Fortunately the Bible itself comes preloaded with answers. Let me give 3 answers to this question:

1. Remember the human condition. The Bible is very clear on this. all humanity is dead in its sins, separated from God (Eph 2:1-3). We have all fallen short of God's glory through sin (Rom. 3:23). In other words, every human already deserves God's condemnation. The miracle, then, of God's sovereignty is that any of us are saved. But just as God can have mercy on some, He can also not have mercy on others, leaving them to His righteous judgment. God wills to leave someone under the power of their sin and selfishness, even to harden them against the gospel (Rom. 9:14-18). 

2. We are responsible agents. I wrote earlier that even if our actions are determined by God, it doesn't rob us of responsibility. God's predestination is not coercive. He's not holding a gun to the head of a reprobate forcing her to choose the wrong answer even though she desperately wants to choose the right one. She wants to reject God. Without His grace, sin still rules her will.

3. sufficiency vs. efficiency. As Christians, we have to affirm two statements, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13, Joel 2:32), and no one can come to Christ unless God draws Him (John 6:44, 65). That does not mean the death of Christ is incapable of paying for the sins of the whole world, it is certainly sufficient for that. But that payment is only effective for those that God draws. That's why we do offer the gospel to all people, not because all people will be saved, but because the people that God saves can come from anywhere. 

But suppose for a moment that human hearts were subject to God's control: would that mean that we are less free? Would that mean we cannot be held accountable? 

I am not convinced that it would. 

Consider with me for a moment what it means to have a free will. It's often thought of like a multiple choice test. You have at least 2 options–A. or B.–and you can choose which you think is best. And after reading the question multiple times, and considering your options, you choose A. But if you had a test that only had one answer: A, then it might be somewhat frustrating. What if you think there's a better answer? But you are forced to go with the one answer available to you. So it can be easy to assume it is the multiple choices that allow our choice to be authentic. 

But that's not true. Can't we imagine a multiple choice test with 5, 10, or even 100 options, all of which we don't think are great answers to the question? Even with multiple options, we can still feel that same frustration we saw above. We still find ourselves being coerced into choosing what we do not want. What matters more is whether there is an option we genuinely want. Whether our will is able to will what it wants. That is the core of a free will. 

And that definitionl is compatible with God's control. Let's consider a different sort of multiple choice test. This is a math test is made up of two sheets of paper (sorry if you don't like math, but go with me on this). On the first page is one question, which asks you to solve a complex equation, and asks that you show your work, and when you have finished select the correct answer from the second page. Upon arriving at your answer, you turn the page and find only one option given, and it matches the answer that you came up with. It's the answer that you want. The providence of God could work like that test. Suppose that God told me that my marriage with my wife and all the steps we took to get there: my nervously asking her out, dating, engagement, wedding planning, the ceremony, and everything else in between; were parts of God's providence. That fact would not change that I genuinely fell for my wife, wanted to be closer to her, did ask her out, and I asked her to marry me. And my wife genuinely reciprocated my desires, to the point of consenting to marry me. Neither one of us were forced to choose something we didn't want. We both wanted it. So even if everything that happened was in the providence of God, it was still something we genuinely wanted.

One might object that such a system still does not allow us to be accountable for our actions, how could someone sin if they don't have a choice to do better? But we can answer this similarly. We often extend grace to others when they are stressed, grieving, or in great physical pain. We give grace to those who don't yet have the capacity to control themselves, like young children. But I don't think God's providence is one of those answers. If that is what they genuinely wanted then they are still responsible. We can see this through an example. Suppose God's plan includes the unjust death of a man (say, Jesus). Those who brought it about were not coerced into it, as though God held a gun to their heads forcing them to choose what they didn't want. They did want Him dead, and therefore are still responsible for their actions.

I did not come up with this answer on my own. It's a traditional response to the question of God's sovereignty and human responsibility. A similar, though far more robust form can be found in the first volume of Francis Turretin's Institutes of Elenctic Theology. While it doesn't answer every question, it allows us to read passages that display God possessing control over the human will (Ex. 4:21; 9:12; 10:20, 27; 1 Sam. 2:25; 1 Kgs. 19:18; Prov. 21:1; Jn. 6:44; Acts 13:48; Rom. 9:14-16, 19-23, etc) and passages that hold humanity accountable for its actions (Gen. 22:15-17; Deut. 30:11-14; Jos. 24:15; Matt. 10:32-33; Acts 16:30-31; Jas. 2:17; etc), with much less tension. 

