Salvation and Sovereignty

Kenneth Keathley

• Editorial: B&H Academic
• Año: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781433669637
• Categoría: Theologie & Religion
• Categoría: Christliche Theologie

In Salvation and Sovereignty, Kenneth Keathley asks, "What shall a Christian do who is convinced of certain central tenets of Calvinism but not its corollaries?" He then writes, "I see salvation as a sovereign work of grace but suspect that the usual Calvinist understanding of sovereignty (that God is the cause of all things) is not sustained by the biblical witness as a whole."

Aiming to resolve this matter, the author argues that just three of Calvinism's five TULIP points can be defended scripturally and instead builds on the ROSES acronym first presented by Timothy George ( R adical depravity, O vercoming grace, S overeign election, E ternal life, S ingular redemption). In relation, Keathley looks at salvation and sovereignty through the lens of Molinism, a doctrine named after Luis Molina (1535-1600) that is based on a strong notion of God's control and an equally firm affirmation of human freedom.

CHAPTER 1

THE BIBLICAL CASE FOR MOLINISM

Without God we cannot, without us, he will not.

—Augustine of Hippo

Take away free will and there will be nothing left to save; take away grace and there will be no means left of salvation.

—Bernard of Clairvaux¹

MOLINISTS ARGUE THAT God perfectly accomplishes His will in the lives of genuinely free creatures through the use of His omniscience. The model they propose presents God’s infinite knowledge as a series of three logical moments: God’s natural knowledge, middle knowledge, and free knowledge.

It is important to keep in mind that these three moments are a logical sequence, not a chronological sequence. Since God is omniscient, He innately knows all things—this means He does not go through the mental processes that finite beings do of “figuring things out.” God never “learns” or has things “occur” to Him. He already knows all truths. The fact that God is omniscient does not merely mean that God is infinitely more knowledgeable than us, but that His knowledge is of a different type and quality. So the three moments of God’s knowledge proposed by Molinism refer to logical order, not a sequence in time.

There is nothing unique to Molinism about understanding God’s knowledge in terms of moments. Reformed theologians also describe God’s knowledge as a series of logical moments, as we will see in the chapter on sovereign election. Nor was Molina the first to argue for three moments. Previously, the medieval theologians Duns Scotus and Thomas Aquinas had done so in their respective presentations of divine omniscience. But Molina was the first to demonstrate that the three-moment model provided a way of reconciling divine sovereignty with human freedom that genuinely did justice to both truths.

MOLINISM IN A NUTSHELL

The Three Moments of Molinism in Terms of “Could,” “Would,” and “Will” God uses His omniscience to perfectly accomplish His will.
1st Moment: God’s Natural Knowledge	“Could” Everything that could happen	God knows all possibilities.
2nd Moment: God’s Middle Knowledge	“Would” Everything that would happen	God knows which possibilities are feasible.
Between 2nd & 3rd moment: God freely and sovereignly chooses this particular world from the infinite number of feasible possibilities.
3rd Moment: God’s Free Knowledge	“Will” Everything that will happen	God exhaustively knows all things.

The Three Moments of Molinism in Terms of Could, Would, and Will

So how does Molinism understand the three moments of God’s knowledge to work? For the purposes at hand we are going to simplify things a bit.² Consider the three phases in terms of could, would, and will. The first moment of God’s omniscience is His natural knowledge: He knows all possibilities, everything that could happen. He knows what reality would be like if He had created a world without you or me in it, or never created anything or anyone at all. These fully formed possible scenarios are generally called possible worlds. There is an infinite upon infinite number of possible permutations of how things could have been. Just contemplating such a notion is overwhelming for us but poses no problem for God.

Now let’s jump to the third moment: God’s free knowledge. This is His perfect knowledge of the world—this world—that He chose to “actualize” (i.e., create). Molina referred to this third moment as “free” because it is the result of God’s free, sovereign decision to bring this particular world into existence. Of the infinite possibilities available to God, He was under no compulsion to choose this one. Yet He chose a world that contains free moral agents—angels and humans—who make genuinely free decisions. How is He able to infallibly accomplish His will in a world in which other moral agents besides Him exist? This brings up the crucial notion of God’s middle knowledge.

Within His natural knowledge of all possibilities—everything that could happen—God possesses a perfect knowledge of all feasible worlds—all possibilities which would accomplish what He wanted to have happen. This knowledge of all viable possibilities is “located” (so to speak) between God’s natural and free knowledge—and hence the term middle knowledge. God’s middle knowledge contains all of the choices and decisions that free creatures would do if they were created in a particular world. When God chooses to actualize one of these feasible worlds, He knows certainly what will happen. Notice: could, would, and will.

So to sum up: from the infinite set of possible worlds that could happen (God’s natural knowledge), there is an infinite subset of feasible worlds which would accomplish His will (God’s middle knowledge). God freely chooses one of the feasible worlds, and He perfectly knows what will happen in this actual world (God’s free knowledge). In the Molinist model, God sovereignly controls all things, yet humans possess real freedom for which they must give an account. We will give more attention to the Molinist understanding of the divine sovereignty/human responsibility relationship in the chapter on sovereign election.

Is Molinism Merely a Philosophical System?

