BluePearl
Member
I'm sure this will open up a can of worms, but here goes. I am a very new believer (it hasn't been a week) so I know very little. But I have been reading about Calvinism for years, out of curiosity and, well, because it terrifies me.
I understand (and feel deeply) that God is sovereign. I even understand how some people can believe that free will takes away from God's sovereignty. What I don't understand is why both can't be true-why can't God be sovereign AND allow free will? Now, I get that greater minds than mine have debated this, so I am trying to get to the place where I am okay with not having to know the answer to every question. This is hard.
But here's the thing-I can't quit crying. I get that God can do anything he wants, but Calvinism makes me so sad. I went to see my seven-year-old niece last night and all I could think about was if she were to ask me if God loves her, what could I say? Maybe? We'll have to wait and see? He might actually hate you and take delight in your everlasting punishment?
My whole life the one constant was "God loves you" (I grew up in a non-denominational Arminian church). Calvinism turns that on it's head. To me, it turns John 3:16 into "For God so loved the ELECT that he gave his only begotten Son..."
But here's the rub-my belief FEELS like a gift. If someone had told me two weeks ago I would be a Christian, let alone a bible-believing Christian, I would have thought they were insane (I had contemplated "becoming" a liberal Christian, thinking I could pick and choose what I would believe, if you can imagine, but never an orthodox Christian).
So, I don't know what to think.
Also, I'm open to private messages if people don't want to post on the thread.
Hi Emsmom1,
You are a new believer and that is awesome news! I am sure it can be very confusing in the begining, given all the information and different teachings that are out there. I think the most important thing to do is to study the bible on your own, grow your relationship with God and let him guide you because all the different churches out there have very different views and interpret things in very different ways.
Now to answer your question, I am of the belief that God is sovereign AND has given us free will. Yes God is sovereign, he has created everything on earth with all the different genetic makeups, mathematics, cellular compositions, laws (gravity, sowing and reaping) etc. yet he has also created humans with free will. That means we ourselves make our own decisions, we decide if we believe in Jesus and follow our Lord or if we reject Him, we decide if we make a good decision or bad decision, we decide if we do a good action or a bad action. God loves all of His creation and wants the best for everyone, yet we make the wrong decisions because of all the different influences in our lives (culture, family, friends, our past, etc). The more we learn to follow Him, the more we will follow His influence and make the best choices as we move along.
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