The Problem with Intellectual Theology

...that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE. – John 3:16.

A most unfortunate downside of the legacy of the great French reformer John Calvin is his proposal of the doctrine of “Limited Atonement”. Briefly, it states that Christ did not die for all men but only for the (so-called) “Elect”.

As did Luther, Calvin denied that human beings were capable of free will after the Fall of Adam, but he went farther than Luther in elaborating a doctrine of predestination – that certain persons are elected by God to salvation, while others are rejected by him and consigned to eternal damnation.

This is what I call The Problem with Intellectual Theology: when we let our train of thinking take us to extreme conclusions. 200 years, Charles Darwin observed a striking and unmistakeable pattern among the fawns and fauna of the Earth and thus CONCLUDED that they must thus all be descendants of ONE ancestor a long time ago, (Origin of Species, Theory of Evolution). In the same way, Calvin observes that since all who go to heaven were saved by the predestined, eternal plan of God, it’s only natural to CONCLUDE that those who go to Hell were equally predestined for damnation!

However, this flies in the face of multiple references in scripture that shows that God’s not a respecter of persons. Peter said in Act 10:34,35 (GNB) “I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. Those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to.”

And Paul says in Rom 10:12 that “There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto ALL that call upon him.”

Our Lord affirmed same to Nicodemus in their Midnight Discuss of John 3 when He said “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That WHOSOEVER believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14,15)

There is NO restriction whatsoever to God’s salvation. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the WORLD (Jn 1:29). There’re room for ALL at the cross.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN