And my takeaway so far is that I need to get married to a very smart woman, and have several children in the hope that one of them will be a genius, so that when this child grows up, he or she can read The Meaning of the Pentateuch and explain chapter 2 to me, because, like, huh?

First, I thought the speaker—Greg Koukl from Stand to Reason—did a good job overall presenting “Three Bad Arguments Against Religion.”  He was articulate, humorous, and polite toward his audience while still maintaining a firm grasp on the truth.  He began with his half-hour talk detailing the three bad arguments and followed it with a Q&A in which students brought their questions to him and he answered them.  I’ve followed Stand to Reason for years, and I always enjoy reading their mailings.  They are an excellent resource for Christian thought.

Second, I was disappointed by the atmosphere of the event, particularly during the Q&A.  Koukl himself was fine, but the (mostly Christian) audience seemed to hold a derisive attitude toward the atheists asking questions.  Admittedly, most of the questioners seemed to be parroting arguments they had heard but didn’t really understand themselves.  And admittedly, many of these questioners kept trying to debate with the speaker.  However, this didn’t excuse the murmurs, snickers, and even a cry of “bullcrap!” from the audience.  The tone was combative; it felt like the Christians perceived Koukl as their hired gun who had come to shoot up all the atheists.  How unfortunate for those whose speech is supposed to be “gracious, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:5).  The goal should never be to beat up atheists but to present the gospel to them in word and deed.

Third, I’m debating the value in such an event.  Koukl himself ended his talk with the point that atheists hide behind bad arguments because they don’t want to face God and his moral law.  This is absolutely true (Romans 1:18-23).  However, I’m concerned that by trying to shoot down these bad arguments, we may end up playing a game of Whack-a-Mole, in which we knock out one argument only to be faced with another and then another and then another.  (And by the way, this only works if you’re smarter than the atheist.  If not, you’re probably screwed.)  I’ve had this experience with an atheist friend of mine who would always respond to my answers with “just one more question.”  If it is true that “no one understands; no one seeks for God” (Romans 3:11), then it won’t be logical arguments that turn people to Christ.

Our weapons are often too weak.  Trying to argue someone into becoming a Christian is like using a toy gun; it is no match for a mind that is “hostile to God” (Romans 8:7) and won’t submit to him.  Even if I were to destroy all of an unbeliever’s arguments, I’d be naive to think that he would have no choice but to believe.  Even someone rising from the dead won’t convince someone of what he doesn’t want to believe (Luke 16:31).

Here’s what we can do:  present the gospel simply and clearly, drawing our authority from the only potent weapon that we’ve been given—the Word of God accompanied by the power of the Spirit of God (Ephesians 6:17).  Treat others with grace, love, and respect.  Listen carefully to their objections and arguments.  Demonstrate that we’ve thought through these tough issues, thereby showing reasonable, sensible character.  If we are faced with a challenge that we don’t know how to answer, admit it and promise to look into it (and then do it!).  In other words, “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (Colossians 4:5).  That’s how we become wise and attractive ambassadors for Christ to a world that sees so little of his goodness in those who profess to follow him.

Were you at the event?  I’d like to hear your perspective on it in the comments below!

We were not saved to be mediocre.  God did not choose us in Jesus Christ “before the foundation of the world” to merely do the things for which we are adequate but “that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4).  So often, we settle for legalism.  We say and do enough to look like we’re obeying God’s law—enough to assuage our consciences and look good in front of other people.  But we’re living a life devoid of faith.  We aren’t willing to take risks for God; we’d rather trust in our own flesh than trust in God.

I don’t suppose you want to keep living like that.  Here’s God’s way to live:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.
—Jeremiah 17:7-8

“The man who trusts in man” (v. 5) lives in a wasteland.  But the one who trusts in the Lord—he grows and flourishes, bears fruit and stays green even in times of drought.

When we humble ourselves and begin to trust in the Lord rather than in our own adequacy, God’s Word comes alive.  When you start doing what God calls you to do, you will quickly find your own wisdom and your own strength to be inadequate.  You will find your own sin to be overwhelming.  You will find yourself in prayer, often and at length, crying out for help.  You will find yourself turning to the Bible for wisdom, guidance, and encouragement—and its words will no longer be boring but will crackle with energy.  You will find yourself turning to mature believers for advice, instead of keeping your problems bottled up inside of you.

