Continuing our discussion of peak performance….maybe it is time to replace peak performance with WISDOM when I’m talking about spiritual things…I thought a few more examples might enrich the model’s applicability and relevance. It’s actually not hard to come up with examples because all you have to do is discover a debate and you can usually uncover the extremes that are driving at least some of the discord. Don’t forget….the model works when you find either two extremes that are GOOD or BAD principles. It doesn’t work when you use one principle. If we used the principle LOVE, you might think the one extreme is NO love, and then the other extreme would be INFINITE love, and then you might conclude that the peak performance is SOME love. Well, that doesn’t work, does it!?
Here’s an old debate: https://www.gotquestions.org/Calvinism-vs-Arminianism.html
You see, even in the title, it implies you HAVE to take one view or the other. For simplicity purposes, I’m going to take the central issue to discuss below: Free will (mankind). Sovereignty (God).
Let’s apply the model and we quickly see that all free will and no sovereignty lands you in one ditch, and vice versa lands you in the other. Peak performance means 100% of both. That’s when theologians start stumbling because too many of them have worked and studied to find as many proof texts for their position. When reading the scriptures, they’ve used a lens that causes them to ignore, discount, or explain away contrary verses. A most famous example is our good friend, Martin Luther, who famously called the book of “James” an epistle of straw. Why? You decide, but to me it is very clear that he didn’t like how the content of James didn’t support his theology. It is still being written about and debated to this day, which you can read more about here (I don’t endorse these links and don’t even read what they say, fyi)
Generally, we are disposed as people to be hanging out on one shoulder or the other…and therefore it is really easy for us to see the folly of the opposite shoulder or ditch. For me, it is, “how can you say man does not have free will?!? All the evil in the world…you are saying that mankind really don’t decide to do things, they are compelled by some force?!” Interestingly, that is what naturalistic atheism believes/teaches–that we are all biological machines that have the illusion of choice. We would continue, “look at all the bible verses that talk about man’s choice and free will!!” Then someone else would say, “how can you say that God is not sovereign?!? Look at all the bible verses that talk about God’s sovereignty!! Further, logic requires that the greatest God, the eternal One, has total control over everything, everyone…”
So the debate rages, while the answer lies in the AND of those two, and not the OR. And then we discover it is because we are limited in our ability to reconcile two seemingly opposing principles. But, as we’ve shown before and will continue to show, that peak performance (aka wisdom-the true application of knowledge in action, the principal thing in Proverbs 8:12-36) is found in the AND.
Other examples for you to contemplate for now:
Noah’s Flood: Judgment. Mercy. Most people will take the perspective of the drowned sinners and reply….judgment. Few will take the perspective of Noah and reply….mercy. We should take the perspective that it was 100% judgment (on sin, sinners) and 100% mercy (on the righteous where they were delivered from the vexation of sinful neighbors and a violent world)
Penal substitution and ransom theory.
The Israel of God. By faith as the children of Abraham. By physical lineage, blood-line of Abraham.
Here’s one for you to chew on….
Acts 23:11: The Lord tells Paul he WILL testify in Rome (Sovereignty?) Acts 23:12-22: Paul and others work hard to save Paul’s life (Free Will?) Acts 25: Paul appeals to Caesar (Free Will?) Acts 27:10: Paul warns the shipmaster and centurion of impending harm (didn’t he believe God’s promise in Acts 23:11? What was he worried about?) Acts 27:22-26: God reaffirms his promise and will (Sovereignty?) Acts 27:31: Paul states that specific human actions are required to be saved (Free Will?) Acts 28:3-5 (Sovereignty?)