If I learned anything in my PhD (not much) it was that if you can define the question precisely the answer will come much more easily. Now this question comes up ad nauseum in books and blogs and I thought it was time to break it down:
Likelihood Code:
T = "totally impossible" = this thing is absolutely impossible because of man's total inability.
ITAQP = "in theory actually quite probable", and seemingly pleasant, but still damnbable because proceeding from an unregenerate nature.
UI = "utterly impossibly" = this thing is absolutely impossible because of God's free decree.
AALASTLS = "about as likely as surviving 20 lightning strikes" = this thing is incredibly unlikely because of God's free decree.
(Note that T is a subset of UI.)
Right then, so here is a scale of hypothetical possibilities.
1. "A heathen can be saved by being nice and generally seeking whatever god he likes that is also nice" - sentimental Pelagianism - classification T.
2. "A heathen can hide in a cave for 20 years and reflect on the contents of his conscience. He concludes that God is just, holy and good, and therefore God owes it to the world to take on human flesh and come and die to satisfy his own justice and save him and his tribe." - ITAQP - but presumptuous and self-righteous.
3. "This heathen also reasons that God does not in fact necessarily have to take on human flesh and die for him, but recognises that it would be perfectly just (and indeed a priori more likely that he and the rest of the human race are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction - for the glory of God displayed to his unfallen angels) and that his reponsibility is more immediately to maximise the common grace - or "indiscriminate providence" - opportunities that lie between now and his death bed rather than presume to be saved. Nonetheless - he will humbly continue to seek God perchance that he might reveal himself to him according to the contours of his conscience." - T
4. Exactly the same as (3) but with the awakening work of the Spirit producing this and the regenerative work sealing and confirming it, together with a discernable love for loving others according to this bare, yet completely rational hope - even until death by persecution from the rest of the village. - UI or AALASTLS?
5. Either as proceeding from (4) or bypassing it completely, an angelic revelation of the gospel of Christ leading to conversion - UI or AALASTLS?
6. Either as proceeding from (4), (5) or bypassing them both, an aeroplane drops a load of bibles on his village (the missionaries being Reformed charismatic therefore able to translate the Bible into this unknown language with 95% accuracy and good study notes.) Conversion upon reading them - UI or AALASTLS?
7. A human preacher must also parachute out of the plane to make (6) anything more than UI. (Not even AALASTLS is possible for (6) without a human preacher.)
8. The person must also be baptised and submit to the magisterium of the catholic church (Of course noone goes as far as 8 - not even the Catholic church) before there is any chance of them not burning.
John Owen would tag AALASTLS next to points 5 and onwards - I cant recall the exact reference in his works but it is very explicit, talking about straitening the arm of the Lord if we do not allow Him the bare possibility - though it is a bare, bare possibility, of doing this.
As for myself, I fell into category 6, as I thought my eyes were opened to Christ as I read the Bible in my bedroom. Indeed, as I write this, I think that I should have maybe included a probability code more optimistic than AALASTLS because of the fact that the word is living and active, not ghostlike and hypothetical. But then I learned that this overwheling converting love for Christ that had filled my heart must have been a satanic self-deception because it had not been put there by an evangelist by virtue of his bodily presence in the room with me* (even over the phone would not have done, I suppose.) So, shall we be more Reformed than John Owen then?
Chris Green, UK.
*Sarcasm, a UK thing. Not very funny but its the best we can do because of our stiffness of character that comes from being cramped up on a small wet island.
Likelihood Code:
T = "totally impossible" = this thing is absolutely impossible because of man's total inability.
ITAQP = "in theory actually quite probable", and seemingly pleasant, but still damnbable because proceeding from an unregenerate nature.
UI = "utterly impossibly" = this thing is absolutely impossible because of God's free decree.
AALASTLS = "about as likely as surviving 20 lightning strikes" = this thing is incredibly unlikely because of God's free decree.
(Note that T is a subset of UI.)
Right then, so here is a scale of hypothetical possibilities.
1. "A heathen can be saved by being nice and generally seeking whatever god he likes that is also nice" - sentimental Pelagianism - classification T.
2. "A heathen can hide in a cave for 20 years and reflect on the contents of his conscience. He concludes that God is just, holy and good, and therefore God owes it to the world to take on human flesh and come and die to satisfy his own justice and save him and his tribe." - ITAQP - but presumptuous and self-righteous.
3. "This heathen also reasons that God does not in fact necessarily have to take on human flesh and die for him, but recognises that it would be perfectly just (and indeed a priori more likely that he and the rest of the human race are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction - for the glory of God displayed to his unfallen angels) and that his reponsibility is more immediately to maximise the common grace - or "indiscriminate providence" - opportunities that lie between now and his death bed rather than presume to be saved. Nonetheless - he will humbly continue to seek God perchance that he might reveal himself to him according to the contours of his conscience." - T
4. Exactly the same as (3) but with the awakening work of the Spirit producing this and the regenerative work sealing and confirming it, together with a discernable love for loving others according to this bare, yet completely rational hope - even until death by persecution from the rest of the village. - UI or AALASTLS?
5. Either as proceeding from (4) or bypassing it completely, an angelic revelation of the gospel of Christ leading to conversion - UI or AALASTLS?
6. Either as proceeding from (4), (5) or bypassing them both, an aeroplane drops a load of bibles on his village (the missionaries being Reformed charismatic therefore able to translate the Bible into this unknown language with 95% accuracy and good study notes.) Conversion upon reading them - UI or AALASTLS?
7. A human preacher must also parachute out of the plane to make (6) anything more than UI. (Not even AALASTLS is possible for (6) without a human preacher.)
8. The person must also be baptised and submit to the magisterium of the catholic church (Of course noone goes as far as 8 - not even the Catholic church) before there is any chance of them not burning.
John Owen would tag AALASTLS next to points 5 and onwards - I cant recall the exact reference in his works but it is very explicit, talking about straitening the arm of the Lord if we do not allow Him the bare possibility - though it is a bare, bare possibility, of doing this.
As for myself, I fell into category 6, as I thought my eyes were opened to Christ as I read the Bible in my bedroom. Indeed, as I write this, I think that I should have maybe included a probability code more optimistic than AALASTLS because of the fact that the word is living and active, not ghostlike and hypothetical. But then I learned that this overwheling converting love for Christ that had filled my heart must have been a satanic self-deception because it had not been put there by an evangelist by virtue of his bodily presence in the room with me* (even over the phone would not have done, I suppose.) So, shall we be more Reformed than John Owen then?
Chris Green, UK.
*Sarcasm, a UK thing. Not very funny but its the best we can do because of our stiffness of character that comes from being cramped up on a small wet island.
