Solomon, the great king of Israel, finished the defining work of his lifetime by building the Temple for the Lord God and building Jerusalem into the greatest city of the world of his time. The wealth of the nation can be well defined by noting that silver (1 Kings 10:21) was so common that it was worth the same as copper pennies would be to us. The construction projects that Solomon undertook rivaled anything that was done in Egypt. His power and influence, gained for him by the greatness of his extraordinary father, David, established peace in the land of Israel and throughout what we would call the Middle East.
The Lord God made a contract with Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:17-22. If Solomon would perform his side of the contract, the Lord God would make his throne continuous until the Messiah. If Solomon turned away from the deal God made with him (which, of course, he did -- the king worshipped idols...1 Kings 11:4-7), then the temple of the Lord would be destroyed, the people taken into captivity, and the throne of David abandoned.
Notice that the consequences of the contract included the destruction of the Temple. Surely this is a rather strange thing to promise. After all, why would the Temple be hooked in with the throne of David and the works of Solomon? Why was the fate of the Temple contigent on the faithfulness of Solomon?
The real answer comes from inverting the question. What is it that Solomon was supposed to do in order to maintain the Temple in its authoritative condition? Solomon was supposed to continue to wage war against evil. By all accounts, the land had not been purged of idols or idolatry since Joshua and the Host of Israel crossed the Jordan. Instead of destroying the idols and idolaters, Solomon eventually allowed idolatry to trickle into his life and the trickle became a flood (how does the incidental become monumental?? it grows!). Meanwhile, he established what could be understood as a calvinian way of living..."I am ok because God chose me. I don't have to bother with spiritual warfare as long as I am protected by the Temple and my father's faithfulness..."
The calvinian idea runs in the same riverbed as Solomon's. God pre-selected them, they believe, and actualized their faith to make them sinless and perfect no matter what they do. They are under no obligation to join with the balance of Christians who are challenging darkness as a choice. They have wandered off the way of the cross and become entangled in the brambles of a ridiculous heresy that is based on the commandments of men (Titus 1:14); Augustine, Luther, Calvin, etc. Salvation is something God does...or doesn't do...and they have no part in making that happen. "We calvinians just need to sit here in smug narcissism and wait for God to make righteousness miraculously bloom at our feet. Can't wait to smell the flowers of Eden."
The Way of the cross has no side paths that lead to a more "adult" understanding of God's plan that exempts the follower of Jesus (Jesus is God!) from doing the work He assigned. All side paths lead to either brambles or cliffs. Any side path makes the vision of the cross obscure. The Holy Spirit only guarantees to keep the cross in view from the Way. The Way of the cross leads home...a home that is new for those who are a part of the new creation. No one is restored to Eden. The door of Jesus (John 10:1-9) does not lead back to there, we must choose to move "further up and further in," so to speak.
Come to the cross.
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