The Bible is a very long book. 

And this raises an important question: how can we wrap our minds around what the Bible says? If you've spent some time in church, you probably have heard that the whole Bible is about Jesus, which is true. Perhaps you've even been taught an outline of the Bible: creation, fall, redemption, consummation. Also helpful. But even knowing these things, it's easy to get lost while reading through the Bible, wondering how it all connects, and how it applies to you.

While there are many resources that can help, I want to focus on one that tends to be ignored in our day and age- historic catechisms and confessions. Throughout history, wise Christians, pastors, and theologians haves sought to summerize Scripture's key points and apply them to the people of God. In the case of catechisms, they wrote their summaries as questions concerning God, man, sin, our salvation through Jesus, and Christian response to salvation, with answers derived from Scripture. Because of their format, catechisms can easily be incorporated into your devotional live, reading one question and answer a day. Three of the catechisms I'd recommend are:

• The Heidelberg Catechism–published January 19th, 1563, the Heidelberg Catechism  was authored by two scholars, Caspar Olvevianus and Zacharius Ursinus. It was written to combine the best of the different Protestant schools in Germany. It is known for its pastoral voice and has provided comfort to many believers since its inception.
• The Westminster Shorter Catechism–finished on April, 14th, 1649, The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written by an assembly of Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists. As it's name implies, the Shorter Catechism is paired with the Westminster Larger Catechism (parts 1 and 2 linked) which is more in depth for any that have more questions.
• The New City Catechism–Certainly the most recent, being published in 2012, The New City Catechism, written by Tim Keller, is the shortest of the three, only 52 questions long. It is a perfect introduction to catechisms and is suitable for children and adults alike.

Reading these will not answer every question about the Bible, but they will teach us the story of the Bible as a whole, focusing on the main things the Bible teaches. In fact, each of the recommended catechisms come with scriptural citations, tracing back their answers to the Bible. It's one of the benefits of being part of a 2,000 year-old religion, we don't have to start from scratch. We can stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, and learn from their reading through the Bible.

But I wonder if something else might be more helpful.

Our smartphones, the 24 hour news-cycle, and social media all push new content. But how much of it do we actually remember? Perhaps the most emotionally jarring, but the majority is forgotten as new content replaces it (often written to be emotionally jarring). So even if we fill our devices with worthwhile content, we still forget most of it, as we scroll to the next article, or transition to work and other tasks and recreations. 

So it is important to actually digest the worthwhile content that we consume.  Instead of passively waiting until something happens to grab your attention, actually set some time aside to consider worthwhile content. Take 5 minutes, 10 minutes, however long you have. Use the moments when you're waiting for others, for appointments, whenever you have a minute, and think through and apply the worthwhile content in your life. Perhaps you've just finished studying your Bible for the day. Whether you read a few verses or did an in-depth study, take time to consider how the passage affects you. Does the passage give any imperatives? If so, how do they affect your life, how can you better pursue them? If there aren't imperatives, what does the passage say or imply about God and His creation. What does it says about your identity, and what does that mean for you right now? Maybe you heard a sermon on Sunday or online, maybe you're listening to or singing worship music, or maybe you've been reading a new book. Ask those same kinds of questions. Figure out how this worthwhile content can benefit you. 

While the world constantly pushes the next thing, take time to digest what is truly important, take time to think about what is worthwhile. I don't think it is wrong to daydream, but it is good to reflect on God and His promises, and consider what that means for us.

1) I Live Here

It should come as no surprise that this is a unique place to live. In addition to its isolating geography, the island has an influx of on-season visitors, an intriguing history, and a mix of new and old families that make this quite the locale. And a one-of-a-kind place can produce one-of-a-kind questions. While not every post will deal with topics specifically related to Martha's Vineyard, I do hope to think about some questions that may be more pertinent to the island. And maybe I'll see you around the Vineyard sometime!

2) The Need For Theology

Even though there are all sorts of online resources, we can always use more of God in our lives. This is not the medium to regularly provide a full exegesis of a passage every post - I'd encourage you to check out our sermons for that. Neither will this necessarily be a blog for punditry on the latest news and how Christians should respond. But everything written here will be founded on Scripture and in accord with the Reformed evangelical tradition. My goal is to direct people towards Christ and the salvation He offers. 

I hope you enjoy the blog of an island pastor.