"To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that 'they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.'"- Mark 4:11-12; cf. Isa. 6:9-10
This church member remarked, "That sounds as if Jesus purposely hid the meaning of the parables to some and gave it to others." I replied, "Yes, it certainly looks that way, doesn't it? In fact, Matthew's account is even more explicit (see Matt. 13:10-17)."
"But isn't that Calvinistic?" my Christian brother queried. "I like to think that everybody has the same fair shot [opportunity] to receive Christ."
As you can imagine, this opened up the door to what could have been an extremely lengthy, in-depth conversation about the doctrines of grace, the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism, etc. But our time was short, so I attempted to convey just a few salient points on the matter:
- We must allow Scripture to shape our theology, rather than "force" Scripture to fit our theology.
- The Bible clearly teaches both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. These two doctrines are utterly compatible and are not contradictory, even though we cannot fully understand how they coincide. Charles Spurgeon asserted,
"These two truths, I do not believe, can ever be wielded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth doth spring."
- If we are to be faithful to Scripture, we must embrace and proclaim both doctrines in all their fullness. If we emphasize one to the neglect of the other, we will misunderstand and misrepresent God, the human condition, and the gospel.
- "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter" (Prov. 25:2). This encourages us to dig more deeply into those scriptural truths we don't understand, remembering that "we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God" ( 1 Cor. 2:12).
When Paul says that you have the hope of glory because you were "predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will," he's not trying to stir up debate about esoteric doctrines and philosophical riddles. He's not picturing an icy fate to make us fatalistic. From within the illogic of the shadowlands, we think that one must emphasize either God's sovereign will or the freedom and responsibility of human choices. But standing out in the daylight of God's logic, one needn't err in either direction. God is utterly in control. Any other view would be absurd--this God spins galaxies and holds atoms together, after all. This God raised spiritual corpses to new life in Christ. Salvation is warm and bright because God planned it. He had your name in mind in Christ. He holds us in his hand, bringing about his purposes. And we choose at every point.Human life is absolutely significant; every fleeting thought, every choice, and every experience matter. This God calls you to faith, obedience, and responsibility. Because his purposes will not be thwarted, you can leap to the call, learning to be courageous, optimistic, persevering in love through troubles. His purposes sustain you through it all. His rule establishes the significance of our choices. Any other view would be absurd--human life counts, God's will controls. His will of control (Eph. 1:11) is to be trusted as the frame of reference behind every experience; his will of command (5:17; 6:6) is to be obeyed with all our heart.The supremacy of God's purposes is not a debating point. It is the foundation of indestructible confidence and ravishing delight. God is in control, and you can bend all your energies to your calling, trusting that God's plans are working out.
Amen. Can we all agree to that?
Pastor, this is an excellent response to a difficult question. I especially like the fact that you remind us that we are significant in God's eyes.
ReplyDeleteI also like that you said human beings are responsible to God instead of using the over-used (and in my mind misleading) phrase that we all have completely free wills.
This is a topic that we will never fully understand this side of heaven. For now, it is our duty to study and to believe the Scriptures.
I think we can agree with Abraham when he said "Will not the judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen 18:25)
For anyone that is interested in the topic of free will, I recommend Jonathan Edwards "The Freedom of the Will."
When the teacher comes into the room, he meets a variety of students. Some do not know, but come with an honest desire to learn. Some are not motivated, and others might even be hostile.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher draws up his lesson plans with the needs of those who want to learn in his mind. It is those that he owes his duty to. The teacher cannot allow those who for whatever reason are hostile to his teaching to control the agenda.
By speaking in parables, Jesus fulfilled prophecy and showed the wisdom of God. Present in each audience would be honest seekers, those waiting for the latest miracle, and some who were plotting the Lord's death. Parables allowed the Lord to convey the truth to those who sought first the kingdom of God, while concealing this truth from those who were hostile. To those somewhere in the middle, they acted as teasers to stimulate more prayer and reading of the scriptures. Indeed, those in the latter camp who searched the scriptures would become aware that the Messiah would speak in parables, and see evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. (Psalm 78:2)
To those who are hostile, Jesus does not give pearls of wisdom, otherwise they would trample them underfoot.
However, up until this point in Mark, some things were NOT a secret. Public information would include John the Baptist proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah, and the words of Jesus himself: "Repent, and believe the gospel." The gospel was proclaimed loud and clear throughout the region. Some believed it, some rejected it, and others were thinking about it.
In Mark 4, Jesus begins to move past the basics of the gospel, and present them to those who are seeking first the kingdom of God. Frankly, there is no reason at all for those who have already rejected the gospel to learn mysteries (unrevealed truths) concerning the mechanics involved in distributing God's Word or the conduct of the believer.
I believe that is the point of the this passage of scripture. In acting this way, God shows not only his sovereignty, but his wisdom as well.