Hard Determinism or Compatibilism - Say What???

I saw someone discussing hard determinism vs. compatibilism on social media which got me scrambling to see exactly what was meant by that, and soon after that I read about "Compatibilistic Theodicy" in the Biblical doctrine book.  

Actually, I'm pretty certain it was the very next time I read in the book.  

Timing

Side Note:

I was in chapter 3 (and finally finished it this week).  

I recommend it, although it occasionally boggles my mind.  

I don't know how well I'll remember the things I'm learning, but I hope that some of it will stick.

Thoughts:

Here is my thinking on hard determinism:

If hard determinism means that people are not held responsible / culpable for their sinful actions, then it would not be the same as compatibilism (soft determinism) which is more like what is what we see in Scripture. 

The Bible surely makes it clear that people are still held responsible for sin (Habakkuk 1:5-11) no matter that God superintends everything for His purposes.

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
Genesis 50:20 NASB

 

God warns people about sin and the judgment coming to sinners, but an unbeliever's freedom to choose is limited by their nature (unbelievers are slaves to sin and under the headship of Adam and are unable to obey God). 

God hardens hard hearts (Pharoah hardened his heart and God hardened Pharoah's heart, God gives people over to sin as a judgment in Romans 1, etc.), and God has stirred up kings to attack or take people as captives (1 Chronicles 5:26; Jeremiah 28:14), and He sent His people into exile as a judgment (I'm reading Jeremiah).

 

So, again, I can see that God can direct wills, and He governs all the circumstances and secondary causes (even the sins of people) in the universe to bring about His purposes.

We can see from history that God brings judgment, mercy & grace, and trials.

God will one day bring about the ultimate justice.

Those who are His are covered by His blood & righteousness, and those who are not will face eternal judgment (and Hell).

What about choosing God?

We are not responsible for our first or second birth (John 3) or for God's foreknowledge and drawing of those He's chosen.  

Our wills would never choose God apart from His changing our nature and His supernaturally regenerating us according to His predetermined plan.

We also can't keep ourselves saved by our choices either, but our salvation will be evident to others by our love & obedience and fruit which is evidence of His work in us.

God will complete the good work He started in His sheep, and He will not lose any of His true children.

For those who have not heard the Gospel, please follow THIS LINK.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Romans 8:29 NASB

It's a mercy that God chooses to save people who would not be able to will toward God apart from God.

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. Romans 9:16 NASB

Those of us who are Christians have Christ's righteousness imputed to us, but we still sin.  

We are to confess our sins to God, and He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Our new nature frees us to be able to do what is right, and God works in us to give us the desire and ability to obey and to glorify Him.

for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 

Philippians 2:13 NASB

We as believers should be glad that God works all things for His glory & our ultimate good despite how things may look.  Our family has been having a number of trials, and sometimes it seems there is no ending in sight.  

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 NASB

I have a long ways to go in sanctification, and the more I suffer the more I see my sinfulness (rebelliousness, anxiety, doubts, etc.).

I pray God will cause me to grow and to better reflect God's glory like the moon reflects the sun.

God's Choice, The Republican Party, Social Media, & Persecution

• Last Sunday I listened to a message live online from Grace Community Church.  Some of it reminded me of a good explanation I learned from someone else in recent times relating to God's choosing of believers and man's choice.  We can only choose what is in accordance with our nature (like a person does not have the nature of a bird to be like a bird).  Until God makes alive and gives someone a new nature they can only choose evil according to their sinful nature.  You can listen to the message "The Divine Summons" by John MacArthur here.  I recommend it!

• Christians need to be willing to stand up and not have unity at all costs in the political arena.  I recently read a blog post that linked to another, and it is especially of interest to those of us who are still in the Republican party (and are concerned about its direction).  http://www.dennyburk.com/christians-should-let-the-republican-party-split-apart-if-it-comes-down-to-it/

• Do you have a difficult time getting away from your computer and social media?  I do.  I went off of my computer for a couple of days one time and three days another time recently, but that didn't mean I didn't keep up on news through other means or have others showing me news or weather on their computer!  Kevin DeYoung has an article titled "Don't Let the Screen Strangle Your Soul" that addresses this issue.  If you might have a social media addiction, click here.

• "How to Prepare for Hostility" by Kevin DeYoung is another article I read the other week that is worth sharing.  How do you get ready for persecution and trials as a believer?   I found this to be a helpful reminder of where focus should be.

 

Free Will vs. Predestination

 Recently I got involved in an online discussion with another woman on the the subject of free will vs. predestination.  I have edited and reordered some of my responses to share with people here.  I hope that people will understand that if you disagree that I do not hate you.  It is more for the purpose of persuasion and showing verses that support what I say.  If this seems too much like teaching and you are a man, you do not need to read further.  Also, this particular post is meant for Christians. 

Do you believe that faith is something that we do to gain salvation or that it is a gift of God given to us by His grace? 

Ephesians 2:8-10 not only points out that faith is a gift of God and not of works, but it also points out that God even prepared the good works Christians will do beforehand that we should walk in them. Even with vs. 5 of Ephesians 2 you can see that we were dead in our transgressions and God made us alive. A dead person cannot choose anything without God first making him alive.  He makes us alive and changes our will. 
 
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),    Ephesians 2:5 NASB

Here are some more verses that point out God's sovereignty and choosing:

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. John 6:37

And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." John 6:65 (all in NASB)

The "whoever" that believe or call upon the name of the Lord are the ones that in love He predestined to be adopted. ( Ephesians 1:4-6 )  All that the Father gives to Jesus will come to Him. When we say otherwise, we are questioning God's power / sovereignty. People do choose to sin ... that is all they can do apart from God's doing ... and they are happy to do so, but God in His love and mercy chose to save some ... not on the basis of what they have done. 
 
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. Romans 9:14-18 NASB
 
 Before Jacob and Esau were born God had already chosen one over the other ... before they had done good or bad.

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?  Romans 9:19-22 NASB

Here is a link that I would recommend reading through:

http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/A167/gods-absolute-sovereignty