Who Got It Right . . . Johnny or Jake?

What do you do when two wise, Godly individuals have radically different opinions on an important issue within the Faith?  Do you assume that one is clearly right and the other is clearly wrong?  Or, is it possible that both may clearly be right . . . and both may clearly be wrong . . . and that a third alternative that neither has really considered may ultimately reconcile the two?

Enter John Calvin and Jacob Arminius. 

Both were brilliant men who were dedicated to the Christian Faith.  But after a great deal of sincere study, they came to radically different conclusions regarding how a person is saved.  Each was convinced that he got it right, and the other got it wrong . . . but neither considered a third alternative that ultimately reconciles the two.

The Real Problem

The Bible specifically says that God desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  And the Bible also specifically says that no one comes to Christ unless the Father draws him.

John Calvin focused on God’s sovereignty – no one comes to Christ unless the Father draws him.  But, as any Arminian will tell you, Calvinism makes God . . . who is love . . . incredibly unloving.  God could save all.  But in actual fact has only chosen to save a few.  It’s hard to get excited about a God who thinks it’s okay to watch people suffer.

Jacob Arminius focused on God’s love – God desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  But, as any Calvinist will tell you, Arminians make God into a tragic Hero.  He desires to save all, but is ultimately powerless to do so.  In the end, God loses most of those He desires to save.  Finite creatures are able to successfully frustrate what God desires in His heart.  

So, Johnny and Jake both got it right . . . and they also both got it wrong!

The real problem with both systems is that each side expends a tremendous amount of energy trying to show how the other’s arguments are wrong . . . instead of seeking to discover how the two clearly revealed truths about God’s nature can be reconciled!

A Third Alternative?

We in the 21^st century are often woefully ignorant of Church history.  We tend to read what the Apostles had to say and then jump ahead 20 centuries to read what our favorite modern authors have to say – with a brief stop along the way to take note of what the Reformers had to say.  In the process, we ignore the insights of many of Christendom’s greatest thinkers.

What many in our 21^st century are not aware of is that there was a time in the early centuries of the Christian Church when the issue of God’s love vs. God’s sovereignty was not a problem. 

It was a time when the Church was closest to the Apostles . . . its influence and impact on the surrounding culture was greater and more effective than at any other time . . . and its growth was unmatched. 

It was a time when some of the Church’s most respected leaders had a deep conviction that God loves and desires to save all, along with a fundamental confidence in His ability to carry it out!

These early Christian leaders actually believed that God is far greater, far more powerful, and far more wonderful than you or I have ever thought or imagined.  He defeated sin and death completely and will one day see all those He created in His image walk through heaven’s doors.

They actually believed in another clearly revealed truth that Scripture specifically teaches – that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world!

Perhaps we would be wise to look at their third alternative. Who knows, maybe it would show us how Johnny and Jake can actually both be right . . . and both not be wrong – when they work together to see a sovereign plan accomplish all that God desires!

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