>John is right that the insertion of "willing to" in Bill's
>original statement is important. This insertion is at the
>root of the difference between a Calvinistic and Arminian
>understanding of the doctrine of grace. Do we believe that
>man's (and woman's) fall is so complete that he (she) needs
>the spiritual equivalent of a heart transplant in order to
>perceive and trust in God through Christ, or can man in his
>fallen condition contribute *in his own power* a certain
>"willingness" to have his heart changed?
>
[nice summary of the differences snipped]
I suppose this is an indication that I have embraced Calvinism to the point
it comes naturally (I came from an Arminian background many years ago). I
hadn't thought about the Calvinist implications of my statement, and didn't
intend it to be a springboard to a discussion of Calvinism. But there
'tis. I agree that theological discussions might be considered off topic
by some folks, so I will try to keep this brief.
While Calvinism certainly does consider men and women powerless on their
own to respond to the saving work of Christ on the cross, they do not rule
out the element of willingness on the part of the individual. I quote from
Chapter 10, paragraph 1 of the Westminster Confession (modern English
version. The 1646 version does not make this point as clearly)
"At the right time, asppointed by Him, God effectually calls all those and
only those He has predestined to life. He calls them by His word and
Spirit out of their natural state of sin and death into grace and salvation
through Jesus Christ. He enlightens their minds spiritually with a saving
understanding of the things of God. He takes away their heart of stone and
gives them a heart of flesh. He renews their wills and by His almighty
power leads them to what is good. And so He effectually draws them to
Jesus Christ. But they come to Jesus voluntarily, having been made willing
by God's grace."
That last sentence is important. The willingness is there. God doesn't
"shanghai" anyone into the kingdom. But the willingness itself is a gift
of God -- and what a wonderful gift.
Arminians in the group: I have no desire to pick fights and I'd like to
keep on the origins issue as we are supposed to. Coming from an Arminian
background, I have considerable respect for many aspects of it and realize
that many Calvinists misunderstand Arminianism -- and that many Arminians
misunderstand Calvinism -- and that most of us aren't very good at bridging
the gaps.
Now I'm going to go put on my asbestos suit...
Bill Hamilton | Vehicle Systems Research
GM R&D Center | Warren, MI 48090-9055
810 986 1474 (voice) | 810 986 3003 (FAX)
hamilton@gmr.com (office) | whamilto@mich.com (home)