Artwork

In my current career choice of graphic design, I often miss the days when I, as the artist, was more physically interactive with my artwork; when my hand guided the brush across the canvas; when my fingers manipulated the clay. Design has become, for me, very abstract—something I approach with a more-or-less “trial-and-error” method until I stumble upon a look that pleases the eye. In college, when I painted, drew, or sculpted, my art always seemed more thought-out and intentional. Perhaps the difference lies in my vision, the purpose that I have for my artwork. Art in the past was always about communication, and each piece was conceived in the mind while the artwork remained formless and empty.

I would imagine this is how God approaches His creation—with purpose and intention. Several times in scripture God reveals himself as an artist by comparing himself to the potter. But there is one passage in particular in Romans 9 that I find disconcerting, especially after hearing Pastor Mark Driscoll preach on it last January. Would God really create a vessel purposed for destruction? And thus I began a journey to find the truth behind one of the most debated topics in the church: Predestination.

I have always been plagued by the dichotomy of free-will and predestination. Both are so apparent in scripture, and for years I have come at peace with the two sides by simply deciding that God must choose those who choose Him. But that’s like telling a person they can have any flavor they want, just as long as it’s cherry. It becomes apparent that after the first round of selection, the following decisions are limited. And if any confinement would be applied to choice, it should be ours, not the Almighty’s.

We must remember that God is sovereign. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. God transcends space and time. God knows our past, our present, and even our future. Now some might argue that simply because God knows I will do something doesn't mean He made me do it, and that's true. I believe we possess a free will; I definitely don’t see God pulling our strings. However, we are not sovereign beings and our free will has obvious limitations. For example, I did not get to choose my parent, or how they raised me, or even the name I have been given. My sex, my race, my personality, my very likes and dislikes are not really of my choosing. My most fundamental makeup is predetermined by God.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." –Psalm 139:13

As our creator, God knows us so intimately and therefore is not simply aware of our talents and skills, but created us with those capabilities. In our very fashioning He must have known who would accept and who would reject Him. In fact, I have been gripped by the image of God handling a lump of clay, knowing full well how each push of the thumb would transform his creation. It would be up to our maker AS we were created to either moisten the clay of our heart so that we could accept Him, or leave it to dry into a prideful stone. For whatever will we have, our choices were given to us by God.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” –Ephesians 2:8, 9

I may be saved by faith, but even that faith comes ultimately from God. If it were not true, and I could inherently make the correct choice independently from Him, then I would have reason to boast. But Paul explicitly tells us in Romans 3 that absolutely all boasting is excluded. We enter Heaven through Christ, and Him alone.

In the quest for wisdom, I often discover that the truth leads me to the universal consistency that God is great, and man is nothing apart from His love. My artwork declares what I desire for it to say. It did not choose it’s purpose, and neither did we. Yet a Free-will perspective, one that demands we chose God first, exalts man. Election gives all the glory to God.

I’ve discovered that it is my pride that demands a part to play separate from the ultimate will of my Lord. I resented the assertion, and demanded that if it were true, my actions would be inconsequential. But to respond in this manner is to not only misunderstand grace, but also treat it with disdain.

Me, a sworn enemy of God, was chosen by Him to be saved. I did absolutely NOTHING to deserve it, not even come to repentance on my own. Once I accepted this truth, it led me to humility and thanksgiving, and an even fuller appreciation for the Gospel and Evangelism. My God is greater than I once believed, and now I am compelled even further to share this great news with the world.

In addition, I am now under no pressure to convert or convince, for it is God that will save those who He chooses. And I share with greater love and thankfulness, knowing that if it was not for my God, I would have chosen death.

In conclusion we must remember it is not the moral heart that enters the gates of Heaven, but the humble one. Predestination grants God the glory, warning man to not place an ounce of trust in his own abilities. And despite our prideful hearts’ protests, we must accept this glorious truth with a resounding, “Amen.”

6 comments:

Chris said...

Great writing regarding honest questions. Many experts disagree on this issue. So, I do not include myself as an expert.

Still, I refuse to assume that God's foreknowledge means God's choice. Because He knows who will receive truth means that those are the only ones He has chosen to do so? Paul's epistles, our mission work, and free will are all of little value if this statement is correct:

"In addition, I am now under no pressure to convert or convince, for it is God that will save those who He chooses."

I hear His word calling us to go and make disciples, to go and proclaim truth, to love others because "whosoever will can come."

Anyway, you asked for my thoughts. Thanks again for your great work and words.

William K. Neal said...

Some great points.

I would like to clarify one thing. I did not intend for the line, "I am now under no pressure to convert or convince," to mean that we are released from sharing The Gospel. On the contrary, I think we are compelled to share out of gratitude. However, I believe predestination releases us from the burden that salvation is somewhat our responsibility.

Not too long ago I began to ponder the possibility that I may be responsible for someone going to Hell if I failed to share The Good News with him. I think that is a weight that God does not intend for us to carry. I don't think God leaves any soul up to the chance of human fallibility. Not even our own. Did not Jesus tell Peter that he was blessed because God had revealed to him the truth about Christ (Matthew 16). It's not up to us to figure out, it's up to God to reveal. In other words, we don't share to convince, we share to glorify (our Lord).

To be honest, I feel that from our perspective, it appears as if it's all up to our choice, our free will. I think that's the way God intended it. But from a sovereign God's point of view, we must be predestined. Even though they seem mutually exclusive, I think they both have to exist. I just had it backwards before, thinking God accepted those who chose Him, when in fact God had chosen those who accept Him. It's difficult enough to try and understand, much less say.

William K. Neal said...

I would also like to add that those who would take the doctrine of predestination and use it as an excuse to keep silent about Christ, are ungrateful for what God has done for them and really don't understand election. Chances are, they probably don't really know Jesus.

Nathan said...

I thought this blog post was very well thought out and very structured. My thinking is still too simple in comparison: I feel like Paul's words are somewhat contradictory at depending on the church situation he was writing to. I also know that the Bible doesn't really contradict itself, but it does make it clear that we won't always have understanding about a myriad of subjects while we're constrained to this terra firma. One of my highest priorities is to seek out Paul when I get to heaven and find out what the meaning of his words mean! So that's my final (for now) thought: God knows what He's doing and it makes perfect sense to Him, but His ways are not our ways and so I'm content in the knowledge that I'm saved no matter how it happened and leave it at that!

Mike Morrell said...

So you're a Calvinist now - wow, Mark Driscoll's really done his work. :) Congrats - I came to similar conclusions around 1997 or so...of course, I ended up taking them in a different direction...

How does this effect you at work? The denomination you work for is fairly Arminian, no?

William K. Neal said...

Well Mike, although Driscoll was the first to prod me on my journey, it was in scripture that I was ultimately convinced. Sure, there are those like Mark Driscoll, Tommy Nelson, and John Piper that have given clarity to this issue, but I can no longer deny this wonderful thread throughout all of scripture. God choses who he choses based on no merit of their own. The details may not all make sense, but the presence of these truths is too apparent for me to deny.

And I am sorry that you have abandoned what you call Calvinism. For since embracing this glorious truth, my God has become so much larger; His will so much more humbling. His truth much more concrete. His Love so much richer. His Gospel so much sweeter.

How does this affect my work? I strive and determine to do my best, and give God all the glory. To proclaim His greatness to all people, even along side those that may disagree on finer issues.