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Pastoral Position
Paper - Dave Hatcher
Just
when you think you have your theology down, reality hits. And on
the face of it, reality often hits pretty hard. It is for just
this reason that we must make sure that we have our theology down.
Otherwise, when trials come we will be doubters and, as James
says, "like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."
The
exhaustive sovereignty of God is like that. As one begins to
comprehend that God is truly in control of every creature, and
each action of every creature, there is comfort and security,
assurance of God's good hand upon all things. However, to some,
this truth is more like a theological bubble which is easily
popped by the sharp and painful needles of life - reality creeps
in.
This
was made apparent in a question asked by someone who had recently
embraced the doctrines of God's sovereign grace. The woman,
rejoicing on the one hand that God, out of His mere good pleasure,
had redeemed her in spite of herself, was questioning His wisdom
and love because her father was an obstinate unbeliever and
nearing the end of his life. "When my father dies", she asked,
"will I look at his body asking 'Why did you reject Christ?', or
will I cry out to God demanding 'Why did you not call my father?'"
Her
question could be summarized like this: How can election be
glorious if I know and love someone who is not in the elect, or if
I knew someone who died unrepentant? It is a good question and
drives us to look at the core of why we are created, and the
differences between the creation and the Creator. It also raises a
host of related questions. Should we grieve the eternal loss of a
loved one who dies unregenerate, and why if this is God's will?
Will God grieve with you? Or is He in heaven gloriously enjoying
everything that is happening on earth? How can a man die
unrepentant, and be sent to everlasting judgment, when God made
him that way - and that be just? How can the fact that God has
predestined some to everlasting judgment be a glorious thing?
There
are answers for these questions - good answers. But they will not
necessarily rid you of all the pain you may feel on such a day,
nor are they supposed to. In eternity, I believe these truths will
satisfy and delight our souls, to the glory of God. Today,
however, we are called to live by faith, which is "the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 12:1
"O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones
those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your
children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,
but you were not willing!" Matt 23:37. Here we see Jesus clearly
desiring something that was not happening. He wanted the children
of Jerusalem, who had killed His prophets and would kill Him, to
come to Him. But Jerusalem was not willing.
At the
same time, we must remember that God foreknew that this would
happen. Moses said "For I know that after my death you will become
utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have
commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days,
because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him
to anger through the work of your hands." Deut 31:29. But it is
not true that God only foreknew those who would not choose Him. He
predestined them, appointing them to such a destiny. "They
stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were
appointed." 1 Peter 2:8b. It was God's good pleasure to display
the glory of His justice, wrath and hatred of sin, by creating
vessels of wrath. "What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to
make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath prepared for destruction…" Rom 9:22
Pause
here for a moment and consider the irony. Ultimately, a man's
claim to autonomy and unbelief is completely lost, because God
appointed that man to such ends before the foundation of the
world. You might ask, "Why does he not drag them to the throne?"
The answer is chilling and true. He doesn't want to. In the end
those who are running from God get just what they want - justice,
and God also gets just what He wants - glory. At the same time
remember that He has dragged many to the throne, by way of the
cross. One day, God promises, we will not be able to count the
number of men and women He persuaded and enabled by His effectual
call to partake of His redemption.
Some
claim that these verses only declare something about a nation, or
a people, but not about separate and particular individuals. But
that does not make sense. If God predestines an airplane to crash,
it follows that He must predestine the particular passengers on
board to crash in the plane. If God knew that Israel would become
unbelieving and unrepentant, He must have known, and ordained,
those individuals who would in fact be unrepentant. He does this,
not to be arbitrary and capricious, but rather to reveal His own
glory. That is the ultimate reason we were created - for His
glory. "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power; For you created all things, and by Your will (for your
pleasure) they exist and were created." Rev 4:11. That glory is
displayed upon sinners either by His holy wrath - "Alleluia! Her
smoke rises up forever and ever!" Rev 19:3, or by His merciful
election "…to the praise of His glorious grace" Eph 1:6.
So, on the one hand, God hates all sin and all rebellion and does
not enjoy its existence. His very nature prescribes this to be so.
However, at the same time, God clearly has decreed that men would
fall into sin and rebellion, and that some would receive the full
payment and justice for their sin. These are without excuse, for
they are only receiving what they deserve, the fruit of their
works. The elect are the ones who are not receiving what they
should receive, and it is only by grace, not by anything they did
or will do.
Most
stand in opposition to God's sovereignty because they believe that
this condemns God of being unjust. How could God be holy and
loving and yet create people for the sole purpose of condemning
them to His eternal wrath? This leads you right into the argument
of Romans 9. And the question first demands a rebuke - "…who are
you to reply against God?" Do you not realize how ludicrous it is
to take God and place Him in the witness stand to defend His
actions and intentions? He is, by definition, just. There is no
higher standard by which we can judge God. It is an absurd charge,
revealing our stiff-neckedness and love of autonomy.
Some
want to rid God of the responsibility of predestining a
mass-murder or some other wicked event. They point out these
horrific events as proof that a just and holy God cannot have
ordained such actions, and therefore does not ordain all things.
But, if we are going to put God up for judgement (which is an
absurd and wicked thing to do to begin with), he would not be
fully acquitted for simply not having ordained these actions. For,
being innocent of charges of having ordained such actions, He
would now be guilty of being holy, powerful, and good, and not
stopping such wicked actions. The only other option is that God
did not know or was not able to control such things, in which case
we now have a world of meaningless chaos - including the chaos of
the most wicked event in history: The murder of the righteous Son
of God, the second Person of the Trinity. Thankfully, scripture is
full of proof that in fact, what is the most heinous crime on
earth was itself foreordained by the sovereign God who is in
control of everything.
This
leaves us with the dilemma my friend faced. If a loved one has
died, and there are no evidences that he or she was converted, how
am I to respond? We should grieve the life long rebellion of the
sinner, and the just consequences that our holy God will bring. We
can thank God for His longsuffering over this individual and using
him for many good things, emphasizing that nothing good came from
the individual except God gave it to him and was longsuffering
towards him. We should bow in deep humility before this holy God,
knowing that it is only because of His power and mercy that we can
even consider such things, let alone take our next breath. As
vessels of His mercy, we should find such events times of
recommitment to declare our Savior's glory and sovereignty, and
pray for those we know who have not yet come to faith. This is
true because God has not only predestined the elect, but also the
means by which those He has elected will come to faith.
Which
leads to concluding thoughts regarding loved ones who are still
alive, but for decades have refused to acknowledge their need of a
Savior. Never give up. God is still allowing that person to live
for good reasons. And it is no accident that you, regenerate and
concerned for this individual, are in his life. There are
innumerable stories of last minute conversions, and by harder
individuals than this loved one. Strengthen your faith to pray and
share with this friend by reading in God's Word (of Paul, for
instance) and in biographies of individuals who came to faith,
noting how God often used the simplest of means. Read authors who
believed these doctrines of grace and remained strongly
evangelical in preaching the gospel and praying for lost souls.
Let all of these means strengthen your faith as you serve God in
the relationships and vocations wherever He has placed you.
Remember, "But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and
gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." Psalm
86:15.
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