN TENDENCIES, but that the soul can also CHOOSE AGAINST ITS TENDENCIES. I stated in my post regarding “The Freedom of Inclination” and other posts in “Perspectives on the Doctrine of God” that Calvinists claim that our freedom lies in only doing what the inclination is…and yet, Scripture continually exhorts us that we can RESIST the devil. Scripture clearly can’t be wrong—therefore, if Scripture tells me that I have the power to resist the Devil, then I have the power to resist the Devil…which means that I can RESIST my inner inclinations!
Next, Clement says that rewards or punishments are not needed “if evil is involuntary.” What does it mean for something to be “involuntary”? I found two meanings in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary Online that will be pertinent to our discussion:
1 : done contrary to or without choice
2 : COMPULSORY
The first definition of involuntary is “done CONTRARY TO or WITHOUT CHOICE.” In other words, the person who does something “involuntary” is not given a choice over it—they are MADE to do it, which is “compulsory.” This would be someone who has a gun put to their head and made to rob a bank. That person is doing what they’re doing out of compulsion, out of forced request—not because they DESIRE it. It is acting on desires that makes us culpable for our deeds. So, if evil is “involuntary,” if, according to the Calvinists, we are made to do evil by the ordination of God and not the choices of men, then we are not responsible. To aid us in the discussion, I’ll give the meanings of the word “responsible” below (also from Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary Online):
1 a: liable to be called on to answer b (1): liable to be called to account as the primary cause, motive, or agent; a committee responsible for the job (2): being the cause or explanation; mechanical defects were responsible for the accident c: liable to legal review or in case of fault to penalties 2 a: able to answer for one's conduct and obligations : TRUSTWORTHY b: able to choose for oneself between right and wrong3: marked by or involving responsibility or accountability; responsible financial policies, a responsible job; 4: politically answerable ; especially : required to submit to the electorate if defeated by the legislature —used especially of the British cabinet.
There are some definitions of note for the word “responsible”: first, there is definition 1b: “liable to be called to account as the PRIMARY CAUSE, motive, or AGENT.” When someone is the primary cause, he or she is the one who sets something in motion, someone who starts something, who originates it. If, according to the Calvinist, God is the PRIMARY CAUSE, then God is responsible for the evil in the world—for according to the Calvinist, He is the One who sets all the evil into motion.
Definition #2 is pretty much a repeat of 1b. However, definition 2b is of note:
“ABLE TO CHOOSE FOR ONESELF between right and wrong.”
Notice that the definition starts with the words “able to choose.” These words tell us that responsibility and blame start with someone who has the POTENTIAL to make a decision, choose between two or more alternatives. In this case, the person has the ability to decide whether to do right or wrong, good or bad, correct or incorrect.
Clement then writes the words, “In no respect is God the author of evil.” These lovely words tell us that Clement attests to what Scripture has to say about God’s relation to evil:
“You are not a God who delights in wickedness; EVIL CANNOT LODGE WITH YOU” (Psalm 5:4, HCSB).
“The face of the LORD is set against those WHO DO WHAT IS EVIL, to erase all memory of them from the earth” (Psalm 34:16, HCSB).
“For indeed, LORD, your enemies—indeed, YOUR ENEMIES WILL PERISH; ALL EVILDOERS WILL BE SCATTERED” (Psalm 92:9, HCSB).
“He protects the lives of His godly ones; He rescues them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10, HCSB).
“But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways, THE LORD WILL BANISH THEM WITH THE EVILDOERS. Peace be with Israel” (Psalm 125:5, HCSB).
“To fear the Lord is TO HATE EVIL” (Proverbs 8:13).
“The LORD DETESTS THE PLANS OF AN EVIL MAN, but pleasant words are pure” (Proverbs 15:26).
“Wickedness is atoned for by loyalty and faithfulness, and one turns from evil BY THE FEAR OF THE LORD” (Proverbs 16:6).
“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. REMOVE YOUR EVIL DEEDS from My sight. STOP DOING EVIL” (Isaiah 1:16).
“I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear; you did what was evil in My sight and chose what I did not delight in.” (Isaiah 65:12)
“"I will pronounce My judgments against them for all the evil they did when they abandoned Me to burn incense to other gods and to worship the works of their own hands.” (Jeremiah 1:16)
“Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Think it over and see how evil and bitter it is for you to abandon the LORD your God and to have no fear of Me. [This is] the declaration of the Lord GOD of Hosts.” (Jeremiah 2:19)
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish [it] because of your evil deeds.” (Jeremiah 4:4)
“For My people are fools; they do not know Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good.” (Jer. 4:22)
“"For the Judeans have done what is evil in My sight." [This is] the LORD's declaration. "They have set up their detestable things in the house that is called by My name and defiled it.” (Jer. 7:30)
“Yet they would not obey or pay attention; each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant, because they had not done what I commanded [them] to do." (Jeremiah 11:8)
“Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.” (Amos 5:14)
“You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you ask, "How have we wearied [Him]?" When you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the LORD's sight, and He is pleased with them," or "Where is the God of justice?" (Malachi 2:17)
“The world cannot hate you, but it does hate Me because I testify about it—that its deeds are evil.” (John 7:7)
“God raised up His Servant and sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways." (Acts 3:26)
“who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,” (Galatians 1:4)
“This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)
“But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess. 3:3)
“Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)
“No one undergoing a trial should say, "I am being tempted by God." For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn't tempt anyone.” (James 1:13)
“because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12)
“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 1:11)
All of the above work shows us that evil is ANTITHETICAL to God’s nature, which is “Good.” Clement’s words, then, ring true—for God is NOT RESPONSIBLE for evil. If God is not responsible, then someone has to be. In that case, the “someone” would be “mankind,” for James 1 tells us that mankind is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
Last but not least, Clement tells us one more thing regarding sin itself: “Free choice and inclination ORIGINATE sins.” This, my friends, is the ORIGIN OF SIN—man’s choice and his inner inclinations!
