Sean Thank you dearie... The Ware version makes sense to me: sort of, anyway. The Grudem/Bavinck version makes no sense, because it goes to divine command theory, rather than divine nature theory; it impales itself on one of the horns of the Euthyphro dilemma. And it fails to take sin seriously. If Gods revealed will is just what hes chosen to tell us to do, rather than something that he reveals about himself (i.e. He is the kind of person who loves honorable conduct, who is in favor of affection; who likes gentleness and honesty and justice and people being sensible and wise and truth-seeking and tenderhearted) then not doing it is just not following arbitrary rules, rather than acting in ways that alienate us from His family, and that he is good to prevent us from continuing in, to protect others of his family. Doing cruel things is wrong not exclusively because God says not to, but because God is not cruel; obeying Him is putting on the mind of Christ. Gods revealed will shows us His heart; theres no hidden other face; You are good, and you do good. I could get behind Sprouls will of disposition as long as its not just a general good will towards sinners, but a genuine personal delight when people turn to him, and a corresponding grief when they turn away, as individuals. But at base I just dont think its a puzzle we need to be putting together: and I dont think we can, and I dont see why we think we should be able to, any more than we can picture how light can be a wave and a particle at the same time, and I think Calvinists spend their time trying to do so, and they get it wrong-- more, as in the Bavinck case, or less, as in the Sproul case, but still wrong: some of the pieces are forced. I dont know how the pieces fit together myself, but I know for sure that God wills all people to be saved, each person, because He says so. And he grieves, weeps, if theyre not. And how that works with omnipotence and election? Got me. Im not particularly satisfied by Arminian attempts to tie up loose ends either, but at least they dont warp our view of Gods character.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 22:36:49 +0000
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