Thread: Common Ground for Calvinists and Arminians..........
Admin
Common Ground for Calvinists and Arminians..........
Posted : 31 Mar, 2011 03:42 PM
James replies:
One thing I have always done on this group is to start threads on topics that are common ground for both Calvinists and Arminians. I have posted short quotes on various subjects, on the persecution of Christians by Muslims, on pretend Christians,
On Martin Luthers definition of faith, and short quotes by puritans on Christian living, etc. We should remember that we DO have a LOT of common ground.
Below is a section of an article written to Calvinists who need encouragement while discussing the Bible with Arminians.
It is talking about the common ground we ALL have together.
An important step in maintaining an open relationship in which these biblical truths can be discussed is to establish common ground. Neither party of the discussion need have the impression that a conflict is being waged between two entirely contrary views of Christianity. One should remind himself as well as his partner in the discussion of the many things on which there is agreement. The greatness of these should not be underestimated. All of them are the results of God's revelation of Himself and are distinctive of evangelical Christianity. Both believe that there is one God; He has revealed Himself in all of creation and in our conscience but particularly and most clearly in His Word, the Bible; this God is a Trinitarian being existing eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All human beings children of Adam and Eve; God has a right to judge, His judgment exhaustively just, and His final judgment establishes eternal abiding places for all moral creatures; our obligations to Him are commensurate with His worthiness; all His creatures, whether they have special revelation and grace or not, continue to be responsible for their worship of this triune God; our failure to meet those worthy obligations p1aces us in a debt proportionate to the worthiness of the person to whom we are obliged; in the fall of Adam and Eve we all fell and constituted as sinful by nature and we immediately become sin by choice; salvation involves the re-establishing of a relationship righteousness and holiness before God; our present condition of condemnation is just and, therefore, God has no other obligation to the re-establishment of the relationship, then is a matter of me and grace, completely unmerited on our part and unobligated God's part; the core of this salvation is the delivering over of the Lord to death in which He voluntarily suffered the just wrath of the Father for our sin; it is only in this death that we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins; the work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to bring us to a saving knowledge of Christ in His saving work; this saving knowledge of Christ consists of repentance of sin and faith in Christ; who come to Him in this way will be received and not turned away; Christ will come again to judge all those living and all those who h died, will establish the new heaven and new earth and so shall ever be with the lord continually worshipping the triune God in al His Glory (Revelation 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 21).
It would be very unlikely for one to have any serious disagreement with an evangelical friend on the truth of these statements. How much common ground is shared and what wonderful common affirmations you can make because of the clarity and beauty and graciousness of God's revelation to us! It would be good to make mud these in order to see that you are not contradictory in your thinking about a large number of foundational truths
Common Ground for Calvinists and Arminians..........
Posted : 31 Mar, 2011 05:20 PM
Sorry James, we still disagree. The article says; ", God has no other obligation to the re-establishment of the relationship,"
This is the weakness of Calviism, they do not understand the nature of God. God is obligated to stay true to His nature. To say different would be the equivalent of saying God sent His Son to the cross on a whim.
Common Ground for Calvinists and Arminians..........
Posted : 31 Mar, 2011 06:28 PM
Twosparrows, I realize we still disagree, but I just wanted to point out that there IS a LOT of common ground.
And I would also like to point out that I have in the past several times, started a thread that had NOTHING to do with Cal-minian wars and the usual suspects TURNED IT INTO that.
So, even my attempts at discussing common ground with the Arminians on this group have been fought against.
Common Ground for Calvinists and Arminians..........
Posted : 31 Mar, 2011 06:36 PM
James, the reason it does is simple it is readily know there is a motive, to every move, it is arrogant to and prideful to try and say truth is summed in Calvinism vs Armenian.
Calvinism teaches man can not be saved, now I know that you would not agree with that, but man has one foundation for truth, and that is the word of God. The word of God and Calvinism do not agree, thus man corrupts the seed of God's word and the corrupted seed can not reproduce.
The bible is a book of faith by the author of faith, and this author is also one that lives by faith, Calvinism totally deny's the law of faith, thus none can come into the family.
Common Ground for Calvinists and Arminians..........
Posted : 31 Mar, 2011 06:55 PM
Well. PJ, I see in the Bible that man cannot save himself.
I see that fallen mankind has a will enslaved to sin, that fallen man cannot see or enter the kingdom of God, and that he will NEVER repent and trust in Jesus because he does not have the ability.
Yes, I see God commanding everyone to repent and trust in Jesus, but I also see that NO ONE has this ability UNLESS the Holy Spirit enters them and makes them into a new creature.
It does not violate the law of faith, because faith in Jesus is the ONLY way to be right with God.
Ephesians 2:8,9 and other verses show that FAITH ITSELF is a gift from God.
The ONLY people who EVER repent and believe are the ones God shows mercy to, by having His Holy Spirit enter them and make them come alive spiritually.
Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Common Ground for Calvinists and Arminians..........
Posted : 1 Apr, 2011 02:15 PM
Shared ~ So, even my attempts at discussing common ground with the Armenians on this group have been fought against.
*** James...Let me ask ya this...How would you like it ifin I started Referring to you as a...Quaker...actually they are purty close to Puritans...:laugh:...or a...Christian Mystic...:excited:...or a...End Times Anarchist ???...:rocknroll:...
Its not the Attemps at Discussing Command Ground�Its the �LABEL� you so Forcefully Push & Call the Peoples here that is Blatantly calling them Reprobates due to Calvin�s Doctrine...a man�s doctrine�
Does it Really make for Good Prepared Soil when it comes Across as Lumping the Peoples here Hypo-"Critically"...Since you Keep calling Us Armenian....guess ya Do what ya Do ya Get what ya Get...as PJ always says...The Doctrine of Sowing & Reaping...Mat 13, Mark 4, Luke 8...xo
