Shift in thinking

Since going to college and learning to wrestle with my faith in Jesus, I've maintained the importance of our choice in belief and actions as a fundamental step in salvation and sanctification.  One might classify my theological stance as Arminian (Wesleyan) and that might be a fair assessment.  I'm certainly not ultra-Calvinist in much of my leanings.*

I think the Bible does stress that the choices we make reflect our relationship with God.  The book of James is a good example.  Jesus' description of the broad and narrow gates imply active participation in our own salvation.  Lastly, Paul's words exhorting us to personal holiness lead me to believe that we have a responsibility to choose God over sin (Romans 8, etc.).  I take a more holistic view of sanctification and salvation and rather than dividing them into two distint events/processes, I think they can happen simultaneously.

But when I read Ephesians 1 and Romans 8, I am impressed with God's active participation in our distinct salvation and sanctification.  I'm wowed that before the foundation of the world, God chose us in him to be holy and blameless in his sight.  Wow.  I'm not going to break this down philosophically.  I just want to reflect on a change in me - before dwelling on Ephesians 1 I had a limited view of God's active participation in our salvation.  God was, in my thinking, like an engineer who designed a system and stepped away.  He's still like that in that he asks us to steward his creation but his preliminary design was so much more awesome and loving than I previously believed.**

Romans 8 challenged me because it stresses the current and active role of the Holy Spirit in our lives to make us Holy.  God's administration of his construction is powerful and active.  It's so much more than giving us power to break free from the chains of sin and death - God, as his Holy Spirit in us, is powerfully, lovingly, and painfully killing sin in us.  Romans 8 stresses God's active role and balances it with our personal obligation to pursue holiness.  The change for me has been a deepened love for God's active role in us, not just a sense of my obligation to pursue holiness.

I read Ephesians 1:4-14 and am wowed and impressed by God's design.  He's freaking amazing and thoughtful.  What a wonderful engineer is our God.

In regards to the philosophical camps of Arminianism and Calvinism that I mentioned at the top - God doesn't operate exclusively in one of those philosophies.  It's a wonderful and amazing mix of foreknowledge, predestination, choice (his and ours), freedom of sin and sanctification, and pursuit of a holy and blameless people devoted to worshipping Yahweh alone.

Wow.  I can't help but respond with singing this song:

http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/track/come-praise-and-glorify

To the praise of his Glory!  To the praise of his mercy and grace!

*Not that I think there is anything inherently more wrong or right in those two philosophical camps; it's just a position I like - I just don't want a philosophical debate here.

**I'm using engineering metaphors.  Watch out.