If you’re waiting for God to flip some switch inside of you to give you the faith to do all of those things…sorry, it doesn’t usually work that way.  Here’s the advice that the apostle Paul gives:  “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).  First, remember that God is at work in you.  He isn’t watching lazily from heaven, waiting for you to make the first move, turning a deaf ear to your prayers.  He is on your side.  He is with you in this!  He wants to see you grow and serve him faithfully, and he will exercise all of his might to make sure you do.  Second, you have to get to work.  You’re simply going to have to say a prayer, suck it up, and go out and take care of your responsibilities.  It will be hard.  You will be hurt.  But you will finally know what it means to be “happy in Jesus.”

It’s a simple truth, and we tend to dismiss simple truths because we think we’re beyond them.  But the fact is that we need to learn to trust and obey, like the hymn says:

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of his Word,
What a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

Now, let’s set aside Driscoll himself and talk about what it means to be a “Peter Pan.”  It’s terrific imagery because:

• Peter Pan tries to avoid growing up and taking responsibility for the things grown-ups should take responsibility for.
• Peter Pan lives off in a fantasy world instead of dealing with the problems of the real world.

Guys, does that sound like you?  It sure as heck sounds like me.  It’s remarkable—and disconcerting—how much of the sin in my life falls under this heading.  But perhaps you’re not convinced.  I want to help us all out here by coming up with a (non-exhaustive) list of signs that indicate how you and I may be Peter Pan.  Many of these I gathered from looking in the mirror, while a few I gathered from observing other young men around my own age (these are geared toward guys in their college years or 20s).  I decided to err on the side of being harsh because I’d rather overstate my case than understate it.

You might be Peter Pan if…

• You spend hours in front of the TV set each day—watching TV or movies or playing video games.
• You spend hours on your computer each day surfing the Internet aimlessly.
• You prefer spending time at the TV or computer over actually interacting with the people around you.
• You always have your iPod earbuds in your ears, even for two-minute walks between classes.  You can’t stand the thought of silence (the horror of it!).
• You’d rather listen to your music than talk to people.
• You avoid talking to people you don’t know.  You just hang around your own cozy little circle of friends and never show interest in anyone new.
• You typically keep your bedroom door closed and your window blinds shut, blocking out the outside world.
• You use the fact that you’re an introvert as an excuse to avoid other people.  (Sorry, introverts—I’m one, too, and I know this is a crap excuse.)

…and you might be Peter Pan if…

• You catch yourself daydreaming frequently—in fact, most of your internal reflections are daydreams.
• You live your live vicariously through your daydreams.
• You let your daydreams become a substitute for real relationships and real action.
• You don’t do things you know are right, and you’re not willing to take risks because you know what will happen if you do; somehow, you have attained God’s knowledge of the future, O wisest of sages.

…and you might be Peter Pan if…

• You don’t get your homework done until the last minute (if at all) and somehow convince yourself that it will take care of itself without you having to lift a finger.
• You don’t go to bed on time because it’s too much work to get off your butt and get ready for bed.
• You don’t clean up after yourself because you’re lazy and besides, your roommates will do it for you, just like your mommy used to.
• You slack off on laundry, grocery store trips, scheduling doctor’s appointments, or anything that will take effort, because it’s just too hard.
• You waste time at work on one frivolous distraction after another (such as reading this blog) instead of actually doing work.
• You don’t keep track of your finances because you know that daddy will always be around to bail you out.
• You whine and complain about any inconvenience (including inconvenient people) that God would dare bring across your path.

