Antinomy thoughts...

I've just finished a fantastic little (but heavy) book by J.I.Packer entitled: 'Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God'. The title tells you what this book is about, in particular its about an antinomy. For those of you who do not know what an antinomy is (for example, my two older brothers who got their education in Transcona--need I say more?). 'An antinomy exists when two or more principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable'. My brothers are perhaps a good example of an antinomy--put them beside each other though irreconcilable you cannot deny their existence. But I digress. The point here in the book is dealing with the issue of God's ultimate sovereignty and human responsibility. A hotly contested subject, where many people camp on both sides of the river (irreconcilable) and yet their points are quite valid and biblical (undeniable). Where Packer is so helpful to this discussion is that he clearly states that scripture makes a strong case for both realities, that God is sovereign--he decides the times of all things and is all powerful (our birth, our death and everything in between). On the other side there is the reality of our human responsibility, we make choices and pay the consequences both good and bad. On the one hand God is King (sovereign, ultimate power and authority) and he is also Judge (our actions will be brought before him and he will bring justice to our lives and we will be accountable to him for our choices). Ahhhh, confusing eh? Its an antinomy. The struggle we have is how do we reconcile God as King and God as Judge? The two cannot be played against each other as they often are, rather they need to be held together: 'Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled but he is also a responsible moral agent.' In the end Packer hits us with a smacker: "Our part is to acknowledge these facts, to adore God's righteousness, both as King and as Judge; not to speculate how his just sovereignty can be consistent with his just judgment, and certainly not to call the justice of either in question because we find the problem of their relationship too hard for us! Our speculations are not the measure of our God. The Creator has told us that he is both a sovereign Lord and a righteous Judge, and that should be enough for us. Why do we hesitate to take his word for it? Can we not trust what he says?" Sorry for those of you looking for cute pics of Nate--more are coming I promise! But this is an interesting subject and I really have enjoyed sitting at the feet, as it were, of Packer who has been hailed as one of the best Christian thinkers in the past 100 years, right beside CS Lewis. If you haven't read the book, pick it up and enjoy the read, like I said, its short but not a quick read--especially if you're from Transcona, like my brothers (and me). Now some of you may not know my brothers, so you do not understand...those of you do, completely understand why I use them. Plus, as the youngest brother, I need something--ANYTHING to stir them and a little bit of smack from Pack-er (nice!) was easily done. Still, they are quite an antinomy in themselves. Irreconcilable yet undeniable.
Ken