Chosen But Free: A Balanced View of God's Sovereignty and Free Will [Paperback]

Norman L. Geisler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0764208446 | ISBN-13: 978-0764208447 | Edition: 3

The Reformed movement has gotten younger and more outspoken since Chosen But Free was published more than ten years ago, making the topic of divine election one of utmost importance to the church today. Young Christians in particular are in constant debate over these issues, wondering what is true and how it might affect their lives.

People on both sides of the debate will want to read a "middle-ground" book. In addition, this revision deals more directly with the personal issues involved in the debate. For example, how do our beliefs about free will affect us when it comes to perceptions of love, personal responsibility, and purpose? And how does it affect our ability to worship God?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Norman L. Geisler (PhD, Loyola University of Chicago) has taught at top evangelical schools for over fifty years and is distinguished professor of apologetics and theology at Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California. He is the author of more than seventy books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; 3 edition (August 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764208446
• ISBN-13: 978-0764208447
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Norman Geisler (PhD, Loyola University) is president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and author or coauthor of over fifty books including Decide for Yourself, Baker's Encyclopedia of Apologetics, and When Skeptics Ask.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 79 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall A Good Book on Election and Free Will August 12, 2010

By Roy Ingle VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The previous two reviewers before me (and no doubt countless others) say that Geisler is a "functioning Arminian" though he calls himself a moderate Calvinist. Perhaps we should label Geisler as a "4 point Arminian" or a "2 point Calvinist" rather than a moderate Calvinist. I am a "full blown" Arminian and I know that Geisler is not an Arminian in the fullest sense of the word. His acceptance, for example, of eternal security is not in line with Arminianism. So to say that Geisler is a full blown Arminian is not accurate.

Having said that let me state that an Arminian would agree with 90% of what Geisler writes in this book. The majority of the Church would. The majority of the early Church Fathers would. Church history would ascribe his views as the dominant view. That view would be that while God is indeed sovereign, He has created humanity with the ability to choose. The only ones how will take aim at Geisler will be Calvinists. Calvinists reject the notion of free will and believe that God has predetermined whatsoever comes to pass for His own glory and, as Dr. Sam Storms said, "Free will is a myth" opting instead for omnicausality or the idea that God not only controls all things but that He is the direct cause of all things including sin. The Arminian holds that such a view of God is outside of Scripture. Scripture presents a view of God that is loving toward His creation and He has shown this love in His Son (John 3:15-17; Romans 5:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Arminians, such as myself, hold that God's will is not for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) and that He has given His only begotten Son for all of humanity (1 Timothy 2:1-7; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 3:18). While we believe in free will, the heart of Arminianism is not in free will but in a God of love (1 John 4:7-11) who sent His Son for all to be saved through faith in Him (Luke 19:10).

Geisler, in this work, demonstrates the flaws of Calvinism of which he calls "hyper-Calvinism." In reality it is more or less just Calvinism. Hyper-Calvinism would differ with their Calvinist brethren over the issue of whether God determined the salvation of the elect before or after the Fall (Genesis 3:1-7) but they both agree on such issues as total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. So Geisler is in essence tearing down the entire Calvinist system by writing this book and thus the hatred that will be written here by Calvinists. The Arminian can read this book and agree with Geisler's points that we are totally depraved but not in the same definition that Calvinists believe. Arminians would agree that election is conditional and that the atonement of Jesus was for all of humanity and not just the elect. Arminians would agree with Geisler that grace can be resisted (Acts 7:51).

But Geisler differs with Arminians in several ways. First, he asserts that Arminians are just as in-balanced on election as "hyper-Calvinists" are. This is an unfair statement. Arminians do not reject election. Some Arminians hold to corporate election meaning that God chose groups such as Israel or the Church but this doesn't mean that everyone in ancient Israel were saved nor are all visible members of the Church saved. Other Arminians believe that election can be both corporate and individual. This is my view and the view of Arminius as well as theologians such as Richard Watson and Jack Cottrell.