…and you might be Peter Pan if…

• You really like a young woman but you’re too chicken to ask her out.  You’d rather spend your nights sleeplessly pining after her until she turns into an idol.
• You have every intention of staying single for reasons other than that it will free you up to serve the Lord more effectively (1 Corinthians 7:32).
• You think of a wife as being a “ball and chain” that will keep you from continuing in your carefree, selfish, indulgent lifestyle.
• You’re doing nothing—spiritually or financially—to prepare yourself for marriage and leading a family.
• You’re not actively looking for women whom you’d be interested in marrying.
• You don’t seek advice from older people on dating, marriage, and being a father.  You figure you’ll just cross that bridge when you come to it.  (It can’t be that hard, right?  And it can’t possibly be as important as my studies!)
• You haven’t thought through biblical principles that would help you know how to go about dating/courting a young woman.  You’re foolish enough to believe that because the Bible doesn’t use the word dating, God has nothing to say on the subject and you can follow what all your friends are doing.
• You let daydreams of marriage and sex substitute for the real thing.  Imagining these things is a lot easier than actually winning over a woman’s heart, so you just stick with what you’re good at.
• You get sexual gratification from pornography, which is perfect for a lazy bum who isn’t willing to handle the responsibilities of leadership and service that are part of the package of sex within marriage.
• You use sexual fantasy as a narcotic to escape the pain of the real world.
• You want a girlfriend because you desperately need someone to love you.  You’re needy and clingy.  You fear other people rather than the Lord.
• You have a girlfriend, and you desperately need her to love you.  You’re needy and clingy.  You fear her rather than the Lord.

…and you might be Peter Pan if…

• You are not actively serving in a local church like God has insisted that you do (1 Corinthians 12).  You only hang around your buddies in the college ministry.
• You don’t know anyone at your church who is more than four years older than you.
• You don’t seek out friendships with older men.  You make no effort to listen and learn from older men.
• You don’t get enough sleep during the week, and especially Saturday night, so you aren’t alert during the sermon to hear the things God wants to teach you.
• You’ve never taken time to leaf through your church’s hymnal and marvel at the rich doctrine found in the hymns inside (assuming your church uses a hymnal).
• You haven’t been baptized and you’ve never really put much thought into it.
• You skip the Lord’s Supper at Family Gathering service (KSBC only) and think it’s no big deal because being able to put off your homework until Sunday night is more important to you.  Never mind that Jesus told you to do do it in memory of him.
• You don’t care about church membership.  It’s something you’ll get to one day, maybe, if you feel like it.
• You care more about the Indianapolis Colts (or other local sports team) than you do about your church, its growth, and the people in it.

…and you might be Peter Pan if…

• You never spend more than two minutes in prayer, and your prayers sound like a boring grocery list of requests.  You never do anything that would force you to depend on God in prayer.
• You never pray together with other believers.
• You never pray for anyone except yourself.
• You don’t read your Bible for wisdom because you don’t need its wisdom to know how to sit on the couch and watch TV all day, or to spend all day studying for your classes.  You’re totally adequate for these things, so you’ll stick with what you’re good at instead of, you know, actually trusting and obeying God.
• You don’t memorize scripture because it’s “too hard.”  No, it’s not.
• You never share the gospel with anyone because you’re too afraid of what people will think of you.  If only that perfect opportunity would just fall into your lap…

…and you might be Peter Pan if…

• You feel more comfortable referring to yourself as a “guy” rather than a “man.”
• Other people feel more comfortable referring to you as a “guy” rather than a “man.”
• People don’t come to you for advice and help for difficult situations in their lives because they know that all you’re good for is your MP3 collection or your knowledge of sports trivia or your knack for acing engineering exams.

Most of these are sins of omission rather than sins of commission.  Many of the “bad” things mentioned aren’t bad in and of themselves (TV, music, sports, studies, etc.).  They’re bad because they replace something that should not be omitted.  Being a Peter Pan is all about sins of omission.

So we’ve identified some of the symptoms, but what is the cancer underlying all these problems?  What is behind this menagerie of sins?  Stay tuned for the sequel—part two out of three.

Also, if you can think of more signs of a Peter Pan, I’d love to read what you have to say.  A woman’s perspective on these would be helpful, too!  So please feel welcome to leave comments.

