Tags
Where Francis Turretin Went Wrong
Every now and then, you run across a weak, weak argument that is just chock full of helpful stuff for the Church at large. That happened today, and I couldn’t pass it up.
On FaceBook, Francis Turretin made this statement, highly ‘liked’ by so many ‘new reformationists’, new calvinists and others too naïve and ignorant of Scripture to know the difference between truth and falsehood:
“Just so Morecraft and others know, God chose Saul knowing what a bad king Saul would be. If God can sinlessly choose a sinful king, it’s possible for Christians to have a clear conscience in selecting their own sinful leader.”
Well, Francis, you’re thinking is common, particularly among James White worshippers, but, easily shown as erroneous if not egregious, by Scripture.
1). God did not choose Saul. Israel did. That’s your first mistake. God permitted it, but did not Himself choose Saul to rule over Israel.
2). God did not “sinlessly choose a sinful king” to rule over Israel. See #1.
3.) Since your thinking in #2 is so absurdly false and easily disproven, your conclusion that Christians “can have a clear conscience in selecting their own sinful leader” is beyond absurd. It is near blasphemy.
Observe:
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. – I Samuel 8:4-11
And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” – I Samuel 8:18-20
Israel, the people chose Saul, God merely permitted it and gave warning to them of how things would be since they had rejected the Lord God as their Ruler.
That is how it was. To say that Christians can “have a clear conscience” in “selecting their own sinful leader” is to dismiss Scriptural teaching for us today, and adhere to traditional stupid, conservatism. Francis is giving Christians a reason to behave and think hyper-calvinistically and do nothing in regards to voting and in regards to the leadership of America.
To Francis and others who share his sentiment: If you can have a clear conscience in choosing a knowingly, obviously sinful leader, you need to repent of your shallow theology, your sinful thinking, hit your knees and repent before God Almighty for your stupidity in misleading others to follow you – and not Scripture.
5 Pt. Salt 
Absolutely agree 500%.