Book Review: Chosen But Free

Extreme Calvinists believe in limited atonement. That is, they believe that Christ died on the cross solely for those that have, or will, accept Him and be redeemed, but not for those who will reject him until their ultimate demise. Calvinists attempt to back up this theory with specific Bible verses, pointing out the instances in Jesus’ teachings when he specifically refers to “the sheep,” “his friends,” “the church,” and many more similar examples.  

In his book Chosen But Free, Norman Geisler points out the flaws of this belief. Geisler states that there is a simple rebuttal to the Calvinist’s view that Jesus did not die only for those who will believe in Him, but rather also for those who will reject Him. The rebuttal is this: both could be true. Simply because those who believe are the only ones to reap the benefits of God’s grace, does not mean that Jesus did not die for believers and unbelievers alike. Norman Geisler illustrated this point further with the following analogy, “for me to say I love my friend Eric does not mean I do not love my neighbor Carl” (Geisler 74). The friend “Eric” in the analogy represents Christ’s church, which Jesus professed to love. The neighbor “Carl” in the analogy represents the unsaved, mere acquaintances that do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Therefore, according to Norman Geisler, Simply because Christ loves the church dos not mean that He does not love the unsaved.

Calvinists go even further in their disagreement of limited atonement by rejecting substitutionary atonement. Substitutionary atonement teaches that Jesus died as a substitution for all humankind. Calvinists reject substitutionary atonement simply because it is in direct discord with their belief that Jesus did not die for all of human kind, but rather for His exclusive elect

In response to Calvinist’s rejection of substitutionary atonement, Geisler points out that Christ’s death made God’s grace available to all, therefore, all are savable.  However, that does not mean that all are saved as a result. Due to God’s bestowment of free will on all of humankind, each person has the ability to either accept God’s gift of salvation through Christ, or reject it.

Worship

Praise and worship, in any form, are key aspects of a Christian’s relationship with God. Many Christians, and often entire churches, lose sight of the reason and importance of having a healthy, strong, and worshipful relationship with God. The simple reason for the church to engage in praise and worship is that, God deserves it. He deserves a church that is eager to gather together and wholeheartedly devote their time, attention, and effort to praising and worshiping their creator and savior.

            Worship takes on many forms and can be incorporated into life’s many roles and responsibilities. It can, and should, even be integrated into one’s career and relationships with others. The key aspect of worship is that it is done communally with others. Praise, on the other hand, is done alone. Praise has the potential to be the purest form of communication with God. Since it is done in privacy, the one offering praise has the opportunity to candidly and unabashedly speak with God.

            While praise indeed has the potential to be extraordinary, it also has equal, or perhaps more, potential to become lax, tedious, and monotonous. The art of praise should be practiced often, so often in fact that it gives rise to the possibility that it will begin to feel like a chore. The Christians who find themselves feeling the tedium of habitual praise need to look to Paul’s words in Galatians 6:19 when he wrote, “So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.” The Christians who listen to Paul’s words of wisdom could find themselves “reaping a harvest of blessing” in their relationships, in their job or school, in their demeanor, and most importantly in their relationship with God.

Testimony

I grew up in a very religion oriented family. Both of my parent’s lives did, and still do to some extent, revolve acutely around God and living lives that pleased Him. As a young child I so badly wanted my parent’s approval, and in order to gain their approval I mirrored, not only their actions, but also their morals and values. Due to that mindset, I essentially lived a “Christian” life even before I became a Christian.

When I was ten, my best friend and her family took me to hear the father of Rachel, one of the victims of the Columbine shootings, speak. He spoke about how the shooter had demanded that Rachel renounce her faith, in order to live, and how she had responded, “you know I can’t do that”, and was subsequently shot and killed. On the way home that night I found myself thinking about what I would do if put into that situation. I then realized that I had simply been imitating my parent’s beliefs, rather than acting on my own accord.

I am now twenty-two and have been through many ups and downs throughout my life which have both caused me to have a closer walk with God and have also, on occasion, pushed me further from Him. I am still working on this and do not expect it to get any easier as time goes on, I can only hope to become a stronger person throughout the challenges.