Thread: Transformation Instead of Salvation By Procedure
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Transformation Instead of Salvation By Procedure
Posted : 13 Jul, 2013 06:10 AM
Transformation Instead of Salvation By Procedure
Calvinism is now the minority theology in the churches. Dispensationalism is the majority theology. And now theologies which, like dispensationalism, exalt old physical Israel as remaining the chosen people are becoming more popular, such as Messianic Judaism, Hebrew Roots, and Sacred Name Theology.
The problem is that almost everyone who claims to be a Christian starts from a man-made theology, rather than from scripture - because he or she has been taught man-made theology. Many go to church almost every Sunday for 40, 50 or 60 years and still don't know very much about what the Bible says.
Scripture says "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3: 3
Paul, from the revelation given him by the risen Christ (Acts 26: 14-18), says in Romans 12: 2 "...be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." In what way is the mind transformed? "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2: 5 We are transformed, or born again by the Holy Spirit, by having the mind of Christ in us.
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." I Corinthians 6: 19-20
Man was made in the image of God, as a three part being, body, mind and spirit. But man fell, due to the dialectic argument of Satan against the absolute truth of God.
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." I Corinthians 2: 14
The natural man is man living entirely in his body and mind, without having a spirit. Man without his spirit, inspired to life by Christ's mind in us and through the Holy Spirit, has no ears to hear that which is spiritual, and so as natural man is not born again, not transformed by the renewing of his mind, that is, in his spirit.
In many cases when salvation is presented as being more like a procedure rather than a major change in one, in which his spirit is brought to life, the person remains a natural man, though he often thinks he is saved. This is a result, in large part, of man-made theology, some of which goes back to the popularity of the Alter Call first used by Charles Finney in the early 19th century. In addition to making an Alter Call as a procedure in salvation the person also may join the church, as though the church itself is the agency giving out salvation and not Christ alone.
In the group dynamics of preacher and congregation, the alter call, especially under Billy Graham, became an emotional experience. A person could begin to be transformed in Christ and then make an alter call, but its that transformation in Christ and not the action of making an alter call which puts the person in the ranks of the elect. And elect is not a Calvinist word. Its used in the Gospels, by Paul many times and also by John.
Dialectic arguments between different man made theologies divert the focus away from scripture and its message that physical Israel was to be changed, that is, from operating in the physical, with its animal sacrifices, temple building, circumcision, etc - the shadows - to that spiritual house of I Peter 2: 5-9, - and the individual, now of any race must be born again, transformed, to be put into the elect of God, Israel born again in Jesus Christ. The re-making of old physical Israel was pointed to in II Kings 21: 13, connected to that text and to Jeremiah 18: 1-6 in Isaiah 29: 16, and in Jeremiah 18: 1-6, the parable of the potter, shown as that major change as God says "O house of Israel,cannot I do wih you as this potter?" But the majority of physical Israel did not want their religion to be turned upside down.
Acts 17: 5-6 says "But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;" Much of contemporary man made false theology is about turning things back the way they were before Christ came and made the changes, while the false theologies keep another Jesus in their versions.
Man made theology, including Five Point Calvinism and dispensationalism, is not absolute truth, or fact, like scripture. but a poor substitute for truth. Man made theology can lead a person away from love of the truth of scripture. "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11.And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12.That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." II Thessalonians 2: 10-12
"So then in your opinion, what theology is correct?
Can you please show me with scripture where both theology systems you mentioned are incorrect, because everything you stated above is calvinism. "
The word "theology" has taken on a confusing set of meanings. Its not a word in scripture. Theology usually means a man made system which claims to simplify, make systematic and make scripture more easily understood. And the confusion comes in because sometimes people apply the term theology to scripture itself, as though scripture agrees with various kinds of man-made systems.
Dispensationalism is easier to show to be false by scriptures, and this includes some from the Old Testament. Its harder to show that Calvinism, or especially Five Point Calvinism, does not agree with scripture.
