The ‘horrible decree’…

September 17th, 2006

Was recently having a conversation with a dudette who is very close to me. I was on the comp reading reviews of Piper’s commentary on Romans 9, and she decided to look up the chapter in the Bible. I asked her what she thought, she concluded she didn’t like it. We ended up having a lengthy conversation about justice, sin, and double predestination (esp reprobation), during which I was also on the computer and thus probably did not pay anything like enough attention to her - as I realised when I turned around and saw tears in her eyes. A little comforting her, and asking about what she was getting upset about, clarifying that I wasn’t going to judge her, she eventually said something to the effect of:

“I’ve always half believed and half not believed - I’ve wanted to believe because without God everythings meaningless, but now I also don’t want to believe because if there is a God, it sounds like he’s mean and nasty and evil.” Comforted and chatted, maybe helped a bit, and gave her a copy of Christianity Explored (most relavent basic book that I have lying around - it discusses sin, but can anyone think of a better book of a similar-ish level that might cover double predestination at all?)

Really made me think. From my reading of the bible, it seems that double predestination is true. That we are sinners deserving of death, temporary hell, and then annihilation, definitely is (save that some people might say everlasting hell rather than temporary hell + annihilation). But if I think about it - I really can see that such things might sound evil, especially when I don’t explain them VERY well to people who aren’t already familiar enough with my understanding of human nature, theology, etc, to not have it take some effort (perhaps too much) to hold all such data in ones head.

Anyone have any words of wisdom of how to explain reprobation etc to non-Christians or Christians who have their doubts and issues (well, that’s pretty much all of us, but I mean surface level doubts and issues in particular)?

I really welcome any words of wisdom from other people - this is something I’ve readlly struggled with explaining in the past when talking to people who aren’t committed evangelical Christians (or very well read in such things).