Book Review: Chosen but Free By Norman Geisler

In the first chapter of the book Norman Geisler talks of a lady who’s pastor took the idea of God’s Sovereignty so far that he concluded there was nothing he could do that was in his own control, so he took his own life. While on the opposite side of the spectrum is human free will to the point that God does not even know what man’s next move will be. There is certainly some balance to this idea. The balance where God is still omniscient, but man still has the freedom to choose his path. This view according to Geisler balances sovereignty with man’s free choice.

On a personal level, this is something that I do not truly understand. I trust that God has omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, as such is sovereign. However I also know that to some extent I have the freewill to choose what to do in my life, Ephesians 2:8-9 does not say, “For it is by grace those who have been chosen have been saved” Rather it says “You”. We are finite humans grasping and trying to define, an infinite God, based on the definition of the word define, “state or describe exactly the nature, scope, or meaning of,” and “mark out the boundary or limits of” we cannot define God, God is not limited to human words or knowledge.

In describing combat stress Lt. Col. Dave Grossman describes defining stress as blind men attempting to describe and define an elephant. One blind man grabs and feels the trunk, while another the ears, yet another the legs, but all three are still unable to fully grasp the enormity of the elephant. God is so much larger than an elephant, so while man in our blindness of being finite try to reach a conclusion about an infinite God.

Another key point, that I have seemed to conclude about extreme Calvinism is that they limit God to save only those who are predestined, Christ is limited to only being able to save that God choose, but yet the Bible clearly states that Christ came to give opportunity to the whole world to believe, not just the select few who God predestined. How can man limit God to only being able to save those who are predestined if God is truly omnipotent? “Extreme Calvinism is in practice a denial of God’s omnibenevolence,” According to Geisler,

On one extreme end of the Calvinism spectrum is the Netherlands Reformed Church, which believes that predestination comes by birth through a family that is part of this church, so it does not matter how one lives his life as long as he was born into a predestined family. So in this view one does not even need to believe in the grace offered by the death of Jesus, that one needs to be saved. So in this view there are two questions that are raised, and are unable to be answered. Why are believers commanded to evangelize? Forget about even the idea of grace, who cares if “Christians” live like hell if it is already chosen who will go to heaven?

On the extreme of Arminianism, there is a denial of God’s omniscience, so that is a denial of God’s knowledge of all things. Which is wrong on the other extreme because it denies what the Bible says is true of God, and to take one point from the Bible is to take all other points, removal of one Biblical truth can lead to remove all of the other truths as well.

One other point that must be addressed is that Geisler points out that on both extremes, Calvinism and Arminianism, is that those who take the stance go further than Calvin and Arminius took their own beliefs. This is what the religious leaders of Jesus time were guilty of doing with the Law, it is leaving behind what an infinite God teaches in His Word in favor of man’s own finite opinions. Adding to the Bible in a way that Believers are commanded not to do.

In the balanced perspective it falls to the fact that while God’s omniscience knows who will believe it is still the individuals choice to believe. As shown by Geisler Acts shows that there were those who were predestined, but yet it still was the responsibility of the hearers to act on the persuasion of the words spoken by Paul. Geisler states that the Bible teaches both divine sovereignty and human responsibility through this passage. It is an offer and a response to that offer, much like the decisions humans make everyday, an offer of a candy bar from the vending machine, and a response to that offer.

Geisler points out that throughout history the stance of mainstream Christianity is that of a balanced view. It is somewhere in this area that, while feeling much like a blind man describing an elephant, I would fall. Man is given the choice, yet God also knows who will make what choice. He is indeed omniscient, but the individual still must make a choice. It is something that blows my finite mind to comprehend, but that is the beauty of serving a God who is so powerful and so great, as believers we can spend an entire life studying Him and His Word, but when we get to heaven we will still have so many unanswered questions.

Smith and Wesson M&P 40 Review

The Smith and Wesson M&P 40 is an excellent personal defense weapon for both home defense, concealed carry and recreation. The weapon includes numerous features that make it the choice weapon of over 250 law enforcement agencies in the United States, security companies and individuals alike.

The M&P 40 with Speer Gold Dot ammunition.
A top of the line load out I trust my life with everyday.

The M&P auto pistol comes in .45 ACP, 9mm, .357 Auto as well as the focus of this review the .40 S&W. I chose the .40 S&W because after firing both the .45 and the .40 I decided that the lower more controllable recoil of the .40 and increase capacity of 5 rounds were well worth the smaller caliber, while it still has greater hitting power than the 9mm.

I carry the M&P 40 for both personal concealed carry as well as for work while working as a security guard. I have full faith that should I need to use the weapon to defend myself it will not fail me when I need it most. After firing well over 1000 rounds through several different M&Ps I have not had a single malfunction while using Smith & Wesson factory magazines.

The Smith & Wesson website lists 19 variations of the weapon that are available to customers, including Massachusetts and California compliant versions. The name M&P series of weapons is designed for use by the military and police, and with a name like Smith & Wesson it is backed by 159 years of firearms manufacturing expertise.

The M&P 40 carries 15+1 rounds, in the full size models, and 10+1 in the compact models. The sights of the weapon are specifically designed to be low profile and carry friendly, additional sight options include Trijicon tritium night sights.

Another great feature are the 3 interchangeable grip sizes that allow an individual to customize the size of the grip to their hands. Because of this there are options to buy M&Ps with Crimson Trace Laser Grips, as well as buy them aftermarket with no additional gun smithing necessary.

Additionally the weapon is designed to be totally ambidextrous. The magazine release is reversible for both left and right handed shooters, as well as a dual side mounted slide stop.

For additional safety while cleaning or performing maintenance, the M&P includes a sear deactivation lever so it does not require pulling the trigger to dismount the slide.


I have included an additional review of the features of the weapon on YouTube the review does a great job showing the features of the weapon.

The Smith & Wesson M&P 40 is a great weapon for self defense or recreation. I would highly recommend it for those concerned about personal or family safety.

Theo 202 testimony

I became a Christian when I was very young, I am not even sure of the exact age, perhaps 3 or 4 years old, but I knew I was scared to die. It was about the time of a war in the early nineties, perhaps the First Gulf War, because I remember being scared about hearing of soldiers dying. My dad took the opportunity to tell me about Jesus and His death on the cross for me, that I did not need to be scared of death, because by taking my sin upon Himself, when He died He made it possible for me to live eternally with Him in heaven. And that was the time that, with the faith of a child, I believed that Jesus is my savior, and sacrificed His life for my eternity. I have been very blessed to live in a Christian home all my life, my dad is a first generation Christian, but my mom was born into a Christian family. I continued going to church, and living day to day as Christian, I was not someone who always spoke out about my faith, but it was always there. I have had thousands of small events that God used to get my attention. God continues to work in my life, when I seem to have my plans figured out, He shows me that I am not going where He is calling me, and He calls me back to Himself. This is often painful for me at the time it happens, but God uses it in the end for His glory, which makes it worth it.