Featured Why do you sin?

What a load of baloney (not the real word that came into my mind).

Cornelius was not saved, and he did not have the Holy Spirit, yet God heard his prayers, and God recognized his works as good works.

Acts 10:31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.

If you do not believe the unsaved person can say a prayer that can be heard by God, then you do not believe an unsaved person can pray to Jesus to be saved. You are a Calvinist, you believe a person must be born again before he can pray a prayer God will hear.

 

He knows this.

It's irrelevant to his argument.

 

Brother Wes, both of those commentaries were written by those who hold to free will, and are NOT Calvinists.

If man can get a new heart, if man can make himself good, Chist wasted His time dying for us.


The problem I see with you is you're unwilling to listen and learn on here. Your "me and my KJV" motto is doing you zero favors(PLEASE dont take this as me being offensive to yo, but I truly love and respect you, it's just an observation on my part, okay?). No one, and I reiterate NNE has been able to show you one thing. You've never changed your mind on anything whilst on here. The likes of DHK, Skan, Ben, TND, et al have shown you things and you brush them off. The likes of Adam Clarke, C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, couldn't show you your errors either. You came on here to show us how much you know and how much smarter than you are than us, I'm afraid. I came on here to learn, and by His grace, I have. I don't have all the answers, but apparently you do....

 

Nope. He didn't write a commentary. The Clarke who wrote the commentary lived in Ireland 1760-1832, and was a Methodist.

 

I sin due to the fact that I have a sin nature, and that my will and desires from that flesh entice me to not keep doing the will of God!

Good news though is that those in jesus have been set free from that, so no need to keep on doing that!

 

Oh, I knew Clarke was a Methodist long ago, but he held some Calvinistic views as even John Wesley did. Calvinism has had a great influence on even non Reformed denominations.

That's pure nonsense. Men can get a new heart by going to Jesus Christ for it.

Eze 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Read for yourself Willis, what did God say?

And the problem I see is that you quit listening to the word of God and started letting Calvinists tell you their interpretations of scripture. If you listened to the Bible you would have known Ezekiel 18:31.

If a man wants to be good, he can cry out to Jesus for a new heart, and Jesus will give it to him.

You USED to believe that yourself, but somewhere you went off the tracks.

 

Oh, come on, Wes! Nonsense! Clarke was a Calvinistic as you are! In fact, as I stated, his commentary is the favorite among Pentecostals. He was a forerunner of their teaching.

 

You're right
I was confusing him with Gordon H. Clarke :laugh:

 

Nope. Adam Clarke was probably a five point Arminian, or close to that. I don't know if he held to eternal security or not.


*****the rest I won't even bother addressing*****

 

I don't care if Clarke was a Methodist, his interpretation disagrees with the words of Jesus. Read carefully;

Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

The plain interpretation of this verse is that Jesus is telling these persons to "either make" themselves a good tree that produces good fruit, "or else make" themselves a corrupt tree that produces corrupt fruit.

This verse is not difficult, it implies that we have both the option and ability to determine whether we are a good tree, or a corrupt tree. And this agrees perfectly with Ezekiel 18:31 where God tells the Jews to make themselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Now, that said, scripture also says God will give us a new heart and a new spirit. Is that a contradiction? NO.

It shows that both man and God participate in regeneration. A man cannot regenerate himself, but a man can trust Jesus as his Saviour and be regenerated.

Why do we preach the gospel and plead with people to trust Christ if they cannot trust Christ and be regenerated?

And even Calvinist preachers plead with folks to trust Christ.

So, this argument is pure baloney. The scriptures show man can repent and turn to Jesus, and when they do Jesus will give them a new heart. This is what Jesus meant when he told people to make themselves a good tree. These scriptures show that salvation is synergistic, man must cooperate with God to be regenerated.

The Calvinists love the verses that say a good tree produces good fruit, and a corrupt tree produces corrupt fruit, but they NEVER preach Matthew 12:33.

You can't simply ignore scripture you don't like.

 

I have compared Clarke and many other commentators before. In many respects he was very Calvinistic, such as this statement:

Clarke is basically saying regeneration precedes faith here. It is certainly a good thing for a man to believe on Jesus, it is called being "obedient" to the faith, where unbelief is called disobedience.

Well, Clarke is saying a man's heart must be "renewed" before he can do any good. This is Calvinism.

Unsaved man can do good, Cornelius proves that. He was not saved, or else why would God send an angel to tell him to send for Peter whereby he would hear words that would save him?

Acts 11:13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

Why would a regenerate man need to be saved? Absurd!

He also did not receive the Holy Spirit until he heard the gospel.

Acts 11:15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

Cornelius didn't receive the Holy Spirit until he heard the gospel from Peter and believed on Jesus.

Was Cornelius UNABLE to do good before this? NO, he feared God, prayed always, and did many good works that God recognized and that Peter called righteous works.

So Clarke is wrong. Total Inability is wrong. If an unsaved man wants to get saved, he can turn in faith to Jesus and be saved. He is not compelled to do evil. Cornelius was able to be obedient before he was saved.

