Christians often fall into two camps. (that is a statement in itself!)
On one hand we have those who take a high view of the power, omniscience etc of God. He controls everything, selects who will become a Christian, etc. I call these people ‘Calvinists’. Their opponents state that this makes God responsible for sin and evil.
On the other hand we have those who emphasise mankind’s free will. It is mankind’s choice to rebel or serve God. Anything else would be just slavery. This view makes man responsible for his own sin. I call these people Arminians. Their opponents argue that it leaves God as a helpless observer, wringing his hands in despair at the sidelines.
Of course neither of these are fair caricatures.
But I propose the following model.
Imagine that a person is a ball – free to roll around [the free will bit]. But God has provided a channel for it to roll along. [the God’s sovereignty bit]. The ball can wobble a bit within the channel, but is constrained by the sides and the slope.
This model has its limits. It still leaves God responsible for sin. So: extend the channel, and make it branch in different directions like a tree. Some of those branches will end in places of blessing; others will end in places of sin. The whole channel system, the whole tree, is made by God. He is in full knowledge and control of the whole thing. And he rolls human balls down the channel system. When the balls come to a branch, they have a choice – left or right? Easy option or hard option? Sin or not sin? Many of the branches have signposts: “do not go down to the harlot” – “love your neighbour”, etc. So the balls rattle down the channel system, eventually ending at the destiny that God has warned or promised that he has made that branch they have chosen lead to.
In this model, God has absolute sovereignty – he made the channel system and you are never out of his will – and yet we have choices, hour by hour and minute by minute, that will affect our passage through life and our final destiny.
The next stage of development of the model would be to talk about a forest of these decision channel trees, and we could talk about how where the branches of one person’s tree touch the branches of someone else’s, the passage of the ball in one tree can open or close branch channels in the other. So my sin can hinder other people, or lead them into sin, while my righteous deeds can unlock the path of blessing in someone else’s life (even if they never use that branch to experience the potential blessing so unlocked)
Well, I like this model.
What do you think?
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