The Lighthearted Calvinist

From Tyndale’s An Answer To Sir Thomas More’s Dialogue, pp. 191-192.

Why doth God open one man’s eyes and not another’s?  Paul (Rom. ix.) forbiddeth to as why; for it is too deep for man’s capacity.  God we see is honoured thereby, and his mercy set out and the more seen in the vessels of mercy.  But the popish can suffer God to have no secret, hid to himself.  They have searched to come ot the bottom of his bottomless wisdom: and because they cannot attain to that secret, and be too proud to let it alone, and to grant themselves ignorant, with the apostle, that knew no other than God’s glory in the elect; they go and set up free-will with the heathen philosophers, and say that a man’s free-will is the cause why God chooseth one and not another, contrary to all the scripture.  Paul saith it cometh not of the will, nor of the deed, but of the mercy of God.  And they say that every man hath, at the least way, power in his free-will, to deserve that power should be given him of God to keep the law.  But the scripture testifieth that Christ hath deserved for the elect, even then when they hated God, that their eyes should be opened, to see the goodness of the law of God, and the way to fulfil it, and forgiveness of all that is past; whereby they be drawn to love it, and to hate sin.

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Bradwardine lived circa 1290 to 1349.  This quote is cited in The Works of Augustus Toplady (Volume 1, p. 354), Toplady being the writer of the classic hymn, Rock of Ages.

What multitudes, O Lord, at this day, join hands with Pelagius, in contending for free-will, and in fighting against thy absolutely free grace; and against that great spiritual champion for grace, the apostle Paul! By how many is thy unmerited grace looked upon with scornful abhorrence, while they  proudly insist, that free-will alone is sufficient to salvation! or, if they make use of the word grace, and slightly pretend to believe that grace is neces­sary; to what purpose is this pretence, while they boast of its being in the power of free-will to lay thy grace under obligation? thus making grace it­self no longer gratuitous, but representing thee as selling it, instead of giving it.

Some, more haughty than, even Lucifer, are not content with barely lifting themselves to an equality with thee; but are most daringly desirous to govern and control thee, who art the King of kings. Such are they, who dread not to affirm, that, even in a common action, their own will walks first, as an independent mistress ; and that thy will follows after, like an obsequious handmaid: that they themselves go foremost, like sονereign lords; while thou walkest behind them, like a hired ser­vant: that they issue their orders, as kings; and that thou, like an implicit subject, actest according to the imperial nod of their determining will(s).”

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From his book, No One Like Him: The Doctrine Of God, cited at Monergism.com:

If I [believe in libertarian freedom and] plead with God to remove my friend’s illness, that is not absurd, for God can answer that prayer without negating anyone’s freedom. But what about the request that God change the attitudes and actions of my friend’s tyrannical boss? What about petitions that ask God to move those processing applications for graduate school to accept my friend? Or what about prayers that ask God to keep my enemies at work from bothering me? And what about pleading with God to save a dear relative or friend? In all of these cases, what am I asking God to do, if libertarian free will obtains? I am either asking God to override others’ freedom, or I am asking him to move them to do something freely in spite of the fact that my belief in libertarian free will means that I believe Gold cannot get anybody to do anything freely. If I truly value libertarian free will as much as libertarians say they do, why would I ask God to override it just because of my petition? . . . Libertarians may be asking God to try to persuade their friends, but I repeat that God can only guarantee their persuasion by casual determinism, and that abridges libertarian free will.

On the other hand, if I am not asking God to override someone else’s freedom, then I’m asking him to do something which I believe he cannot do (make it the case that someone else does something freely). I may ask him to try to persuade the person, but I know that without God overriding their freedom, he cannot guarantee that they will change. In fact, since at the moment of free decision making nothing decisively inclines their will, regardless of what God or anyone else does or says, the matter may be hopeless. In light of such problems with interceding with God to change someone’s incompatibilistically free actions or attitudes, there is good reason for anyone committed to libertarian free will who understands the implications of the position to think twice before offering intercessory prayers of the kind mentioned. In fact, prayer to change either our or others’ actions seems problematic.

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From the sermon, “A Jealous God,” based upon a portion of Exodus 34:14:

for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God

Spurgeon said this:

Let me add, dear friends, I feel persuaded that false doctrine, inasmuch as it touches God’s sovereignty, is always an object of divine jealousy. Let me indicate especially the doctrines of free-will. I know there are some good men who hold and preach them, but I am persuaded that the Lord must be grieved with their doctrine though he forgives them their sin of ignorance. Free-will doctrine—what does it? It magnifies man into God; it declares God’s purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God’s will a waiting servant to the will of man, and the whole covenant of grace dependent upon human action.

Thanks to Facebook friend AWS for the tip.

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