Growing (or backsliding, whatever you want to think)

I have been bombarded lately with theology. My husband is to blame, mostly. In a good way. There has also been the challenge of friends. Friends who agree with what I believe and friends who do not. At first, this was frustrating to me. I know what I believe, and I know why, mostly. I know my beliefs are rooted in the Bible. But I usually can't defend my beliefs verbally.

On Tim Challies' site today, he asked, "What is the greatest hindrance to the gospel today?" And my mind immediately thought of all this theology. Calvinism. Doctrine. Eschatology. Arminianism (or whatever that word is), Soteriology. What really matters here? What matters in all of this madness? Am I letting all this theology stand in the way of what really matters? Am I studying Calvinism and that other thing, Arminianism, when I should be out there, sharing my faith? Doing something?

Challies puts it very simply:

From my human perspective, I am the greatest hindrance to the gospel. But the Bible tells me to look higher. It tells me with glorious clarity that nothing, no one, is able to hinder the gospel. It tells me to place my confidence in the God whose plans cannot be stopped. My lack of confidence in the gospel, my indifference to it, and my unfaithfulness in spreading it, cannot truly hinder the work of God. God reigns supreme over all.

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and he does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

and none can stay his hand

or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:34b-35)

Not one person who truly seeks after God will be hindered from embracing Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ, the Good Shepherd, has sent His Spirit to gather a people to himself. Christ knows his own and his own know him. He will draw them to himself and not one will be lost; not one can be lost. Far be it from me to think that I can stand in the way of God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that was and is and ever will be.

This doesn't mean I'm some "hyper-Calvinist" and don't believe in sharing the gospel, but I constantly need to be reminded of my humanity. My pride constantly needs to be shut down. Because no matter what I do, God truly doesn't need me. And the moment I forget that, I have fallen into pride. God is sovereign. His will reigns supreme. Shame on me for thinking I could be any hindrance.