So, if you've been reading my blog, you know that I have recently adopted Calvinism. You may, then, be wondering what impact this might have. How does this differ in practice from the moderate Arminianism I previously embraced? Well, there are several effects to note.
- God is more magnified in my eyes. Calvinist theology shows God as ultimately sovereign, ultimately holy, ultimately just, and ultimately merciful. There is a bigger, more beautiful picture of God before my eyes now, and I long to drink it in. There is nothing better than basking in the glory of God, and I can do so even more now.
- I am more grateful to God and astonished for my salvation. Now that I see I had quite literally no merit, unconditional election fills me with wonder. Who is this God who can work out a brilliant plan in holiness, yet elect a sinner like me to be a part of it and share in its grace? His mercy is truly great if He chose me before time with no view of my possibility of faith, but only my depravity. Somehow, He has great enough grace to overcome the hardness of my heart for His glory.
- I am forced to rely more on prayer. This is an often overlooked but very significant consequence of Calvinism. Since God is ultimately sovereign, even over my own heart, I have to rely on Him entirely for my sanctification. I can do all I want to try to make myself better, but if I do so without the power of the Holy Spirit, it is an exercise in futility. So I realize that I must go to my knees more than ever to plead that God will make me holy.
- I am free to be a better witness. With such an emphasis on the sovereignty of God, I have even less reason to fear in sharing my faith. I can know that God will do as He wills for His glory through me even if I'm not the most attractive or high-quality vessel. Knowing that God's saving grace is irresistible, I needn't fear failure due to my inadequacies. If I give the Gospel to one of the elect, God will most certainly save him, whether I'm around to see it or not.
- I am liberated from any pressure to improve myself. With God in control of my heart, I can pray to Him with full confidence that He will do in me what He wills for my sanctification, and finally His glory. While I still need, of course, to engage in Christian activities and disciplines, I can rest in the assurance that God can still fix me if I fail on any point.
- I am humbled by knowing my nature. I was born totally depraved. There was no good in me that somehow merited my salvation or election. I wasn't somehow good enough or more sensitive enough or born into a good enough family to accept Christ. It was all by the grace of God on a terrible sinner who wouldn't even come to Him without irresistible grace.
There are certainly to be other impacts of my new theology, but it's only been a couple of days, and while I've identified these, I still need to begin truly acting on them. I feel, though, that I have found the Gospel at a deeper layer than ever before, and I am excited to see the effect God will bring out in me through it. Pray for me, that I will truly embrace these truths and not allow this whole deal to be a mere intellectual exercise. It could not be more wasted if it became so.