I began with Francis Schaeffer who was Reformed, though I do not remember him teaching all the doctrines of Five Point Calvinism. And I was in some Christian Yahoo Groups dominated by Calvinists. My main impression from interacting with these Calvinists and I also communicated with a few Calvinists by snail mail back in the nineties - this was before the days of widespread Internet use - was that their theology make salvation appear uncertain to them. They were always worrying about whether they were predestined or not. This is in a way better than the position the dispensationalists tend to put themselves in, thinking that salvation is easy and that one does not have to be changed to be saved, and can be saved in his sins, and sin includes false doctrines. If the Calvinist concept of predestination makes salvation seem uncertain regardless of where the person is in Christ, then there is something wrong with the doctrine as it is taught by some. There are some important scriptures that do teach a different view. II Thessalonians 2: 10-12 is one of these, emphasizing love of the truth as a condition for being saved. I have never known a Calvinist to be interested much in II Thessalonians 2: 10-12.
My other main impression of the Calvinists were that they were not at all interested in Bible prophecy about the end times. Without end time Bible prophecy there is no awareness that the church has gone into apostasy and has been in apostasy for many decades.
There are a few points from John Calvin himself that agree with Remnant teachings. Calvin is quoted on Romans 11: 25-26 as saying "all Israel shall be saved" means all people of all times and all races who are saved as "All Israel," and we agree with that.
So, while I can cite specific Old and New Testament scriptures to show dispensationalism is false, to ask for scriptures that show Five Point Calvinism is false is to ask for a chapter length dissertation. I am not into a dialectic argument against Calvinism, because any dialectic argument leads away from teaching love of the truth of scripture.
In discussing Calvinistic beliefs with Calvinists, I've found that there are quite a lot of inconsistencies within their own theological system, so that makes it difficult to just "disprove" it, although to someone outside of the system, it's very easy to see the logical fallacies and biblical inconsistency in Calvinism. My main issue with Calvinism is that people who do believe in it, tend to have a certain view of the character of God, which I consider to be erroneous, but as such, they try to emulate that perception of God, and I believe it harms their character development. God tells us to be perfect like He is perfect, and if Christians believe God to be a certain way, then that is whose character they will emulate. That doesn't apply to every Calvinist/predestinationist, but it's the trend that I see which is encouraged by the belief system, and I believe it damages the work of the gospel.
The ones that I have talked to say that it's so peaceful to know you're "elected" absolutely no matter what you do, but it's not a consistent belief, and people who "fall away" that thought they were saved, they just say were never elected to begin with. To me, that is not "peaceful", there is no "eternal security" if you acknowledge the inconsistency, quite the opposite. The main contention I have with Calvinism, is that it turns God into a tyrannical egomaniac who is only truly concerned about his own glory, and not about the well-being or redemption of his creation he claims to love. Here are a few verses against predestination and limited atonement and eternal security. There are hundreds more, I'll post them if requested, but these few should pose serious questions to 5 point Calvinism.
"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
"For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
"Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end. While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses, but with whom was he grieved forty years. Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness, and to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."
"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."
"Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well said; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?"
And the one chapter that they fall back to, Romans 9, they fail to notice that it is a direct quote from the old testament, Jeremiah 18, and it sheds light onto Paul's perspective in Romans 9, and makes it much more consistent with the rest of Paul's writings.
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: �O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?� says the Lord. �Look, as the clay is in the potter�s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.
And in Timothy 2, Paul clarifies it more.
"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
God clearly works through the free will He created us with. Salvation is totally a free gift through grace that no man can earn, but we must be transformed by faith and belief in that gift.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
And for the record, I do believe "predestination" is biblical, but absolutely only in the context of the foreknowledge of God.
"For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."
Historically speaking, the so-called "Doctrines of Grace" - which go by the nickname of Calvinism - did not originate with Calvin. They are the result of a Synod held in Dort, Holland in 1618/19, after Calvin was long dead. Those of us who hold to Reformed Theology do so not because we are attempting to replicate the theology or ecclesiology of a mere MAN - John Calvin, but because we are convinced that the Biblical arguments and the conclusions stemming from that Synod are valid and our OWN EXEGESIS AND EXPERIENCE CONFIRMS THE FIVE POINTS.
If it could be proven that John Calvin was indeed a murderous wretch, an �Infant baptizer� or whatever, still it would have no effect on the theology that sprung from the pen of the Reformers. In other words, the "guilt by association" tactic has no teeth!
