Norman Geisler’s book Chosen But Free was one that clearly addresses both the Calvinistic and Arminian views, and in the end combines them through Scripture to give a view of moderate-Calvinism. In summary, the book gives proof through Scripture of the power and foreknowledge of God Himself as well as the individual’s personal decision to either accept or reject Him. The thing that really made me enjoy the book is the overwhelming use of Scripture that Geisler used. Unlike other books and writers that use Scripture to back up their words, Geisler has Scripture as the main arguments and fills in with his own personal thoughts. I personally have struggled with the questions of predestination and whether or not all men have the choice to accept the gift of eternal life and security. This book summarizes exactly what I have found through my search of the Scriptures: that neither view is absolutely correct but rather a mix of the two. God is omniscient and we can never fully know the answers to all of the questions we have concerning eternal security, but this is the beauty of being a child of Christ!
There were so many things that really stuck out to me when reading Geisler’s book but a main point that he shared was the question” was John Calvin a Calvinist?”. Many people assume that Calvin himself believed in all of the five points of TULIP, being an extreme Calvinist, but surprisingly he was not. He believed that Christ died for the sins of the whole world, something that Calvinists argue against (200). Because I had learned of this before reading the book it did not surprise me as much as it had the first time. This is a big point though, it shows those who look up to Calvin for his views that he himself did not even believe them all.
Chapter three really stuck out to me as Geisler discussed the power of God. The passages Psalms 147:5 which says “Great is our Lord and mighty in power, His understanding is infinite” and Isaiah 46:10 that says “God knows the end from the beginning” really give evidence that He indeed knows us completely. God is sovereign and therefore in control of everything including the angels, satan, and human decisions. He contrasts this with chapter four which discusses how we ourselves have the desire and choice to sin. Although this seems pretty confusing when first looked at, Geisler explains clearly through Scripture and many examples that we as humans do have a choice. On page 41 the quote “there is no responsibility where there is no ability to respond” stuck out to me. The descriptions clearly show that we as humans have the ability to respond and if we did not God would be irrational, which He is not. God is all knowing and powerful but He does not make us do anything. If this was the case we all would be robots loving Him because He makes us, not because we want to. Do you love your family because they make you, or because you want to? This is the same point Geisler makes through these chapters.
Overall, I loved the book and agree with Geisler’s view. I have already told friends about the book because it is full of Scripture as well as clearly giving evidence for both a Calvinist and Arminian outlook and combining them to a view that agrees with Scripture and does not misinterpret it.
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