[As a side note, it was interesting to see how absent any form of "physical appearance" was from our lists. It seems that modern science has finally eradicated (at least among the people present) the delusion that our bodies somehow uniquely reflect a portion of God's being.]
There are, of course, good reasons why we believe that our morality and desire for justice is also a fundamental characteristic of Gods. Throughout the Bible we see God fighting for justice, or commanding his followers to seek justice. Countless passages tell of how God "loves justice" (Isaiah 61:8, Psalm 33:5) and hates those who make unjust laws or withhold justice (Isaiah 10:1-4, Deuteronomy 27:19). So it seems that we share with God a fundamental desire for fairness, justice, and righteousness, and this may be what is meant by "the image of God".
As I thought about this conversation in the days after the class, I began to wonder why Calvinists don't see a terrible problem with their cherished theological system...
A Calvinist believes that God is the only entity involved in our salvation in any way; He conceives, initiates, and completes the salvation of "the elect" without any contribution from them at all. They believe that some people are created for the sole purpose of eternal destruction, while others are created to be the objects of God's love, and are destined for eternal life. According to Calvinists, there is absolutely no difference between the two types of people other than Gods choice.
If your "injustice meter" isn't red-lined, get it checked.
So I ask the question: How could a God who is so concerned with justice invent a system that is so unjust? I think the answer is simple: He couldn't.
I'm reminded of a poem I read a few years ago by Charles Wesley, which discusses what he calls "The Calvinistic Conundrum". Here's a small portion:
Oh Horrible Decree
Worthy of whence it came!
Forgive their hellish blasphemy
Who Charge it on the Lamb.
The righteous God consigned
Them over to their doom,
And sent the Savior of mankind
To damn them from the womb;
To damn for falling short
Of what they could not do
For not believing the report
Of that which was not true.
7 comments:
Good post. And that poem by Charleston Wesleybis quite a find! Is there more to it?
Thanks, Steve! The poem is called "Oh Horrible Decree" and the full text can be found here.
With Easter today I was thinking about this as well. The issue that I have is how does justice line up with "Christ died for our sins" (1 Cor 15:3). How is that considered justice? For Calvinists I can see that it makes sense because ultimately God is responsible for sin (though they would not admit that), and having a god-man die for sin could in a way pay for sin. If man has free will and is responsible for their own sin can an innocent one pay the penalty? That red lines my "injustice meter" as well.
Mark, (Wilkimist)
Interesting point. How do you view the sacrifices made in the Old Testament? IOW, If only humans can pay for human sin, what was the point of OT animal sacrifices?
Joe,
That is a critical question and where I find Christians don't understand the OT. Within the sacrificial system there are different purposes for the sacrifices: purification, peace/fellowship, sin/guilt, and festival celebrations (Passover). Purification and peace offerings are not for sin but for cleansing to be ritually pure and praise and thanksgiving to God.
The sin/guilt offerings are only prescribed for unintentional sin, intentional sin has no offering (there are some exceptions Lev 5:1-6, 6:1-7). In this case the animal dies because of your sin/ignorance, and is to teach the individual the cost of their ignorance and the person pays for the sacrifice out of their belongings.
The Day of Atonement appears to be when intentional sin is atoned for, specifically rebellion, this wouldn't include someone who is guilty of an offense that deserved death (Num 35:33). It is also for the cleansing of the temple, the Holy of Holies, the Altar, and then you have the goat that shows that God has removed the sin from them, at least those that repent and hold to the ordinance. There are many reasons why Jesus does not fit this sacrifice; the day, the sprinkling of the blood, the laying on of hands, etc.
Passover is the sacrifice that Jesus is to fill, especially in John. However, Passover is not a sin offering but a commemorative sacrifice to celebrate God freeing them from Egypt, and to celebrate their part in Israel's blessings. If Jesus' sacrifice frees us from sin, how is that done?
Then there is the question of where is a human sacrifice allowed, or an innocent person to take the place of a guilty person? "Each is to die for his own sin." (Deut 24:16) Or where does God say he will be the sacrifice?
The sacrificial system seems to be about obedience, teaching and punishing the individual, commemorating what God did for his people, to praise and thank God, and demonstrate the cost of continual fellowship with God.
I grew up in the Methodist Church, then, switched to the Presbyterian Church. Very little in the Methodist teachings at the local church level, if any at all, address John Calvin and this doctrine of the "elect". The term elect, in my understanding, does NOT mean that only certain individualsare chosen to receive Christ by God. God knows past, present, and future. When any person receives Christ, he or she is among the elect. No where does God specify to us who would or would not be included. Jesus wants his followers to bring the gospel messange to all people, not limited only to certain ones. The doctrine of election does NOT mean that God has forbidden any one who wants to accept Christ from receiving Christ, as so many may mistakenly think.
Not only is man created in God's image in Genesis, but after man eats the forbidden fruit he is even more like God prompting God to say "Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil." So much for Calvinism right there! Not only did the "fall" not take away man's knowledge of good and evil, but it increased it. Not only did the "fall" not make man less like God, but it made him more like God. Man was created in the image of God originally. But when he "fell" he was even more like God than when he was created.
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