I had an epiphany the other week. It was about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I was meditating on it after a professor of mine taught us about it. I asked him what the point of the tree was. He said it was so that mankind had a choice.
The tree was created so that mankind had a choice? That did not sit well with the little John Calvin that lives inside of me. He is like my own Jiminy Cricket. He comes with a top-hat and everything. I filter all new ideas through his five points. That may be a little dangerous, but it has been flawless thus far.
I started thinking about what could have been the purpose of the tree. I tried using some logic. Here is what I came up with:
1. God is sinless, so He can create only sinless things. The tree was a sinless thing. In and of it self, it was a good thing. The knowledge of good and evil was a good thing.
2. The knowledge of good and evil was holy to God, but separate from man. How can that be? Think logically. Sexuality is holy to a married couple, but separate from the unwed. It is possible for something to be holy to one party, and holy from another.
3. The tree was a manifestation, or alter on earth to show man God's holiness. The way it was supposed to be: Man cultivated the garden, but never partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil which was "in the middle of the garden (Gen 3:3)." Man always saw it, stood in awe of it, but never took the fruit. The fruit was a representation of the glory that God gets from knowing the knowledge of good and evil. Man was not to take that glory.
Think of ancient Israel. In the middle of the twelve traveling tribes was the tabernacle. While The Israelites did their ancient Jew thing every day, the cloud by day and the fire by night were manifestations of God's glory. No man (except for the priests at certain times) entered the tabernacle. It was holy to God, holy from man.
Think of the church. As Christian's follow God's will, they look to Christ as the manifestation of God. We all praise Him and love Him, but we do not try to share His glory. We recognize His lordship.
Think of the New Earth. After God destroys the world by letting go all of the atomic particles, there will be a new Jerusalem. The restored kingdom of God as well as Christ Jesus Himself will be the manifestation.
4. When Adam received the knowledge of good and evil, sin sprang up forth in him. The sin brought forth death. It was not as if God had to create a law, it was just simple theological biology. The knowledge of good and evil brings sin. Sin brings death. This is proven in Romans 7:9-11, "9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.
I could quite possibly be wrong, but it makes sense to me. Tell me where I could be wrong. Don't worry. I'm not much of an arguer these days. I'm simply a conversationalist. I don't want to fight with somebody I'm going to spend eternity with.
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I wonder if you have ever read "What Grace is this?" debating Calvin's 5 points. If you filter everything through Calvin, rather than scripture as your primary root, you will always find explanations around the truth. Calvin had many good ideas and writings, however, his theories on irresistible grace make God smaller, not bigger. God is large enough and smart enough to give man a choice. He is not less powerful. Certainly God can do whatever He wants to make His power and glory shown, but does it not seem illogical to see a God of absolute grace and love, who weeps over the lost and rejoices over those who is found, to give those who He desires to see come to repentance no choice in the matter? At the root of Calvinism is a washing of the hands in regards to evangelism "oh well..God didn't choose them". God is great and willing for all to be saved, He is so great, that He has not forced His creatures to a destiny beyond their thoughts and actions. Certainly God guides and directs, pursues us..It makes Him less of a God to say He forces love upon us.
ReplyDeleteI know where you're coming from. I grew up an Arminianist. It doesn't seem logical that God would choose for us. But I can't get passed Romans 8 and 9. Study those passages for all their worth the next time you get a chance. They make God's sovereignty clear in the issue of salvation.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't be so quick to judge Calvinists when it comes to evangelism. Their history might surprise you. In fact, the early catechism put out by Calvin's students demanded that we spread the gospel "promiscuously." So why do we as Calvinists spread the gospel? Because God tells us to, and it's a joy to experience it.
And finally, you should probably know about me. I'm a very sarcastic person. When I say I filter all new ideas through Calvin's five points, I mean to say that I filter new ideas through church tradition. Like I said before, there are 2000 years of church history. There were a heck of a lot of people that were smarter than I. I want to know the church history belief on this.
You should probably research your own Arminianism. It might surprise you to find out how relatively young the "free will" beliefs are in contrast with the history of the church.