This is why we see Cain murder his brother Abel in Genesis 4 after the Lord’s counsel to Cain. This is why we read of the Lord’s judgment in Genesis 6, when it says that violence covered the earth and every thought of man’s was evil continually.
Clement then, is right in his statement concerning God’s separation from evil, and
man being the originator of evil itself. For those who wanna see more church father quotes, stick around for more to come…
“Neither praises nor censures, neither rewards nor punishments, are right IF THE SOUL DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER OF INCLINATION AND DISINCLINATION AND IF EVIL IS INVOLUNTARY…IN NO RESPECT IS GOD THE AUTHOR OF EVIL. But since FREE CHOICE AND INCLINATION ORIGINATE SINS…punishments are justly inflicted” (Clement of Alexandria, c.195, E, 2.319; from “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs” by David W. Bercot, Editor. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008, page 287).
Clement makes some interesting statements regarding the free will of man. First, he says that the soul has “the power of inclination and DISINCLINATION”—here, Clement tells us that not only does the soul have the power to CHOOSE ITS OWN TENDENCIES, but that the soul can also CHOOSE AGAINST ITS TENDENCIES. I stated in my post regarding “The Freedom of Inclination” and other posts in “Perspectives on the Doctrine of God” that Calvinists claim that our freedom lies in only doing what the inclination is…and yet, Scripture continually exhorts us that we can RESIST the devil. Scripture clearly can’t be wrong—therefore, if Scripture tells me that I have the power to resist the Devil, then I have the power to resist the Devil…which means that I can RESIST my inner inclinations!
Next, Clement says that rewards or punishments are not needed “if evil is involuntary.” What does it mean for something to be “involuntary”? I found two meanings in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary Online that will be pertinent to our discussion:
1 : done contrary to or without choice
2 : COMPULSORY
The first definition of involuntary is “done CONTRARY TO or WITHOUT CHOICE.” In other words, the person who does something “involuntary” is not given a choice over it—they are MADE to do it, which is “compulsory.” This would be someone who has a gun put to their head and made to rob a bank. That person is doing what they’re doing out of compulsion, out of forced request—not because they DESIRE it. It is acting on desires that makes us culpable for our deeds. So, if evil is “involuntary,” if, according to the Calvinists, we are made to do evil by the ordination of God and not the choices of men, then we are not responsible. To aid us in the discussion, I’ll give the meanings of the word “responsible” below (also from Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary Online):
1 a: liable to be called on to answer b (1): liable to be called to account as the primary cause, motive, or agent; a committee responsible for the job (2): being the cause or explanation; mechanical defects were responsible for the accident c: liable to legal review or in case of fault to penalties 2 a: able to answer for one's conduct and obligations : TRUSTWORTHY b: able to choose for oneself between right and wrong3: marked by or involving responsibility or accountability; responsible financial policies, a responsible job; 4: politically answerable ; especially : required to submit to the electorate if defeated by the legislature —used especially of the British cabinet.
There are some definitions of note for the word “responsible”: first, there is definition 1b: “liable to be called to account as the PRIMARY CAUSE, motive, or AGENT.” When someone is the primary cause, he or she is the one who sets something in motion, someone who starts something, who originates it. If, according to the Calvinist, God is the PRIMARY CAUSE, then God is responsible for the evil in the world—for according to the Calvinist, He is the One who sets all the evil into motion.
Definition #2 is pretty much a repeat of 1b. However, definition 2b is of note:
“ABLE TO CHOOSE FOR ONESELF between right and wrong.”
Notice that the definition starts with the words “able to choose.” These words tell us that responsibility and blame start with someone who has the POTENTIAL to make a decision, choose between two or more alternatives. In this case, the person has the ability to decide whether to do right or wrong, good or bad, correct or incorrect.
Clement then writes the words, “In no respect is God the author of evil.” These lovely words tell us that Clement attests to what Scripture has to say about God’s relation to evil:
“You are not a God who delights in wickedness; EVIL CANNOT LODGE WITH YOU” (Psalm 5:4, HCSB).
“The face of the LORD is set against those WHO DO WHAT IS EVIL, to erase all memory of them from the earth” (Psalm 34:16, HCSB).
“For indeed, LORD, your enemies—indeed, YOUR ENEMIES WILL PERISH; ALL EVILDOERS WILL BE SCATTERED” (Psalm 92:9, HCSB).
“He protects the lives of His godly ones; He rescues them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10, HCSB).
“But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways, THE LORD WILL BANISH THEM WITH THE EVILDOERS. Peace be with Israel” (Psalm 125:5, HCSB).
“To fear the Lord is TO HATE EVIL” (Proverbs 8:13).
“The LORD DETESTS THE PLANS OF AN EVIL MAN, but pleasant words are pure” (Proverbs 15:26).
“Wickedness is atoned for by loyalty and faithfulness, and one turns from evil BY THE FEAR OF THE LORD” (Proverbs 16:6).
“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. REMOVE YOUR EVIL DEEDS from My sight. STOP DOING EVIL” (Isaiah 1:16).
