What is Mystery Babylon in the Book of Revelation: A Bible Study

Why do I talk about Calvinism and Arminianism in a website on prophecy? The doctrines of free will and predestination affect every area of our lives and have ramifications for our understanding of Bible prophecy as well and other areas of doctrine. I have no illusion that I will be able to resolve this long contentious issue, neither will I attempt to. However, I wish to bring some perspective to this debate and encourage people to continue studying on their own.

My favorite soap box is that what we believe affects the way we act. Now there are Godly people on both sides of this debate, so we know that it is possible to have a range of beliefs on this issue and still be Godly. However, we can also see that many people live un-Godly or defeated lives partly because of what they believe on these issues. Although it may not be absolutely essential, I believe that an accurate understanding of doctrine is extremely important to Godly living. I will present my view because I think it is Scriptural, logical and promotes Godly victorious Christian living.

So what is my view on predestination and free will? I believe that God is sovereign. This means that God can cause anything He wants. It does not however mean that He causes everything. One of the things God has chosen to do is give people free will to accept or reject Him. Our free will is a gift from God, but it is real not hypothetical. We are responsible for our actions, not just because God says so, but because it is grounded in reality. We make our own choices. Yes, some people make better choices than others. The reason we cannot boast about our better choices is not because it was actually God who made the choice, but rather because it was God who enabled us to make that choice in the first place. God gave that same enablement to the person who made the wrong choice, that is why he will be held accountable for his choice. Since God gives grace to everyone, why shouldn't the obedient ones be proud of their superior choices? If we allow pride to focus our attention on our superiority, we will stop depending on God and will therefore fail. You see it is the very fact that we have free will that makes us need to be humble. If we had no free will, pride would cease to be an issue. However since we are extremely weak and we have the ability to choose sin, we must not allow pride over our past choices to take our focus off our only source of strength.

So does God predestine which people can be saved? Absolutely not! God has predestined the means of salvation. In other words, God in His sovereignty has decided what group of people can be saved. This group is not chosen based on merits, but based on submission to Him. Although many Calvinists will say that if our salvation is dependent on our choice, then our salvation is based on merit. However this is not the case at all. An illustration will make this clearer. A man made an announcement to a group of people, "I have a stack of hundred dollar bills which I am going to pass around the room. You may keep one as you pass the stack to the next person." Did anyone in that room merit the money they received? The people in the room ultimately determined whether they received money or not, but they did not earn it nor could they receive it in any way other than the way the owner prescribed. The same it true of our salvation.

On the other extreme many Arminians believe that people can loose their salvation. However God clearly states that He adopts us as His children (Gal. 4:4-7), made a covenant with us (Heb. 7:22) and has already given eternal life to those who believe (Jn. 5:24). A covenant has responsibilities for all parties but that responsibility is not dependent on the other parties faithfulness. God will be faithful even if we are not. Also most verses that talk about eternal life are in the past tense. In other words, our eternal life begins at conversion not at our death. If we can loose our salvation after receiving it, it is not eternal. Although God has given us a choice about whether we will be adopted or not, once we are adopted, God has not given us the freedom to reverse our adoption. You see, although God has given us the freedom of will, He has not given us absolute freedom. Our choices can be divided into three categories. The first is things God never allows us to choose. These would include, who our parents are, where we are born and whether we are male or female to name just a few. The second is what God always allows us to choose. As I look at Scripture, I only see one thing in this category. In this life we are guaranteed the freedom to submit to or rebel against God. This is a choice to submit not a choice to obey. In other words there are times when God forces people to act in obedience to Him even when their hearts are not submitting to Him. The third category is what God sometimes allows us to choose. God often allows us to choose where we go and what we do. However, He has not guaranteed us these freedoms. Some people ask, "How can God be sovereign and yet allow free will? Does not free will limit the sovereignty of God?" God in His sovereignty granted free will and so He limits Himself. God’s holiness also makes it impossible for Him to sin. The fact that God limits Himself should not cause us any grief. God is not limited by any external force what so ever, but He is limited by His own immutable character.

In conclusion, God is sovereign. He not only made us, but He made all the rules. We have nothing that was not given to us by Him so we cannot possibly earn His favor. Still it remains up to us to receive the special favor reserved for those who submit to Him. Our choices do matter! We must not be passive Christians! Don't be led astray by those who say, "There is nothing you can do to make God love you more." God already loves you enough to send His only Son to die in your place. However there is much you can do to cause God to be more pleased with you. Do you stop loving your children when they are disobedient? Of course not! But do you respond to them differently when they are obedient? The choice of submission or rebellion is in your hands. Use it wisely or pay the consequences.