Not My Will

Come, let us reason together.
—Isaiah 1:18
Exhausting the word of God is undoubtedly an insurmountable task to accomplish, for we know our Lord is a never-ending well. However, on this side of eternity, can there be any other greater endeavor than to ponder worship and praise the Lord of glory? I wrote this book because I want to invite the reader to join me in this intellectual worship and to “set our minds on things above.” (Colossians 3:2) Many who are far my superior have wrestled with the idea of free will in relation to our Father’s sovereignty. Although intellectually I may be no more than an onlooker to those giants of Christianity, I find it a worthy attempt to think on these teachings. Unfortunately, far too often we find that a struggle has caused many saints to part ways with their fellow believers due to their theological contentions. On one side we have Calvinistic theology and the like; on the other, we have Arminian theology and its doctrines.

These divisions have become so great not only to cause contention on an individual level but also to create a seemingly innumerable amount of denominations. Among the body of Christ, I think we would all agree that this shouldn’t be. I choose not to identify as either since the name of the theological stance stems from the man we place the esteem on; however, haven’t we already placed our theological stance on Jesus Christ? Lest the reader think I am naïve or that I may be engaging in a sort of oversimplification, would anyone doubt that theologians of the likes of Saint Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, and others would have agreed with the apostle Paul when he told the church at Corinth that they were carnal when one said, “I am of Paul,” and another said, “I am of Apollo” (1 Corinthians 3:4)? Can we claim the name of both Christ and Calvin? Can we claim the name of both Christ and Arminius? It may be that our flesh refuses to lay claim to a name of worldly reproach and would rather identify with a name held in high esteem in the eyes of a carnal church. I admit speculation on this part, but I would wager that even Augustine himself would have rather desired that his name be a distant memory for the sake of the name of Christ, no doubt a sentiment shared by other notable men of antiquity. Instead, we should endeavor to solidify our doctrine with Jesus Christ—no more, no less. I challenge readers to ask themselves, moreover, to pray that the Holy Spirit would search their hearts as to whether their convictions stand on either theology because they are convinced of the truth of the doctrine. Or may it possibly be of a stubbornness to reform? I believe we as a body should be willing to constantly reform our theology (if reforming is called for) and take caution not to just utilize scripture to affirm our bias.
My goal for this work, if the Lord wills, is to attempt to exegete the scripture to reach my conclusion. I once again extend an invitation not to blindly accept or quickly reject what I, as your brother in Christ, may outline to you; but, if need be, perhaps you can come to a place of restructuring. My invitation is to ponder the deeper things of God and once again join me in intellectual worship of the Lord of hosts. I am nothing more than a flawed yet holy servant of the Lord, and like every other saint before me, my attempt to exhaust the manifold wisdom and greatness of our Lord will fall short, but allow these words to challenge you. However, I must both warn and admonish the reader. Don’t let this doctrine further any more contention; instead, let us praise our God for what He has done. When this life ends and paradise begins, all will be revealed to us, but in this life, let us no longer be divided over teachings and doctrines. Rather, let us agree with our Master and Savior when He prayed to the Father, “They all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in you, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent Me” (John 17:21).

I began my preface with God’s admonition to the children of Israel (“Come, let us reason together”), and I have extended a call; however, the ultimate invitation here is in Isaiah 1:18. Despite our unworthiness to walk in God’s presence, let alone reason with the God of creation, He calls us as an audience to Himself. In this calling, we are given the grace to approach His throne and reason through these heavy truths. Join me in this inquiry and let us set divisions aside.