“I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear; you did what was evil in My sight and chose what I did not delight in.” (Isaiah 65:12)
“"I will pronounce My judgments against them for all the evil they did when they abandoned Me to burn incense to other gods and to worship the works of their own hands.” (Jeremiah 1:16)
“Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Think it over and see how evil and bitter it is for you to abandon the LORD your God and to have no fear of Me. [This is] the declaration of the Lord GOD of Hosts.” (Jeremiah 2:19)
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish [it] because of your evil deeds.” (Jeremiah 4:4)
“For My people are fools; they do not know Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good.” (Jer. 4:22)
“"For the Judeans have done what is evil in My sight." [This is] the LORD's declaration. "They have set up their detestable things in the house that is called by My name and defiled it.” (Jer. 7:30)
“Yet they would not obey or pay attention; each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant, because they had not done what I commanded [them] to do." (Jeremiah 11:8)
“Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.” (Amos 5:14)
“You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you ask, "How have we wearied [Him]?" When you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the LORD's sight, and He is pleased with them," or "Where is the God of justice?" (Malachi 2:17)
“The world cannot hate you, but it does hate Me because I testify about it—that its deeds are evil.” (John 7:7)
“God raised up His Servant and sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways." (Acts 3:26)
“who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,” (Galatians 1:4)
“This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)
“But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess. 3:3)
“Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)
“No one undergoing a trial should say, "I am being tempted by God." For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn't tempt anyone.” (James 1:13)
“because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12)
“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 1:11)
All of the above work shows us that evil is ANTITHETICAL to God’s nature, which is “Good.” Clement’s words, then, ring true—for God is NOT RESPONSIBLE for evil. If God is not responsible, then someone has to be. In that case, the “someone” would be “mankind,” for James 1 tells us that mankind is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
Last but not least, Clement tells us one more thing regarding sin itself: “Free choice and inclination ORIGINATE sins.” This, my friends, is the ORIGIN OF SIN—man’s choice and his inner inclinations!
This is why we see Cain murder his brother Abel in Genesis 4 after the Lord’s counsel to Cain. This is why we read of the Lord’s judgment in Genesis 6, when it says that violence covered the earth and every thought of man’s was evil continually.
Clement then, is right in his statement concerning God’s separation from evil, and
man being the originator of evil itself. For those who wanna see more church father quotes, stick around for more to come…
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Man: Master of His Own Will
“I find, then, that man was constituted free by God. HE WAS MASTER OF HIS OWN WILL AND POWER…for a law would not be imposed upon one who did not have it in his power to render that obedience which is due to law. Nor again, would the penalty of death be threatened against sin, if a contempt of the law were impossible to man in the liberty of his will…Man is free, with a will either for obedience or resistance” (Tertullian, c.207, W, 3.300, 301; from “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs,” page 288).
According to Tertullian, man has been given free will; and his free will is the thing that holds him accountable for his sin.
His statement that “he[man] was MASTER OF HIS OWN WILL” can be seen in Genesis 4 regarding Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous and envied the fact that his brother’s offering was accepted. Read the Lord’s words to Cain:
“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you furious? And why are you downcast? If you do right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do right, SIN IS CROUCHING AT THE DOOR. Its desire is for you, BUT YOU MUST MASTER IT” (Genesis 4:6-7, Holman Christian Standard Bible).
The Lord told Cain that he needed to “master” sin—in other words, gain control of his anger and WILL himself to make the right choice.
Let’s look at the actual verses in the Septuagint (LXX, Greek Old Testament:
“kai eipen kurios ho theos tow Kain ‘hina ti perilupos egenou, kai hina ti sunepesen to prosopon sou; ouk, ean orthos prosenegkes, orthos de me dieles, hemartes; hesuxason. Pros se he apostrophe autou, kai su arxseis autou.”
Translated into English, the above Greek reads:
“And the Lord God said to Cain, “For what [reason] have you become grieved, and for what [reason] has your face fallen? Unless you bear [it] well (rightly); but if you do not bear it well, sin? Be silent: It [sin] is to turn you away, but you will rule it.”
The word here for “rule” is “arxseis,” which comes from the parent word “arxo,” meaning “to be chief, to lead, to rule, to be FIRST; to reign or rule over.”
So when the Lord tells Cain that sin is there to turn him away from doing right, He is telling Cain that he can RULE OVER his emotions and choose to do that which is right. Doesn’t this seem to show us Arminianism, that, in every situation, man can choose AGAINST his inclinations, IN SPITE of them? Contra Bruce Ware, man really can go against his strongest desires (even if those desires are evil).
But we see something else with the text of Genesis 4: we find the Lord exhorting Cain to RESIST the tendency to do evil in his heart, which shows that God NEVER INTENDS for anyone to do evil.
Tertullian’s quote above shows us that, because man CAN choose AGAINST his inclinations (can do the right thing), that man is to be judged when he does that which is wrong. It turns out, then, that man truly is MASTER of his own will: he can will to do good, or to do evil; as Tertullian said, “Man is free, with either a will for OBEDIENCE or RESISTANCE…”
According to Tertullian, man has been given free will; and his free will is the thing that holds him accountable for his sin.
His statement that “he[man] was MASTER OF HIS OWN WILL” can be seen in Genesis 4 regarding Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous and envied the fact that his brother’s offering was accepted. Read the Lord’s words to Cain:
“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you furious? And why are you downcast? If you do right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do right, SIN IS CROUCHING AT THE DOOR. Its desire is for you, BUT YOU MUST MASTER IT” (Genesis 4:6-7, Holman Christian Standard Bible).
The Lord told Cain that he needed to “master” sin—in other words, gain control of his anger and WILL himself to make the right choice.
