The Journey to Accepting Tough Doctrines Is Painful (and Rewarding)

Arduous-to-Perceive Doctrines

After we take into consideration tough doctrines, we will take into consideration them in no less than a few totally different classes. One class can be these doctrines which might be notably laborious to know. The good theologian Francis Turretin mentioned that the 2 most tough doctrines have been the doctrine of the Trinity—the three individuals, one essence—and the doctrine of the hypostatic union, that’s the two natures in a single individual within the Lord Jesus Christ.

These are usually not irrational, however they’re suprarational. They’re past our full comprehension, and so we’re greedy at classes and language and attempting to safeguard what we don’t imply and what we do imply. Any mum or dad who’s tried to elucidate this to a baby, or a Sunday college trainer who’s had a seven-year-old ask, “Is there one God or three gods?” “Effectively, there’s one God, however three individuals.” “What does that imply?”—that’s laborious to elucidate. In order that’s one class.

Arduous-to-Settle for Doctrines

Then there’s one other class which can be laborious to know, however much more so, it’s laborious to just accept. It’s tough on an existential stage. I consider a few traditional examples. One can be the doctrine that’s generally referred to as restricted atonement or explicit redemption.

At first, it doesn’t sound like superb information to consider that God despatched Christ and his intention in sending Christ was to not die for everybody. His dying was enough for all, however it was environment friendly just for the elect. However the excellent news in that’s that his dying was a selected sacrifice. See, everybody limits the atonement both within the intentionality of it or within the nature of it. And so we need to say with Scripture that the character of the atonement just isn’t restricted. It completed the whole lot that God meant to perform in it. There was nothing missing. It didn’t simply make us savable; it made us saved. That’s laborious on a visceral stage.

After which the opposite one which most individuals will consider is the doctrine of election after which the corresponding doctrine of reprobation. In the event you return additional and additional and ask the Why? query, the last word reply why some are saved and a few are usually not is owing to the nice pleasure of God. And that’s laborious. That’s clearly taught in Romans 9, most famously, and in a whole lot of different locations, however it’s a tough doctrine to just accept. But it surely’s actually essential. And it’s an incredible instance of why theology is essential. As a result of if we simply keep away from a tough doctrine like predestination, we gained’t be giving God that chance to reshape our hearts.

One of many causes that doctrine is in Scripture is to reshape us from an anthropocentric view—a man-centered view of the world that asks, What do I feel? How does this make me really feel?—to a theocentric view of the world, the place God calls the photographs and God’s pleasure is final. That could be a painful journey for many individuals, however finally it’s good for us and it’s for God’s glory.

Kevin DeYoung is the writer of Each day Doctrine: A One-Yr Information to Systematic Theology.

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