(Reply to a comment on my post " How to go to hell....Baptist style". Freewill, election, and unlimited atonement.)
I do not know who Jacob Arminius is....though I have heard the name. I believe in the election doctrines of the BIBLE. Calvinist have perverted the terms "elect" "predestinated" etc. with their own private interpreations. However, they are Bible words and we should use them in their Biblical sense.
I do not have 5 points of anything--at least not that I know of. Israel was (and will be) God's elect nation according to Isaiah 45:4....and Christ is God's elect according to 1 Peter 2:6. So to be God's elect you have to either be an Israelite (which would not make you God's elect in this age--only in the OT or the tribulation period) OR you have to be in Christ. We become "elect" when we put our faith in Christ and His shed blood and are then baptized into Christ and joined to Him BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (1 Cor. 6:15-17, 12:12-13).
I believe that a person is "in Christ" and becomes a son of God after he puts his/her faith in the gospel of the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Acts 20:24). We are then "chosen" because we are "in him" according to Eph. 1:4. We got out of Adam and into Christ (1 Cor. 15:22).
We do not have to "convince" a sinner to put their faith in Christ. We just give them the gospel and then it is up to them to receive Christ of not. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). But yes, after a sinner does that we are passed from death unto life and shall never perish (John 10:28).
The only thing a man's freewill can do is allow him to make choices--man is not a mindless robot like the Calvinist brethren suppose. Yes, your free will can prevent you from getting sick IF your decision was to take vitamins or medicine. Your freewill can allow you to receive Christ--and that will save you from sin. (not because of your freewill, but because of receiving Christ)
You seemed to be hinting at what is called "universal salvation".
"If the Lord Jesus shed His blood for the sins of X, are then the sins of X atoned for or not?
If X is not intelligent enough to understand faith, does his ignorance nullify the shed blood?
If the Lord Jesus atoned (paid for, cancelled out) the sins of everybody in the whole world, how then can He put someone to hell who is without sin?"
If X is not intelligent enough to understand faith, does his ignorance nullify the shed blood?
If the Lord Jesus atoned (paid for, cancelled out) the sins of everybody in the whole world, how then can He put someone to hell who is without sin?"
I believe that Christ provided the atonement and sacrifice for the sins of the world/everyman. Christ provided that salvation and grace....but we must RECIEVE Him it will not effect us. Romans 5:1-2 puts it like this: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. "
By Christ we have access BY FAITH into the grace of justification. Through Christ salvation is available to all men, but only those who believe on Him will receive the atonement.
Acts 13:
[38] Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
[39] And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
[39] And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Hope that helps! --Eli "Hoss" Caldwell
Thanks Hoss, Jacob Arminius and John Calvin were outstanding theologians in their time (1500 to 1600 AD) with opposing belief systems, ideas and explanations concerning salvation.
ReplyDeleteI'm no expert on either, but I do understand their points and differences.
All brothers in Christ generally fit into one or the other belief system of thinking. Modern theologians say that there is no other views of interpretation concerning salvation, either GRACE or WORKS, (Calvinists or Aminians).
However, I would debate that.
What I have read on your posts and in your comments, I think that you would be in line with Arminian theology, but with all the favourite Calvinistic Bible quotations :-)
Concerning salvation, one group majors on GRACE (Calvinists), the other on WORKS (Arminians), they claim that you can't amalgamate the two, it's either grace or works and nothing in between.
My theology is different to theirs and it is updated and taught by the Spirit of Lord Jesus, so I claim :-)
You said, "I believe that a person is "in Christ" and becomes a son of God after he puts his/her faith in the gospel of the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:1-4, Acts 20:24). We are then "chosen" because we are "in him" according to Eph. 1:4. We got out of Adam and into Christ (1 Cor. 15:22)."
I think that a son was always a son and will always be a son. A man can never become a son to someone by his will, choice or faith or whatever, just the same as he never can become a son to the Queen of England, no matter what he does or believes.
If we ignore and transgress that sound principle, we will end up in confusion and error.
You said, "We are then "chosen" because we are "in him".
No my brother, we were chosen before we have done anything, just as it says in (Eph.1:4), BEFORE the foundation of the world.
You said,"after a sinner does that we are passed from death unto life and shall never perish (John 10:28)."
A sinner who is dead can not function in the area in which he is dead. He can not 'will' or do something to have life, that is because he is dead. (John 10:28) are the Lords children and they are not the sinners, but the saints.
You said, "I believe that Christ provided the atonement and sacrifice for the sins of the world/everyman. Christ provided that salvation and grace....but we must RECEIVE Him it will not affect us."
So then, you don't believe that the Lord Jesus Christ actually died and made atonement for the sins of 'X' ?
You think that Jesus made a deal with X. If X will do his part for salvation, then Jesus will do His part for X and save him, providing X has done it properly.
It is reasonable to say that if X believes, only then he is saved and the moment he changes his mind, he is lost.
If that salvation depends on faith or believe, then the absence of that faith or belief demands the loss of that salvation.
That sounds like a pathetic untrustworthy impotent saviour, who wants to save X but can't actually do it without the permission of X.
However we look at; X's free will, it is superior to the Lords will. It looks more like the Lords will is not free, but in subjection to X's free will.
But my saviour Jesus is a lot better than that.
The Lord Jesus has chosen me before the foundation of the world to be saved, and at the appropriate time He laid down His life for me ('it is finished'), atoned and cancelled all of my sins against me and caused me to be born again, apart from me doing anything.
I now have been given the free gift of God a new life of the Spirit apart from works and I can never die again. And because I am a new creation, a new man in Christ, old things have passed away and everything is new, I now want to please my Lord and my God Jesus Christ in everything I do and live with Him for ever and ever.
Sounds to good doesn't it :-) ;-)
Eternal life as a free gift; all I can say, hallelujah! thank you thank you Jesus!
Thank you for the comments! I'll answer in a blog post so that I can be more thorough. --Eli "Hoss" Caldwell
ReplyDelete