The Lighthearted Calvinist

Inspired by point six in This Week In Calvinism from The Contemporary Calvinist.

One of the common objection to the Reformed doctrines of grace is that God “forces men to believe against their will.”  Of course, Reformed doctrine says nothing of the sort, but that is a misrepresentation heard far too often.  So let us examine both the misrepresentation and the title of this post and see how they relate, if at all.

When one of a Reformed bent is “found out” by some in the family of faith, a common remark is heard is that we believe that God “forces people into heaven against their will,” or “drags people kicking and screaming into heaven.”  This arises from a misunderstanding of the doctrines of graces.  The misunderstanding is this – people think that because the Reformed believe that the natural man post-Fall is incapable of saying “Yes” to the Gospel, then the only way he can get into heaven is if God hauls these people into the Kingdom against their will, regardless of whether the people want to come or not.

Their first assumption is indeed correct – man, post-Fall is indeed incapable of saying “Yes.”  It is also important to grasp the fact that historic Arminian doctrine teaches the same thing – that the Fall rendered man incapable of saying “Yes” and unwilling to say “Yes.”

The second assumption is where the issue lies – God is not out there trolling with His celestial grappling hook, snagging people and then reeling them into heaven like the crab pots on The Deadliest Catch, leaving heel marks in the proverbial sod between earth and heaven.  The Reformed teaching is that God, in eternity, chose a people to save whom He then in time and space extends grace to them through the regenerating work of the Spirit, bringing them from spiritual death to spiritual life and in the course of doing so changes their will and their disposition and their very nature so that the man who has previously a God-hater, is now a God-lover.   Changing the man who was running away from God to one who is running to Him.  From one whose mind was set on the flesh to one whose mind is set on the Spirit.  Those changes then result in a person who freely, willingly, volitionally chooses God because he wants to do so – not because he is forced to do so against his will.

So – according to the Reformed – did man ask for his will to be changed in the above paragraph?  No.  He didn’t because he had no desire to do so and would never have asked if left to himself.  This is important as it relates to the title of this post.

Let’s look now at the non-Reformed view, specifically an Arminian view.   The Arminian view is that man, post-Fall, is in the same state as the Reformed believe – totally incapable and unwilling to say “Yes.”  Then they believe that God, in His grace, used the death of Christ on the cross/the preaching of the Gospel to restore some ability within man – however small – to take that first step out of the Prodigal’s pig pen and God will then race and meet him, continuing to beckon and woo and entice him toward heaven.  Remember the objection to the Reformed teaching (an incorrect objection, but still, an objection) – that God “forces” His grace upon those who do not want it or have not asked for it?

Here’s the issue:  could not one make the same objection against the Arminian doctrine?

The Arminian doctrine is that man, unwilling and a rebel, has had grace given that he did not ask for and did want. Does he need it?  Of course he needs grace.  But he (man) did not ask for Christ to die on the cross in order to set men free from the bondage of sin so they could take the first step back Home.  He did not ask to have his will set free and his disposition changed – in whatever small way as is taught – did he?  Could he, per Arminian doctrine?  No – not until God sovereignly chose to do so without asking for man’s input.

Thus, God – in the Arminian view – “forces” His grace upon an unwilling people as well, right?  Isn’t that a good thing?  Are you not – if this is your stand – thankful that God saw fit to move in such a manner?  Otherwise, how would anyone be saved?

The point to be made is this – regardless of which view of grace one takes – the Reformed or non-Reformed view – if grace actually does something to change man’s disposition and nature, then has God done anything unjust or unfair?  No.  No, in either view.

Thus is would behoove the non-Reformed to put their straw man back in the shed with regard to the Reformed view on just how God grants His grace, wouldn’t it?

As an aside, a study of the word “draw” as used in John 6 and elsewhere in the New Testament is an interesting one – it may surprise you.  In the series, “Chosen By God,” R.C. Sproul discusses John 6 and the usage of the word “draw” in this interesting and somewhat humorous clip: