thoughts and ruminations while in exile (1 Pet. 2:11)

There is no greater sin than to conceive of God other than He is-- A. W. Tozer

I just got done reading a devotional thought by John Piper called, "How Open Theism Helps Us Conceal our Hidden Idolatries." I was profoundly moved. Afterwards I had an overwhelming sense of grief in my heart because I know this heretical teaching is spreading and gaining a following.

Furthermore, I know that even if most Christians do not agree with open theism, they believe something close to it. For those not aware, open theism is the teaching that God does NOT know the future. Adherents of open theism say that in order for a decision or choice to be truly free, it cannot be known at all!

For example, open theist Greg Boyd writes, "Much of it [the future], open theists will concede, is settled ahead of time, either by God's predestining will or by existing earthly causes, but it is not exhaustively settled ahead of time. To whatever degree the future is yet open to be decided by free agents, it is unsettled." That is, God does not know the future exhaustively.

Rather, according to open theism, God only knows what can be known. To be sure, the main reason open theism has gained a following is because of the problem of evil. Open theists insist that God does not ordain or know evil is going to happen. In this respect, they disagree with both Calvinists and Arminians. Calvinists (like myself) teach that God ordains (or allows!) all that comes to pass (Eph. 1:11). Arminians teach that God KNOWS the future, but he does not necessarily cause everything that comes to pass. Open theists (rightly in my judgment) disagree sharply with Arminians and accuse them of wanting to "have their cake and eat it too."

Ironically, open theists and Calvinists agree that it is untenable to say that God knows the future but doesn't cause things to come to pass.

As John Piper states, "Bad theology hurts people and dishonors God." Stated simply, open theism is terrible theology. As the patristic scholar Thomas Oden says, "The fantasy that God is ignorant of the future is a heresy that must be rejected on scriptural grounds." What makes open theism so detrimental is that it states that God has no ultimate purpose in the evil that happens.

Open theist, John Sanders, for example writes the following:

To this, John Piper asks, "If not 'the purpose of God,' what then is ultimate?" Open theist Greg Boyd says the ultimate cause of evil is Satan, not God. But that doesn't get to the bottom of the issue. As one preacher has said, "The Devil is God's Devil." The book of Job clearly indicates that the Devil can only do what God ALLOWS him to do (Job 1:12).

Remember at the beginning I said I was reading the devotional called, "How Open Theism Helps Us Conceal Our Hidden Idolatries." Now is the time to ask, "How does Open Theism reveal idolatry in our hearts?" As you'll recall, open theism asserts that God has no ULTIMATE PURPOSE for the evil that takes place (contra Job 2:10; Amos 3:6; Rom. 8:28; Eph. 1:11). In other words, whereas the Scriptures teach that in God's infinite wisdom he either ordains or allows evil to come to pass, open theists deny this.

Thus, as Piper states, "Open Theism implies, therefore, that we should not think about the wisdom of God's purpose in causing or permitting our calamaties." Open theism discourages us from asking, "What is God's purpose in all this?" The Bible teaches that God DOES bring trials on us as his followers! God does have a sanctifying purpose for us in our afflictions.

Piper continues: "in reality our pain and losses are always a test of how much we treasure the all-wise, all-governing God in comparison to what we have lost." Open theism is utterly unbiblical. Moses said in Deuteronomy 8:3, "And [God] humbled you and LET YOU HUNGER and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (emphasis mine). "In other words," Piper explains, "God ordains the hard times ("he . . . let you hunger) to see if we have made a god out of our good times. Do we love bread, or do we love God?"

The Psalmist exclaims the same words: "For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance" (Ps. 66:10-12). Note, the Psalmist says God is the one who brought them into prison, etc.This was also Paul's experience. He writes, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it [the messenger of Satan] away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Cor. 12:8-9).

In other words, God was asking Paul, "Will you value the magnifying of Christ's power more than a pain-free life?"Peter agrees with this as well. He writes, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come SO THAT [purpose clause] your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:6-7, emphasis mine).

Thus, accoding to Peter, God does have an ultimate purpose for our trials and our pain. I agree with Piper: "God ordains trials to refine our faith and prove that we really trust His wisdom and grace and power when hard times come." James says that when trials come we are to "count it all joy" (James 1:2-3, 12). In our trials and difficult circumstances, God is asking us, "Do you love me?" Piper says we should ask ourselves this question, "Do we cherish Him and the merciful wisdom of His painful purposes more than we cherish pain-free lives?" Next, Piper gives the greatest paragraph in the entire devotional. Read these words carefully:

Our trials reveal the measure of our affection for this earth--both its good things and bad things. Our troubles expose our latent idolatry . . . . For those who believe that God rules purposefully and wisely over all things, our response to loss is a signal of how much idolatry is in our souls. Do we really treasure what we have lost more than God and His wisdom? IF WE FIND OURSELVES EXCESSIVELY ANGRY OR RESENTFUL OR BITTER, IT MAY WELL SHOW THAT WE LOVE GOD LESS THAN WHAT WE LOST" (emphasis mine).

This is a painful truth. But sometimes truth is painful. We must remember that God's truth does not aim to be immediately practical, but eternally helpful. Theology leads to doxology. And wimpy theology makes for wimpy Christians (I say this with a very heavy heart, not with a smiling face). I realize truth is not easy.

All of this leads John Piper to say, "Open Theism does not encourage us to see or savor the merciful designs of God in our pain." We must think, feel, and know that "We show His infinite worth by treasuring Him above all things and all persons . . . Not believing that God has a wise purpose for every event helps conceal our idolatries."

Closing Prayer: Gracious, all-knowing Father, we praise Your for Your infinite wisdom, and for Your wise and holy purposes that govern all You do, and all You permit to be done. We rejoice and take heart from the precious truth that nothing befalls us but by Your loving will toward us Your children. We pray that You will protect your church from harmful error, and lead Your flock in the path of truth. Expose our idols, O God. And grant us to treasure Christ above all things. In His name, we pray, Amen.