paradoxum:: truth in tension

In Eager Anticipation: Free Will, Missions, Full Atonement, Prayer: 4 Tenets this Calvinist Holds.

This is a post from my good friend Andy Shurson. A good read for all my Calvinist friends and for those struggling with issues on free will, missions, atonement, and prayer. It is not a treatise, but provides enough food for thought.

It is posted here unabridged:

I have been a Calvinist for about seven years now. I have had many discussions and a few arguments over the matter. I became a Calvinist after reading John Piper; I remained a Calvinist because of reading Jonathan Edwards.. Calvinism however seems to be a bad word and I would simply like to confess my faith in tenets (no, not tenants, I do not rent these beliefs) that are often considered (by some) to be un-Calvinist: free will, missions, full atonement, and the power of prayer.

Free Will- I make choices, every day. To argue that I do not would be in and of itself a faculty of my will, choosing to argue. I believe that every person is free to make choices, including the choice to follow God. Scripture speaks to human responsibility for our actions and our choices. I do also believe in predestination, which is an outworking of God’s sovereignty. One might ask, how can you believe in both? I believe we make choices based on the options available to me, I order waffles not pancakes at Waffle House because pancakes are not an option. God is sovereign over options and the beauty of options; I chose to follow Christ because he was revealed to me in all of his beauty. If it were a question of if I would choose a steak from Ruth’s Chris or a hamburger from McDonalds (price not being an issue), I will always choose the steak because it is more delicious. When Christ is truly revealed there is no other choice to be made. The beauty is this that the Son humbled himself and took on human flesh bore the sins of the world in the place of our punishment that we could take on his righteousness.

Missions- The modern missions movement, Hudson Taylor going to China, William Carey to India and many others, came out of Calvinist churches. They believed that spreading the Gospel is a clear command of God. Certainly God has the power to save any that he chooses; however this does not mean that God does not use people as instruments. God’s sovereignty does not only extend to the person being saved it includes missionaries, preachers, evangelists, and any that carry out the mission of God. God in his sovereignty can choose to use my words to bring about the salvation of another person, and that is a privilege and a joy to be a vessel for the Lord Almighty.

Full Atonement- I purposefully left out the words limited and unlimited because those are aspects of the same concept. I believe in both of them. In one sense the atonement is unlimited, Christ’s death is sufficient to save every person who has ever or will ever live. The death was a substitution and it can be a substitute for all. However it is not a substitute for all, it is clear that not all people believe in Christ; take a look at the New Atheists if you have any doubt. So it is limited in its efficiency, it is only efficient for those who come to faith in Christ, not those who reject God and in many cases hate God (would a loving God really bring to heaven someone who hated him?).

Power of Prayer- I am asked to pray several times a day, many times for people who are deathly ill. I willingly offer prayers to God in hope that they will be answered. The reason I pray is the same reason that I share my faith. I believe that God uses prayers as instruments of his will. In God’s will he can use my prayer to bring about healing. Sovereignty does not exclude the abilities and words of people; it embraces and uses them to bring about God’s sovereign plan.