The next generation of Reformed Christians will likely place R.C. Sproul alongside the likes of Luther, Whitefield, and Spurgeon. Reformed Theology had perhaps no better advocate in the 20th Century than Sproul, and his book Chosen By God is only one of his many great treatments of some of the most intensely debated topics in the field.
The very word "predestination" sends chills up the spine of most people, as the implications crash into the soul like waves onto a beach. "How could God be that sovereign? Could Henley have been wrong? Is it not true that I am the master of my own fate; the captain of my soul?" While unconditional election is not the most controversial aspect of Calvinism to grapple with, it arguably has the furthest reaching implications, and Sproul examines this doctrine in depth from begin to end in this book.
Sproul opens his book with a short explanation of the topic in a way that academics and laymen alike will appreciate. While he speaks in common language, those with a depth of historical and theological training will recognize the nuances and undertones that are interwoven into the "laymen's terms." He passingly mentions such names as Pelagius and Arminius alongside names such as Norman Geisler and Billy Graham. While the common reader may not recognize the former two, nor be aware of the viewpoints that they spawned, most contemporary Christians will be familiar with the latter two and feel as though they are still on the same page (excuse the pun) with Sproul as he gives his introduction.
"God does not treat all men equally. Nothing could be clearer from the Bible than that. God appeared to Moses in a way that he did not appear to Hammurabi. Christ appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus in a way he did not manifest himself to Pilate. God simply has not treated every human being in history in exactly the same manner." - Chosen By God
Sproul begins his argumentation by explaining the right that God has to destine anyone to anything. Thus, the second chapter examines God's sovereignty. Sproul presents an argument juxtaposing "justice" and "non-justice" as categories in which God treats mankind. He is careful to assert that God never treats anyone with "injustice". In this among other ways, Sproul spends the first three chapters essentially defining his terms. This matters because what occurs next is a defense of the doctrine of predestination that is based upon logical argumentation as much as reliance on scripture.
By claiming that humans always follow our strongest inclination (i.e. greatest desire), Sproul asserts that because every choice we make is made for a reason, the one who determines the reason for something being our strongest inclination would therefore determine our choices whilst allowing us to continue to make our choices freely. Sproul concludes, "This means that every choice is free and every choice is determined."
"If a person who is still in the flesh, who is not yet reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit, can incline or dispose himself to Christ, what good is rebirth?" - Chosen By God
Briefly addressing the Ordo Salutis (without to my remembrance ever using the phrase) Sproul again uses logical deductions drawn from Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus to show that Regeneration (that is, the rebirth) precedes faith necessarily. This leads into a few chapters devoted to fleshing out the doctrine of Total Depravity, as well as introducing Monergism in terms that someone without any previous theological training could understand.
If there is anything negative to be said about the book, it is unfortunately found in the middle of the book as Sproul dives into distinguishing between predestination and foreknowledge, followed by a chapter on the doctrine of double-predestination. These chapters, from my perspective, appear to have been written to defend the previous several chapters against detractors. However, they come off as rabbit trails that were unnecessary. When giving an introductory argument to explain the veracity of a viewpoint, one does not need to even begin addressing the counter-arguments that arise from detractors. It appears that this book was written for those who have struggled with understanding the view of predestination, particularly those who do not believe in it. If the book were written for those that already espoused the view, then perhaps the section on "Calvinism vs. Hyper-Calvinism" and the distinction between the positive and negative decrees of God would be warranted. But unfortunately, these chapters will be the last that many readers get to before laying the book down in intellectual exhaustion. The preceding and following chapters are written in such a comprehendible and argumentatively followable way that these are unwelcome chapters truly fit for another book altogether. It is especially painful to see these chapters placed where they are, considering that there is a concluding chapter entitled "Questions and Objections".
The painful aspect of the positioning of these chapters is that the best chapter of the book, in my opinion, is that next chapter following them that addresses assurance of salvation and the preservation of the saints. Drawing on historical examples of great men of faith enduring the "dark night of the soul" as well as scriptural passages that speak to those that fall out of the faith or go again to wallow in the mire, Sproul adamantly defends God's ability to hold his children to himself and the lack of reliance on our works to maintain that whilst also defending God's righteous distancing from us in our sin to provoke a pursuit of himself.
Comentarios