If John Calvin believed what the Spirit of God has taught us in our personal study of God�s Word and our experience in our preaching ministry, then good for him! But it means NOTHING TO US!
We be persuaded that the Spirit of God would have by and by taught us these glorious truths WHETHER THERE WAS A CALVIN OR NOT!
No infant comes into the world knowing everything, but learns as he grows! Even so a truly born again child of God may have many misconceptions concerning the nature and method of his salvation at first, but if he is saved at all, then the Spirit will by and by teach him what He means when He says that �It is NOT of him that WILLETH, nor of him that RUNNETH, but OF GOD that showeth mercy�! [Rom 9:16]
�But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day�! [Prov 4:18]
Whatever glorifies God 100%, THAT is what is right!
The doctrines of grace which we hold gives God ALL THE GLORY and puts man where He belongs, i.e. IN THE DUST!
�Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake�! [Psalm 115:1]
You are either an Arminian or a Calvinist! You either believe that Salvation is ALL OF GOD, or you believe that it is partly of God and partly of man!
There is NO MIDDLE GROUND!
Those who pretend that they are neither Arminians nor �Calvinists� are in reality hypocrites! They suppose that they are neutral! But in matters pertaining to the doctrines of Soteriology (salvation) there are NO NEUTRALS!
NOBODY IS NEUTRAL! EVERYBODY HAS A BIAS FOR OR AGAINST! You're either a capitalist or a communist. You're either a conservative or a liberal--a rightist or a leftist--right or wrong! Nothing short of right is right. There is no such thing as neutrality on anything. Even a battery has only two poles, positive and negative, and you cannot get them together without fireworks! No battery has neutral poles: You're either alive or dead, hot or cold!
Oh, the neutral is always so fair! "I can see BOTH sides." The Liar! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BOTH SIDES! Only ONE side can be right and only ONE side can be wrong, so in claiming to be neutral and pretending to see right and wrong on both sides, the neutral puts himself above everybody. He is the most righteous of all. He can see how everybody's a little bit wrong but him and he is the only one right--the only one who really sees the truth, which he claims is somewhere in-between, which makes him the worst liar and most treacherous enemy of all! As Jesus said "He that is not for Me is against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad." [Matt 12;30]
You either believe fallen man is totally depraved and CANNOT come to God of his own �free-will� or you don�t! [John 6;44]
You either believe God has elected a CERTAIN NUMBER and sovereignly ordained them to eternal life or you don�t! [Acts 13:48]
You either believe that Christ laid down His life FOR THE SHEEP and them alone, as he said He did, or you don�t! [John 10:15]
You either believe that the Holy Spirit DRAWS God�s chosen by an IRRESISTIBLE POWER or you don�t! [Jer 31:3]
And finally you either believe Christ saves FULLY AND FINALLY those whom He died for unto the end or you don�t! [Heb 7:25]
There is no MIDDLE GROUND HERE!
I know what have written might sound harsh and �un-loving�, but �Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the TRUTH�?! [Gal 4:16]. �FAITHFUL are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful�. [Prov 27:6]
If you choose to believe that fallen, depraved man has a �free-will� to either accept or reject Christ, and that the spiritually dead man can respond to God�s call anytime HE chooses, you are free to do so. But I believe that if you are TRULY SAVED by the Spirit of God and have �the root of the matter in you� [Job 19:28] then God will sooner or later open your eyes to the truth of that word � �it is not of him that WILLETH, nor of him that RUNNETH, but OF GOD that sheweth mercy�!! [Rom 9:16].
To further dialogue and debate this issue would be a waste of time for both of us. I am sure you realize this by now. But please know that I shall be praying for you that God will be pleased to open your eyes to the truth of His absolute sovereignty and show you that our God is STILL the Absolute Sovereign who has �mercy on WHOM HE WILL and hardens WHOM HE WILL and NONE can say unto Him �what doest Thou�?! [Daniel 4:35]
**You either believe fallen man is totally depraved and CANNOT come to God of his own �free-will� or you don�t! [John 6;44]
:bouncy: I don't. How does "drawing" equate to "man is totally depraved and has no free will"? The verse you quoted doesn't really apply.
