As for me, I am neither
Calvinist nor Arminiust; yet, I have received far more ridicule from the
pro-Calvinist camp. The reason for this may be that about 75% of what I believe
in contrary to that of Reformed Theology. Although numerous arguments have been
set before me, there is one that seems to be more common than others. Allow me
to reiterate the argument addressed to me whenever discussing my beliefs
concerning choosing Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior:
“If one is saved by choosing
to believe in God, he cannot claim that he was saved by grace; rather, he has
saved himself.”
I believe this argument to
be completely illogical. Consider this analogy which represents my
understanding of choosing Jesus Christ:
There once was a man walking in the desert. The relentless heat began to take its toll. He yearned for water. Thirst overcame him, and he began to hallucinate great pools of water, crisp cool streams, and trees providing shade and shelter from the sun. And yet, he could not grasp these beautiful apparitions. His legs finally giving out, he collapsed to the ground, slowly losing strength and hope. Suddenly, a traveler appeared. He approached the dying man and asked, “Are you in need of water?”
The dying man responded, “Yes, I am dying, and I am in need of water. Will you save me?”
“Of course,” the traveler replied, “I have water that will save you…all you need to do is ask.”
The dying man cried out, “Please give me water that I
may live!”
So the man gave him water, which quenched his thirst,
and saved his life.
My dear friends, allow me to
explain this analogy. The man in the story is a non-believer, and the desert is
the world that seeks to devour us. Thirst is the emptiness that all
non-believers feel and which the Lord uses to draw us towards Christ. The
hallucinations are the false hopes, dreams, and realities that we create to
sustain us for a moment, but inevitably break us in the end. When the man
finally collapses on the ground he has hit rock bottom. The traveler is Christ
and the water is His blood. When He asks the man if he is in need of water He
is presenting the Gospel and the dying man’s response is his confession… in
need of salvation.
You see, the man no more
saved himself than looking at a glass of water will quench one’s thirst.
Without the water, there is no salvation. And if the man rejected the water, he
would have dammed himself. He had to ask for the water and then drink it to be
saved.
Consider another example of
this: The very act of asking for forgiveness from others (or the Lord). Just as
the man did not save himself by asking for water, so we are not forgiven by
simply asking for forgiveness. Asking to be forgiven does not rid us of the
wrongs which we have done; instead, forgiveness must be given by the one who we
have wronged. Asking for salvation does not save us; instead, it is God’s
grace. Still, one must ask in order to receive.
