Caught Between Scylla and Charybdis?

In Greek mythology, the hero Odysseus was sailing home from the Trojan War through the narrow Strait of Messina, which separates Italy from Sicily. Along the way he was forced to navigate between a giant sea monster on either side. He was caught between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis.

Scylla was a giant with six heads, each having three rows of shark-like teeth, who devoured whatever came her way. Charybdis was a gigantic whirlpool Monster near the shore of Italy that sucked in ships that sailed near her. Avoiding one monster meant coming too close to the other.

That's the way some Christians feel about two giant doctrines in the Bible. On the one hand, there is the Bible's teaching about the sovereignty of God. We talked about this a few weeks ago when we concluded the sermon series on Lamentations. God is sovereign over sickness and disability, God is sovereign over nature, God is sovereign over the tiniest creatures, God is sovereign over kings and rulers, God is sovereign over Satan and His minions, God is sovereign over seemingly random events, God is sovereign over daily events, God is sovereign over life and death, God is sovereign over all things, no one can stop God’s sovereignty.

On the other hand, there is the Bible’s teaching about the responsibility of human beings. God gives Adam and Eve commands and expects them to obey them. He punishes them when they disobey. He holds humanity responsible for their disobedience in the days of Noah. He commands and expects Abraham to obey. He disciplines Israel for their disobedience. Even Moses is held responsible for his actions.

Because some Christians have found themselves shipwrecked sailing between the giants of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, many Christians have chosen to avoid the topic altogether. It’s as if we’ve discovered a third option, instead of sailing near Scylla or Charybdis, we’ll just stay on land. But the doctrines of divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not enemies to be avoided, they form an anchor for the storm-tossed soul.   

As J.I. Packer once wrote, “In the Bible, divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not enemies. They are not uneasy neighbors; they are not in an endless state of Cold War with each other. They are friends, they work together.”