Have you ever given much consideration to the number of prayers offered in a Church service? Or why exactly the prayers are ordered the way they are? Most people have probably never pondered the methodology behind this element of worship. If you are like me, then once you understand why something is done a certain way it becomes more meaningful, and you will garner a greater appreciation.    

The model for prayer within the church has been relatively consistent throughout history. There are of course a variety of differences in the number of prayers, the structure of prayers, and the types of prayers delivered in a worship service. Some speak extemporaneously, others read written prayers, (i.e., the Lord's Prayer, Book of Common Prayer, etc.), while a combination of the two are sometimes preferred. Nevertheless, if one were to observe any Bible believing church, he would inevitably hear at least four common prayers. Think about your worship service last Sunday. Did you have four different prayers? If so, can you name them?

In case you are unable to recall, the model for prayer in a church service includes the Prayer of Invocation, the Pastoral Prayer, the Prayer of Illumination, and the Closing Prayer.

1. The Prayer of Invocation. This prayer is so called because it is a calling upon of the name of God, asking for His presence in the worship service. The Lord promises that if we call upon His name, He will hear our prayers (Jeremiah 29:12).

2. The Pastoral Prayer or Prayer of Confession. We are commanded to confess our sins, and are given the promise that God will be faithful and just to forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9). Furthermore, our relationship with God is hindered because of our iniquities, and we must name our sins before coming to the throne of Christ. We do this first by asking for the Lord's forgiveness and then proceed to petition for others.

3. Prayer of Illumination. Depending on the church and the order of service, this prayer is normally delivered after the reading of Scripture but before the sermon. It is used as an opportunity to ask the Lord to help the minister present clarity and truth and to aid the congregation to receive the Word of God.

4. Closing Prayer. This prayer is rendered after the sermon has been delivered. It is used as a time to ask God to bless the congregation and to seek the Lord's protection until the Christians gather again.

It should be noted that the preacher is not analogous to the high priest of the Old Testament in that he alone is the mediator between God and His people. We have direct access to God through Jesus Christ our Great High Priest (Heb 4:14), and we are not simply to listen idly or to have our minds wonder aimlessly while the preacher waxes eloquently. Instead, it is also our time to call upon the name of God, confess our sins, ask Him to give us ears to hear and eyes to see, and ask the Lord that we would not soon forget what we learned during the service. If we perform these four prayers, then we remain consistent with the historic model of prayer used during a worship service.  

If ever there were a measuring rod by which the religious priorities in our society was to be assessed it would be by the books that are sold in stores. One would not have to go any further than the "religious" section of any brick and mortar store to peruse the endless row of one-minute devotionals including The One Minute Bible, My 60 Seconds, The One-Minute Devotional, The Way of the Master Minute, One Minute Devotional a Taste of the Spirit, One Minute Devotional for Boys, and One Minute Devotional for Girls just to name a few.

This type of literature is indicative of a society that is too busy to devote any substantial time for the Creator of the universe, but instead, tries to squeeze in a minute or two for the Lord. Instead of prioritizing our schedules to glorify God and to enjoy Him, we find ourselves searching for a spare minute in which we can "learn" about God or "worship" Him. But do we honestly think this pleases God?

Imagine if you devoted only one minute to any subject in school. What do you think would be the result? Would you honestly expect to have any depth of understanding about the subject? Is it even plausible to think you would have sufficient knowledge to pass? The same could be said about our devotion to God. If we spend only one minute a day thinking, studying, or meditating upon God, we will have spent a lifetime in ignorance of the King of kings and Lord of lords.  

God is not so shallow that we can garner a profound understanding of His being in only one minute a day. It will take a lifetime of ardent devotion, but even then, our breadth of understanding will still be lacking. The Christian is called to be a serious student of His Word, not a one-minute theologian. Our pursuit to know God should be a lifelong process in which our every thought is directed towards Him and those things that are above. Studying God's Word is not a one-minute religious fervor but a lifetime devotion.  

The chief objection I have encountered over the years to the Reformed doctrine of Predestination is that it is incompatible with free will. And my latest encounter with an Arminian was no different. He was convinced that free will and predestination were incompatible (a point he never proved, only assumed to be true) and therefore rejected Calvinism outright. However, as I soon discovered, his rejection of Calvin was based in large part on a misunderstanding of Reformed theology in general and free will in particular.

When I asked him to define free will, he explained that it was the ability to make choices without any prior prejudices, inclinations, or dispositions. In other words, in order to be truly free one must have neutrality.

