Haven't done one of these for a very long time, so I thought I'd bring this text back to your attention. Here is a text you definitely want to avoid, if you want to remain comfortably Arminian:
1 Corinthians 1:22-31
22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;
27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,
29 so that no man may boast before God.
30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Thursday, July 9, 2009
More Texts to Avoid
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2 comments:
As an Arminian, I heartily agree with these verses, and all verses in the Bible. Read naturally they make complete sense. They don't present a problem unless one approaches them with a deterministic presupposition.
Thanks for reading and commenting. A couple of thoughts in response to your comment:
1. Don't confuse historic Calvinism with determinism. Determinism is "a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws". In Calvin's theology (because in the Bible), man's will is bound to sin but still acts, still chooses, and man is thus responsible for those actions.
2. No presupposition here: the plain reading of the text is that God chooses -- He doesn't simply rubber-stamp our choice -- and that God chooses people.
Just a couple of thoughts. Good to hear from you.
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