Predestination - Responsiblity

A fleshly mind may ask, “How can these things be?” How can Divine predestination accord with human agency and accountableness? But a truly humble Christian, finding both in his Bible, will believe both, though he may be unable to fully understand their consistency ; and he will find in one a motive to depend entirely on God, and in the other a caution against slothfulness and presumptuous neglect of duty. And thus a Christian minister, if he view the doctrine in its proper connexions, will find nothing in it to hinder the free use of warnings, invitations, and persuasions, either to the converted or the unconverted. Yet he will not ground his hopes of success on the pliability of the human mind, but on the promised grace of God, who (while he prophesies to the dry bones, as he is commanded) is known to inspire them with the breath of life.

-Andrew Fuller. Letters on Systematic Divinity. Letter II: Importance of a True System

Andrew Fuller the reader

It has been about a week since the Andrew Fuller conference. I want to give some things that I took from it. I would have posted them earlier but class work prohibited such. now I got some time to write some things down.

1. Andrew Fuller belief’s of the Scripture.

Andrew Fuller held that the Bible stands above all others means of knowing. Reason, senses, experiences, or any other ways of knowing was never to be put on the same plain as Scripture. God’s revelation stands as the judge of every thought, idea, and system of knowing.

The Bible is the sole authority of knowing God. This point ties closely to the first one. When considering and seeking the character of God, The only thing that shows what we are looking for is the Bible. Human reason can never lead people to the knowledge of the Most High. One, also, was not to just look to other teachers for there theology. The Bible should be our guide to who God is.

Yet, Andrew Fuller had a balanced view with regard to reading other teachers. Great Christian minds of the past were not to be rejected. On the contrary, they should be read with open and humble ears. Yes, Only the Bible should determine our theology, but we need to listen to others findings. Fuller, himself, was greatly influenced by the likes of John Owens and Jonathan Edwards.

So, one should study the works of those who thought deeply and walked with God. The Bible, however, should be the only thing we rest our doctrines on.