Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation From Radical Reformed Theology by Roger E. Olson

Author:Roger E. Olson [Olson, Roger E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion, Christian Theology, Systematic
ISBN: 9780310575955
Google: 14_PGHTc6QsC
Amazon: B004PYDKPY
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2011-10-25T05:00:00+00:00

One can only wonder how big a difference that is. Does saying that election and reprobation are not equally ultimate and that one is positive and the other negative really accomplish anything in terms of rescuing the integrity of God’s character (which is clearly Sproul’s concern)?

It is important for Sproul that double predestination be understood his way—as the unequal, ultimate and nonultimate decisions of God to save some fallen humans and let others suffer eternal punishment. First, he says, those whom God allows to suffer eternal punishment, those he passes over, deserve eternal punishment anyway. God is under no obligation to save them. His passing over them does not implicate him in their demise in any way that would imply moral imperfection in God.

A closer look at how Sproul says the reprobate are evil and deserving of eternal punishment reveals the flaw in his reasoning about the character of God in light of double predestination. He uses God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart to illustrate God’s general way of rendering it certain that some portion of humanity, the nonelect or reprobate, deserve eternal punishment. “All that God has to do to harden people’s hearts is to remove restraints. He gives them a longer leash…. In a sense he gives them enough rope to hang themselves.”24 He is affirming the normal Calvinist explanation that God renders the fall and all its consequent corruption, including sin and guilt, certain by withdrawing or withholding sufficient grace. God chooses certain people to harden their hearts so they won’t repent and believe. Then he says:

This is how we must understand double predestination. God gives mercy to the elect by working faith in their hearts. He gives justice to the reprobate by leaving them in their own sins. There is no symmetry here. One group receives mercy. The other group receives justice. No one is a victim of injustice. None can complain that there is unrighteousness in God.25

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