But just how biblical is the notion of understanding God’s omniscience in terms of logical moments? How strong of a scriptural case for Molinism can be made? This chapter argues two points: (1) the ingredients that seem to necessitate Molinism are provided by the Bible; and (2) rather than being exotic examples of metaphysics, “possible world” concepts are notions we use and understand in everyday life. The ideas central to Molinism—such as possible scenarios and counterfactuals—are not strange at all. Rather, we find that they are contained within the very grammar of the Bible.³

If Molinism were simply the overlaying of a philosophical grid on top of Scripture, then it would be a very bad idea and should not be done. Rather, Molinism is a precise philosophical system that arose out of a commitment to certain principles clearly taught in the Bible: (1) God can and has created beings with significant and genuine creaturely freedom; (2) God can and does exhaustively know what free creatures would do in every possible scenario; and (3) God can and does sovereignly and meticulously accomplish His will through His omniscience—namely that aspect of His knowledge we call middle knowledge.

The Bible teaches a high view of divine sovereignty: God has exhaustive knowledge of all things, meticulous control over all things, sovereign freedom above all things, and yet at the same time He is perfectly free from the sin and evil of this world. Scripture also declares a robust view of human freedom, choice, and agency: there are contingent events; certain contingent events are conditioned by our decisions; and God uses His counterfactual knowledge of our free decisions to accomplish His will. Molinism—and its advocacy of the concept of middle knowledge—is the one view of providence that holds to a consistent view of both biblical teachings.

The Biblical Teaching Concerning Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom
Concerning God’s Sovereignty:	Concerning Human Freedom:
1. God exhaustively knows all things. 2. God perfectly controls all things. 3. God is free from all things. He does not choose out of necessity. 4. God is holy and righteous in all things. He is not the cause of sin.	1. Contingency—certain things could have been otherwise. 2. Conditionality—some contingent choices are placed before humans. 3. Counterfactuals—statements which predict the outcome of contingent choices, even the results of choices not made

GOD’S SOVEREIGN LORDSHIP OVER ALL THINGS

Scripture makes clear declarations concerning God’s sovereignty: God rules over all His creation and is without equal or opponent. He is the unambiguous sovereign Lord over Creation. Divine sovereignty entails four biblical truths: (1) God knows all things, (2) He controls all things, (3) He is free from all things, and (4) He is holy and righteous in all things.

God Has Exhaustive Knowledge of All Things

In Hannah’s prayer of dedication for her son, the prophet Samuel, she declares, “The LORD is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by Him” (1 Sam 2:3). The psalmist agrees and proclaims, “Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite” (Ps 147:5). The Bible teaches that God has omniscient knowledge of all that was, is, will be, and could have been. God knows all truths, and the extent of His knowledge is universal. First, God has exhaustive knowledge of the present. Whether it is about the stars in the sky (Ps 147:4; Job 38:31–33; Isa 40:26) or the creatures below (Matt 10:29–30), God has complete and comprehensive knowledge about everything in the heavens and the earth. Nothing escapes His attentive gaze (Job 24:23; 28:12–27; Ps 33:13–15; Jer 16:17).

Second, God has exhaustive knowledge of the future. Through Isaiah, the Lord asserts, “I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done” (Isa 46:10). The Bible contrasts the Lord’s ability to foretell the future with the failure of the pagan idols and holds up fulfilled prophecy as proof that Israel’s God is the one true God worthy of worship and obedience (Isa 41:21–24; 44:6–8). Moses declared that the litmus test for a prophet was his ability to perfectly forecast the future (Deut 18:22). God’s perfect knowledge of the future demonstrates that history has a purpose that He is accomplishing through His Son Jesus Christ (Dan 2:36–43; Acts 2:23; 3:18; Gal 3:8; Eph 1:10; 3:9–11; 2 Tim 1:9–10; 1 Pet 1:20).

Third, God has exhaustive knowledge of things that involve other agents. There is nothing about you and me that God does not know. As Job asks, “Does He not see my ways and number all my steps?” (Job 31:4). God does not merely make very good guesses about us; He knows everything about us—our thoughts and our actions (1 Sam 16:7; 1 Kgs 8:39; 1 Chr 28:9; Pss 7:9; 94:11; 139:23–24; Jer 17:9–10). The Lord knows the very intent of our hearts (Acts 1:24; 15:8; Rom 8:27; 1 Cor 4:5; 1 John 3:19–20). The author of Hebrews tells us that God’s knowledge of us is so comprehensive that “no creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account” (Heb 4:13).

God Has Meticulous Control over All Things

As John Frame puts it, “Nothing is too hard for God (Jer 32:27); nothing seems marvelous to him (Zech 8:6); with him nothing is impossible (Gen 18:14; Matt 19:26; Luke 1:37). So his purposes will always prevail.”⁴ The Lord declares His sovereignty: “See now that I alone am He; there is no god but me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue from my hand” (Deut 32:39 NIV).

First, God has meticulous control over big things. Without qualification, God asserts His sovereign power over all creation. The psalmist declares, “The LORD does whatever He pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths” (Ps 135:6). He is able to perfectly accomplish His will because He wields irresistible power and authority. Just a few representative verses are needed to establish the teaching of Scripture concerning His dominion:

The LORD frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. (Ps 33:10–11)

The LORD of Hosts has sworn: As I have planned, so it will be; as I have purposed it, so it will happen. (Isa 14:24)

This is the plan prepared for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out against all the nations. The LORD of Hosts Himself has planned it; therefore, who can stand in its way? It is His hand that is outstretched, so who can turn it back? (Isa 14:26–27)

I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will. (Isa 46:10)

All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?” (Dan 4:35)

From one man He has made every nation of men to live all over the earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. (Acts 17:26)

The Lord, as the sovereign most high King reigns over all creation, which is His alone, and He does with it as He determines (1 Chr 29:11; Pss 9; 24:1; 47:2,7–9; 93; 95:3–5; 104; 115:3; Isa 45:9–12; Ezek 17:4; Rev 1:8; 4:8,11).

Second, God has meticulou...