I HAVE COINED A PHRASE

THAT I CALL

SELF-LIMITED WILL.

 

WHY?

 

IF I READ ALL OF SCRIPTURE

RATHER THAN PICK OR CHOOSE

AMONG ALL OF ITS VERSES,

 

ACCORDING TO MY DOCRINE OF PREFERENCE,

I CANNOT BE 100 PERCENT CALVINIST

OR 100 PERCENT ARMINIAN.

 

WHILE I BELIEVE GOD IS SOVEREIGN

I ALSO BELIEVE

THAT HE DESIGNED ALL THINGS

AND BY HIS SOVEREIGN WILL

GAVE US

OUR FREE WILL.

 

SOME WILL SAY

THIS IS A MATTER OF ELECTION.

OTHERS WILL SAY

IT IS A MATTER OF MERIT.

 

I THINK BOTH ELECTION

AND MERIT ARE INVOLVED.

 

A FRIEND,

JOHN JOHNSON,

HAS THIS TO SAY

ABOUT ELECTION

VERSES FREE WILL,

 

“THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION IS THIS…

GOD HAS GIVEN US A CHOICE

ACCORDING TO HIS WAYS,

HIS RULES,

AND HIS GOOD PLEASURE.”

 

 

LET ME ILLUSTRATE.

 

A MAN BUYS A FARM,

FENCES OFF A PORTION OF PASTURE

AND PLACES THERE

A BULL CHRISTENED MAC,

JACK THE STEER,

 

TWO CALVES

– ONE NAMED BILLY

AND THE OTHER SUSIE –

PLUS TWO MILK COWS

CALLED PANSY AND DAISY.

 

THOSE CATTLE ARE FREE

TO WANDER

ANYWHERE IN THAT PASTURE.

 

TO MUNCH CLOVER

IN THE MIDDLE

OR CHOMP TIMOTHY GRASS

ALONG THE FENCE.

 

AS LONG AS THEY STAY

WITHIN THEIR BOUNDARY

THEY ARE FREE TO ROAM.

 

MAC, JACK, BILLIE,

SUSIE PANSY AND DAISY

WILL NOT GET INTO TROUBLE

UNLESS THEY FORCE THEIR WAY

UNDER OR OVER THE FENCE.

 

HERE’S ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION.

 

WE’LL SAY WE GO TO TOWN

AND PARK

IN THE NEW PARKING LOT.

 

IT IS A FREE PARKING LOT

SO WE DON’T HAVE TO PAY

TO ENTER.

 

A SIGN WARNS

THAT IF YOU STAY

MORE THAN 24 HOURS

YOUR CAR

WILL BE TOWED

AT YOUR EXPENSE.

 

SIX SPACES

HAVE HANDICAP SIGNS,

SO IF YOU ARE PARKED THERE

AND DO NOT OWN

THE APPROPRIATE STICKER,

YOU ARE LIABLE FOR A $100 FINE.

 

WE ARE FREE TO PARK OUR CARS

AS LONG AS WE STAY INSIDE

THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PARKING LOT.

 

HERE’S THE MORAL

OF THIS LITTLE STORY.

 

JESUS IS LIKE THE FARMER.

WE ARE LIKE MAC, JACK,

BILLIE, SUSIE PANSY AND DAISY.

 

FARMER JESUS

DOESN’T GIVE EACH COW

HIS OR HER OWN

CLUMP OF CLOVER

TO MUNCH.

 

JESUS GIVES US ALL PASTURES

LIKE PARKING LOTS.

 

EACH PARKING LOT

REPRESENTS DECISIONS

BOTH LARGE AND SMALL

THAT WE MAKE EVERY DAY

 

FROM CHOOSING A MATE

TO WHAT WE EAT FOR LUNCH

OR WHAT WE’LL WEAR

AT THE START OF OUR DAY.

 

JESUS SAYS

THAT OUR PARKING LOT

IS FULL OF SPACES

 

AND WE ARE FREE TO CHOOSE

THE SPACE WE WANT-

WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES

OF THAT PARKING LOT.

 

CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN GIVEN

A GREAT DEAL OF LATITUDE,

TO MAKE BOTH MAJOR

AND MINOR DECISIONS,

 

AS LONG AS THEY STAY

WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES

OF THEIR “PASTURE”

OR “PARKING LOT.”

 

SO FOR SOME CHRISTIANS,

THAT BIG EMPTY PARKING SPACE

MAY HAVE A FEW HANDICAP SPACES

OR RESERVED SECTIONS,

 

BUT AS A GENERAL RULE,

KEEPING IN MIND

WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE WORD

AND THE LEADING OF THE SPIRIT,

WE ARE FREE TO CHOOSE.

WTO 9.20.11

 

While I have tweaked the concept quite a bit for the purpose of writing this poem, I believe the general idea for pastures and parking lots as a word-picture for explaining our free will, as it relates to God’s sovereignty, was originally opined by Christian author-speaker Frank Viola.