So…the first.  If you haven’t read Gerald Hiestand’s review, do that first; then come back here.  Before I had read The Shack, I read his review, and it sounded over-the-top to me.  After reading the book, I’m convinced that, far from exaggerating the problem, Hiestand has put his finger on the single most dangerous theme of the book—that authority is a human construct brought about by the Fall, that God considers it “ghastly” (p. 122), and that it is incompatible with true relationship.  Though there are many serious errors in the book, this is one that Young relentlessly pursues throughout the course of his story.  He lays it all out explicitly on pp. 121-124 in a conversation among Mack and the members of the Trinity.  During the course of the dialogue, Jesus explains:

Once you have a hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and the enforcement of the rules, and you end up with some kind of chain of command or a system of order that destroys relationship rather than promotes it.  You rarely see or experience relationship apart from power.  Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we intended for you.

One possible response to this is to engage in an imagined philosophical debate with Young over whether authority or hierarchy really is incompatible with relationship.  Instead, I simply want to appeal to God himself—to the words given to us by God, not merely by William P. Young.  The true God reveals himself primarily through the holy and precious scriptures “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).  The inherent goodness of God’s authority is stunningly obvious throughout the pages of the Bible.  The first recorded words of God to man reflect his authority in an unbroken, sinless love relationship with his creature; in a rapid series of commands, he tells the man and the woman, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion…” (Genesis 1:28).  That last one, especially, reminds us that man was created as part of a hierarchy, as God’s vice-regent over the creation.  Throughout the creation accounts of Genesis 1-2, prior to the Fall, God commands all things into being, and he commands Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:16).  Throughout the rest of the Bible he issues commands and decrees, and one day he will return to rule the nations “with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15).  The one true God is not afraid of authority; he is not afraid to reign.

Because Young is familiar with the Bible, he can’t help but slip back into hierarchical terminology when referring to God, describing Jesus as “Lord of Creation” (p. 176) and “king of the universe” (p. 216).  But otherwise, he’s pretty consistent in applying this principle because he proceeds to denigrate the authority of the Bible, of the church, and of men.

The Bible

The only time Young mentions the Bible with more than a passing reference is when he attempts to devalue it.  This takes place on pp. 65-66, where he portrays it as God’s words “reduced to paper.”  It is not “overt” or “direct” communication by God.  It is “moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects…the intelligentsia.”  It limits God:  “No one wanted God in a box, just in a book.”

While Young uses biblical terminology throughout much of the book, he feels free to supplement the teachings of scripture with his own ideas about God, even going so far as to contradict the Bible if necessary to suit his agenda (as we have already seen).  He does not respect the authority of scripture as Jesus Christ did (Matthew 5:17-19).  He does not treasure its words as the psalmist did (Psalm 119).

The Church

Once again, every mention of the church as an institution is negative.  Using Jesus as his spokesman, Young explains that the church “is all about people and life is all about relationships” (p. 178).  It’s hard to argue with that…until we remember that to him, relationships are incompatible with authority.  Young’s Jesus insists, “I don’t create institutions—never have, never will” (p. 179).  This is utterly absurd; Christ did institute his church.  He gave it the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism.  He established procedures for church discipline (Matthew 18:15-20).  His apostles, sent with his authority, affirmed the offices of elder and deacon (1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9).  They laid out rules and guidelines for proper conduct in the church (1 Corinthians 14) and care for the widows (1 Timothy 5:3-16), among other things.  The Holy Spirit equipped the people of the church with spiritual gifts “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7)—including the gifts of leadership (Romans 12:8) and administration (1 Corinthians 12:28)!

If the church—local and universal—is not an institution, I don’t know what is.  Institutions are not inherently bad; in keeping with his response to the concept of authority itself, Young is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  Just because the church can be twisted and imperfect doesn’t mean that structure and hierarchy are themselves evil.  In the church, they are the structure on which relationships grow and flourish.

Masculinity

Hiestand came down hard on this one, and after reading the book, I understand why.  Let’s set aside the jarring fact that God the Father appears as a woman (Young insists on veering from the almost exclusively male depiction of God in the Bible).  Beyond that, the author undermines male headship and strongly implies that women are superior to men.  As a result of pitting relationship against authority, Young ends up rightly affirming feminine virtues while criticizing a caricature of masculine virtues.  His Jesus explains to Mack, “Like most men you find what you think of as fulfillment in your achievements, and Nan [Mack's wife], like most women, find [sic] it in relationships.  It’s more naturally her language” (p. 146).  It’s not hard to figure out where this is leading.  Young spends the entire book rejoicing in relationships, so of course women, who are apparently better than men at this, end up being naturally superior to men.

