So I am a winner because I chose Him first? Hmmm, lets follow this logic ... In other words then, according to Smith's analogy, God only chooses the one who has physically trained himself better, or is naturally stronger than the one who lost the race, so to speak. Or, to bring this same analogy into the spiritual realm, God chooses the one who contributed more towards his/her salvation - One man, while still in his old nature, either created a right thought, generated a right affection, or originated a right volition that led to his salvation while the other man, did not have the natural wherewithal to come up with the faith that God required of him to obtain salvation (to "win the race').
The quote taken by the author here is taken in a dishonest manner in my opinion. The concludions he draws from tht analogy are dishonest as well.
If you read the whole sermon it is clear that Smith is confessing that it is God who does the choosing yet man is responsible.
Chuck Smith preaches 15,000 sermons and this guy gets a transcript of one paragraph in one of them to try to accuse Chuck Smith saying something he simply did not say. The author's conclusions about the meaning of what Chuck Smith said are either wholly ignorant or wholly dishonest or both.
Gamecock, you can do better than this article.
The illustration was undeniably heterodox. God chooses winners? No, he makes losers winners. Chuck Smith was definately wrong in this sermon. Dreadfully wrong.
That said, I'd challenge any preacher to preach 15,000 sermons and not say something heterodox at any point in time. This doesn't make him some sort of heretic - it just means he screwed up on this one.
How else could "God chooses winners" be taken?
(sheesh, I almost typed "God cheeses winners....thank goodness for preview!)
Gamecock, you can do better than this article.
Guess what? It's still on Chuckies website Marlowe. Obviously he has no trouble with the analogy. It's right there for all the world to see, isn't it!?! As long as it's on the website and hasn't been retracted it is fair game, isn't it P?