Let’s look at the actual verses in the Septuagint (LXX, Greek Old Testament:
“kai eipen kurios ho theos tow Kain ‘hina ti perilupos egenou, kai hina ti sunepesen to prosopon sou; ouk, ean orthos prosenegkes, orthos de me dieles, hemartes; hesuxason. Pros se he apostrophe autou, kai su arxseis autou.”
Translated into English, the above Greek reads:
“And the Lord God said to Cain, “For what [reason] have you become grieved, and for what [reason] has your face fallen? Unless you bear [it] well (rightly); but if you do not bear it well, sin? Be silent: It [sin] is to turn you away, but you will rule it.”
The word here for “rule” is “arxseis,” which comes from the parent word “arxo,” meaning “to be chief, to lead, to rule, to be FIRST; to reign or rule over.”
So when the Lord tells Cain that sin is there to turn him away from doing right, He is telling Cain that he can RULE OVER his emotions and choose to do that which is right. Doesn’t this seem to show us Arminianism, that, in every situation, man can choose AGAINST his inclinations, IN SPITE of them? Contra Bruce Ware, man really can go against his strongest desires (even if those desires are evil).
But we see something else with the text of Genesis 4: we find the Lord exhorting Cain to RESIST the tendency to do evil in his heart, which shows that God NEVER INTENDS for anyone to do evil.
Tertullian’s quote above shows us that, because man CAN choose AGAINST his inclinations (can do the right thing), that man is to be judged when he does that which is wrong. It turns out, then, that man truly is MASTER of his own will: he can will to do good, or to do evil; as Tertullian said, “Man is free, with either a will for OBEDIENCE or RESISTANCE…”
Monday, August 3, 2009
Same Old Pharaoh, Same Old Discussion: Quote #3, Part II
“[The Marcionites] say, ‘But God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants.’ Now those who allege such difficulties do not read in the Gospel the passage where the Lord replied to the disciples, when they asked Him, ‘Why do you speak in parables?’ He replied: ‘Because it is given to you to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven. However, I speak to them in parables so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not hear.’…so God knows the number of those who will not believe, since He foreknows all things. So He has given them over to unbelief and turned His face away from men of this character, leaving them in the darkness that they have chosen for themselves. So what is baffling if He gave Pharaoh and those who were with him over to their unbelief? FOR THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE BELIEVED.” (Irenaeus, c. 180, E/W, 1.502; from “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs” by editor David W. Bercot, page 286).
Now, on to Pharaoh. God gave Nebuchadnezzar over to “himself,” as the Lord did those in the Gentile world who refused to acknowledge God in “the things that had been made.” But what about Pharaoh? Is God responsible for Pharaoh’s hardened heart?
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and say to him: This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 2 But if you refuse to let [them] go and keep holding them, 3 then the LORD's hand will bring a severe plague against your livestock in the field—the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. 4 But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that the Israelites own will die." 5 And the LORD set a time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land." (A) 6 The LORD did this the next day. All the Egyptian livestock died, (B) but none among the Israelite livestock died. 7 Pharaoh sent [messengers] who saw that not a single one of the Israelite livestock was dead. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, (C) and he did not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of furnace soot, and Moses is to throw it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the entire land of Egypt. It will become festering boils (D) on people and animals throughout the land of Egypt." 10 So they took furnace soot and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it toward heaven, and it became festering boils on man and beast. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. (E) 12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart (F) and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had told Moses. (Exodus 9:1-12, HCSB)
Notice that in verse 7, Pharaoh hardens his heart after the fifth plague comes and leaves. By the time the Lord sent plague six, boils, over the land of Egypt, GOD HIMSELF hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Verse 12 says, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not listen to them, AS THE LORD HAD TOLD MOSES.”
The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart here in Exodus 9:12, as well as Exodus 10:27 and Exodus 11:10. But the Lord had told Moses and Aaron in Exodus 7:3,
“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.”
In the same chapter, Exodus 7, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh as God had instructed them. After they gave Pharaoh their message, what happened?
“13 However, Pharaoh's heart hardened, (H) and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 7:13, HCSB)
Pharaoh refused to listen to them. He refused to pay attention to the signs God had given them to prove that He was the one true living God, and that He wanted His people freed—that He would do whatever it took to deliver His people.
How did God respond to Pharaoh’s attitude?
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh is unresponsive: he refuses to let the people go. (Exod. 7:14, HCSB)
The Lord made it clear that PHARAOH HIMSELF was unresponsive, and refused to yield. God wasn’t responsible for Pharaoh’s response—PHARAOH WAS! However, God would use Pharaoh’s response to bring glory to His people—and Himself! He would bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt at all costs.
After God sent the first plague (turned water into blood), what happened?
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood. (K) 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their occult practices. So Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23 Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and didn't even take this to heart. (Exod. 7:20-23, HCSB)
Pharaoh’s magicians did the same thing that Moses and Aaron did; and none of it
affected Pharaoh. It says he “turned around, went into his palace, and DIDN’T EVEN TAKE THIS TO HEART.” It had no effect on him, changed nothing about him…didn’t scare him, didn’t alarm him, didn’t make him change anything about his routine. He lost no sleep, no weight, nothing, behind God’s actions.
God sent the second plague, FROGS, all over the land. Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to pray that the frogs would leave. They did so, and all the frogs left. What was Pharaoh’s response?
13 The LORD did as Moses had said: the frogs in the houses, courtyards, and fields died. 14 They piled them in countless heaps, and there was a terrible odor in the land. 15 But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart (I) and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. (Exodus 8:13-15, HCSB)
Notice that verse 15 says, “But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, HE HARDENED HIS HEART…” Here we see, once again, that Pharaoh was responsible for hardening his heart.