Calvinism is false.

 

If Clarke was a Methodist then it is doubtful he was Calvinistic. From Methodism, the Wesleyan theology came Pentecostal theology, as far from Calvinism as one can get. You are wrong.

No, that is not what he said. He has said the same thing Jesus taught, the Bible teaches, and others have taught--a teaching that you obstinately fight against!
One cannot change the nature of the tree. A corrupt tree will bring forth corrupt fruit. The tree is known by its fruit. The corrupt tree, in order to produce good fruit needs divine intervention; it needs to be regenerated. It needs new life.
Remember this parable:
Luke 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
--Except for intervention it would be cut down and destroyed.

It was Jesus that taught:
From a good man's heart comes good fruit.
From an evil man's heart comes evil fruit.
One is known by their fruit. That is not Calvinism. Is it the unsaved or the saved that demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in their lives?

First, Cornelius acted on "all" the light that he had.
Second, he was a proselyte to the Jewish religion.
Third, he was a Roman, a Gentile (one usually hated among the Jews), and yet this man was highly esteemed among the Jews. How do you account for that? It was because of his alms (OT society); his conversion to the Jewish faith.
Fourth, it is likely that he had also heard Christ. (don't know for sure).
Fifth, now he wanted to hear the whole story and fully understand. His request was answered by God. That same request is still being answered by God in foreign nations all over this world. "God if there is a God reveal yourself to me." And He usually does, in one way or another: tract, radio message, missionary, or in some way.
To use Cornelius as an example for a lost man doing good works does not wash. The Book of Acts was a book of transition--the Church in transition. There were many things that happened that were highly unusual. Establish your doctrine from the epistles not Acts.

Again, you accuse me, other non-Cals, and Clarke of teaching Total Inability, when we don't. Stop with the slander and false accusations.

 

Look here big boy!! I have been nothing but cordial, nothing but respectful to you. And this is what I get from you?? Wow!! This needs to stop, NOW!!!

Keep it up fella. Soon enough you'll see "BANNED" under your username. Provided someone slaps the Mods/Admins arms so that their heads fall off their hands as they're sleeping at their desk....

 

It is a big deal. You've removed any reason anyone should engage the avalanche of drivel issuing from your vanity.

Give yourself unto reading. The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of his own. —Spurgeon​

 

Wow Willis, listen to you. YOU are threatening me with being banned?? Who do you think you are?

This just goes to show how YOUR personality has changed since you became a Calvinist.

And for those who say we should listen to men, here is a famous quote for you.

Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man- Thomas Paine

 

No Brother. You have personally insulted me THREE times. You apologized only to later do it again. I have been respectful to you. I expect the same in return. I have no way of banning you, and I honestly don't want you to be.

You're entitled to you beliefs, but not entitled to insult me.

 

Clarke died 150 years before Pentacostalism came around, he has NOTHING to do with that. And Arminianism is not much different than Calvinism in most areas. Both are wrong.

Clarke said a man needs to be "renewed" before he can do any good. This is no different from Calvinists who say a man must be regenerated before he can believe. False doctrine. Cornelius was able to fear God, but he was not saved, and he did not have the Holy Spirit. In fact, none of the OT saints had the indwelling Spirit, yet they were all able to believe.

Oh, I agree 100% that no man could believe without God's intervention, and I have always said that. But we are not zapped to believe, we are TAUGHT. Faith comes by HEARING the word of God. And unregenerate men can listen to God and learn from him if they choose to do so, they do not have to be "renewed" to listen and believe.

Yes, and Jesus also taught that you can "either make" the tree good and it's fruit good, "or else make" the tree corrupt and it's fruit corrupt. You are not enslaved to a sin nature that compels you to sin, you can choose to hear the gospel and believe it if you want to.

Well of course Cornelius had heard of God. It is no doubt his knowledge was from hearing the OT like all the Jews. He believed this was the true God and tried to be a good man. He feared God, prayed always, and gave much alms to the poor.

Nevertheless, Cornelius was not saved and he did not have the Spirit. Did he rebel when the angel told him to send for Peter? NO, and this proves that unregenerate men are not enslaved to always sin. Did God hear his prayers? YES, and this proves that God hears unsaved men if they sincerely pray to him. Was Cornelius able to do truly good works? YES.

So, Cornelius destroys all this false doctrine that teaches an unregenerate man cannot believe, that his prayers are not heard, and that he is not able to do good.

You may not like that, but those are the FACTS.

 

Brother Wes, I have considered you my precious Brother in Christ, and friend...as good as a friend can be via the internet. It's just your insults towards me have really hurt. I could see it if I had posted something insultful towards you.

Debate me, debate me HARD. I like a good debate. Just PLEASE keep your jabs above the belt...that's all I ask from you...

 

No, you have continued to be a smart aleck since you became a Calvinist, and you get worse by the day. And like most Calvinists, you are oblivious to your own self.

Thomas Paine was right.

 

Your a cockaroach!:laugh: