GOSPEL DELTA

Don’t Be an Oxymoron

// March 13th, 2010 // Doctrine, Life

In speaking about how he came to a Reformed understanding of the Gospel, Tullian Tchividjian confessed in a recent interview how the snare of pride turned him into a walking contradiction early on, until God tempered his zeal with humility. Professors of the doctrines of grace all too often live out of a doctrine of religiosity.

“Soon after God saved me (if indeed I was saved at 21 instead of 5), God gave me an overwhelming hunger and thirst to study, to read, to learn. So at first, I simply began reading books that my pastor (we were attending a PCA church at the time) encouraged me to read (this included books by Packer, Sproul, Lloyd-Jones, the Puritans, etc.). I really wrestled with the doctrine of election. But after a long hard struggle with the Bible I came to the realization that I could choose not to believe this doctrine but I could not in good conscience say that the Bible doesn’t teach it. It was clear to me that from cover to cover Scripture highlights God’s sovereignty in salvation. After I was convinced of the Doctrines of Grace, however, I became a real pain in the neck. Every non-Calvinist was an idiot, so I thought, and I made sure to tell them. Thankfully, God quickly tempered my zeal and I came to realize that an arrogant Calvinist is an oxymoron. If we truly believe we’ve been given it all and deserve only death, then we should be the most humble people on the face of this earth.” -Tullian Tchividjian

 

• Visit Tullian’s church website (here) or listen to his sermons (here)

• Read Tullian’s blog (here).

HT: Justin Taylor