John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
John 3:14
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
**You either believe God has elected a CERTAIN NUMBER and sovereignly ordained them to eternal life or you don�t! [Acts 13:48]
:bouncy: I do believe God has fore-ordained the ones that believe, although that does not preclude free will. Knowing what someone will choose, and forcing them to choose it are completely separate things.
Romans 8:29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
**You either believe that Christ laid down His life FOR THE SHEEP and them alone, as he said He did, or you don�t! [John 10:15]
:bouncy: I don't. Jesus refers to everyone as sheep in different contexts.
Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Luke 15:4
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
1 Tim 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
1 Tim. 4:10
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
**You either believe that the Holy Spirit DRAWS God�s chosen by an IRRESISTIBLE POWER or you don�t! [Jer 31:3]
:bouncy: I don't. Again, the verse you quote only defines God's willingness and unlimited kindness, etc. It does not account for sinning against the holy spirit and rejecting God's grace, which would be easy to understand in the context of free will, but you've precluded it in your belief system.. No man can take you out of God's hand, but willing sin will separate you from your God. Even Jesus was separated from God when the sin of the world was placed on his shoulders.
Jeremiah 18:7
At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Mathew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
**And finally you either believe Christ saves FULLY AND FINALLY those whom He died for unto the end or you don�t! [Heb 7:25]
:bouncy:This one is moot in my opinion, even most Calvinists I've talked to believe in the sin against the holy spirit, the unforgivable sin. The bible is pretty clear on this topic. Israel, God's chosen people, was cut off. Saul, the ordained and anointed king of Israel was forsaken by God. Lucifer, the most perfect and mightiest angel in heaven, was cast out because of sin. Sin separates us from God.
James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Matthew 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Matthew 12:31
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
:bouncy:As far as John Calvin goes, it doesn't matter if you believe he is non-essential. In my opinion, you're making the same mistakes that he did, just because you believe it now and "don't need Calvin", it doesn't make it any more right. I do NOT believe that it will seriously affect your own personal salvation, you're accountable only to God for your heart and motives and beliefs, and our "knowledge" is incomplete and passes away. The only contention is that you display a vengeful and egotistical God to the world, and it severely contradicts the message of the gospel, which is faith, hope, and love. Predestination theology destroys faith and hope and love. You don't need to have faith, you don't need to believe, God will make you do it if you're lucky enough to be one of the very few who are "chosen", and if you aren't, you have absolutely no hope of reconciling yourself to the "God of Love", who only truly loves himself and arbitrarily decides you shouldn't be saved and therefore is contradictory to the selfless love portrayed to us in the sacrifice of Jesus and the commandments to love others more than ourselves.
The Synod of Dort, Holland in 1618/19 proposed these five points:
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)
Predestination of individuals for salvation is included in this doctrine.
In part, Five Point Calvinism was a doctrine of Dutch Calvinism. I read Works of Richard Sibbes, Vol Two several years ago, and Sibbes, a leader of English Puritanism, did not teach Five Point Calvinism in his sermons.
William Ames (1576-1633) was another leader of English Puritanism. Ames lived in Holland for a number of years and was influenced by Dutch Calvinism.
Ames focuses more on the sovereignty of God, while Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) emphasized God's love and mercy more than God's power. Remember that Paul in Romans 11: 22 "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shall be cut off." Goodness, or love and mercy and severity are both attributes of God.
Sibbes and his followers saw conversion, or being born again, the transformation of Romans 12: 2, as "A new perception or sensibility, a new relish for divine things." Apparently, Ames and his followers did not stress being born again and a new relish for divine things as much as those of Sibbes.
There were followers of Richard Sibbes among the New England Puritans, but they were a minority, and the Sibbes emphasis upon mercy and the goodness of God and being born again and a new relish for divine things were mostly overcome by the followers of Ames. In New England, a Calvinism emerged which emphasized predestination, the power of God rather than his mercy, and did not concern itself much with transformation in Christ. It became more of a dead orthodoxy, while the Calvinist teaching about being diligent to one's calling, that is, his occupation, and eventually about making money in a capitalist society took over. In New England Calvinism there was the
background for the rise of a ruling class and ruling elite - the money and baking power - which, in its competition with the Southern Planter elite,sparked the War of 1861-65.
