Calvinism And Misunderstandings

I was unable to find an article to comment on this month and so I have decided to divert my attention to a doctrine that I have noticed is particularly divisive.  This doctrine seems to divide more churches, turn more friends into enemies, and splinter and fracture the unity of Scripture (not that Scripture is not unified in it's message, but that it is portrayed in one-sided arguments) than perhaps any other doctrine.  The doctrine that I speak of is Calvinism.  For those of you unfamiliar with this discussion allow me a minute to set the stage.  Essentially, the major questions revolve around God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.  If God is completely sovereign then how can man make free choices?  Conversely, if man does not have the ability to choose to sin then how can he be held accountable for his actions?  These questions, and more, are common questions that believers are wrestling with as they study the Scriptures.

Calvinism, unfortunately, is being heatedly debated by many believers who are not biblically, spiritually, or intellectually ready to tackle such issues.  As a result, when unable to present reasonable points, summations, and responses many believers become angry and as a result heatedly defend a "position" rather than making sound arguments.  This results in seeing the position as more important than the other person.  Eventually, it is only a matter of time until attacks against an individual's "position" are taken personally and a great divide is formed between two Christians who once were good friends.  However, I would like to personally point out that Calvinism is not a deal breaker, it is not a hill to die on, and it is not a discussion that should be divisive (unless it is taken in either of its more radical forms - Armenianism, where a person can lose salvation and works to keep it; or Hyper-Calvinism, where free choice is completely eliminated and thus everything is predetermined and forced by God).  I have many good friends who stand on the other side of the fence in regard to this discussion, and I respect their opinions, study of Scripture, and search for the truth in God's Word.  We understand that ultimately, even knowing Greek, Hebrew, and Philosophy, will still not prepare us to completely understand these things because it is impossible for a finite being to understand the mind and workings of an infinite God.

However, that does not mean that we cannot understand the biblical picture of sovereignty and responsibility, or that we should not attempt to understand these things.  God has revealed to us many things about these issues in His Word and desires that we study these things so that we may gain a better understanding of Him and of ourselves.  That said, let me present the direction I am going to take in addressing this issue throughout the next month.  I believe, and will show, that God's sovereignty is 100% necessary and that man's responsibility is 100% necessary.  Any position that tries to deny or dilute either of these essentials is unbiblical.  My hope is to post 3 more times on this issue.  First, I would like to show the necessity of God's sovereignty in light of what Scripture teaches.  Second, I would like to show how man's responsibility results in accountability for good and evil, and how this ultimately serves as the justification for God's judgments.  Finally, I would like to tie these two principles together and spend a little time bridging the gap between these two camps so that believers may be unified in Christ as He intended (Eph. 4).  It is my hope that you will listen, think, and question your own view.  After all, an unexamined view is not worth having.  These postings are not mean to be a forum for divisiveness, but rather a balm of healing for both sides to understand, appreciate, and love one another and see that there is more common ground than unfriendly territory because we all serve the same God.