Concerning the interpretation of divine freedom, Berkouwer gave this
warning: "waving the banner of absolute divine autonomy does not dam up
anguishing questions, and is certainly not likely to lead to praise" (A
Half Century of Theology, p. 92). He did not wish to question the divine
freedom. He sought to clarify its meaning in a way that "phrases like
'incontestible freedom' and ... 'absolute possibility'" (A Half Century
of Theology, p. 91) fail to do. He insisted that the New Testament
"avoids a dialectic between divine freedom and human freedom" (A Half
Century of Theology, p. 101). He emphasized that divine freedom should
be understood in connection with divine goodness (A Half Century of
Theology, p. 91 - referring to Matthew 20:15). He maintained that divine
freedom reminds man that he must not presume on divine goodness. He
emphasized that divine freedom serves as " summons to conversion" (A
Half Century of Theology, p. 91 - referring to Matthew 22:14 and Matthew
20:16).
A response to a comment by G. R. Osborne on Berkouwer’s understanding of the doctrine of final perseverance
In his contribution to Clark Pinnock (editor), Grace Unlimited (1975), G. R. Osborne states that Berkouwer, in Faith and Perseverance, pp. 9-10, “speaks of the time less ness of the doctrine of final perseverance, founded on ‘the richness and abidingness of salvation” (p. 188, emphasis mine). This single-sentence comment on Berkouwer’s view hardly gives a fair indication of the type of thinking found in Chapter 1 of Berkouwer’s Faith and Perseverance - “Time li ness and Relevance” (pp. 9-14, emphasis mine). Berkouwer insists that “the living preaching of the Scriptures, which offer no metaphysical and theoretical views about … ‘permanency’ as an independent theme in itself, does nothing to encourage ‘a continuity which is … opposed in any way to the living nature of faith” (p. 13). Berkouwer stresses that “The perseverance of the saints is not primarily a theoretical problem but a confession of faith” (p. 14) and that “The perseverance of the saints is unbreakably connected wi...
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