My God is So Great

Roland H. Bainton says of Calvinism in his work, The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, "The drive of Calvinism stems from optimism as to God despite pessimism as to man."

Yes, we Calvinists "put no confidence in princes nor for help on man depend." But yet we hold a bright view of the future due to the utter supremacy of God and the outworking of his plan. We Calvinists are often put forth as the gloomy ones. But not so. We are the most optimistic bunch because our God cannot be thwarted in anything that he does--and he does all things well!

Bainton later notes the difference between Lutheranism and the Reformed camp by saying,

The great text for Luther was "Thy sins are forgiven," but for Calvin it was "If God is for us who can be against us?" Both Calvin and Luther had an overwhelming sense of the majesty of God, but whereas for Luther this served to point up the miracle of forgiveness, for Calvin it gave rather the assurance of the impregnability of God's purpose.

Of course we Calvinists are big on the forgiveness of sins, but the ultimate objective is still prominent: The sovereign God whose eternal purpose will not fail will be glorified for all eternity!

But allow me another accurate quote that does put us in the dust. Regarding Calvin's view of the so called "virtuous pagans" Bainton says,

From the point of view of divine truth the philosophers, apart from God's revelation, are blinder than bats and moles, and apart from God's grace the virtues of the pagans are but splendid vices.

Bible Basics: The Sovereignty of God in the Salvation of Men

"Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?"
John 3:9

I have heard people say that predestination is beyond them. What they mean is they don't want to dwell on it because they think it is too heady. I've also known people who simply will not even consider it because they are so replused by it.

Yet it is one of the most elementary truths of Scripture.

As a Pharisee, Nicodemus would have been one of the elite religious leaders. He would have had the equivalent of a Ph.d. in Judaism or, more specifically, Old Testament studies. And just like you would turn to the seminary professors of today for the answers to your theology questions, people would have turned to Nicodemus for insight into God's Word.

But Nicodemus failed theology 101 with Jesus.

When Jesus starts talking about the new birth and God's sovereign work of changing a sinner's heart (otherwise known as regeneration), Nicodemus seems dumbfounded. "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

After Jesus explains that he needs to be born of the Spirit you would think that Nicodemus' credentials need to be revoked by the way he responds: "How can these things be?"

Jesus responds (and you can feel the words pierce the prideful heart of Nicodemus), "Are you not the teacher of Israel and you do not know these things?"

Get it now, they've been talking about the sovereign work of the Spirit in the heart of a man ("The flesh gives birth to flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit...the Spirit blows where it wishes.") And Jesus says, "You? A teacher of Israel? The teacher of Israel! You don't understand these things?"

If I might even give a more to the point paraphrase: "Come on, this is stuff you should have learned in your Sabbath school classes. Any child who is slightly familiar with the Bible should know this."

Don't believe me? Well, I can speak from experience. My wife and I have recently went through it with our 5 yr old daughter at our family devotions. The Children's Catechism asks, "For whom did Jesus die?" Answer: All his chosen people. Again it asks, "Who can change a sinner's heart?" Answer: The Holy Spirit alone. My daughter might not get all the implications, but at least she can spit out the answers. (A lot better than Mr. Know-It-All Pharisee, anyway).

My point is, not only is the doctrine of of the new birth one of the most devotional doctrines of all Scripture and a great testimony to the sovereign grace of God in salvation, it is also simple and for the simple.