Calvinism vs. Arminianism - Relationship, Power, Love and Free Will

Calvinism vs. Arminianism

Relationship, Power, Love and Free Will

The Calvinist vs. Arminian conflict is not a God's will vs. Man's will one.  God's will is understood through the words of Jesus, "Thy kingdom come thy will be done."  There is a parallelism here.  The coming of God's New Covenant kingdom IS God's will.  Neither the Calvinist nor the Armenian is against the Kingdom of God.  Both want the kingdom to come and to thrive.  Both desire God's will to be done.  There is no conflict here.

The Calvinist vs. Arminian conflict stems from a different emphasis of God's attributes.  The Calvinist champions God's power.  The emphasis of power comes from the influence of Platonic ideology that God must display absolute power in order to be almighty.  God cannot be limited by anything because it would mean he is weak and without power.  Thus all the Greek gods practiced both good and evil.  If God was not in control of everything he would be seen as weak.  Thus anything in the Bible that detracts from God's power, such as man exercising is own will, is explained away as God allowing the man to think he is exercising his free will but in reality, his fate is already foreseen, planned, predetermined and predestined.  God attribute of power is important but is it all important?

The Arminian on the other hand champions relationship.  In order for relationship to exist, God self limits his power.  He chooses to act in the best interests of the other party in the relationship.  God limits his power to doing good rather than evil.  He choses to love the other party.  (Love is power restrained.  The ability to restrain power is more powerful then power, because it stops power and controls it.  God could wipe us out for sin, but gracefully restrains his power to grant us mercy and a chance to be forgiven if we repent.)

Relationships don't work when one party forces his will on the other.  Love cannot exist in such a system.  God cannot demand someone to love him.  A person must be free to love for love to be genuine.  Thus God does an incredible thing.  He limits his power to make free will beings and although he could control them if he wants to, he chooses not to.  He allows them to sin though it is his desire (will) that they do not.  He could force them to their knees but restrains his power to persuade (or draw) them to him by loving them first and asking them to love him back.  Christ's death on the cross is the ultimate act of love; the ultimate act of restrained power; the ultimate act of persuasion.  That's why the gospel is powerful.  Paul says the gospel is God's power for salivation.  One is free to accept the gospel or reject it.

But it's more complicated than that.   Another great attribute of God is his justice.  Calvinism negates justice.  If men's actions are predetermined and he has no will but to abide by God's predestination then he cannot be held accountable for them.  The basis of all justice is the idea of "eye for an eye", and justice requires repayment.  Repayment in most cases must be forced (an exercise of power).  Thus God must exercise power to bring about justice.

The beauty of the New Covenant is that it brings all these wonderful attributes of God into play.  Man's sin requires repayment because God is a just God.  The repayment is described as "eternal destruction".  Man must repay by the forfeiture of his eternal life.  But God in grace, restrains his power and offers man forgiveness provided he repents out of free will.  God exercises his power through the gospel.  Christ dies in place of man and satisfies the demands of justice for those who choose to have a relationship with him.  Those who don't want a relationship with God are not forced to have one.  They are allowed (given over) to go their own way to destruction.

The relationship God offers man is through Christ in the New Covenant.  It is a loving relationship because both parties agree to to become covenant parties out of their own free will.  The parties of the New Covenant are God and anyone of his own free will who, believes, repents and allows Christ's blood to cleanse him of sin through baptism.  The primary term(s) (obligations of the weaker party) of the New Covenant is the free will response of the believer to love God in return and to act in God's best interests (chesed).  To love God includes love of one's neighbor as well.  Thus the believer, out of his own free will, resolves to live like Christ and seek to save the lost like Christ did.  The promises (obligations of the stronger party) of the New Covenant are forgiveness of sins, restitution of eternal life and inclusion in the kingdom of God a relationship that will last forever.

Justice can only be exercised on free will beings.  Love can only be given by free will beings.  Relationship cannot be forced, it must be freely chosen by both parties.  Restrained power is greater than power.  The New Covenant relationship allows God to exercise, justice, power and love in harmony.