One of the leading voices among Calvinists is John Piper who gave a sermon on May 20, 2000, at the Passion Conference in Memphis. An article described it as "a powerful message that emphasized the importance of living for Jesus rather than wasting one's life on material pursuits."
Piper used the story of Bob and Penny who collected seashells to illustrate the hobby as a waste of their years, saying that serving others is a meaningful way to live. Piper talked about Bob's and Penny's retirement consisting of hours and hours of piling up an impressive array of seashells. His point was one of disdain for the couple and mockery.
The article went on to say, "The sermon has had a lasting impact, inspiring many to prioritize their spiritual lives and mission over materialism, and has become a significant part of Christian culture and education."
But wait a minute before we mark the couple as losers because of their hobby. According to the philosohy that is Calvinism, in eternity past, God sovereinly decreed that Bob and Penny spend their last years wasting their lives on this material pursuit. Accoding to Piper's belief system, they had no choice in the matter, God decreed that they end their lives as failures; they could spend their time in no other way.
This brings us to the Bema Seat of Christ, the review of each beliver's life for rewards or loss of rewards. At the Bema, some believers will have their works revealed as rewardable---gold, silver and precious stones, while other believers will be shown to have their works as wood, hay, and stubble for collecting seashells. Bob and Penny will be in this group.
But according to Calvinism, each one at the judgment will have been preprogramed to produce the results they did. No one had any choice in the matter as to how he would spend the years of this life. God preprogramed Bob and Penny to collect the shells and wind up as producing stubble.
Therefore, the Bema Seat judgment, according to Calvism, is pre-rigged. God predetermined that some would fail while others would hear a "Well done thou good and faithful servant." But as Calvin said, neither group could have done otherwise than they did.
So, why did Piper chastize Bob and Penny? This makes no sense. And neither does Calvinism.
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