Calvinism

The last few articles focused on what Ephesians 1:3-5 does not mean about predestination. To embrace biblical truth, we must first unlearn errors. Erroneous teachings cloud our understanding, and we must replace them with Scripture. Surprisingly, many errors in Western churches trace back to the Protestant Reformation. This quote of NT Wright’s hits the nail on the head:

“For too long, we have read scripture with nineteenth-century eyes and sixteenth-century questions. It’s time to get back to reading with first-century eyes and twenty-first-century questions.”¹

Human free will is a foundational biblical truth. But what happens to free will when someone redefines God’s sovereignty in a way that clashes with scripture? Calvinism claims sovereignty means God causes everything. That includes everything from atomic vibrations to your lunch choice. If God controls every detail, then human choice is just an illusion. This creates a problem: if God determines all events, how can people be truly responsible for their choices? A philosophy known as “compatibilism” has been introduced to address this tension. It tries to solve the contradiction by redefining free will in a way that fits Calvinistic sovereignty.

Few theological debates stir as much passion as the question of free will. Do we truly have the ability to choose, or has God already determined our eternal fate? In a previous article, I examined Ephesians 1:3-5 and the claim that God’s sovereignty means He personally selects each individual’s destiny apart from their own choice. But is that what Scripture really teaches? If God is in control, does that mean our choices are just an illusion? The Bible tells a different story—one where divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not at odds.

To correctly understand “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), we must grasp two key concepts. First, we need a biblical understanding of God’s sovereignty. Second, we must consider whether God allows humans to make their own choices. Do we choose to follow God, or does He choose who will follow Him?