Question: If I...crawl on my hands and knees to beg forgiveness of a holy and mighty God—how can ...

March 1, 2003

TBC Staff

Question: I can’t thank you enough for What Love Is This? My husband and I began attending a Southern Baptist ...Sunday school class. The teacher is a die-hard Calvinist....I brought up some objections and was informed that I should email him instead of disrupting the class. I’ve experienced sleepless nights [from their]....claim that I am being prideful by believing that I had a part in receiving salvation. If I...crawl on my hands and knees to beg forgiveness of a holy and mighty God—how can that cause me to feel pride? Anyway...thank you, thank you, thank you...for the book.

Answer: The fact that you believe, says Paul, eliminates boasting (Rom:3:27,28).

Salvation is God’s gift. Receiving a gift gives no reason to boast. The power of choice to receive Christ is God’s sovereign gift. Without free will we could not love God or one another or commit sin.

Calvinists say free will would “limit God’s freedom.” They limit God! If God’s sovereignty can’t handle man’s free will, He is limited indeed.

Go through the Old Testament and see the many, many times the concept of a free will is found. Those who brought the materials with which to build the tabernacle were to do so of their “own will.” The expressions “own will,” “freewill” and “freewill-offerings” are found numerous times: Lev:1:3, 19:5, 22:18,19,21,23,29; 23:38; Nu 15:3, 29:39; Dt 12:5,6; 16:10, 23:23; 2 Chr:31:14; Ps:119:108, etc. Never is there a hint that those exercising their free will had cause to boast.