The Cause that isn’t There

Another Cause for Causation?

Here I am, continuing on the idea of my previous soapbox topic of causation verses influence. I think this is another distinction to consider. 

There is a very special verb usage in the Old Testament that we need to be really careful of reading too much into its translation into English. Did that last sentence sound klutzy? Well, let me rephrase that. One verb structure of Biblical Hebrew is in danger of being misunderstood when it is translated into English. Let me show you with a few examples.

Jeremiah 13:11

“For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me, ” says the LORD, “that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.”

Ezekiel 36:12

“Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance, no more shall you bereave them of children.”

Ezekiel 36:27

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

A certain verb form in Hebrew takes a basic verb like “he snored” and turns it into one where one acts upon someone else, like, “he made her snore.” The problem with this verb form is there is no accurate way to really translate it. We always have to add words into our translation that go somewhat beyond the intended meaning. In other words, we always usually add the words “cause,” “make,” “bring” or some such word that I think implies causation. 

In Hebrew, it is still one word.

But what does it do? It allows the translation of much activity in the Bible, especially that attributed to God’s actions toward mankind, to be taken as caused action! This goes way beyond the writers’ intended meanings.

Teaching by example

How should this verb usage be understood? Every “cause” joined to a verb usage in the Old Testament should be understood in its natural context and NOT be used to insinuate causation.

Let me illustrate this by one idea. Perhaps you go to a parent/teacher conference to discuss your child’s progress in school. During your conference time, the teacher says, “And here are some projects I made your child do to help her understand this one concept.”

Now, unless you are Amelia Bedelia, you probably did not do a double-take at that statement.
I mean, would you have understood that teacher to have forced or caused your child to have done those assignments? Probably not. You wouldn’t have batted your eye at it.

For a teacher to say, “I made them do their class exercise today,” in no way implies causation over her students any more than you saying, “I made my child do her homework.” More than likely, because the student wants to accomplish the goals that you set before her, she will cooperate and do her schoolwork.

I caused them to translate this correctly

So, when I read a verse that says, “I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,” I am not thinking God actually took over anyone’s freedom of will. I am thinking God set up the opportunity and situation such that His people could see the real benefit of clinging to God and have the easiest possible choice for it. Otherwise, it seems rather self-contradictory for God to later say they refused Him.

One of the ways God may get us to do something is to incentivize us. He doesn’t have to force or overpower our will, like some theologians may propose. By persuasion and opening us up to see the real good that comes from a right relationship with Him, God can bring us to the threshold of choice. But the power of actually walking over that threshold is still our own.

Of Bouncers and Bees

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:44

“I drew them with gentle cords,
With bands of love,
And I was to them as those
who take the yoke from their neck.
I stooped and fed them.”
Hosea 11:4

Is there not a cause?

I have recently had some discussion with some who are persuaded that God’s work in saving the soul of a person is fully causal; in other words, that God overpowers their will, making them submit to the grace of the Gospel. This is part of a Calvinistic doctrine called Irresistible Grace, or Sovereign Grace.

I am not ashamed to say I fully reject this idea. The objection I get all the time to my objection is the assertion that if we allow a person to actually have a choice in the matter of his salvation, then his claim that he exercised his free will to accept Jesus takes away glory from God, and this person is actually rising up in pride that he chose salvation. Oh my! Scandal! Isn’t this person just using the free will ability God gave him in the right way?

It is true that God does govern some things with a law of cause and effect. God applying the adequate cause will always get the desired effect. This is how God governs the inanimate creation, such as planets and atoms. He also does this over the non-moral animate creation, the animals and plants.

When it comes to free will moral agents, however, God has to use something else to allow them to be accountable and receive blame or praise for evil or good. God gives the power to choose. This we call free will. When God gave this ability to angels and men, He had to relinquish using cause and effect upon them. If God ever does cause a person to do something, then He suspends the accountability for those actions. The Bible tells us that at key times God has done this in order to accomplish certain plans. You may recall that a few times, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (or will).

