The Human Heart And The Lord's Hands (part 1)

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1)

The topic of free will has produced more debate than many topics among philosophers and theologians throughout the centuries. Going back to Pelagius and Augustine to Luther and Erasmus, there have been those within the church who have debated the issue for years. With that in mind I would be kidding myself, if I thought that I would be able to settle the issue in a few blog posts. But I do hope to raise a few eyebrows and promote some thinking in those who read this series of posts.

Before we dive in, I think it is important for me to share with you why I think this topic is significant and why I feel burdened to discuss it. You see, if I can’t show you that this is worth discussing and thinking about, then I doubt you will read on; and why should you, if it were not worth while?

First, there is the issue of definition. What do we mean when we talk about “free will”? We toss around the term as though we all know what it is we are talking about, and more than that, that we actually agree on the definition. If all people mean by the term is that we make choices and decisions in our lives that are truly in some sense ours and for which we are responsible, then there really wouldn’t be any debate. All Christians agree that man is a morally responsible creature, that is, that he is accountable and will be held so by God for the decisions he has made in his life. So, the train hasn’t even left the station and already we have a reason why the issue of free will presents a problem: we either don’t know or don’t agree on what it is we are talking about.

Second, I think most people just haven’t thought through what they actually think about free will; they haven’t thought critically about what they say they believe concerning the issue. And this is understandable, for not everyone has the time to sit down and contemplate for hours on end how it is that they make decisions. Our will is almost something that we take for granted; it’s just something that is. But thinking through how it works and what the Bible has to say about it are probably not on the top of most people’s priority list. Add to this the fact that many people are turned off by the topic because of the debate that has occurred throughout the centuries amongst the best minds; and thus, people conclude that they themselves will never be able to figure it out, so why should they bother thinking about it.

Third, the theological implications of how we understand the freedom of our will are massive. It affects how we understand ourselves, God, sin, salvation, grace, judgment, and more. I’m not going to explain the implications for each of these now, although some I will discuss in future posts. But I think at least the fact that our understanding of these other subjects will be impacted is rather obvious, which makes this an important topic. Moreover, I’m going to assume that we desire that our understanding of the freedom of our will is according to God’s word, Holy Scripture, and not just some thoughts of men pieced together. With that said, it has been my experience, and maybe yours also, that the discussions on this topic are largely void of the Bible. No reference is often given to what the Bible says, and yet we claim that we want to believe according to it. So, I hope to clearly show my points from Scripture as often as possible and where it is appropriate.

Fourth, how we understand this issue affects how we love, pray for, and interact with others: both believers and unbelievers. You see, this is not just some pie in the sky theological issue; it has real practical consequences. If we understand our will to be bound and determined by our nature and desires, then we will pray that God would do a mighty work of sovereign grace in the heart of an unbelieving person, so that they may be born again and given a new heart with new desires, and thus new eyes to see the glory of the gospel of Christ; and so believe and be saved. But if we understand our will to be undetermined and such that we can choose to do other than that which we are most inclined to do, then why would we bother to pray? In that case, what could God do; if the freedom of our will requires that it must not be determined by a work of God’s grace or anything else?

I know some of that might have been a bit difficult to follow, but I hope that it will become clearer as we journey together through this issue. As I’ve tried to show, as much as the freedom of the will can be a deep and dense theological topic, it is a very practical issue. And at the end of the day our aim in discussing it ought to be worship. We want to love God more and marvel at his grace, and love others as we have been loved. And to that end, I invite you to examine with me what it means to have a free will. 

Thoughts on Books and Reading

I received a few books for Christmas this year, per my request, and since the summer I have had a disaster staring back at me on my bookshelf. So, over the last three days I have spent some time working on cataloging my personal library. It's a interesting task to record every book you own and somehow categorize them, so that you don't have too many categories with only a book a piece in them, or too few categories with too many books in each of them.

After finishing up today I figured out that I have approximately 250 books in my library. At a conservative 150 pages per book, that equals 37,500 pages. Now, I'm sure that I have not read half of that number yet. But I was pretty surprised to think about just how many pages I have read. I count it a gift from God that I have had the time and opportunity to read what I have. But there are two temptations that I feel I easily fall prey to as one who enjoys reading.

