ee Not By Chance: Leama to Teust a : Sovereign Gock by: Mylo Takbert APPENDIX E Salvation: Divine Determination or Human Responsibility? i ‘Through the centuries this battle has raged like a theological huly war. Crusaders for both sides have attacked their doctrinal enemies too often with an unholy zeal. Brothers have parted, churches have split, fel- lowships have divided, denominations have formed, and labels have been devised (some descriptive, some defamatory) as a result of this question and its practical ramifications. After all these centuries, the debate remains at an impasse. How is it to be resolved? One cannot argue the superiority of the men on either ‘ side of the issue. Both positions have had their share of good, godly, able : advocates (as well as the other kind). Nor can either side claim a mo- nopoly on clear and unequivocal Scripture. Each side of the debate has its favorite proof texts that allegedly undermine the other’s position. Like- wise, each side is baffled by certain passages and squirms at the prick of g certain scriptural thorns in their theological flesh. Yet both sides have their own answers to such problem passages—answers that often involve fee some subtle adjustment of the wording, some rational redefinition of the - terms, some leap of logic, however large or small, to make all the pas- sages fit more comfortably within the logical confines of their systematic theology. What, then, is the solution? A genuine impasse is, by nature and defi> nition, unresolvable. If we insist on devising a complete answer to every question and fitting every verse into a system that we find logically com- fortable and easily explicable, the impasse will always remain. Our only choice will be to side with one view or the other—accepting all the strengths and rationalizing all the weaknesses of whatever position we 250APPENDIX E {ullyeanlerStaelOrERplaiM.There, it seems, is the rub, The Limitations of Logic Shakespeare’s Henry V opens with an apology to the audience for im- posing upon their imagination because of the limitations of the theater. “Can this cockpit [this small stage] hold the vasty fields of France?” the narrator asks rhetorically. The task of theology, properly approached, faces this same limitation. Can any systematic theology, however thick or multi-volumed, adequately display the immeasurable vistas of an infinite and eternal God? “But pardon, gentles all,” the bard continues, “the flat tunraiséd spirit that hath dared, on this unworthy scaffold, to bring forth 50 great an object.” Necessary and helpful as they are, the constructs of systematic theology and human reason are an insufficient scaffold for the presentation of so great an object as the thoughts and actions of the un- fathomable Godhead. Where biblical theology leaves off, with its explicit focus on what has been revealed, systematic theology often attempts to carry the investiga- tion further through logic and deduction. Sound systematic theology takes the statements of biblical revelation and applies lo; ic, both to or- Logic is, of course, a God-given tool, essential for understanding human and divine communication. Drawing logical inferences frora Scripture is perfectly legitimate and, indeed, necessary. Jesus (e.g., Matthew 22:31-32), Paul (¢.g., Romans 9-11), and others (e.g, James 2:20-26) exemplify this method in their handlitig of Scripture. At the same time, Paul flatly declares when an apparently logical path leads to a theological cul-de-sac (e.g., Romans 9:18-20). Everyone admits that there are limits to logic—at least in theory. The assertion that human logic has limitations, however, does not mean merely that logic can carry us along only so far and then stops There are numerous false turns down which apparent logic can take us and still be logical. In other words, iis possible for samething to be bothNOT BY CHANCE “logical” and wrong. If a deduction is based on a false premise, a seem- ingly reasonable assumption, or an inadequate or inaccurate knowledge of the facts, that deduction may appear to be perfectly logical and yet be dead wrong, Paul is the most vocal in drawing the line between legitimate logical conclusions and deductions that are as wrong as they are reason- able. Each “God forbid” from the pen of Paul warns the reader against ar- riving at some apparently logical but erroneous, even damnable, conclusion. We are not at liberty to draw inferences that contradict other explicit statements of Scriptire. And we' must be tentative about defend- ing apparently logical inferences that carry us beyond explicit statements of Scripture Qne of the challenges to logic is the/faradox) Someone has defined a paradox as truth standing on its head to get attention. A paradox is nota contradiction but an @pparent contradictiof)truth presented in terms of polarities. God is three persons yet one being, Jesus is fully God and fully man. These are not contradictions but paradoxes, It is just as heretical to say that the truth lies somewhere between the two poles as is it to dem either pole of the truth. Within the confines of human logic, the finite categories in which we are accustomed to think, they appear to conflict. ‘Yet, we are willing to suspend our logic in deference to what God says is 80, in the face of biblical revelation that clearly asserts the reality of ap- parently contradictory truths. ‘This suspension of logic, this acting on the basis of what God says is $@ (rather than on our own understanding of what seems to make sense or our perception of what seems to be the case) has a very common name (ETP shing Gad tis word, Thi is not to ‘say that faith is illogi- cal. Belief in apparently illogical propositions (such as the Trinity or the twofold nature of Christ) is an entirely logical human response to propo- sitions that God affirms are true(faith, acknowledges that revelation may Logic is a persuasive thing, Paradoxical as it may sound, logic can also be an intoxicating influence, clouding our ability to walk the narrow path between explicit biblical statement and the tenuous extensions of appar- ent logic that branch off from that path in both directions. At some point 252