In his recent post on Calvinism,
Immanuel made the point that pretty much every Christian believes in God’s sovereignty.
The debate, he says, is not really about whether
God is sovereign, but:
“… what they disagree about is how prescriptive His management of the universe has to be in order for that to be true. Does He have to mandate the movement of every molecule that twitches? Or is it possible that God allows human beings some measure of freedom of choice and action? How “tight” does sovereignty have to be in order to remain sovereignty?”
My personal conviction, and that of many fellow believers
(obviously including Immanuel), is that Scripture teaches both the sovereignty
of God and the responsibility of man.
The “two witnesses” of Revelation 11 appear to me to illustrate
both these principles, and one way in which the two might co-exist (I’m not
suggesting that in every instance the two work together in precisely this way).
Let’s suppose in analyzing the chapter that its words are intended to be taken at face value; that is to say, that when John writes “if anyone would”, it means “if anyone would” (as opposed to something along the lines of “if the sovereign God compels anyone to”).
If we do that, is it possible to see the sovereignty of God on display at the same time as man’s will?
Let’s suppose in analyzing the chapter that its words are intended to be taken at face value; that is to say, that when John writes “if anyone would”, it means “if anyone would” (as opposed to something along the lines of “if the sovereign God compels anyone to”).
If we do that, is it possible to see the sovereignty of God on display at the same time as man’s will?