What tips the scales

But for every place in the Bible you see God doing that, I assure you, you can read dozens more verses that show God speaking to man’s own ability and need to choose, to obey, to repent, whatever. One thing is clear in the Bible: God cannot make or force man to love Him. Nor can he give man so much evidence of his existence that it will overpower his will, forcing him to believe.

Take these verses that speak of God “causing” man to do something, and those that speak of free will, and put each type on a side of a balance, you will get the free will verses far outweighing the other. But some think that you have to take the free will idea, funnel them into the far fewer verses about causation and somehow make all the free will follow under causation. That is one of the largest self-contradictions and most absurd things ever proposed in religion.

One of the greatest issues that is never taught adequately from the pulpit is the clear distinction between a CAUSE and an INFLUENCE. And this is where so much confusion and many false notions come from. When it comes to getting man to love his Creator, God has only one thing He can use: INFLUENCE and PERSUASION. All the things we talk about, such as the Grace of God, the power of Jesus on the cross, the drawing of the Holy Spirit and the demonstration of the love of God, are means of persuading and influencing a person to yield his heart to God. Sometimes, God can even pour enough influence on someone to the very threshold of choice, but He cannot push him over it.

A big push or pull?

Let's illustrate causation first. Suppose you may be sitting at church during service. Perhaps I came as a guest speaker for one sermon and I come up to the pulpit. Now, you have the power to choose to leave. You feel like being polite though and choose to stay, to see what I will say. Obviously, and thankfully, just my presence at the pulpit didn't force or cause you to leave.

But while I am talking, a couple of buff and burly bouncers from the local nightclub come in. They come close to you, each one grabs one of your arms, and they lift you off the pew and off the floor. You kick and struggle, but they are too strong for you. They soon walk right out the doors taking you with them.

My friend, that is causation! You had no choice, you had no say in what they did to you. And you left the church. But, not voluntarily. No one can blame you for leaving church early!

Now, what about an influence? The first thing we must say about an influence that is different from a cause is that it can vary in strength.

A cause—when God uses it—always is just strong enough to overpower a person’s will. It obviously can’t be weaker than that, can it? But it won’t be stronger than that either.  Why would God need to exert anything stronger? I think God is the most efficient in the use of his attributes.

Some influences are weak or gentle, and some, as I mentioned before, may just bear pressure upon someone to nearly, but not actually, force his will.

A weak influence may be someone saying, “Do you think you should read your Bible?” But what about a strong one? When God brought the plagues on Egypt, it was partly to show judgement on their gods. However, it also was a strong form of persuasion. “Hey, Pharaoh, you won't let my people go? Very well, then, I will influence you a little bit, to get your permission to let them go!”

Let's get back to my speaking engagement at your church. I think I can influence you to leave the building. The choice will be entirely yours. Unlike the bouncers,  I can't pick you up and carry you out.

But let’s say I pull out a jar. I show you there are some bees inside this covered jar, just minding their own business. Now I shake this jar and get these bees a little agitated. Then I open the jar and let the bees loose in the sanctuary.

Do you think you would stay in your pew? My friend, that is a strong influence. What would you choose to do? You say, “I would just react without thinking, and run out.” True, but you still could suppress your instinctive response and choose to stay, regardless of the consequences.

Come to think of it, I may just run out, too!

The big draw

How are we to take Jesus’ statement in John 6:44? Is it causal or influential?  Really, it is up to your presuppositions how you view it.

God’s drawing on someone can be likened either way. You might think something like drawing water out of a well, or a fish on a line out of the water.

Then again, perhaps it’s like coaxing a horse to come to you using an apple or some fresh grass; or like trying to lure a bear or lion into a trap. True, the animals are instinct-driven, but sometimes you still may not get the results you want.

I will take John 6:44 and related verses as God using influences He feels are appropriate, which many times includes my choice to be involved as a fellow laborer with Christ.

What about you? Will you let God’s influences speak to you and give Him your whole heart?