Now on the surface this may sound appealing for it absolves God of all human objections of being unfair and turning His creatures into puppets. But there are several underlying problems that make this position untenable. If our choices are not based on prior inclinations and come as the result of neutrality, then our choices come for no reason. They are merely spontaneous actions apart from our desires and do not carry any moral weight. Therefore, they can neither be said to be good or bad. God evaluates our choices based on our motives, and He will not accept the answer that our sinful actions resulted from spontaneity.

The classic, Biblical example of God's predestinating power and man's free will working synergistically is the case of Judas and his betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ. Judas acted freely when he delivered his master to the Roman authorities for 30 pieces of silver. It was not a spontaneous act but a deliberate, self-serving action "that the Scripture might be fulfilled," (John 17:12). Even though God predestined the life, betrayal, death, and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ, it would not have happened without the free decisions of everyone involved from Judas who freely betrayed his master to the Roman authorities who crucified Jesus without coercion.

Another example is when Joseph was sold into slavery by his siblings. God's mighty hand was evident. Joseph declared to his brothers, "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive," (Gen 50:20). The brothers' actions were not spontaneous, or without prior inclination. Rather, their actions were premeditated, deliberate and evil, yet God used their wickedness for a greater purpose. God's sovereignty was upheld throughout the entire situation, as were the free will decisions of Joseph's brothers demonstrating that God is in control of every decision, yet leaving man with the ability to make choices according to the desires of his heart.

A second problem with the neutrality of the will theory is the irrationality of it. If the will acts apart from any motive, then how can a choice even be made? What would cause someone to choose between the simplest of matters such as going left or right, stopping or starting, eating or not eating?

An illustration to the problem is found in the neutral-willed mule. Two baskets were presented before the mule, one basket full of wheat and the other filled with oats. Now here was the dilemma. His neutral-will left him paralyzed, unable to choose between the wheat and the oats. Since he had no prior inclination or disposition to wheat, to oats, to feast or to starve, he eventually withered away from lack of food. The donkey was unable to choose at all because without motive there was no choice, and without a choice to eat, there was no food consumed for his subsistence.

This, of course, is a manifest improbability, because we know from experience alone that living creatures do in fact eat and are not paralyzed from indecision. But this is the absurdity of neutrality. In fact, not only is it illogical, it is unbiblical. But before I give attention to the Scriptural view of the will, I think it is important to first define what free will is.

Plainly stated, free will is "that by which the mind chooses any thing". Before one can choose to do anything, he must first have some idea of what he is choosing. Our mind must first accept or reject a notion before we can choose. The mind shapes our inclinations and desires, just as your mind shaped your desire to read this letter. To put it another way, free will is the ability to choose for ourselves. In fact, we must always choose what we desire in order to choose at all. Every choice we make is a choice made according to the strongest inclination at the moment. Again, the very fact that you are reading this letter is an example that your desire to read this letter was greater than your desire not to read this letter. Your choice was not spontaneous, but in fact, a deliberate act following the desire of your heart.

Consider the case of a thief who wields a gun and demands your money or your life. Now granted, your options have been severely restricted, but his instrument of persuasion still cannot coerce your will. You still have the choice to deliver your money to him, or to refuse stubbornly and risk losing your life. If you hand him your money, then your strongest inclination at the moment was to live, but you still maintained the freedom to refuse and risk losing your life. This is an extreme example, but it illustrates the point that we always make a choice according the strongest inclination at the moment. Just as when we sin. Christians have a love for God, but yet when a sinful act is committed, it is because the desire to please ourselves is greater than our love and obedience to God at that moment.

Every decision we make is made for a reason without coercion from any one else or from God. "Not even almighty God, once he has given me this faculty of choice, can make me, coerce me, force me to choose. If God forced the will it would no longer be a will. Just as if he squared the circle it would no longer be a circle."

We all choose according to the desires of our heart all the time. This is what makes us free beings, and it is this freedom that prevents us from being automatons. So it is irrational to think that humans can make choices in a state of neutrality. It is impossible in light of the overwhelming evidence to believe the contrary.

Now the question stands, if we choose according to our desires what exactly are those desires? Does man, in his natural state, have any inclinations towards God? When we turn to Scripture to find the answer, we learn that fallen man has only wickedness in his heart (Gen 6:5).

Before one can come to Christ, he must first have the desire to please God. However, fallen man does not have the moral ability to choose the Lord and "will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts," (Ps 10:4). "They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one," (Ps 14:3). Furthermore, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one," (Rom 3:10-12).

