When theology is a strategy to avoid measuring your life by the Bible: the Warnings of Hebrews and recent Calvinism

First thing to say, I’m going to propose that certain inconsistencies and thought can be explained by a kind of institutional habit of suppression. What I don’t know is that this is the intention of any of the actors caught/carrying out this process. Take this as a giant hypothesis worth considering, but not as an attack on anyone’s actual motives.

Second thing to say. I am making a guess about church history that someone with real knowledge will have to confirm or deny. My guess is that the book of Hebrews–in particular, it’s warnings–have not been some great source of controversy in the Church throughout history. Maybe there has been some debate about when it is impossible to renew to repentance–the whole riddle of the unforgivable sin–but there has been no worry about the meaning of the warnings in Hebrews as far as the possibility and penalty for falling away from the Faith is concerned. Christians have read those warnings and applied those warnings in preaching, teaching, and life, without feeling it took a great deal of mental effort of verbal explanation.

Furthermore, this is not true because of some alleged or real semi-Pelagian hegemony in the Church throughout history. Rather, Augustinians have been just as comfortable with the warnings as any other theological flavor. In fact, when if comes to Augustine himself, I am no longer guessing. I know this is true because I have read Augustine.

Finally, I have been reading about “four views” of the warnings in Hebrews and find that expressions like “genuinely converted” or “true Christians” are tossed about without any discussion about the different possible senses that these words could possess. The most basic issue in the debate is left unmentioned in these debates. Why do both Calvinists and Arminians collude in this way?

Why is there now a problem between Calvinists and Hebrews? If I am write, there really isn’t one with Calvinists qua Calvinists. The problem is between a new modern type–the experiential pietist–and Hebrews. This group may use Calvinism (though many are quite happy using an Arminian theology) as their reason for having a problem with Hebrews, but the problem is actually elsewhere.

The predominant pastoral practice and ecclesiastical attitude in these groups is that one and only one thing really matters in one’s spiritual life–knowing if you have been predestined to eternal life. So whatever privileges are certainly given with admission into the church are virtually insignificant. If in Scripture a professing Christian is warned that he must continue in faith to inherit eternal life or that falling into unbelief will mean eternal ruin, the passage is immediately “translated” as a call for introspection and memory to see if you ever had true faith because, if you do you have nothing to worry about and if you don’t you have nothing to continue in. It is all bobsled sovereignty.

It is this manner of life–which neither follows from Calvinism, nor has been the way of living of many Calvinists who are asleep in the Lord having been faithful and orthodox all their lives–which is obviously at odds with not only the warnings in Hebrews, but the encouraging promises as well. It has nothing to do with a belief in predestination, monergism, or the teaching that those predestinated are, at some point of their lives irreversibly converted.

All of this is quite obvious and logical. As soon as one raises the issue one knows that Hebrews is entirely incompatible with the predominance of this simplified “once-saved-always saved” way of life. One encourages to continue to run and warns against giving up the race, the other asks for self-examination to determine whether or not one has already been put on the train. Yet somehow this culture continues among Bible believers who have protected themselves from reconsidering their stance in light of Scripture.

And they do it by claiming Calvinism is at stake. Rather than allow Hebrews to tell us how we should speak to and address the congregation of God’s people (when in similar dire straits) we turn the letter into a theological puzzle. We all know Calvinism is Biblical, so this is powerful enough to hold Hebrews’ pastoral model at bay.

But what about Arminians? Why don’t they point out the problem in this affair?

But they would not benefit from doing so. For the first time they now have an entire book of the Bible to regard as their territory. They have been given Hebrews by the Calvinists, wrapped with a red bow on top.

For the same reason Hebrews doesn’t threaten Calvinism, so it can’t prove Arminianism–even if we grant them their exegesis. Claim that Hebrews is about “genuine Christians” all you want, it still won’t prove that God does not preserve his elect. Nor does it require every other writer in Scripture to use language the same way.

This is the point, Calvinists are not as vulnerable to the Bible as they think they are. They should be preaching and teaching Hebrews as their text–in a way that any Arminian would respect, rather than with an accompanying host of qualifications the author of Hebrews plainly isn’t worried about.

On the other hand, if one’s ultimate allegiance is to the maintenance of a form of experiential pietism that is incompatible with the Hebrews, then I think you need to reconsider your loyalties. At least stop entangling the Reformed Faith’s commitment to predestination and monergism in your exegetical difficulties. They are perfectly safe.

2 thoughts on “When theology is a strategy to avoid measuring your life by the Bible: the Warnings of Hebrews and recent Calvinism

  1. Tom Hicks

    Our allegiance isn’t to experimental pietism, but to God the Father who will not *cause* His own beloved, justified, and adopted sons to stumble. God doesn’t bring men to faith and repentance only to work in them unbelief, to revoke justification and adoption in order to cast them into hell. I don’t know that God and Scripture doesn’t reveal God as such. Rather, the Scripture teaches that “he who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.”

    Blessings,
    Tom

    Reply
  2. Pingback: once more with feeling » Tom Hicks on my plea to not be afraid of Hebrews

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