Calvinism with Zero Conflicts
Man’s Free Will versus God’s Sovereignty
Talking with a diehard five-point Calvinist is like rolling in a freshly mown hayfield, naked, in the heat of August. 🤣 It won’t kill you, but you’ll itch for weeks. OMGoodness, my sincere blessings to all my Calvinist friends. I love you guys, and God used John Calvin greatly, but conversations with you too often grow into the perceived conflict between man’s free will and God’s sovereignty. However, Christians may rest assured these two views are not mutually exclusive.
Conversations on this topic typically sound something like this: “Does man have a free will to choose to follow God? After all, Joshua 24:15 says, ‘choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…’ Or instead, is God sovereign and He chooses us? Because Romans 8:29-30 says, ‘For whom He foreknew, He also predestined...these He also called…these He also justified…’”
My answer: Yes to both. Both doctrines are taught in Scripture, and zero conflict exists. Let me explain.
Idolatry of Theology
God is Almighty, and He sometimes reveals truths that stretch our finite minds. We should refrain from constraining God to our level when trying to understand His finer points. Such is self-destructive.
“Are you saying Calvinism is damaging?”
No, but any theology can be detrimental when it is held so tightly that it becomes an idol. Likewise, Calvinism can be a self-inflicting wound when it ventures beyond the appreciation and understanding of God, and attempts to constrain Him. And yes, we’ve all heard stories of despairing Christians believing they’re doomed to hell because they aren’t one of the elect. Such nonsense is a twisting of scripture, castrates believers, and is a doctrine of demons. Christians should steer clear of such dogma.
God versus Pen and Ink
Every theological discussion should begin with the following warning: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Let’s keep this in mind when considering man’s will versus God’s sovereignty, because some of His character will defy pen and ink to express.
Man is Finite. God is Not.
Hyper-Calvinists say that God is sovereign over all, thus man has no choice in his eternal destination. Theologians will argue how I expressed that, but when Calvinism is harvested, threshed, and cleaned, that’s the wheat that remains. And I’m closer to being a farmer than a theologian.
But man’s free will and God’s sovereignty do not conflict. For example, it would be prideful to believe that our ability to choose (free will) can somehow impinge upon God’s sovereignty. Such reasoning makes us into gods ourselves. This is probably why John Calvin instead founded his beliefs upon the other side of the argument – God’s sovereignty. But in doing so he made man into a choiceless robot, which also is unscriptural since it negates the oft-given command to choose. Some Calvinists get around this by saying God first chooses us (His elect), then we (the elect) choose Him. To this I point out all are called (Matthew 22:9). Why would God waste His breath calling to those destined for hell unless they could turn and choose Him? His very calling is proof they can choose.
“…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
“…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...” (Joshua 24:15)
An illustration settled this conflict for me. We place two circles on a whiteboard, one representing man’s free will and the other God’s sovereignty. In essence, this debate tries to arrange the circles to reflect God’s truth. Are the circles separate, or do they overlap? If they overlap, how far, and what do we call the area they intersect? Is one larger than the other? Or instead, do they merely press against each other, misshaping their opponent?
The problem with such a discussion is that it assumes God is constrained to a circle (theology). Instead, the best way to illustrate this would be to erase the red circle altogether, leaving Man’s Free Will by itself. When we do, where does God’s Sovereignty go? It’s the whiteboard upon which Man’s Free Will is drawn, except it’s even bigger than that. It’s a whiteboard that has no edges, that extends forever in every direction, all at the same time, through three-dimensional space, four-dimensional space, and every dimension yet to be discovered, beginning before time and continuing forever, amen.
“Are you saying man’s ability to choose is limited? If so, you just became a Calvinist.”
Call me whatever, but any man alive can choose God at any time. After all, God calls everyone (Matthew 22:9). When we choose Him, God confirms our status by saying, “Yes, you are one of My elect.” With God, two such things can be true at once.
Take heart. No one has stumbled so far as to be doomed to remain a non-elect. Nowhere in Scripture is man’s choice revoked. Thus, I submit that no living person is outside God’s call to choose Him.
Calvinism and Airplanes
Today, John Calvin probably would’ve made a living as an engineer. I’m thankful for such linear thinkers every time I board an airplane or cross a bridge. But why do you think God gave us Scripture that includes story, history, genealogy, spiritual erotica, exhortation, and the most beautiful poetry ever penned, instead of an engineering textbook that lists His qualities and formulas? I submit that doing so would limit our understanding of our boundless God.
When God’s harvest is gathered, I wonder how many presumed non-elects will be present in heaven. Perhaps all of us? But this I know: God’s revelation of Himself only exposes our inability to fully comprehend His preferred pronoun “Almighty”. And I thank God for that!
Feel free to end the article there, but below we address two common scriptural passages regarding election:
What Scripture Doesn’t Say
“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Romans 8:27-30)
Some Calvinists point to this passage to assert that God’s election of believers negates the non-elect’s freedom to choose. However, this passage says nothing of the sort. Instead, in context, these verses do not address non-elect, but the elect. They are proof of God’s faithfulness to all believers. In effect, it is God saying, “I have gone before you.” Interpreting these verses as saying some people are doomed to hell from birth is adding to scripture. We cannot assume what scripture does not say.
“Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Romans 9:18-21)
Other Calvinists argue that this passage indicates God hardens the hearts of the non-elect so that they reject Him. OK, but again, read this verse in context, and don’t imply what scripture doesn’t say. It does not state a vessel He created for wrath cannot choose Him. Again, His call has gone out to everyone. If one is called, one can choose.
Praise God, we are never outside His sovereignty!