“Open Theism” – the Product of “cherry picking” Scriptures

HOW TO PROCESS BIBLICAL CLUES

Here is a cardinal rule to use when interpreting a Scriptural passage: In the mind of the Holy Spirit, every passage that He inspired assumes the presence of ALL the other passages that belong together, passages which He had likewise inspired. Therefore, all such passages must be gathered together before drawing any conclusions about a passage that you are examining.

Every historical or personal heresy I have ever encountered or studied failed to follow that rule.

Here is an example: look at the passage in Genesis 3. It describes something God said when the newly fallen Adam and Eve hid themselves from God. “8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”

There have been movements that want to assert that God is somewhat other than the “all-knowing” and “omnipotent” Person of Christian tradition. The modern “Open Theism” movement comes to mind. But whether or not their adherents have actually used this passage in their cause, it would be a logical thing for them to do. They might say that here in the very first period of Biblical history God was revealed as not ALL-knowing, since He needed to ask them to reveal themselves: “WHERE are you, Adam?”

If you allow yourself to draw a conclusion after reading only that one verse, it might well be a logical conclusion to draw (at least formally speaking). God actually DID say that, and it WAS a question. And you DO normally or frequently ask a question to get an answer to something that you do not know. So, WHY shouldn’t you draw that conclusion and then become open to the picture of a God who is just a super-version of us: much smarter than we are, but still needing to learn things He does not currently know?

But if you are committed to that exegetical rule mentioned in paragraph one above, you will not allow yourself to entertain any conclusions so hastily. You would first examine ALL the possible valid interpretations of those words. God asking for an answer to something He did not already know is only ONE of the possible reasons for that question, no?

Can you think of another possibility? Here is when a mind that has become FLOODED with the Scriptures becomes so important for you. And here is where a WORKING relationship with the Pentecostal Spirit also becomes so important for you. The human mind all by itself is capable of “connecting the dots” and incorporating memories of past learning. But the Holy Spirit has a mind of His own, and when you are EXPERIENCING Him within you, that “dot connecting” can jump from 20 mph to 60 mph, when you are accomplishing HIS intentions to honor the Father: He really throws His “muscle” into projects that honor the Father (Just as Jesus did, no?).

Here is a passage that popped into my mind when contemplating that question God posed in Genesis 3:

“47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’ 48 Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, WHEN YOU WERE UNDER THE FIG TREE, I SAW YOU’ 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ 50 Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ 51 And He said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’” (John 1).

That passage ought to be an eye-opener for you. If the incarnate Son of God could see that Nathanael was under the fig tree before Nathanael ever came to him, then there is an obvious truth here: He already had to know where Adam and Eve were when He asked that question, especially since it is obvious that such supernatural knowledge is not something that one could grow into, as Open Theism’s God seems to need to do. Therefore, you would realize that the Lord’s question in the garden had nothing to do with acquiring knowledge that He did not already have. You would then take that certain knowledge you have acquired into other passages that were being used to denigrate God into some kind of “super human” who still had the kind of limitations found within all humans. Perhaps ALL of those passages were capable of other interpretations than were being used to “prove” their theology.

And here is where motivation comes to play in this discussion: WHY would they actually want to draw such a conclusion after just examining that passage? Or WHY would they actually want to consider only other passages that seem to allow you draw the same conclusion? And WHY would they not want to factor into their conclusions passages that do not readily fit into their conclusion? Is it really because of the demands of truth and logic; or is it because they have an agenda other than simple love of what is true?

The brilliant Creator described within the literature that His Spirit inspired is THIS kind of God:

5 “To whom will you liken Me, and make equal And compare Me, that we should be alike? … 8 “Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; For I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 DECLARING the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do ALL MY PLEASURE,’ 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken I WILL also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. (Isaiah 46).

Isaiah’s God does not merely KNOW the end from the beginning; He DECLARES the end from the beginning. The condition at the end of our history (See Revelation 21-22) will have been CREATED by God, not merely FORSEEN by Him. Satan has a will, a purpose and a power – as does man. And so does GOD! And no matter what man and Satan work to bring to pass, Isaiah’s God will intervene to nullify or alter their work so as to accomplish all His good pleasure.

Any conclusions you might draw must describe ISAIAH’S kind of God. Those who do not do so might be motivated to combat a Calvinism that teaches that God wills everything that happen. And I actually applaud such a motivation. But they would be diminishing God in attempting to combat that form of Calvinism in the way that they do. And to use the same defective exegetical principle that your misguided Calvinistic enemy uses is hardly likely to lead you into God’s truth, is it!

It is, for example, similar to what occurred during the Reformation. The Roman Catholics insisted upon transubstantiation being the only true interpretation of the statement, “This is my body” in the Eucharist, teaching that the bread and wine actually had to quit being bread and wine in order to fulfill Christ’s declaration: that was a bad interpretation of the relevant passages. In order to combat that improper exegesis the Zwinglians used the same selective method that the Romans did, and came up the with the idea that there was NO real connection between the bread and wine and the risen body and blood of Jesus. Both parties used the same method with equally bad results.

Don’t be an Open Theist; and don’t be their theological Calvinist enemy! Follow each and ALL of what God has inspired! Amen?