What I find most fascinating about this story is that, God, KNOWING PHARAOH’S RESPONSE EVERY TIME, listened to the prayers of Moses and Aaron to remove judgment from Egypt—and every time, God removed the plague. But He knew that Pharaoh would not believe in Him, no matter what He did. Someone might say, “Well, if God knew that, then why did He remove the plagues?” My answer? Because God’s mercy would be justification for God’s judgment. The fact that God had mercy on Pharaoh, spared his life, and gave him time to repent, change, and do the right thing is why God could bring judgment on him in the end. God never brings judgment and wrath without first bringing MERCY AND BLESSING. And with Pharaoh, it was no different.
The third plague was gnats all over the land. This was the one thing that the magicians could not reproduce. Finally, when their magic had come to its end, they saw this as a sign from God:
19 "This is the finger of God," (K) the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. (Exodus 8:19, HCSB)
The magicians saw God in the fact that He could do something they could not do; but not Pharaoh—he was gonna stay on the Titanic; even if it was a sinking ship.
God sent the fourth plague, the swarms of flies. This time, Pharaoh initially conceded to letting the Israelites worship in Egypt itself. Moses made it clear that their practices were abhorred by the Egyptians, and that, if they were caught conducting practices against Egyptian law, they could be stoned. Pharaoh initially acted as though he would let the Israelites go. This is the encounter between him and Moses:
29 "As soon as I leave you," Moses said, "I will appeal to the LORD, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceptively again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to the LORD." 30 Then Moses left Pharaoh's presence and appealed to the LORD. 31 The LORD did as Moses had said: He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people; not one was left. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go. (Exod. 8:29-32, HCSB)
Moses said, “Pharaoh must not act DECEPTIVELY AGAIN by refusing to let the people go…” In other words, God was not gonna tolerate Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness but for so long. Pharaoh promised he wouldn’t, but, once again, “Pharaoh HARDENED HIS HEART THIS TIME ALSO…” Nothing would change Pharaoh’s heart—nothing at all. No matter what God did, Pharaoh wasn’t gonna budge.
Part III is on its way.
Now, on to Pharaoh. God gave Nebuchadnezzar over to “himself,” as the Lord did those in the Gentile world who refused to acknowledge God in “the things that had been made.” But what about Pharaoh? Is God responsible for Pharaoh’s hardened heart?
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and say to him: This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 2 But if you refuse to let [them] go and keep holding them, 3 then the LORD's hand will bring a severe plague against your livestock in the field—the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. 4 But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that the Israelites own will die." 5 And the LORD set a time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land." (A) 6 The LORD did this the next day. All the Egyptian livestock died, (B) but none among the Israelite livestock died. 7 Pharaoh sent [messengers] who saw that not a single one of the Israelite livestock was dead. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, (C) and he did not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of furnace soot, and Moses is to throw it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the entire land of Egypt. It will become festering boils (D) on people and animals throughout the land of Egypt." 10 So they took furnace soot and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw it toward heaven, and it became festering boils on man and beast. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians. (E) 12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart (F) and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had told Moses. (Exodus 9:1-12, HCSB)
Notice that in verse 7, Pharaoh hardens his heart after the fifth plague comes and leaves. By the time the Lord sent plague six, boils, over the land of Egypt, GOD HIMSELF hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Verse 12 says, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not listen to them, AS THE LORD HAD TOLD MOSES.”
The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart here in Exodus 9:12, as well as Exodus 10:27 and Exodus 11:10. But the Lord had told Moses and Aaron in Exodus 7:3,
“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.”
In the same chapter, Exodus 7, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh as God had instructed them. After they gave Pharaoh their message, what happened?
“13 However, Pharaoh's heart hardened, (H) and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 7:13, HCSB)
Pharaoh refused to listen to them. He refused to pay attention to the signs God had given them to prove that He was the one true living God, and that He wanted His people freed—that He would do whatever it took to deliver His people.
How did God respond to Pharaoh’s attitude?
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh is unresponsive: he refuses to let the people go. (Exod. 7:14, HCSB)
The Lord made it clear that PHARAOH HIMSELF was unresponsive, and refused to yield. God wasn’t responsible for Pharaoh’s response—PHARAOH WAS! However, God would use Pharaoh’s response to bring glory to His people—and Himself! He would bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt at all costs.
After God sent the first plague (turned water into blood), what happened?
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, he raised the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile was turned to blood. (K) 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad the Egyptians could not drink water from it. There was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their occult practices. So Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23 Pharaoh turned around, went into his palace, and didn't even take this to heart. (Exod. 7:20-23, HCSB)
Pharaoh’s magicians did the same thing that Moses and Aaron did; and none of it
affected Pharaoh. It says he “turned around, went into his palace, and DIDN’T EVEN TAKE THIS TO HEART.” It had no effect on him, changed nothing about him…didn’t scare him, didn’t alarm him, didn’t make him change anything about his routine. He lost no sleep, no weight, nothing, behind God’s actions.
God sent the second plague, FROGS, all over the land. Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to pray that the frogs would leave. They did so, and all the frogs left. What was Pharaoh’s response?
13 The LORD did as Moses had said: the frogs in the houses, courtyards, and fields died. 14 They piled them in countless heaps, and there was a terrible odor in the land. 15 But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart (I) and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. (Exodus 8:13-15, HCSB)
Notice that verse 15 says, “But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, HE HARDENED HIS HEART…” Here we see, once again, that Pharaoh was responsible for hardening his heart.