How is it that man has reached such utter despair? This state came as a result of the fall of Adam. For we read, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned," (Rom 5:12). This is what Reformed thinkers mean when they say man is in a desperate plight. If one asks if there is hope, apart of God, the answer in an emphatic, "No!" If God does not implant the desire in the human heart, then when left with nothing but natural inclinations, no one will ever choose righteousness, because natural man does not have a desire for God. Man will always and freely reject Christ, because the carnal mind is at enmity with God (Rom 8:7).

At this point one might be confused with the language, which appears contradictory. I argue that man has free will, but then go on to conclude that man can not choose God. Both statements are in fact true, and in order to understand better this problem I point out that Augustine addressed this issue by saying that man has a free will but lacks liberty. This peculiar distinction sounds confusing, but in reality makes perfect sense.

Fallen man has not lost his ability to make choices. Nevertheless, he still maintains the ability to choose what he wants according to his desire. The problem is that his desire is corrupted, and he remains in a state of bondage to sin, and therefore has no inclination or desire for righteousness. This ability to choose evil freely but inability to choose God is what Augustine meant by saying man has free will but not liberty.

One passage of particular importance that confirms Augustine's idea is found in the statement of Jesus. In the sixth chapter of John the author writes, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him," (John 6:44). The point Jesus was making was that the necessary condition under which one is eventually able to come is Christ is by the drawing or irresistible grace of God. In other words, one cannot come to Christ without first being compelled by God.

The Biblical concept of free will is that man retains the freedom to choose what he desires, but his desires are only wicked, and if left in an unregenerate state he will never choose Christ. He cannot choose Christ, because there is no desire in his heart for God. The fall left mankind in this desperate state, and it is only through the effectual grace of our Lord, working in the hearts of man, that he can come to a saving faith. Once God works His grace in the hearts of His chosen, their desire is changed, and then they freely choose God as their personal savior. When one accepted Jesus as his Lord, he only did so, because the Lord first took away his stony heart and gave him a heart of flesh (Ezek 36:26).

I recently heard the argument that the doctrine of "total depravity" is not found in Scripture. Rather amused, I decided to peruse my Bible and see just how many verses I could find in support of the Reformed doctrine. I was able to located over 60 verses in support of total depravity. But before I present my list, I want to summarize the doctrine:

Total depravity (or radical depravity) is the teaching that establishes the complete inability of man to cooperate in any respect in his salvation because of the extensive effect of sin. The fall from grace extends to all parts of his being including the body, mind, and will, rendering man incapable of spiritual understanding and any love towards God. While individuals are not as sinful as they could be, they are as bad off as they can be. Sin has so deeply affected mankind that he is in a totally helpless condition, unable and unwilling to rescue himself. The unregenerate person is declared to be dead in sin. Apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, the natural man is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel. There is a natural but total inability to come to faith in Christ independent of a divine work of grace in the heart.

I am sure there are more verses, but this is what I have thus far:

 

Genesis 6:5: The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

 

Genesis 8:21: And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

 

Numbers 15:37-39: The LORD said to Moses, Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.

 

Job 14:4: Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.

 

Job 15:14-16: What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!

 

Psalm 14:1-3: The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

 

Psalm 51:5: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

 

Psalm 58:3: The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

 

Ecclesiastes 8:11: Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.

 

Ecclesiastes 9:3: This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

 

Isaiah 53:6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned?every one?to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 

Isaiah 64:6: We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

 

Jeremiah 10:14: Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.

 

Jeremiah 13:23: Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.

 

Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

 

Ezekiel 36:26: And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

 

Matthew 7:11: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 

Matthew 15:19: For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

 

Mark 7:21-23: For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

 

John 3:19: And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

 

John 6:44: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

 

John 6:65: And he said, This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.

 

John 8:34: Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

 

John 8:44: You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 

Acts 13:41: Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.

 

Acts 26:18: To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

 

Romans 3:10-18: As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

 

Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

 

Romans 7:18: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

 

Romans 8:7-8: For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

1 Corinthians 2:14: The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

 

1 Corinthians 15:22: For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

 

2 Corinthians 3:5: Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.

 

2 Corinthians 4:3: And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.

 

Ephesians 2:1-3: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience?among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

 

Ephesians 2:12: Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

 

Ephesians 4:17-19: Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

 

Colossians 2:13: And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

 

Titus 3:3: For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

 

Revelation 9:20: The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

 

Revelation 16:9: They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.