SOVEREIGNTY VS. COOPERATION: The Theology of Charles Stanley. I listened to Charles Stanley this morning on the radio as I drove to work. He preached from Romans 8:28. I was shocked at what he said.
The verse says the following: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NASB)
Mr. Stanley said God would work in all circumstances for our good as long as we react in the right way. He must have been using some amplified version, for the text has no such addition or qualification in any of my Bibles.
This passage presents God as firmly in control, as does the whole of Scripture, because God is sovereign over all things. The passage teaches that God does this work in the life of the Believer because he predestined them to become conformed to the image of Christ.
This is the problem with Arminian theology and the emphasis on the supposed free will of men and women. It is man, and woman, centered, so it reinterprets scripture from man’s view point rather than God’s. I think it is funny that I spent my childhood hearing that God was omnipotent, and my adulthood hearing that man is more powerful than God and God is here to serve man.
God has brought many a saint to his or her knees without cooperation. He has used suffering, deprivation, grief, loss, tragedy, pain, and blessings to do his work on Believers. He does this for their good, as the passage teaches. We, in fact, often pray that God will violate the will of someone we know. We ask God to change his or her heart because we know, left to their own devices, they will not obey God. That is the teaching of scripture. Paul cries out in Romans 7 that even he cannot escape the corrupting influence of the sin nature without the power of God.
It is time for Evangelicals to divorce themselves from the philosophical humanism that elevates man to equality with God. Psalm 103:19 says The Lord has established His throne in the heavens and His sovereignty rules over all. It does not say he rules only over those who cooperate with his rule. Isaiah also tells us that God will not share his glory with another. When you elevate man’s will to the level of God’s will, you are attempting to share his glory.
Stop it.
5 comments:
yea Swindoll is definitley dispensational and arminian. so, doesn't surprise me that you heard that from him. he's good sometimes. but even after hearing that, I doubt he'd even say that God caused the tsunami, but merely allowed it. God causes all things according to the determinate counsel of His own will, and to the glory of His grace. just sayin' hey. work keeps me pretty busy from 7-5...haha. i've spent the majority of the past 3 days out at LeBlanc park fixing lateral breaks, mainline breaks, and replacing valves. sounds like fun eh!? so, my bed time is much earlier now, except for on the weekends. we'll have to meet up for coffee some time soon. take it easy, rest in Him.
It was Stanley, not Swindoll. I have heard a Swindoll sermon on the sovereignty of God and it didn't sound Arminian to me.
well, he is. at most times he doesn't sound arminian at all, but he is not 5pt. i can't remember which office he holds at DTS, but he's there! i've heard them both. unfortunately i get them mixed up, i'm human. but, i have heard swindol say some contradictory things in his sermons. it has been a while, so I can't regurgitate what he said.. but, he is by no means reformed...unless...he changed.
You are correct. He is not 5pt. But, he does believe in the Sovereignty of God. There are many of us who aren't Calvinists and aren't Arminian either.
And, I'm sure he has said contradictory things in his sermons. I would have too if I had preached as many as he. Probably he has studied and changed his position on some things.
He is something like Chancellor Emeritus or similar at DTS -- probably just to raise money for the school.
I have heard him preach on "election" as well, although he did not dwell on it, he did not deny it.
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