What I find most fascinating about this story is that, God, KNOWING PHARAOH’S RESPONSE EVERY TIME, listened to the prayers of Moses and Aaron to remove judgment from Egypt—and every time, God removed the plague. But He knew that Pharaoh would not believe in Him, no matter what He did. Someone might say, “Well, if God knew that, then why did He remove the plagues?” My answer? Because God’s mercy would be justification for God’s judgment. The fact that God had mercy on Pharaoh, spared his life, and gave him time to repent, change, and do the right thing is why God could bring judgment on him in the end. God never brings judgment and wrath without first bringing MERCY AND BLESSING. And with Pharaoh, it was no different.
The third plague was gnats all over the land. This was the one thing that the magicians could not reproduce. Finally, when their magic had come to its end, they saw this as a sign from God:
19 "This is the finger of God," (K) the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. (Exodus 8:19, HCSB)
The magicians saw God in the fact that He could do something they could not do; but not Pharaoh—he was gonna stay on the Titanic; even if it was a sinking ship.
God sent the fourth plague, the swarms of flies. This time, Pharaoh initially conceded to letting the Israelites worship in Egypt itself. Moses made it clear that their practices were abhorred by the Egyptians, and that, if they were caught conducting practices against Egyptian law, they could be stoned. Pharaoh initially acted as though he would let the Israelites go. This is the encounter between him and Moses:
29 "As soon as I leave you," Moses said, "I will appeal to the LORD, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. But Pharaoh must not act deceptively again by refusing to let the people go and sacrifice to the LORD." 30 Then Moses left Pharaoh's presence and appealed to the LORD. 31 The LORD did as Moses had said: He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people; not one was left. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and did not let the people go. (Exod. 8:29-32, HCSB)
Moses said, “Pharaoh must not act DECEPTIVELY AGAIN by refusing to let the people go…” In other words, God was not gonna tolerate Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness but for so long. Pharaoh promised he wouldn’t, but, once again, “Pharaoh HARDENED HIS HEART THIS TIME ALSO…” Nothing would change Pharaoh’s heart—nothing at all. No matter what God did, Pharaoh wasn’t gonna budge.
Part III is on its way.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Same Old Pharaoh, Same Old Discussion: Quote #3, Part I
“[The Marcionites] say, ‘But God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants.’ Now those who allege such difficulties do not read in the Gospel the passage where the Lord replied to the disciples, when they asked Him, ‘Why do you speak in parables?’ He replied: ‘Because it is given to you to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven. However, I speak to them in parables so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not hear.’…so God knows the number of those who will not believe, since He foreknows all things. So He has given them over to unbelief and turned His face away from men of this character, leaving them in the darkness that they have chosen for themselves. So what is baffling if He gave Pharaoh and those who were with him over to their unbelief? FOR THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE BELIEVED.” (Irenaeus, c. 180, E/W, 1.502; from “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs” by editor David W. Bercot, page 286).
Pharaoh is one of the persons marshaled as evidence of Calvinism in Scripture. Not only do Calvinists use Pharaoh: they even use him to argue that God selects certain people for salvation and damns others for reprobation!
According to Irenaeus, God knows ALL THINGS, including those who will believe in Him and those who will not. Because “they would never have believed,” God gives them over to their own choice—a life without Him.
Does this match the words of Scripture? You bet. Let’s read Romans 1:
18 For God's wrath (AH) is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, (AI) 19 since what can be known [o] about God is evident among them, (AJ) because God has shown it to them. 20 From the creation of the world (AK) His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. (AL) As a result, people [p] are without excuse. 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds [q] were darkened. (AM) 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools (AN) 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. (AO)
24 Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts (AP) to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, (AQ) and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever. (AR) Amen.
From Idolatry to Depravity
26 This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. (AS) For even their females exchanged natural sexual intercourse [r] for what is unnatural. 27 The males in the same way also left natural sexual intercourse [s] with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males (AT) and received in their own persons [t] the appropriate penalty for their perversion. [u]
28 And because they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. 29 They are filled with all unrighteousness, [v] evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, disputes, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, (AU) 30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, (AV) inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, (AW) 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, (AX) [w] and unmerciful. 32 Although they know full well God's just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die (AY) [x] —they not only do them, but even applaud (AZ) [y] others who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32, Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Footnotes:
a. Romans 1:1 Or Jesus, a called apostle
b. Romans 1:3 Lit was of the seed of David
c. Romans 1:4 Or the spirit of holiness, or the Holy Spirit
d. Romans 1:5 Lit Him into, or Him for
e. Romans 1:5 Or the obedience that is faith, or the faithful obedience, or the obedience that comes from faith
f. Romans 1:5 Or Gentiles
g. Romans 1:7 1Co1:2-4
h. Romans 1:8 Or because your faith
i. Romans 1:13 Lit I don't want you to be unaware
j. Romans 1:13 Lit have some fruit
k. Romans 1:14 Or non-Greeks
l. Romans 1:16 Other mss add of Christ
m. Romans 1:17 Or revealed out of faith into faith
n. Romans 1:17 Or The one who is righteous by faith will live
o. Romans 1:19 Or what is known
p. Romans 1:20 Lit they
q. Romans 1:21 Lit hearts
r. Romans 1:26 Lit natural use
s. Romans 1:27 Lit natural use
t. Romans 1:27 Or in themselves
u. Romans 1:27 Or error
v. Romans 1:29 Other mss add sexual immorality
w. Romans 1:31 Other mss add unforgiving
x. Romans 1:32 Lit things are worthy of death
y. Romans 1:32 Lit even take pleasure in
Here we find that the subjects in question are those who knew God, who knew that He deserved to be praised, but yet, refused to do so. Instead of praising Him and worshipping Him as God, they gave in to their own desires, committing idolatry with images of the creation rather than the Creator. And because they refused to use their knowledge to do that which is right (worship God), God gave them over to defiled, depraved minds, to do what their flesh wanted to do. In other words, God complied with their wishes: they wanted to be without Him, so He allowed them to experience what life was like apart from Him!