I would also differ with Geisler over his views about eternal security. He seems to hold to the traditional Southern Baptist view of "once saved, always saved" and the same view of Charles Stanley or Tony Evans. I believe his view falls under the error of Jude 4. It allows for present sinning in the saint. Such a view is not found in the Bible. I challenge you to find any passages of Scripture that offer hope of heaven, eternal life, or present assurance of your salvation if you are in continued rebellion against God. You won't find such teachings in the New Testament. As an Arminian I believe in personal apostasy and I believe in conditional security. How do we remain saved? By faith (Acts 11:23; 14:22-23; Romans 11:20-22; 1 Corinthians 15:2; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 11:3-4; 12:21-13:5; Galatians 3:1-5; 5:1-4; 6:9; Colossians 1:21-23; 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:1-4; 3:6-19; 4:1-20; 5:8-9; 6:4-20; 10:19-39; 11:13-15; 12:1-39; etc.). Jesus said that His sheep hear (present tense) His voice and He gives them eternal life (John 10:27-29). If we are hearing and following Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2), we need not fear (1 Peter 1:5; 2 Peter 3:17). Jesus has promised to keep us (Jude 24-25) and we remain in Him by faith (Jude 21).

Overall this is a good book that is well written and interesting to read. This debate concerning election and free will have raged for 500 years and will continue long after we are dead and gone. Perhaps only God will be able to settle the issue in eternity (Romans 11:33-36) but until then we can read and debate the issues in love (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Informative Text on Free Will and God's Sovereignty February 5, 2011

By S. Peek VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

'Chosen But Free' is a thoughtful examination of the debate between God's sovereignty and the individual's free will.

It will likely not be pleasing to 'hyper Calvinists' as the author calls them. Nevertheless, it is a very balanced and Scriptural look at this centuries old argument. Dr. Norman Geisler does a terrific job in this book as he does in everything of his that I have read. He is much more concerned about the truth of God's position on the issue than his personal opinion as evidenced by the countless Scriptural references cited.

I came into this book from a rather strong free will position. Through his solid arguments, I think my position is a bit more balanced and Scriptural now.

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in studying this topic.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Very Impressed February 1, 2012

By jahollingsworth89

Format:Paperback

I chose to read this book last semester for a critical book review in my Systematic Theology I class and was not impressed by it's content. Geisler is a brilliant man and has a lot of good insight as a Christian scholar (I even agree with him on some of his points dealing with the topic of this book and the Thomist view of God's providence and man's will). My biggest issue with the book is that it does not even fulfill its own purpose. First, Geisler claims to be a moderate Calvinist which is seen to be false in the first few chapters of the book. One cannot claim one or two points out of a five point system and claim to be moderate. My second and most major issue with the book is that it does not succeed in fulfilling its thesis. Geisler's purpose in the book was to offer a balanced view of God's sovereignty and man's freedom of will; however, he spends the vast majority of the book attacking those who belong to the view that he terms "the extreme sovereignty view". He spends little to no time combatting those who are extreme Arminians. I have researched several other of Geisler's works, and the man writes with a vendetta against Calvinism. His entire appendices are dedicated to the attempt to show that mainstream Calvinism is wrong and this seems to be the focus of his book. Not only this, but when he uses Scripture to back up his points, he offers very questionable interpretations of them. Several he seems to ignore the rich context that they come from. One must understand in their hermeneutic that the context is the message and the piece of Biblical literature in study cannot mean what it never meant. Another impression that I have gotten from Geisler is that he just wants to pick a fight with someone. This is most explicitly seen in his controversy with Mike Licona over Licona's interpretation of the passage in Matthew that claims that when Jesus died that people rose from the grave. Licona offered a different interpretation than that of mainstream orthodoxy based upon his understanding of the passage as Apocolyptic in nature. Geisler called for Licona to recant his writing and accused him of denying the inerrancy of Scripture. Geisler needs to understand that just because someone disagrees with his viewpoint or understands something differently than him does not make them a heretic. (As a matter of fact this is exactly the same way that the Renaissance Papacy reacted to the writings of Martin Luther). Norman Geisler is a brilliant Christian scholar and I understand that every person has their own biases, but one can write with bias without seeking to achieve some personal vendetta. I personally would recommend the book "Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives in Tension" over this one. It of course shows Carson's own bias, but every author shows their bias in a book; I personally believe that Carson does a better job of offering a balanced view of this argument. (Carson himself is a Compatablist; I personally fluctuate between the Thomist, Compatablist, and Soft Determinist Views of God's sovereignty and man's freedom). Geisler had the chance to write a really good piece of literature to help people see that this argument is not the most important issue of the Christian faith, instead he seems to have taken another chance to attack someone(s) with a set of beliefs that contradict his. But that is just my "humble" opinion. Take it for what its worth.