Featured Sympathy for the Arminian

Reason is a gift from God, but sinful man is fallen in all his faculties. His reason is flawed. Even among believers reason is finite. We lack perfect knowledge. When it comes to understanding God's truth we are dependent on the Bible. We stray from Scripture to our own peril.

You are putting words in my mouth. I do not castigate 2 Samuel 12:23. I rightly point out that David was talking about going to the grave to join with his deceased son, not heaven. Nothing in the immediate context of 2 Samuel 12 indicates David was referencing heaven.

Thank you for admitting your disagreement with original sin, but I think that is obvious by your argumentation. That is an important point to bring out because it makes much of our dialog unnecessary. With such a fundamental theological difference there can be no "meeting of the minds".

 

You would assume that after 4 Centuries that the Reformed movement could come up with a better answer than "We dont know"

Frankly the world has gotten real tired of lazy answer theology. really, what hope do you have to offer millions of people downtrodden with no meaning anymore in their lives?

Let me just clue you in because you appear to be a nice fellow, stuck in a rut. For most people in the world the question is not, "Is there life on the other side death?"
It is rather, "Is there life on THIS SIDE of death?"

The world does not need to believe in and support your dogmas & giant 'gathering place' churches. It doesn't need your words of hell. It needs your promise of heaven. And that will be achieved by showing bountiful love and compassion. And in order to do that, your going to have to get out of your pulpit & touch the flesh of God.

Mark 10:42-45

English Standard Version (ESV)

42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[a] 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

Don't the Rolling Stones have a song by the title of this thread?

 

So, when the Bible does not provide a clear teaching on a subject we are supposed to make one up just to satisfy a person's desire to have an answer?

 

Are you aware that Albert Mohler has addressed this? So have others. I think you will agree that Mohler is a pretty intelligent guy, well prepared for every eventuality & doesnt like being caught flat footed. I could even give you a pretty good redress but .... if you cant, oh well.

This is comparable to saying that we really dont know if you are saved or not until you die & go to one of the H places....then we will know. Im sorry, but that answer does not cut it.

 

Haha.

There's a real song about Calvie's though.

I Think My Wife's A Calvinist

 

No...we're supposed to presume that in all likelihood, our Almighty and loving God has not left us completely in the dark (and that's ALL you're offering anyone if you're honest with yourself) on such an immediate, pressing and obvious question.

 

IJ,your conduct is so wrong. Regardless of your theology,your behavior is quite the turn-off.

 

OK Rippon, please indicate what portion of his commentary was such a turn off & so wrong.

Is it that you consider it disrespectful or do you find it theologically inappropriate or both? Obviously it rubs you the wrong way so Id like to take the time to dismantle it so we can have clarity. Please advise.

 

I will just drop it. I like you, EWF, and realize we view this issue differently. Peace.

 

No problem Brother. If you ever get back to Jersey, let me know....maybe we will do some Calandras & Coffee!:thumbs:

 

There is absolutely NOTHING in "my behavior" which should be, or is, a "turn-off", not to any reasonable man anyway. And it has EVERYTHING to do with my "Theology".....I call you as man to man a liar, because I believe in absolutely no uncertain terms that it has EVERYTHING to do with "my Theology". If I agreed with you.....you would have absolutely no argument with my "behavior" at all.

What bothers you....Rippon is a man who is so bold as to say something like:
"I don't care a fig for the 1689 L.B.C."

I understand full well that that type of confidence and boldness enrages people like you, but, I have treated no one on here un-fairly, un-charitably, or falsely.
I have not been directly rude to anyone, nor disingenuous with anyone, nor do I speak cryptically nor falsely.

I understand that it spins you into a dimension of personal rage that some are not intimidated by, nor respectful of Rippon's opinion than the man in the moon....
But, there it is...

One can learn so MUCH more from a man's enemies than he can from who his "friends" are. Friends are false....enemies are honest.
Lemme explain something to you Mr. Rippon....the WORSE you think of me....the CLOSER to the will of God I think I truly am.

It would sadden me if you were to think highly of me.

You are one such person that I would wish you thought the WORST of....
I desire the praise of neither YOU nor the man of the century John Calvin.

I would consider praise from you a DIRECT and PERSONAL insult.

 

Rom. 8:7 and 1 Cor. 2:14 teach that the sinner cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God. That is what I was getting at. I am not saying that human reason cannot comprehend the Pythagorean theorem. I am focusing my comments on spiritual knowledge and where spiritual knowledge derives its authority. The Bible is the sole authority for all matters of faith and practice. Period. The Holy Spirit brings to our understanding the words of Scripture. Without the Spirit there is no way we could appropriate Scripture's truth.

Regarding the eternal disposition of infants dying in infancy and all others who are not able to understand the ordinary means of salvation (the Gospel), our peace over the issue is found in Scripture. Some people, like yourself, believe Scripture speaks definitively on the issue. I do not.

I have already answered this in the previous paragraph.

You display amazing rhetorical skills.

Did someone vomit in your your Wheaties this morning? When does disagreement turn into casting the H-bomb? All I said was that the way you argue is consistent with someone who does not believe in original sin.

Oh, please. You are acting like the back end of donkey, right below the tail.

 

Calm down & reset.

 

Folks pay no attention to any representation of my views made by Calvinists. They edit scripture to reverse what scripture says, and they edit and copy partial quotes to misrepresent what I said. Deception and deceit are their hallmarks. I said Calvinism started with biblical truth, but then extrapolated it into fallacy, or some such.

 

1) I believe the statement is completely true, therefore your effort at mindreading is specious.

2) According to Calvinism God choose some for salvation and left the rest unsaved before anyone had sinned. Thus according to Calvinism the unsaved were damned from all eternity.

3) Did I say put human volition into Ephesians 2:5, or did I say it does not depend on the man that wills but upon God who has mercy, and therefore God alone puts those of His choosing in Christ where they are made alive. Why do you continue to misrepresent my view??

4) I did not rip John 6:29 out of context, my view is in accordance with the context, Jesus was asked what we must do, referring to what men must do, and Jesus answered believe in Me. Thus the subjective genitive, is translated ambiguously by the NASB, but accurately and the same verse is translated unambiguously and accurately in the NET which reads the deeds (work) God requires. Your debate is with Dr. Dan Wallace, not with me.

5) While in the past, the rule of thumb for translating genitives is to put "of" + the genitive, is still used today, many translations are using a better understanding of the Greek to present God's word with the clarity intended.

6) Why not try addressing my actual view, rather than strawmen of your own construction. Why are you hiding the truth with obfuscation?

Bottom line, there is no actual support for the first four points of Calvinism anywhere in scripture. None, Zip Nada. Instead, the man-made doctrines turn the gospel into the doctrines of futility.