Their depravation is what Nebuchadnezzar himself experienced when he refused to give God the glory due His name:
29 At the end of 12 months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, 30 the king exclaimed, "Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?" (AJ)
31 While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. (AK) 32 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants."
33 At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles' [feathers] and his nails like birds' [claws]. (AL)
Nebuchadnezzar's Praise
34 But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: (AM)
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and His kingdom is from generation to generation. (AN)
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing,
and He does what He wants (AO) with the army of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth.
There is no one who can hold back His hand
or say to Him, "What have You done?" (AP)
36 At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me. (AQ) 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just. (AR) And He is able to humble (AS) those who walk in
pride. (AT) (Daniel 4:29-37, HCSB)
As you can see, when Nebuchadnezzar, like those of the Gentile world (Rom. 1) refused to give thanks to God or glorify His name, Nebuchadnezzar became as an animal. Nebuchadnezzar was an animal without God, JUST AS WE ALL ARE! Without God, we are nothing more that instinctual beings who live and thrive in all sorts of ungodliness. We are depraved and deprived when we are outside of or away from God. But, like Nebuchadnezzar, when we turn to God and worship Him and lift up His name, then “our sanity” returns and, suddenly, we begin to do what we were created to do—GLORIFY GOD!
I will get started on Pharaoh in Part II. Stay tuned...
Pharaoh is one of the persons marshaled as evidence of Calvinism in Scripture. Not only do Calvinists use Pharaoh: they even use him to argue that God selects certain people for salvation and damns others for reprobation!
According to Irenaeus, God knows ALL THINGS, including those who will believe in Him and those who will not. Because “they would never have believed,” God gives them over to their own choice—a life without Him.
Does this match the words of Scripture? You bet. Let’s read Romans 1:
18 For God's wrath (AH) is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, (AI) 19 since what can be known [o] about God is evident among them, (AJ) because God has shown it to them. 20 From the creation of the world (AK) His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. (AL) As a result, people [p] are without excuse. 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds [q] were darkened. (AM) 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools (AN) 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. (AO)
24 Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts (AP) to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, (AQ) and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever. (AR) Amen.
From Idolatry to Depravity
26 This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. (AS) For even their females exchanged natural sexual intercourse [r] for what is unnatural. 27 The males in the same way also left natural sexual intercourse [s] with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males (AT) and received in their own persons [t] the appropriate penalty for their perversion. [u]
28 And because they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. 29 They are filled with all unrighteousness, [v] evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, disputes, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, (AU) 30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, (AV) inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, (AW) 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, (AX) [w] and unmerciful. 32 Although they know full well God's just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die (AY) [x] —they not only do them, but even applaud (AZ) [y] others who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32, Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Footnotes:
a. Romans 1:1 Or Jesus, a called apostle
b. Romans 1:3 Lit was of the seed of David
c. Romans 1:4 Or the spirit of holiness, or the Holy Spirit
d. Romans 1:5 Lit Him into, or Him for
e. Romans 1:5 Or the obedience that is faith, or the faithful obedience, or the obedience that comes from faith
f. Romans 1:5 Or Gentiles
g. Romans 1:7 1Co1:2-4
h. Romans 1:8 Or because your faith
i. Romans 1:13 Lit I don't want you to be unaware
j. Romans 1:13 Lit have some fruit
k. Romans 1:14 Or non-Greeks
l. Romans 1:16 Other mss add of Christ
m. Romans 1:17 Or revealed out of faith into faith
n. Romans 1:17 Or The one who is righteous by faith will live
o. Romans 1:19 Or what is known
p. Romans 1:20 Lit they
q. Romans 1:21 Lit hearts
r. Romans 1:26 Lit natural use
s. Romans 1:27 Lit natural use
t. Romans 1:27 Or in themselves
u. Romans 1:27 Or error
v. Romans 1:29 Other mss add sexual immorality
w. Romans 1:31 Other mss add unforgiving
x. Romans 1:32 Lit things are worthy of death
y. Romans 1:32 Lit even take pleasure in
Here we find that the subjects in question are those who knew God, who knew that He deserved to be praised, but yet, refused to do so. Instead of praising Him and worshipping Him as God, they gave in to their own desires, committing idolatry with images of the creation rather than the Creator. And because they refused to use their knowledge to do that which is right (worship God), God gave them over to defiled, depraved minds, to do what their flesh wanted to do. In other words, God complied with their wishes: they wanted to be without Him, so He allowed them to experience what life was like apart from Him!
Their depravation is what Nebuchadnezzar himself experienced when he refused to give God the glory due His name:
29 At the end of 12 months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, 30 the king exclaimed, "Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?" (AJ)
31 While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. (AK) 32 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants."
33 At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles' [feathers] and his nails like birds' [claws]. (AL)
Nebuchadnezzar's Praise
34 But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: (AM)
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and His kingdom is from generation to generation. (AN)
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing,
and He does what He wants (AO) with the army of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth.
