I received an excellent e-mail from a Pastor in southern Indiana, named Rick Lauterbach, that I consider worthy of posting on my blog. I met Rick several years ago at U.P.S. and he immediately impressed me with his knowledge of Christianity. At the time, he was not a Pastor yet, but he was attending school to serve Christ more effectively. Now he is a bi-vocational pastor, he still works at U.P.S., pastors his congregation in southern Indiana, and now is attending Southern Seminary in Louisville to attain another Master's degree, and he hopes a doctorate. You can see from his e-mail, he knows his doctrine. So please read his reply to the subject of God's sovereignty in salvation, man's free will, and our ability to achieve relationship with God on our own ability.
Kevin
The idea of free will as the bible depicts it is quite different from the concept of free will as most people hold to. A fully sovereign God does not have to bow before the will of his creatures as many suppose. Libertarian free will is outside of the biblical understanding. Men are held responsible before a holy God for their sin, while at the same time being unable in their fallen estate to cause their own rescue. God holds them guilty of their own sin, not the sin of someone else. Every soul is in its original estate is damned. The grace of God rescues those he has by his election set aside for redemption according to his purposes. The only problem someone could have is that they would say it is unfair not to offer salvation to everyone. The problem is if he did so and left everyone to their own conscience all would perish and none would be redeemed. Is God unjust because he has saved some and allowed others to perish? God is judging sin in both the elect and the non elect. Christ suffered an eternity for each of his beloved and those that have not been atoned for will suffer through out eternity. Is God unjust because he acts according to his will and not as a man? Proponents of libertarian free will believe in someones right to choose, just not the right of God to choose. Everyone believes in limited atonement - we just differ on who is doing the limiting. Libertarian free will ultimately believes those that come to Christ were somehow either smarter, better, or more deserving of Gods grace. I hope I didn't make it less clear.
Blessings
Rick Lauterbach
Pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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