First, the acquisition of knowledge that puffs up. There is a type of knowledge that puffs up a person's ego and disregards other people. Paul spoke of this in 1 Corinthians 8 when he was addressing issues concerning food offered to idols and the eating of said food. The Bible nowhere gives any impression that knowledge is a bad thing or is something not worth pursuing, that is, true knowledge. But distortions of knowledge and not knowing as we ought to know, these are warned against in Scripture. Unfortunately, though, we commonly get the biblical pattern between knowledge and love wrong. Knowledge is supposed to inspire love, and love to spur on deeper and greater knowledge. If all my reading is not leading to and supporting greater love for God, his world, and his people, then there is a deficiency in my reading.

Second, the enjoyment of my books above the Good Book. I like my books...a lot. They are helpful, informative, and influential to my heart, mind, and life. But they can assume a place that is not meant for them when I spend more time with them than I do my Bible. Psalm 119 has numerous sayings that express the psalmist's love for God's word, and so should my heart sing with love for Holy Scripture. Jesus confronted the Pharisees about their love for their traditions (extra-biblical resources) at the expense of God's word in Matthew 15 (parallel passage: Mark 7). Similar to the relationship between love and knowledge, so extra-biblical resources should lead to deeper and greater love and understanding of God's word, and love for God's word should lead us to research and learn from others who have grappled with the context and content of Scripture.

From one reader to another: read often, read well, and read wisely. Let your reading lead you to love for God and others, and never let your books replace your time in God's word.

On Sin, the Ring, and the Lion

Over the last several months I have been slowly plodding my way through Middle Earth with the likes of: Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, and Gandalf the Gray; Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas too. I have learned many lessons walking alongside these comrades, but one lesson has stuck out, and it has a strange way of coming back to mind time and time again, yet unsurprisingly so. It was an insight about the nature of our sin: our disinclination toward God and his ways, and our suicidal attraction to and cooperation with Satan.

It came in a passage from The Fellowship of the Ring about Frodo reflecting on his decision to put on the Ring when the Black Riders were after him, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Aragorn. Tolkien writes, "He bitterly regretted his foolishness, and reproached himself for weakness of will; for he now perceived that in putting on the Ring he obeyed not his own desire but the commanding wish of his enemies" (224). The circumstances that Frodo is reflecting on are helpful to keep in mind:

"[B]ut his terror was swallowed up in a sudden temptation to put on the Ring. The desire to do this laid hold of him, and he could think of nothing else. He did not forget the Barrow, nor the message of Gandalf; but something seemed to be compelling him to disregard all warnings, and he longed to yield. Not with the hope of escape, or of doing anything, either good or bad: he simply felt that he must take the Ring and put it on his finger.... He shut his eyes and struggled for a while; but resistance became unbearable, and at last he slowly drew out the chain, and slipped the Ring on the forefinger of his left hand." (220-221)

I'm sure many, myself included, can relate to similar moments in life when the temptation of the evil one felt so compelling, luring us to disregard all reason and admonition. The insight I got from these passages was very real, and true to experience. And that is this: when we sin we are following the enemy's will; we are playing into his hand, doing just as he would have us do.

Among the many descriptions sin is given in the Scriptures: whoredom, missing the mark, etc.; I find this one particularly powerful. Rather than submitting to our loving, gracious, master and friend, Jesus, we wantonly give ourselves over to the enemy and do his bidding. Much like Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, we forsake him for the most trivial of things: be it thirty pieces of silver, or sin's deceitful promise of pleasure, which, in fact, brings guilt and regret also.

But there is hope for the people of God. For, as much as the enemy may prowl like a roaring lion, seeking to devour, we have a greater lion, the Lion of Judah who has destroyed the works of the devil, triumphed over him, and conquered sin and death. He has come and is coming again to judge the living and the dead and to finish his work of redemption. As new creatures in Christ, we are not what we once were, and we must not live as we once did. Therefore, in the time between, let us live as faithful servants of our Master, praying as he taught, "lead us far from temptation and deliver us from the evil one."