There is no one who can hold back His hand
or say to Him, "What have You done?" (AP)
36 At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me. (AQ) 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just. (AR) And He is able to humble (AS) those who walk in
pride. (AT) (Daniel 4:29-37, HCSB)
As you can see, when Nebuchadnezzar, like those of the Gentile world (Rom. 1) refused to give thanks to God or glorify His name, Nebuchadnezzar became as an animal. Nebuchadnezzar was an animal without God, JUST AS WE ALL ARE! Without God, we are nothing more that instinctual beings who live and thrive in all sorts of ungodliness. We are depraved and deprived when we are outside of or away from God. But, like Nebuchadnezzar, when we turn to God and worship Him and lift up His name, then “our sanity” returns and, suddenly, we begin to do what we were created to do—GLORIFY GOD!
I will get started on Pharaoh in Part II. Stay tuned...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Predestination and Free Will: The Church Fathers
I’ve been heavily involved in the subject of predestination and free will this summer (a part of the Calvinist-Arminian debate). However, for all the discussion I’ve provided here, I’ve done very little work on the views of the early church regarding these theological issues. So, starting today, I’m gonna bring you quotes daily from the church fathers.
For those of you who are dying to go book shopping (my favorite shopping), I recommend the book “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs” by editor David W. Bercot. The book is published by Hendrickson Publishers, and the seventh edition was printed in March 2008. If you want something on the theology of the church fathers, you should buy this book. You can order it from Amazon, Books-a-Million, or even Barnes and Noble.
I will be publishing and discussing quotes from that book here, as we explore what the church fathers had to say regarding the compatibility of free will and predestination. For most people, I think the views of the church fathers may shock them.
To begin here, I’d like to provide the first quote from an early Christian
apologist, Justin Martyr:
“Lest some suppose, from what has been said by us, that we say that whatever occurs happens by a FATAL NECESSITY, because it is foretold as known beforehand, this too we explain. We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Now, if this is not so, but all things happen by fate, THEN NEITHER IS ANYTHING AT ALL IN OUR POWER. For if it is predetermined that this man will be good, and this other man will be evil, neither is the first one meritorious nor the latter man to be blamed. And again, unless the human race has the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions (Justin Martyr, c. 160E, 1.177)” (“A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed By the Early Church Fathers” by David W. Bercot, editor. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.).
Justin Martyr says something in the above quote that I think is worth repeating: “For if it is predetermined that this man will be good, and this other man will be evil, neither is the first one meritorious nor the latter man to be blamed…” If God has decided everything for us, including our decision of eternity, then what need is there to bestow rewards upon those who “do right,” or bestow punishment upon those who “do evil”? Merit or reward can only come from someone who has “done” something of their own accord to receive, not someone who has been “forced” or “dragged” into doing something.
It seems from Martyr’s quote that he upholds both God’s divine foreknowledge and man’s free choice simultaneously. Justin Martyr doesn’t seem to be perplexed about whether or not they fit together—he believed that they peacefully coexisted, not that they were in theological tension.
In his last statement of the above quote, Justin Martyr shows how power and responsibility fit together: “…unless the human race has the POWER of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not ACCOUNTABLE for their actions.” With power comes responsibility; but with responsibility also comes power. Man cannot be held responsible for wrong choices if he had no POWER over his choices. But free choice is negated (and so is power) if God PREDETERMINES someone’s choices in life (and eternity).
I’ll discuss more on the church fathers in the succeeding posts.
For those of you who are dying to go book shopping (my favorite shopping), I recommend the book “A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs” by editor David W. Bercot. The book is published by Hendrickson Publishers, and the seventh edition was printed in March 2008. If you want something on the theology of the church fathers, you should buy this book. You can order it from Amazon, Books-a-Million, or even Barnes and Noble.
I will be publishing and discussing quotes from that book here, as we explore what the church fathers had to say regarding the compatibility of free will and predestination. For most people, I think the views of the church fathers may shock them.
To begin here, I’d like to provide the first quote from an early Christian
apologist, Justin Martyr:
“Lest some suppose, from what has been said by us, that we say that whatever occurs happens by a FATAL NECESSITY, because it is foretold as known beforehand, this too we explain. We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Now, if this is not so, but all things happen by fate, THEN NEITHER IS ANYTHING AT ALL IN OUR POWER. For if it is predetermined that this man will be good, and this other man will be evil, neither is the first one meritorious nor the latter man to be blamed. And again, unless the human race has the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions (Justin Martyr, c. 160E, 1.177)” (“A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed By the Early Church Fathers” by David W. Bercot, editor. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.).
Justin Martyr says something in the above quote that I think is worth repeating: “For if it is predetermined that this man will be good, and this other man will be evil, neither is the first one meritorious nor the latter man to be blamed…” If God has decided everything for us, including our decision of eternity, then what need is there to bestow rewards upon those who “do right,” or bestow punishment upon those who “do evil”? Merit or reward can only come from someone who has “done” something of their own accord to receive, not someone who has been “forced” or “dragged” into doing something.
It seems from Martyr’s quote that he upholds both God’s divine foreknowledge and man’s free choice simultaneously. Justin Martyr doesn’t seem to be perplexed about whether or not they fit together—he believed that they peacefully coexisted, not that they were in theological tension.
In his last statement of the above quote, Justin Martyr shows how power and responsibility fit together: “…unless the human race has the POWER of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not ACCOUNTABLE for their actions.” With power comes responsibility; but with responsibility also comes power. Man cannot be held responsible for wrong choices if he had no POWER over his choices. But free choice is negated (and so is power) if God PREDETERMINES someone’s choices in life (and eternity).
I’ll discuss more on the church fathers in the succeeding posts.
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