Then there was the leader of the Calvinism of Scotland, John Knox,and after him Samuel Rutherford. Knox and Rutherford were Calvinists, but a different kind of Calvinist than the Dutch Calvinists.
Knox and Rutherford tauht that the common people had a God given right to revolt against tyranny. This doctrine was secularized by John Locke and made a part of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson. So, the Calvinism of Scotland was radical in its re-interpretation of Romans 13, where the orthodox interpretation said that Christians must obey the government regardless of whether it was a tyrannical government or not.
The problem with Five Point Calvinism and so much emphasis upon individual predestination is not that this man-made set of doctrines totally contradicts scripture as does dispensationalism. Its that in its stress upon predestination and the five points this man-made theology makes use of one set of scriptures to overthrow another set. You cannot do this.
"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." II Thessalonians 2: 10-12
II Thessalonians 2: 10-12 makes love of the truth a condition for salvation. Does Calvinism overthrow this scripture, or how is it fitted into the Five Point system?
Again, how does Five Point Calvinism interpret John 3: 3, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Maybe II Thessalonians 2: 10-12 and John 3: 3 are just not taught or emphasized by Five Point Calvinism. These texts are just two of several which appear to be diminished by Five Point Calvinism. In some cases one scripure can modify another scripture, but all verses of scripture stand on their own. Man made theology may make some verses of scripture appear to be unimportant or diminished, but this is not so when scripture interprets scripture.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" II Timothy 3: 16
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." II Peter 1: 21
All scripture is absolute truth, and one scripture cannot be used to diminish another scripture, because the Holy Spirit inspired all texts of the Bible and if there appears to be a contradiction between verses, it is our misunderstanding.
In addition, Calvinists almost never deal with end time Bible prophecy, because of their amillennial perspective, etc. They almost never talk about, understand or teach II Thessalonians 2: 3-4, I Timothy 4: 1-2, II Timothy 4: 3-4, II Peter 2: 1-3 or Matthew 24: 11 on the falling away from sound doctrine and apostasy of what they would call the church. And most Calvinists appear to have lost their more traditional view that Calvin taught "All Israel shall be saved" in Romans 11: 26 means everyone is part of Israel - Israel reborn in Christ - who is saved regardless of genetics. The ekklesia in the New Testament as a meeting, a calling out to an assembly, or a congregation is not the same as what is meant by the church. Yet Calvinists defend the church as the Body of Christ.
No, I have not studied anything on German Calvinism.
Christ said in John 10: 10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
He is talking about spiritual life, that he came to bring spiritual life and it more abundantly.
Yet I Corinthians 2: 14 says "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
The natural man is two part man, with only body and mind. But man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1: 26) which implies that became God is a Three Part God, that man was created to have three parts, body, mind and man's own spirit, which survives physical death.
James 2: 26 says "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
Jesus said in Luke 9: 60, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."
The physically dead cannot bury the dead. So Christ is talking about being spiritually dead.
So, the natural man who is spiritually dead does not have ears the hear the message that Christ came to bring spiritual life.
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20. But ye have not so learned Christ;
21. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4: 17-24
The natural man who is spiritually dead does not understand the things of God, and as Paul says in Ephesians 4: 18 has his understanding darkened. But the certain implication in Ephesians 4: 17-24 is that God has opened the understanding so that being taught the truth, they are renewed in the spirit, and put on the new man.
Mark 4:10: " And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."
We rejoice that God reaches down and gives the natural man, dead in his spirit, new life as the ability to hear the message that Christ came to bring spiritual life, and that as Ephesians 4: 21 says is now taught the truth, whereas before he did not have ears to hear the truth and rejected it.
John 8: 31-32 says "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32. and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
God gives the gift of the ability to hear, understand and love the truth (II Thessalonians 2: 10-12). Again, we rejoice that God gives the ability to hear the truth, and we should not make this predestination into the whole point of a man-made theology, which as presented by some Calvinists makes salvation appear uncertain.