Young’s Jesus goes on to say, “The world, in many ways, would be a much calmer and gentler place if women ruled.  There would have been far fewer children sacrificed to the gods of greed and power” (p. 148).  When Mack speculates that perhaps it would have been better if women were given the role of authority, Jesus responds, “Better, maybe, but it still wouldn’t have been enough.”  Then he goes on to insist that power in human hands always corrupts and is inherently bad.  So the damage has been done to masculinity; perhaps the world wouldn’t be a perfect place if women were in charge, but it would be better.

The Shack is all about a love relationship.  This would be a great thing if Young left room for other perspectives offered by the Bible, which talks about our spiritual journey as fearing the Lord (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14), as a sacrifice to God (Philippians 2:17), as slavery to a new master (Romans 6:15-19), as a battle “against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12; tellingly, The Shack never once mentions the devil or demonic forces).  But rather than leaving room for these and many other perspectives, he excludes them.

God has and will use The Shack to remind people that he loves them and longs for a deeper relationship with them.  For that, I praise God and marvel at his use of flawed instruments to accomplish his perfect will.  Yet I am afraid that this book will not only lead people astray with blatantly false teaching but encourage people to become fatally unbalanced in their understanding of masculinity, of the church, of the Bible, and ultimately of God himself.

Hatred of sin as sin, not only as galling or disquieting, a sense of the love of Christ in the cross, lies at the bottom of all true spiritual mortification. Now, it is certain that that which I speak of proceeds from self-love. You set yourself with all diligence and earnestness to mortify such a lust or sin; what is the reason of it? It disquiets you, it has taken away your peace, it fills your heart with sorrow and trouble and fear; you have no rest because of it.…If you hate sin as sin, every evil way, you would be no less watchful against everything that grieves and disquiets the Spirit of God, than against that which grieves and disquiets your own soul. It is evident that you contend against sin merely because of your own trouble by it.

Owen, of course, has the unique ability to write the biography of every Christian in the space of a paragraph.

My whole life is characterized by this failure. Last Wednesday, while speaking at prayer service, I was a bit too cavalier with a certain passage of scripture. I narrowly insisted on one interpretation when the passage was unclear. However, rather than being broken over mishandling God’s Word, I was more concerned that other people would see me mishandling God’s Word (which I did) and think worse of me for it.

On Thursday, our seminary instructor spoke about the importance of being diligent as a pastor. He pointed out how necessary it was to lead by example—to avoid a lazy approach to ministry. Because laziness is a sinful habit of mine, I was convicted by his words…but mainly because of the threat that other people would see me as lazy (which I am) and think worse of me for it. Seeing sin as sin had little to do with it.

And that was just in the space of two days.

In my case, the fear of man is much more powerful than the fear of the Lord. My goal is selfish: to preserve my reputation in the sight of others. Often, I hate sin for this reason only.

How we need to grow a proper fear of God—to understand how offensive sin is in His sight! How we need to cultivate “a sense of the love of Christ in the cross”! Without these, we will remain slaves to our own sinful nature, and we will not be conformed to the image of Christ. To become like Him, we must know Him and cherish Him as He is.

Rather than being a deterrent to evangelism, unconditional election should be a doctrine which encourages us to bring the gospel to the world. Why? Because there are many elect in the world who will “obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.” It becomes less intimidating to realize that many unbelievers whom we interact with may be elect — that God has determined to save them. So we can bring the gospel to the world with confidence, knowing it is not up to us to persuade others with glitzy presentations or fine arguments, but rather to bring the gospel message regardless of our inadequacy.

I’m not trying to knock the means we use…obviously, God uses means to accomplish his purposes, and we are commanded to let our speech “always be gracious, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). Thankfully, though, we can still impact others’ lives without half of our church budget going to the band, a laser show, and the church coffee bar. It’s God’s Spirit that changes hearts. That’s a cause that we can “endure everything” for.

It’s amazing how I have failed to believe and live out these implications of unconditional election. May God continue to teach us and conform us to his Word.

“Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” –2 Timothy 4:11

“Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.” –2 Timothy 4:19-21

What fun would it be just to dwell on rejection?  A neat thing about Christianity is the fellowship we have with one another.  The fact that we hold this fundamental thing in common — the kingdom of God –  unites us like nothing else can.  It’s wonderful to be able to go to other countries and spend time with people you’ve never met, yet experience the bond of love that unites us all in the body of Christ.  Other believers can encourage, aid, and equip us in our service for God.

It would be a serious mistake to adopt a “just me and Jesus” mentality.  If we try to be Lone Ranger Christians, we neglect the body of Christ and therefore Christ himself.  Moreover, we neglect our own spiritual health.  Thank God for the friends that he brings into our lives!

“Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth….They are upsetting the faith of some.”  –2 Timothy 2:17-18

“For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”  –2 Timothy 4:9

“Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.  Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.”  –2 Timothy 4:14-15

Paul had quite a list of enemies.  He mentioned more of them by name in this book than anywhere else.  Some of these were from outside the church, such as Alexander, while others rose from within the church.  Most painful of all was Demas’ betrayal — the desertion by someone who was close to Paul.

Christianity is not meant for those who want to be friends with everyone.  We will face rejection from without and within if we really believe the truth of the gospel in all its glory and offense.

Paul points out that our willingness to suffer is drawn directly from our theology — specifically, the doctrine of unconditional election.

2 Timothy 1:8-12
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do.

This is a doctrine that I used to hate because it stood opposed to my self-made concepts of who God was and how he should behave. I was shocked by the idea that God would choose some and not others for salvation. In an attempt to sidestep the clear scriptural teaching on this matter, I resorted to a common response: before the creation of the world, God looked down the tunnel of time and foresaw who would respond to his grace with repentance and belief; then, he chose the ones who would respond favorably.

This was nothing more than speculation, and it already stood on shaky ground because it has no scriptural support. It’s an invention of a desperate human mind. Moreover, it is contradicted by v. 9 above, which says that God did not call us to salvation “because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.” Our election was not due to some action on our part. It was due entirely to God’s purpose, for God has a purpose in choosing some for salvation and not others.

If we really believed this, we would not have such a strong sense of entitlement in our churches. Deep down, we believe that in some way, we deserved to be saved. There was just something about me — maybe it’s because I was smarter than other people; maybe I was just more righteous than them. How lucky God is to have such a fine, intelligent man in his kingdom!

Appropriately, Charles Spurgeon mocked such a man-centered view of election with his “Arminian Prayer”:

Lord, I thank thee I am not like those poor presumptuous Calvinists. Lord, I was born with a glorious free-will; I was born with power by which I can turn to thee of myself; I have improved my grace. If everybody had done the same with their grace that I have, they might all have been saved. Lord, I know thou dost not make us willing if we are not willing ourselves. Thou givest grace to everybody; some do not improve it, but I do. There are many that will go to hell as much bought with the blood of Christ as I was; they had as much of the Holy Ghost given to them; they had as good a chance, and were as much blessed as I am. It was not thy grace that made us to differ; I know it did a great deal, still I turned the point; I made use of what was given me, and others did not — that is the difference between me and them.

Rightly did Spurgeon call that “a prayer for the devil.” No one would be bold enough to say those things — instead, we imagine ourselves safe when we merely think them. Led by a high view of ourselves, we take our salvation for granted, abandoning it to pursue other trifles that are nothing but a vapor.

If there is something about me that brought about my salvation, then I am in some sense entitled to it. And if I am entitled to “life and immortality” (v. 10), then there is no reason to suffer for it. I’ll leave the suffering up to the other poor fools who aren’t as good as I am.

May God have mercy on us. We have neglected this doctrine for the sake of our own comfort. I pray that this teaching may soak into me, that this word may penetrate me to the core of my being, that I would always remember that I am saved apart from my own merit, ability, or wisdom. I pray that I may reject this entitlement mentality. I pray that I may gladly sacrifice and suffer for the God who has chosen me and loves me. O Lord, may you alone receive the praise for your great work of salvation!

In the light of this precious doctrine, let’s rejoice in the gospel of the power of God!